27 benefits of ride a bike
27 benefits of ride a bike
Whether it is to improve your health, health or bank balance, or environmental choices, riding a bicycle may be one of the best decisions you make. Don’t believe in the benefits of cycling? Here are 27 benefits of ride a bike, whether you want to improve your health, happiness, relationships or all three.
The health benefits of ride a bike
1 Strengthen your intestines
According to experts from the University of Bristol, the benefits of cycling can reach your core.
“Physical activity helps reduce the time it takes for food to pass through the large intestine, limit the absorption of water back into the body, and make your stool softer and easier to pass,” explains Harley Street Gastroenterologist Dr. Ana Raimundo.
In addition, aerobic exercise can speed up breathing and heart rate and help stimulate the contraction of intestinal muscles. “In addition to preventing you from feeling bloated, this also helps protect you from bowel cancer,” said Dr. Raimundo.
2 increase your brain power
Need to make your gray matter glow? Then start pedaling. Researchers at the University of Illinois found that cycling improves cardiorespiratory health by 5%, which in turn increases psychological testing by 15%.
This is because cycling helps build new brain cells in the hippocampus-the area responsible for memory, which has degenerated since the age of 30.
The author of the study, Professor Arthur Kramer, said: “It promotes blood flow and oxygen in the brain, thereby stimulating and regenerating receptors, explaining how exercise can help fight Alzheimer’s disease.”
3 defeat the disease
Is riding a bicycle good for you? Yes! Forget the apple, riding a horse is the way to stay away from the doctor. “Moderate exercise makes immune cells more active, so they are ready to fight infection,” said Cath Collins, chief dietitian at St George’s Hospital in London.
In fact, according to a study by the University of North Carolina, people who ride a bicycle for 30 minutes 5 days a week have about half the number of sick leave days.
4 live longer
King’s College London compared more than 2,400 pairs of identical twins and found that even without considering other factors such as body mass index (BMI) and smoking, people who only ride for 45 minutes three times a week are 9 years younger than their biological age. .
“People who exercise regularly have a significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, all types of cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity,” said Dr. Lynn Cherkas, who conducted the study. “The body becomes more efficient in protecting itself and regenerating new cells.”
5 save the planet
20 bicycles can be parked in the same space as a car. Manufacturing a bicycle requires about 5% of materials and energy to manufacture a bicycle, and a bicycle produces zero pollution.
Bicycles are also very effective. With the same energy consumption, your travel speed is about three times that of walking. Considering the “fuel” you add to the “engine”, you are equivalent to 2,924 miles per gallon of fuel.
Thank you for your weight ratio: you are about 6 times heavier than a bicycle, but a car is 20 times heavier than you.
6 Improve your sex life by cycling
According to American health experts, more exercise can improve blood vessel health, which has a knock-on effect that promotes libido.
A Cornell University study also concluded that male athletes are two to five years younger than men’s sexual performance, while healthy women postpone menopause by a similar amount of time.
At the same time, a study conducted by Harvard University found that men over the age of 50 who ride a bicycle for at least 3 hours a week have a 30% lower risk of impotence than men who rarely exercise.
7 good breeding
The “bun in the oven” can benefit from riding as much as you. According to a study by the University of Michigan in the United States, expectant mothers who exercise regularly during pregnancy have easier, simpler, faster recovery and overall better mood within 9 months of giving birth.
Your pride and joy will also reduce the chance of obesity by 50% and enjoy better intrauterine neurodevelopment.
“There is no doubt that moderate exercise such as cycling during pregnancy helps to regulate the mother and protect the fetus,” said Patrick O’Brien, spokesperson for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
8 heal your heart
Research from Purdue University in the United States shows that regular cycling can reduce the risk of heart disease by 50%. According to the British Heart Foundation, if people stay healthy, about 10,000 fatal heart attacks can be avoided every year.
Riding only 20 miles a week can reduce the risk of heart disease to half that of people who don’t exercise, it said.
9 your boss will love you
No, we are not saying that your Lycra bag will attract your boss into a passionate office romance, but they will appreciate that cycling is useful for your company.
A study conducted by the University of Bristol of 200 people found that employees who exercise before work or lunchtime improved their time and workload management, as well as their motivation and ability to cope with stress.
The study also reported that workers who exercise felt that their interpersonal relationship performance was better, that they had less rest time, and were more likely to complete their work on time. Unfortunately, the study did not find a direct link between cycling and promotion.
10 stay away from big C
There is a lot of evidence that any exercise can help prevent cancer, but some studies have shown that cycling is particularly beneficial to keeping cells working properly.
A long-term study conducted by Finnish researchers found that men who exercise at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity a day are half as likely to develop cancer as men who do not exercise.
What is one of the forms of moderate exercise they mentioned? Go to work by bike. Other studies have found that women who regularly ride bicycles have a 34% lower risk of breast cancer.
11 lose weight by bike
Many people who want to change their weight think that going for a jog is the best way to start losing weight. However, although running does burn a lot of fat, it is not friendly to you if you are a little bigger than you want.
Think about it: When your feet hit the ground, two to three times your body weight will pass through your body. If you weigh 16 stones, that’s a lot of power!
Instead, start with bicycles. Most of your weight is borne by the saddle, so your frame will not be hit. You can wait for a run…
12 you will make more money
If you ride a bike to lose weight, then you might get a windfall… well, kind of. Ohio State University researcher Jay Zagorsky analyzed data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth — which regularly interviewed 7,300 people between 1985 and 2000 — to understand how their obesity and wealth have changed during this period.
Zagorsky concluded that each increase in the body mass index (BMI) score is equivalent to a decrease of 800 pounds or 8% in wealth. Therefore, reduce some BMI points on the bike and start earning money. (Results may vary.)
13 avoid pollution
You would think that a city cyclist absorbs more pollution than the toxic gas emitted by the driver and passengers in the car. According to a study conducted by Imperial College London, this is not the case.
Researchers found that passengers in buses, taxis and cars inhale far more pollutants than cyclists and pedestrians.
On average, taxi passengers are exposed to more than 100,000 ultrafine particles per cubic centimeter-these particles can deposit in the lungs and damage cells. Bus passengers inhale less than 100,000 people, and car passengers inhale about 40,000 people.
At the same time, cyclists are only exposed to 8,000 ultrafine particles per cubic centimeter. People think that cyclists inhale less smoke because we ride on the edge of the road and, unlike drivers, they are not directly in the exhaust fumes.
14 Cycling means innocent snacks
Increasing salt intake is rarely recommended by your doctor, but in the days before a big ride or exercise, this is exactly what you should do. This provides you with a perfect excuse to chew on potato chips and other salty foods that are usually avoided.
The sodium in them helps protect your body from hyponatremia, which is caused by drinking too much water and not enough sodium, which can lead to disorientation, disease, or worse.
15 enjoy healthy family time
Cycling is an activity that the whole family can do together. The smallest tyke can climb onto a bicycle seat or trailer because it is good for your joints, so there is nothing to stop grandparents from joining.
In addition, your riding habits may sow the seeds for the next Bradley Wiggins or Marianne Vos. The study found that, unsurprisingly, children will be affected by their parents’ exercise choices.
In short, if your child sees you riding a bike often, they will think it is normal and hope to follow your example. However, don’t be surprised if they are embarrassed in their teenage years because you tend to not match the fluorescent Lycra.
16 get better in any sport
Whether you want to stay at your best or just want to improve your weekly tennis game, playing in the saddle for a while is the way to start.
The title of a recent medical study from Norway is that aerobic endurance training improves football performance, which clearly shows that the knock-on benefits for other sports and activities are huge.
17 Achieve creative breakthroughs
Writers, musicians, artists, executives, and various other professionals exercise to resolve psychological barriers and make decisions-including Jeremy Paxman, Sir Alan Sugar, and Spandau Ballet.
A study found that just 25 minutes of aerobic exercise can improve at least one kind of creative thinking. Credit goes to oxygen flowing to your gray matter when it is most important, stimulating your neurons, and giving you breathing space from the chaos and stress of “real life”.
18 you are helping others
Many cyclists turn their health, fitness and determination into fundraising for the unfortunate. Since the two participated in 1980, the London to Brighton bike ride has raised more than 40 million pounds for the British Heart Foundation, and countless other cycling activities have contributed to worthy causes.
19 You can become healthy without too much effort
Cycling on a regular basis and every day has huge benefits and can justify your classification of gym memberships that cost a lot of money.
According to data from the National Forum of the Coronary Heart Disease Foundation of the United States, people who often ride bicycles have the same health levels as those who are 10 years younger.
20 strengthen your bellows
When you ride a bike, you don’t need to guess that your lungs will work harder than usual. Generally speaking, an adult riding a bicycle uses 10 times the oxygen they need to sit in front of the TV at the same time.
Even better, over time, regular cycling will help strengthen your cardiovascular system, make your heart and lungs work more efficiently, and get more oxygen where you need it faster . This means you can do more exercise with less effort. How good does this sound?
21 Burn more fat
Exercise physiologists have found that the body’s metabolic rate—the efficiency of burning calories and fat—is not only increased during riding, but also within a few hours after riding.
Mark Simpson, an exercise physiologist at Loughborough University, said: “Even if you ride for 30 minutes, you may burn more calories within a few hours after you stop.”
When you become healthier, the benefits will be more profound. A recent study showed that compared with people who often ride but slower, cyclists who add fast intervals to their cycling burn three and a half times more body fat.
22 You are developing an active addiction
William Glasser, author of Positive Addiction, says that positive dependence replaces harmful dependence-such as cigarettes, alcohol, or eating too much chocolate.
result? You are a happier, healthier person, and you get the kind of restoration that promotes the good things in life.
23 obtained (legal) high
Once a mythical thing, the infamous “runner’s climax” has been proven beyond doubt by German scientists. However, despite the name, this height applies to all endurance athletes.
Neurologists at the University of Bonn used a technique called positive emission tomography (PET) to observe the endorphins in the brains of 10 volunteers before and after two hours of aerobic exercise.
Comparing the scan results before and after running, they found more evidence of the combination of pleasure hormones in the frontal and peripheral areas of the brain with opioids-these areas are known to be involved in emotional processing and coping with stress.
“There is a direct connection between happiness and exercise, and this study demonstrates the physiological mechanism behind it for the first time,” explained the research coordinator, Professor Henning Boecker.
24 Make friends and stay healthy
The social aspects of riding may be as beneficial as the actual exercise and health benefits. Researchers at the University of California found that social interaction releases the hormone oxytocin, which can buffer the “fight or flight” response.
Another 9-year study by Harvard Medical School found that people with the most friends reduce the risk of premature death by more than 60%, thereby lowering blood pressure and strengthening the immune system.
The results are so important that the researchers concluded that not having close friends or confidants is as harmful to health as smoking or being overweight. Also add the fitness element of cycling, and you will become a winner.
25 it will make you happy
Even if you are in pain while riding, riding a few miles away will refresh you.
“Any mild to moderate exercise will release natural endorphins that make you feel good, help fight stress and make you happy,” explains Andrew McCulloch, CEO of the Mental Health Foundation Say.
This may be why the number of general practitioners using exercise therapy as the most common treatment for depression has increased fourfold compared to three years ago.
“Only 30 minutes of training three times a week is enough for people to get the improvement they need,” McCulloch said.
26 Feeling tired? Go for a drive
It sounds counterintuitive, but if you feel tired of cycling, the best way is to ride a bike.
Even a few minutes of physical activity is an amazingly effective wake-up call. A review of 12 studies on the link between exercise and fatigue conducted between 1945 and 2005 found that exercise can directly reduce fatigue levels.
27 spend quality time with your partner
It’s okay if your steps don’t match exactly, just slow down and enjoy each other’s company. Many couples go on horseback “dates” once or twice a week.
This makes sense: exercise helps release hormones that feel good, so after riding, even if he leaves the toilet seat and her hair clogs the plug hole again, you will feel warm to each other.