Fitness Benefits of Biking (reprint from adultbiking.com)
Tied into the joy of biking are the fitness benefits of biking. Obesity is becoming a huge crisis in the United States and more than 40 percent of Americans are overweight. To combat the growing health crisis caused by obesity and being overweight doctors and other health experts are strongly encouraging people to rediscover the joys of physical activity. Since so many people are out of shape low impact exercises like biking are highly recommended for people who live sedentary or nearly sedentary lives as a way to get started on the path to fitness. Like any other physical activity there are different levels of biking that range from a simple bike ride to training for biking marathons but just like a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step the journey to fitness begins with a bike ride around the block. For people who live in areas that don’t have bike-friendly streets or have predominantly bad weather many gyms and workout facilities have exercise bikes in a variety of different styles for their members to use. In the last decade spinning classes, or guided cycling classes that combine the benefits of an intense aerobic workout with the benefits of cycling can burn up to 500 calories in 40 minutes. Many gyms offer spinning classes free for members. Spinning is not appropriate for beginning bikers because it can be very intense but people who want to increase their fitness and want an intense workout may really like spinning. Biking is a great workout for the entire body, especially the lower body. People who want to develop great muscle tone on their legs, back end and hips while trimming their waists and increasing their cardio vascular health should try biking. Biking regularly can significantly decrease a person’s risk for heart disease. Since heart disease is one of the biggest killers of Americans any activity that can decrease your risk of heart disease is something worth pursuing. Biking is a low-impact activity that doesn’t cause a lot of stress on joints so biking is a good exercise for people who may have limited range of motion or may not be able to handle an exercise like running which puts a lot of stress on the joints. Low impact activities like biking can also reduce cholesterol and can help lower blood pressure, which is a major health concern for millions of people. Bike riding can also reduce stress, and it’s been proven that managing stress is a key component when it comes to staying healthy. Biking has a lot of health and fitness benefits, even just short bike rides daily can make a noticeable difference in your health in a very short period of time. You don’t need to start out buying a fancy bike or any fancy equipment, just buy an all purpose bike and get outside and start riding.
