The Top 5 Benefits Of Riding A Bike | KBO Bike

Riding your electric bicycle daily is one of the most effective strategies to lower your risk of health problems connected with a sedentary lifestyle.

Cycling is a low-impact sport that may be enjoyed by individuals of all ages, from toddlers to seniors. It's also entertaining, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly.

Riding your bike to work or the store is one of the most time-efficient methods to include regular exercise into your daily routine. An estimated one billion people ride bicycles for transportation, entertainment, and sport every day.

Nowadays, going on an f ride isn't just for youngsters. More and more people are dusting up their old bikes and going for a spin to get the incredible health advantages of cycling.

Indeed, the number of regular bikers in the United States has climbed by approximately 5 million since 2014. Adults above the age of 24 are the primary drivers of this increase in popularity.

Why? Because cycling is particularly beneficial in fighting the difficulties that occur as you age. From heart disease to general life expectancy, something as easy and fun as riding your favorite neighborhood trail or back road can improve your health.

Keep reading for our guide on the top 5 health benefits of cycling if you're curious how cycling may boost your health.

1. CYCLING BOOSTS CARDIORESPIRATORY FITNESS

Cardiorespiratory fitness is the efficiency with which your body transports the oxygen you breathe to your muscles throughout an exercise. Athletes with weak cardiorespiratory fitness can exercise for longer and harder than cyclists with strong cardiorespiratory fitness.

The cardiorespiratory system is essential for endurance cyclists who wish to ride longer and faster. People who have strong cardiorespiratory fitness are also less prone to have: 

Stroke

Heart disease

Lung cancer

People with poor fitness levels can increase their cardiorespiratory fitness by 30%, whereas adults with medium to high fitness levels can show lesser but still substantial improvements. Biking provides the same physical advantages to youngsters as it does to adults.

In another research of both older and younger persons, stationary cycling resulted in substantial gains in three cardiorespiratory endurance tests. The study also discovered that 30 minutes of stationary cycling five times a week for a month enhances leg muscle strength and speed. 

2. CYCLING LEADS TO A LONGER LIFE EXPECTANCY

While increasing your cardiorespiratory fitness is a fantastic advantage in and of itself, it also increases a person's life expectancy. The average number of years a person is projected to live is referred to as life expectancy. This component is dependent on a variety of characteristics, including health and fitness levels.

You really need to know that endurance cyclists have a longer life expectancy than any other workout or sport.

Tour de France cyclists had considerably higher life expectancies than non-athletes in a case study of the impact of endurance, power, and team sports on life expectancy. Furthermore, cyclists increased their life expectancy by up to 8 years, which was nearly double the gain seen in other athletes. Endurance rowers came in second, although even competitive rowing only adds up to a 6-year increase in life expectancy.

In the spirit of revealing both the benefits and drawbacks of riding, you should be aware that some research indicates that inner-city bikers have a lower life expectancy, which balances the projected increase. To prevent losing those extra years, cycle on low-traffic roads, in the country, or on paths that do not allow motorized vehicles. 

3. CYCLING REDUCES THE RISK OF CANCER AND THE RATE OF CANCER MORTALITY

While a cure for cancer is still in the works, people may minimize their risk by taking preventative actions. People who have had or are presently suffering from cancer can lessen their chance of death.

Sounds like magic, doesn't it? Endurance riding, believe it or not, can help lower the incidence of cancer and/or cancer death.

In fact, for every hour of cycling every day, you can cut your risk of cancer-related death by up to 20%. Furthermore, increasing your cycle duration to 100 minutes or more can cut your risk by up to 40%.

Remarkably, studies reveal that cyclists who pedal at a moderate effort for up to 1 hour every day can lower their risk of colon cancer by 20%, or by 45 percent if they cycle for 1.5 hours. According to this research, that proportion may increase even more with 2 hours or more of cycling every day.

4. THE BENEFITS OF CYCLING: COGNITIVE FUNCTIONING

As you become older, your brain shrinks. This decrease in volume is the cause of age-related disorders such as poor memory, impaired muscular function, and trouble paying attention.

However, if you are a biker, you may benefit from the mental benefits of riding, which include enhanced cognitive performance as you age.

A study of 100 older individuals aged 50 to 83 found that 30-minutes of cycling at least three times per week helped participants improve their performance on mental tests. These challenges were the Stroop Task and the Letter Updating Task, respectively.

The Stroop Task assesses an individual's ability to use their executive function. The executive function regulates things like improper behavior inhibition, decision making, and attention. One of the earliest sections of the brain to exhibit symptoms of aging is the portion of the brain that regulates executive function.

Similarly, the Letter Updating Task assesses a person's working memory function. A high score on this assignment often indicates better intellect and superior reading comprehension.

The enhanced Stroop and Letter Updating Task scores of bikers indicate that they had longer attention spans, stronger decision-making processes, high IQ levels, and above-average reading comprehension. If you want to develop one of these cognitive skills, it might be time to dust up the old bike and get out on the road.

5. CYCLING REDUCES THE CHANCE OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), often known as heart disease, is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. Every year, more than 600,000 Americans die as a result of heart disease, according to the CDC.

If you have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or consume tobacco products, you may develop heart disease later in life. Other risk factors are as follows:

Diabetes

Dietary deficiencies

Alcoholism

Exercise can help to prevent CVD. Cycling, for example, is an example of an endurance workout. It's no surprise, therefore, that cycling for 3.5 hours or more three times a week reduces your risk of CVD by 20%.

Cardiorespiratory fitness increases with endurance workouts like cycling, as we saw previously in this list. As a result, bikers see a 15% reduction in the occurrence of heart attacks when compared to non-cyclists.

A sedentary lifestyle is yet another risk factor for heart disease. A sedentary lifestyle involves minimal physical exercise and is associated with a slew of health problems, including obesity. That is why the advantages of riding for weight loss are such a popular issue among bikers.

Safety Considerations

Before you hop on a commuter bike, check with your doctor, especially if you have heart problems, arthritis, or weakening bones.

When riding, keep in mind that the seat height should allow for a modest bend in the knee.

Other suggestions include wearing a helmet to protect your head and not using clips to hold your feet on the pedals, which can aggravate injuries if you fall. Avoid riding alone; utilize bike trails rather than the street; remain hydrated before, during, and after your ride; and wear sunscreen and sunglasses.

Advice on Choosing Equipment

Helmet

You're undoubtedly aware that wearing a helmet is essential for safety. Cycling will be safer and more comfortable if you wear the right clothes and ride the right bike.

Cycling attire.

These are made with high-tech fibers that wick moisture away. They are generally neon-colored and made of reflective material to make you visible to cars. A thick pad or chamois is used in bike shorts to avoid chafing and offer cushioning.

Bikes.

Consider a beach cruiser or comfort bike if you want to put less strain on your body. They include high-rise handlebars that let you sit upright, wide tires for a smooth ride, shock-absorbing seat posts, and low-top tubes that allow you to mount the bike without swinging your leg too far (allow at least an inch or two of clearance between you and the tube). If getting on and off a bike is problematic, there are "step-through" bicycles with top tubes that are just six inches from the ground.

Tricycles, which are useful if you are less steady on your feet, and recumbent bikes, which enable you to lean back and ride, are two more types of bikes.

Saddle.

Get one with additional cushioning and enough width to support the pair of bones you sit on. Take it a step further by using a saddle that reduces pressure on the perineum, which is the region between those bones beneath the genitals. It contains nerves and arteries that nourish the lower body, and excessive pressure here can cause numbness and a tingle in the legs. Pressure-relieving saddles may be "noseless" or "horseshoe" in shape.

Cycling can help you avoid dangerous diseases including stroke, heart attack, some cancers, depression, diabetes, obesity, and arthritis. Riding a bike is a healthy low-impact form of exercise for people of all ages. Cycling to the store, park, school, or job is a simple way to include it into your daily routine.