Cycling has many benefits. It helps you get active, saves you money on transportation, aids the environment, and it can also be therapeutical. You can do cycling for a variety of reasons: as an alternative mode of transport, for casual activity, or as a competitive sport. It could easily be one of the best decisions to make. It is also a nice way to get the body’s needed exercise.
Implementing it in your lifestyle will keep you healthy both physically and mentally. Some health benefits of cycling include improved heart health, weight loss, improved confidence, stress relief, and better brainpower.
The fact that it helps reduce stress is nice because many health problems are caused by immense levels of stress. Some people don’t know how stress impacts our health. However, everything has it’s pros and cons, and cycling is no exception. In this article, we will discuss cycling benefits and disadvantages.
Cycling is highly beneficial. It helps you get active, aids the environment, saves you money on transportation, and it can also be therapeutical. You can do cycling for different purposes: for casual activity, as an alternative mode of transport, or as a competitive sport. It could easily be one of the best decisions to make.
It is also a great way to get the body’s needed exercise. Implementing it in your lifestyle will certainly keep you healthy both physically and mentally. However, everything has it’s pros and cons, and cycling is no exception. In this article, we will discuss cycling benefits and disadvantages.
Benefits of cycling
It’s good for your heart
Cycling keeps not only the body healthy, but it’s also good for your heart. A study proves that people who stay active are 31 percent less likely to develop heart problems, specifically high blood pressure. It is also proven to lower your blood pressure as prescriptions can. If you are currently experiencing high blood pressure, you can consider cycling.
It is scientifically proven that doing so not only reduces the chances of developing one but helping manage it as well. If you do it regularly, you may not need to take your prescriptions anymore. But, to be sure, make sure to still consult your doctor.
Assists in weight loss
Habitually cycling, especially at great intensities, really helps in keeping your body fat levels low. This encourages healthy weight management. Cycling is also an exceptional way to build muscle. This is even better if you aim to both lose weight and gain muscle.
You will also experience a boost in metabolism. Having high metabolism enables you to burn calories, even while at rest. This is helpful if you are a fairly busy person, and you don’t have that much time to allocate for exercise.
Cycling also helps the body rid of visceral fat. This kind of fat resides deep inside the body, having too much of these can be detrimental to your health.
Reduce stress levels
A certain 200-people study confirmed that office employees who exercised before going to work or during breaks improved their workload and time management abilities. It also increased their motivation and improved their ability to deal with stress. Additionally, cycling can be therapeutic, going out in nature and getting some fresh air can help ease and relax the mind.
Some people overlook the harmful effects of stress. They are not informed that many different health problems stem from high levels of stress. This includes heart problems, diabetes, headaches, asthma, high blood pressure, arthritis, skin conditions, anxiety, and depression. It is vital to ensure that you manage your stress levels.
Better brainpower
A study conducted showed that getting regular exercise boosts brainpower. This enables you to accomplish better things and be more productive. For kids, getting active positively impacts their health, helping with specific issues such as attention deficit disorder. The chances of getting Alzheimer’s as you get older are also reduced.
Regardless of which age group you belong to, you can benefit from improved brainpower. Some foods and supplements also claim to do the same effect, but they can be costly. Enhancing your brain’s capability through exercising, specifically cycling, saves you money and you can be sure you won’t be scammed.
Improved confidence
Exercise stimulates the release of the feel-good hormones, also known as endorphins. These hormones are produced by the pituitary gland, found at the base of our brain. Endorphins make you feel happy, exhilarated, and they also block the feelings of pain. Its pain-reducing properties help you get workouts and strenuous done.
As mentioned earlier, cycling assists you in losing weight, and this element helps you improve your confidence too. Not in the sense that you should not be confident if you’re not skinny, the point is many people want to lose weight and being able to accomplish that goal, makes you feel happy and accomplished.
Disadvantages of cycling
More prone to road danger
Even if you stay cautious and ride responsibly, it can be the opposite for other drivers. Some of them drive under the influence of alcohol, some disobey traffic rules, while some others are simply careless enough to text while driving. This endangers not only the pedestrian but also cyclists. Bikes are less protective than cars, making you more vulnerable to injuries or accidents.
What may seem like a simple bump could result in fatal accidents for cyclists. Also, obstacles in the road might put a cyclist’s life at risk. Some of these include puddles, road cracks and holes, branches, stones, and mud. These things can easily bring someone cycling off his or her bike, which may result in injury.
Exposure to harmful elements
Compared to driving in a car, riding a bike exposes you more to the environment, along with its harmful elements. When you are not using a closed vehicle, you are more exposed to the weather. That is why people are always advised to wear sunscreen, to reduce or avoid the harmful effects of the sun’s UV rays. The same applies to cold weather and humidity as well.
It would be also highly inconvenient for you when it starts to rain. You can try wearing clothes appropriate for the current weather but nothing beats the comfort and protection you get from a closed vehicle.
Lack of storage
Bicycles can do a great job getting someone to where they need to go, but the same does not apply for equipment and belongings. You are limited by the basket of your bike (if it even has one). Furthermore, not all bikes support passengers, so if you need to take someone with you, there might be problems as well.
So if you need to move lots of things from point A to point B, it might require you to do multiple trips instead of just one. You might also require assistance when it comes to heavy and big things such as televisions or furniture.
Conclusion
Like anything else, cycling has cons and limitations as well. Regardless, it depends on the things you need to get accomplished and other factors. If the benefits outweigh the disadvantages for you, which is likely, then you should indeed consider incorporating cycling into your lifestyle, maybe even include it in your daily routine.
