No matter how many times you have heard that Latin saying of mens sana in corpore sana , you never cease to be surprised by how good you feel after doing sports.
Companionship, improvement, euphoria … There are so many positive sensations that are felt when you ride a bicycle that it is not easy to describe it in words to someone who has not experienced it in the first person.
Cycling has been one of the sports most recommended for years by doctors, who advise their patients a fun, safe and very beneficial activity for health.
Besides because you really like pedaling, have you ever stopped to think that maybe you should thank your bike for many more things than you think? Here we show you the 6 most important ones.
1. For taking care of your body
Riding your bike is saving you a long list of ailments and drug costs. As a prevention tool, it is very valuable, because it protects against the risk of suffering from different types of cancer and type 2 diabetes.
Cycling is indicated for people of all ages and especially for those with back and joint ailments, since it does not imply to suffer impacts, as it does in other sports in which there are jumps.
When you pedal you are boosting your immune system and helping your body to lose fat, but the list of benefits of cycling for your body is almost endless: it improves blood flow, reduces cholesterol levels, increases the strength of the heart and lung capacity, strengthens muscles and maintains bone density.
2. For taking care of your mind
There are few everyday worries that stand up to a cycling training or a day of racing on two wheels.
While you pedal, little by little your problems lose importance and are left in the background. Surely you have experienced more than once the sensation that, when you get off your bike and take a shower, you see things differently and even solutions appear that you would not have found otherwise.
That’s because your bike takes you away from stress, as when you ride it, your brain receives a powerful injection of endorphins and serotonin. Your mood improves, your self-esteem rises and you shield yourself from anxiety and depression.
3. For helping you think more and better
Did you know that cycling improves the performance of your brain? This conclusion was reached in 2015 by a study by the University Medical Center Utrecht, in the Netherlands. In it, it ensures that the density of the white matter of the brain grows, the one in charge of the connections that your brain makes to carry out its usual functions.
It is not the only study that establishes a direct relationship between cycling and increased brain capacity, although it is the one that has provided the most evidence of this so far.
4. For helping you sleep better
Insomnia is almost a plague in today’s Western society. In Spain it is estimated that 20% of the population suffers from it. What if we told you that cycling helps you sleep more and more deeply?
Pedals are a perfect antidote to stress and anxiety and help balance mental and physical fatigue. Of course, remember to leave 3 hours of distance between cycling activity and the moment of getting into bed so that your body relaxes and lowers body temperature.
5. For improving your social life
Being part of a club, a peña or a group of bicycle regulars allows you to be in contact with people who share the same hobby.
Associating a group of people with a pleasant activity, away from a work environment in which professional relationships prevail, increases the quality of life because it helps to strengthen ties.
Having a regular group of fellow cyclists is also the best way to exchange opinions on routes, training sessions or cycling accessories.
6. For helping you discover unique places
Not all sports can be said to be carried out outdoors and in natural environments such as those that can be seen from the saddle of a bicycle.
If you have been pedaling for years, surely your two-wheeled friend has taken you more than once to charming places that you have later invited to meet family and friends. Both the road bike and the mountain bike allow you to be more intrepid and curious and even access little-known places.
