6 Benefits of Cycling for Your Health
There are many things to appreciate about cycling, including getting to explore new areas and feeling the fresh air in your face. Going on a bike ride is a great workout because it has a long list of health advantages.
Any form of exercise benefits your body and mind, but unlike other aerobic activities (such jogging or walking), cycling may be done at a high intensity without putting undue strain on the joints.
Numerous studies that have examined the relationship between cycling and health have discovered that just a few days per week of riding is sufficient to produce the following health advantages.
1. Improved Aerobic Fitness from Cycling (Without Stressing Your Joints)
Physical fitness includes cardiovascular or aerobic exercise. Everyone over 18 is advised to engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio (or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity cardio) each week, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (PDF), noting that more is associated with greater long-term health benefits. One approach to incorporate this action is to cycle at any intensity.
And according to Bianca Beldini, DPT, a physical therapist and USA-certified triathlon coach based in South Nyack, New York, cycling offers a fantastic choice if you have hip, knee, or ankle joint issues or you just wish to prevent them in the future. "With a suitable bike setup, cycling may challenge a person's total system without undue load or adverse pressures through the joints," the author explains. "Cycling is regarded to be low impact, which means it puts less stress on the lower extremity joints."
2. Cycling Strengthens the Core
Beldini claims that outdoor riding, in particular, can significantly challenge the abdominal muscles and build core stability because you need to balance on the bike. This is especially true over rougher terrain, where you'll have to shift direction often to avoid obstacles, where you might think of cycling as cardio, rather than strength.
She explains that even tiny adjustments while you ride can activate the muscles in your lower back, abdominals, and hips that are necessary to balance the body's center of mass over moving wheels.
A stronger core not only reduces risk of back pain, but also helps prevent tension headaches and energy slumps because you're in better alignment throughout the day, says Neel Anand, MD, director of spine trauma at Cedars-Sinai Spine Center in Los Angeles. "With more core strength and stability, you have more efficiency in your movements, no matter what activity you're doing," he says.
3. Exercise Can Help Bone Health
But just because you like cycling doesn't mean you're losing out — especially if you go off-road. Higher-impact exercises, like jumping and running, put stress on the body that can enhance bone density, says Dr. Anand, which is an important element of good aging.
Mountain biking, for example, can produce enough ground impact to be advantageous for bone strength and demands the use of upper-body muscles to maintain stability; the combination of these variables, the researchers observe, may improve bone structure overall.
4. Riding a Bike May Aid in Sleep
According to a research review published in December 2021 in Sleep Medicine Reviews, adding a ride in the early evening may help if you have trouble sleeping well.
According to Melodee Mograss, PhD, a cognitive neuropsychologist in the department of health, kinesiology, and applied physiology at Concordia University in Montreal, cycling seemed to be the most beneficial, and she adds that ending a ride around two hours before bed seems to be the sweet spot.
"We don't know why cycling is so prevalent in this. We do, however, know that exercise, such as cycling, quickly raises the core body temperature while you are doing it, forcing the body to counteract the increase in heat with cool-down mechanisms, she explains. "That tends to create more efficient temperature regulation, which carries into bedtime, and may help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep better as a result," she adds.
5. Cycling Is Beneficial for Heart Health
According to Beldini, cycling challenges the heart, lungs, and muscle system in a positive way, which improves cardiovascular function, including increased blood pressure and circulation, as well as better oxygen use.
According to earlier studies, frequent cyclists are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than non-cyclists.
This also holds true for indoor cycling, according to a review of the literature that was published in August 2019 in the journal Medicina. Indoor cycling plus a healthy diet may help to increase aerobic capacity, blood pressure, lipid profiles, and body composition.
6. Cycling Improves Mental Health
Cycling is no exception to the rule that exercise is good for mood and mental health.
In a study published in February 2019 in PLoS One, 100 adults aged 50 to 83 were examined; approximately one-third were not cyclists, another third (approximately) cycled at least three times per week, and the final third used e-bikes, which are fitted with a motor to provide pedaling assistance. Over the course of the study's eight weeks, participants were asked to maintain these cycling (or non-cycling) routines.
"For example, mountain biking is so technical and demands such effort to handle difficult terrain that you may find it helps with your concentration in general," Beldini adds. "Different people might prefer one sort of riding over another." Higher speeds and hill climbing can be thrilling when road cycling, which increases enjoyment.
She advises spending some time experimenting with various riding styles and surfaces to determine what you enjoy the most.
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