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Health benefits of Cycling
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This weeks feature
The Department of Health recommends people should take part in moderately intensive activity lasting 30 minutes at least five days a week.
Health experts believe cycling provides one of the most effective forms of aerobic exercise as well as being convenient and exhilarating. |
Cycling is ideal as it can be readily included in a daily routine. Cycling to work can provide physical activity during time otherwise wasted, whereas visiting a gym requires additional time, incurs a relatively significant financial cost, and is less likely to be maintained. One recent study found that those who did not cycle to work experienced a 39 per cent higher mortality rate than those who did. |
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A cycle ride also increases calorie consumption and raises the metabolic rate, which can help you lose weight. Steady cycling burns about 300 calories per hour. A half hour daily cycle will burn 11 pounds of fat in a year. Because the activity is daily, the weight is likely to stay off and weight loss will be even more effective if combined with dietary change.
Regular cycling also helps lower both blood pressure and the resting heart rate while improving stamina, strength and cardio-vascular fitness. When you are cycling, the heart beats faster to pump blood around the body more quickly to supply enough oxygen to the muscles to allow them to do work. The heart itself is a muscle and when exercised, as in cycling, it gets stronger just as your biceps do.
Some 20 litres of blood per minute circulate throughout the body during moderate aerobic activities, so exercise such as cycling can prevent or delay the development of high blood pressure and reduce blood pressure in people who already suffer from this condition. Exercise improves muscle strength, co-ordination and balance, cutting the likelihood of falls as you get older, and improves joint mobility and lubrication. Muscle endurance and tone will improve, especially in the working muscle groups like calves and thighs, as does posture and balance. Gentle cycling may also help arthritis sufferers, reducing joint pain and swelling. |
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One of the skin’s major functions is as an excretory organ of the body and during cycling, blood flow to the skin increases to rid the body of heat and the elimination of wastes is improved through sweating.
An increase in blood carbon-dioxide levels and temperature causes breathing to become faster and deeper. This action supplies the oxygen needed by the body.
There is also evidence that moderate-intensity activities such as cycling for six to eight hours every week may reduce the risk of lung cancer. This may be attributed to immune function improvement and the increase in overall health of the lungs. |
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Researchers have also reported that biking and other routine physical activities of 30 minutes a day may help women avoid gallstone surgery. People who exercise have larger, more active intestines which, along with the reduction in cholesterol that occurs in regular exercisers, may help reduce the risk of gallstones.
There are also benefits for mental health, with evidence of reduced depression and stress, improved self-esteem and confidence in performing physical tasks. Those who are active tend to be less depressed, less anxious and better able to control levels of stress. Although the exact mechanism of this has not been worked out, it is thought to be closely linked to the chemical endorphin, which is present in higher concentrations in those who are active. |
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