It’s National Cycle to Work Day this month, highlighting the amazing health benefits we can gain from cycling. And for those of us who are time poor and find fitting exercise into the day a challenge, this could be the answer.
However, if you don’t or can’t cycle to work, why not take it up and just enjoy a new hobby either alone or with friends and family? Alternatively, if your home is your office, then why not do some cycling before starting work or during your lunch break?
Clinical Nutritionist Suzie Sawyer shares some amazing reasons to cycle somewhere.
Improving your overall health
Cycling is of course a cardiovascular exercise which means it has great health benefits for the heart, and cardiovascular fitness. The heart is a muscle that needs to be worked just like any other muscle in the body: regular cardiovascular exercise helps to keep the blood vessels healthy with blood running smoothly through them, so they also get a great workout too.
UK Government guidelines recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of exercise every week (think 30 minutes 5 days a week), which can include a combination of cardiovascular and strength training. The good news with cycling is that it ticks both boxes, plus improves muscle strength, and keeps the bones in good shape too.
Do bear in mind that cycling is not as beneficial for the bones as formal strength training with weights or resistance bands, so you might want to consider doing both. However, riding a bike is an ideal exercise if you have a condition such as osteoarthritis because it’s low impact so doesn’t put stress on the joints.
For anyone who has Type 2 diabetes or is at risk of it, the great news is that cycling for around 30 minutes per day can help improve outcomes.
Managing weight
Most of us like to keep an eye on our waistlines. A sedentary lifestyle can certainly exacerbate this problem too and the good news is that cycling burns plenty of calories (around 300 calories an hour). So, if you’re doing it regularly, this is going to help manage your weight.
Cycling raises your metabolic rate because it combines strength and cardio exercise, so you’ll continue to burn calories after you’ve finished or are sitting at your desk. Obviously, the harder you cycle the more overall benefits you’ll gain.
Exercise doesn’t negate the need to keep a check on what you eat and drink; for example, a sandwich at lunch time will generally contain more than 300 calories. So, try to maintain a well-balanced diet and be careful not to fall into the trap of undoing all your hard work and overloading on too much post-workout food.
Mental Wellbeing
In a world where so many of us are struggling with mental health issues, cycling could really provide some much-needed support. A reduction in depression, stress and anxiety can all be realised from taking regular exercise but cycling seems to have added benefits. You generally need to concentrate when cycling, especially if you’re on busy roads, which of course helps relieve your brain from potentially negative thoughts.
Being in the great outdoors is also a massive plus, especially at this time of year, and can really improve overall mental wellbeing.
However, if cycling to work is not possible or cycling outside is not your bag, you can still get all the wonderful health benefits from stationary cycling – why not join a spin class at your local gym?
Most important of all is that cycling is a fun way to get fit therefore you’re more likely to keep it up even after Cycling to Work Day is over.
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