As a former elite triathlete, I've spent more time in the saddle (the bike saddle, that is) than I care to remember. Hour upon hour up and down mountains, through countryside and towns, cranking away on the pedals. That might sound like a cool gig—and it was for a time—but those training sessions slowly wore down my body to the point where I eventually had to walk away from triathlon. It was a long time before I could enjoy being on a bicycle again. That's a shame because bicycling is fantastic for many reasons. Commute or run errands on your bike, and you start and end your workday with physical activity, reduce your carbon footprint, and never need to find parking. Mountain biking gets you out into nature, hitting trails you might never reach by foot. Road cyclist ride in packs and then relax at the coffee shop or pub after, so they are getting social interaction along with exercise (the benefits of which are somewhat mitigated by the beer…). My current passion is fat tire biking on the beaches of Miami. It delivers an outstanding workout entirely unlike Ultimate Frisbee and standup paddling, my other favorite activities. You can't beat flying down the beach, the air coming off the ocean, sun on your skin. Riding in sand is surprisingly technical. You have to stay completely engaged in what you're doing. I return home sandy and exhilarated, feeling sharp rather than depleted like I used to be after my long, grueling training rides. I love it. Suffice it to say, I'm back on the biking bandwagon. Biking is mostly great—with a few downsides. Let's discuss. Benefits of Biking Cycling Builds Fitness Biking will net you the same health benefits as any other form of cardiovascular exercise: Fat burning Muscle building More endurance Improved heart disease risk markers like triglycerides, HDL, and blood pressure Better cognitive function Improved insulin sensitivity More positive mood, mental health, and overall well-being That's true whether you prefer biking indoors or outdoors, on roads or trails. A nice, leisurely ride provides low-level aerobic activity that I'm always going on about. You can easily dial the intensity level up or down on a bike, especially when cycling indoors. Just turn the resistance knob, and you're riding up a hill. Pedal as hard as you can for 20 or 30 seconds, and voila, you're sprinting. (For safety reasons, I don't recommend doing bike sprints outdoors. It's too easy to hit a rock or root and go flying.) However, cycling shouldn't be your only form of exercise. You're not going to get a full-body workout from cycling since your legs do most of the work. The rest of the body is engaged too—core for balance and stability, upper body to hold yourself upright unless you're riding a recumbent bike—but it's definitely lower-body dominant. You get more and different muscle activation by occasionally standing in the pedals (safer on stationary bikes). Likewise if you're doing something like aggressive mountain biking … Continue reading "Benefits of Cycling for Health and Fitness"
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