5 Health Benefits Of Cycling To Work

Modern, yet stressful way of living is undoubtedly taking its toll on your physical and mental health. However, incorporating some kind of physical activity into your daily routine has proven to protect your body and mind from the consequences of a chaotic lifestyle. Although many people say that the lack of spear time is the reason why they don’t exercise regularly, the statistics on the number of people cycling to work testifies that it’s only a poor excuse. Not only is cycling a cheap and environmentally friendly way of commuting, but also a low impact exercise that doesn’t require any specific skills or coordination, and which can be performed by people of all ages. On the other hand, cycling on regular basis can improve your general health and reduce the risk of more serious health problems that usually occur as a consequence of sedentary life. So, bearing this in mind, make sure you buy a bike with a comfortable saddle and expect the following health benefits of cycling to work:

Burn Fat

Regular bicycle riding is a great way to lose weight or stay fit, as it’s good at building muscles, burning body weight and speeding up the metabolism. According to the research, if you incorporate half an hour of bike riding into your daily routine, you can burn about 5kg of fat per year. What is more, sports psychologists found that the rise of body’s metabolic rate isn’t related only to the half an hour, but to several following hours, too. So, opt for bicycle commuting and you’re likely to improve your physical shape without even putting an effort for real.

Protect your heart

Since regular cycling can strengthen the heart muscle, lower resting pulse and reduce the levels of fat in the blood, it protects you from the risks of cardiovascular diseases – stroke, heart attack, and high blood pressure. Furthermore, the research has shown that in comparison to car commuters, bicycle commuters are less exposed to air pollution which can improve the lung function.

Gain more health benefits

Apart from reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, daily cycling has proven to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes as well. The study conducted in Denmark including thousands of men and women at the age of 50 – 65 showed that participants who cycled on regular basis were less likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes. Interestingly, it also proved that it’s never too late to incorporate bike riding into your daily routine in order to experience this health benefit.

No stress therapy

Not only is regular pedaling beneficial for your body, but mind, too, as it can help people deal with mental health issues including depression, stress, and anxiety. Cycling is an outdoor activity which means that it includes being exposed to the sunlight which increases the level of serotonin – the happiness hormone. Another hormone affected by sunlight is cortisol – the stress hormone that prevents good night’s sleep. Therefore, outdoor exercising can reduce the cortisol level in your body and help you get more qualitative sleep.

Cancer prevention

Although any kind of exercise is a helpful way of cancer prevention, cycling is evidently very good. As reported by the research conducted in Finland, men that exercised 30 minutes per day at a moderate level were less likely to suffer from cancer. But, the moderate exercise they cited was ‘cycling to work’. Other studies which included women discovered that frequent bike riding can decrease the chances of developing breast cancer by 34 percents.

In Summation

Considering all the above-mentioned facts, it can be said that bicycle commuting is undeniably worth of trying at least. It’s health benefits, it doesn’t include stressing out over traffic or parking space, and, although some might argue about this state, it’s less dangerous. So, instead of wasting time either in suffocating public transport or in a car stuck in the middle of town, opt for cycling to work, help your body and mind and you’ll start coming to work more energetic and ready for new challenges.