To be fit and healthy you need to be active, physically and mentally. Research has clearly shown that people who are less physically active are more likely to develop problems such as heart diseases and diabetes and are also more likely to die young.
There has been increasing evidence that physical and mental activities are declining, and this is because, with so many demands throughout our day, many people can hardly find time to prioritize exercise. However, cycling yourself to work regularly can help reduce the risk of health problems that can be associated with a sedentary way of living.
Yes, cycling is a healthy and low impact exercise that people of all ages can enjoy including young kids to adults. Cycling has multiple benefits not only for keeping you fit physically but also taking care of your mental wellbeing and it is a fun, cheap and environmental healthy exercise.
So apart from protecting you and keeping you healthy, what other benefits does cycling have?
Benefits Of Cycling
- Feeling Of Happiness
Cycling can immediately boost your mood. Apart from helping you increase your self-esteem and confidence due to getting fitter, simply spending time in the sunlight and outside can boost your levels of serotonin which is a feel-good hormone.
So instead of feeling depressed by sitting in an artificially lit office, you can expose yourself to more daylight. So hop on a bike and get yourself out of the office!
- Get Rid Of Insomnia
Not only does cycling get rid of depression but it also helps you to get rid of insomnia. The more daylight you’ll get the better sleep you will have at night. Research carried by the Stanford University of Medicine used inactive insomniacs and had them cycle for at least 30 to 35 minutes every other day. The result of this was that the time insomniacs took to sleep was reduced to half and they slept longer.
- Get Smarter
Recent research has shown that cycling to work can make you smarter and help you sharpen your thoughts. Cycling can take a toll on your nerve cells by sparking your brain and causing the neurons to ignite and get into action mode. This increases the production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor proteins to help smarten the way you think.
Cycling can also help to make communication between neurotransmitters more effective. This means, your ability to concentrate and retain information becomes better.
- Cycling Improves Your Navigation Skills
In a world filled with Google maps and satellite navigations, you do not have much choice to sharpen your navigational skills. Unless you’ve invested in a GPS cycling monitor that has mapping capabilities, but if you haven’t then got out there and explore the roads yourself can prove to be an essential exercise for your internal mapping abilities.
- Physical Advantages
There is no doubt about the physical advantages cycling has. It not only helps you live longer, but it helps in fighting with muscular pain, bone injury, arthritis, diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases, to name a few. This little exercise can not only boost and strengthen your immune system but can also improve your sex life.
Cycling has repeatedly been linked with mental health, and with all the benefits of mental health mentioned above, you should add cycling to your daily routine and gain the skills to manage the technical elements of everyday life. With this exercise, get fitter physically and mentally and give your confidence a boost. Increase your social circle by joining cycling groups and help contribute towards saving the planet.
