Recreational bicycling can do wonders for your overall health and well being. It can burn a lot of calories, strengthen your bodily functions like your lungs and heart, and it's much easier on the joints than other exercises, etc.
Don't let the gym rats convince you that you need to be lifting heavy weights for your health, aerobic exercise is what will produce the greatest benefits for your body over time. Here are just a few of the many benefits that are associated and have been proven with cycling.
INCREASED CONCENTRATION
Quick decision making activities that require balance and fast reactions can help with concentration, focus, and alertness in children as well as adults. These activities include but are not limited to cycling of course, martial arts, gymnastics, and many others.
Studies have shown that people participating in activities like these (complex and very short exercises) were much more likely to be able to handle problems and solve puzzles then individuals who were idle and didn't exercise.
The hippocampus is the part of the brain that controls long-term memory and regular exercise has been known to effect that region. Exercise makes the hippocampus grow just like the rest of your body's muscles. If you are older is can help avoid disorders like Alzheimer's and Dementia and give you the ability to retain cognitive functions.
LOWERS STRESS LEVELS
Studies have shown that when a consistent and vigorous exercise routine is implemented in ones life it can possible eliminate the need for drugs like Prozac and Zoloft in people who have depression or anxiety issues. Anxiety and depression can also be prevented with a very intense, vigorous, consistent exercise routine extended over a long period of time. Well known universities have proven this in people who have worked out for 20 minutes at a time at between 60% and 90% of their maximum heart rate. After just a couple of these types of workouts the subjects saw decreases in depression, anxiety, sensitivity, and fear.
IT WILL MAKE YOU A HAPPIER PERSON, SERIOUSLY!
Cycling can be the perfect stress relief, especially for people who live in a big city. Anger and aggression can be reduced when one is exposed to nature and green scenery, like when enjoying a bicycle ride. Try staying outside enjoying nature all day with a pair of running shoes. However, if you find the right location and pick the right people to ride with you could easily spend the entire day outside riding your bike and enjoying the scenic and quite beauty of nature.
INCREASED SELF IMAGE AND SELF ESTEEM
According to psychologists mastering a task and accomplishing a job, especially if it is difficult at first, will have a positive impact on how we feel about ourselves. This of course means that bad or negative experiences will make us feel lousy. This should give you motivation to get right back into getting things done as soon as possible after having a not so great day. Aerobic exercise can accomplish this by making us feel good physically and mentally at the same time without the use of prescription drugs.
The reason it's so easy to feel good is that regular aerobic exercise will keep you lean. People who carry excess weight are at an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, and more. You can get this information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Stamina can be increased with regular bicycling as well as a reduction in stubborn body fat, which translates into more productivity.
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