By this point in your life, it should be clear that adopting an exercise routine is a healthy habit that everyone should be practicing. Other than eating healthier, regular exercise is probably the most important thing you can do to live a longer, healthier, happier life. But not all exercise routines are created equal. You should ensure that the exercise routine that you are adopting matches your goals and lifestyle. That is where cycling for exercise comes in: the health benefits of cycling are numerous, and cycling is an outstanding way to capitalize on the importance of exercise.
Himiway, in addition to its founding principle of being an environmentally-friendly transportation solution, has always strived to marry exercise with adventure, because when we live healthier we live happier. If you are looking for an exercise routine that is highly customizable for each person and is also loads of fun, then cycling for exercise is your best option. While putting the focus back on the importance of exercise, let’s take a look at the top health benefits of cycling and how they can help you lead a healthier life.
1. Improve Both Endurance & Heart Health
Electric bikes allow for a customizable exercise routine, while cycling for exercise you can push yourself as hard as you want—or you can choose to take it easier, when necessary. This is because of the nature of electric bikes: the pedals are supplemented with electric power. One of the greatest benefits to using electric bikes to improve your endurance, versus using a regular bike or even running, is that you can use the electric assistance when needed, allowing you to ride for much longer distances.
Over time, these longer rides allow you to build endurance and ride for longer and easier. All of this aerobic exercise leads to many health benefits, chief among them improving your heart health. It’s important to be cognizant that improving both endurance and heart health are long-term health benefits of cycling, but because of this are often the most neglected. Things like high blood pressure drastically increase your risk of other health issues later in life, so improving your heart health and lowering your blood pressure by adopting an electric bike exercise routine is vital.
2. Build Muscle
Building strong muscles is essential to long-term health. The problem is that as people age, exercise routines that build muscle fall by the wayside. After all, lifting weights in the gym is a young man's game. But remaining strong as you age is just as important as having strength in your younger years. Think about it: as we age, our muscles naturally begin to weaken, which leaves us vulnerable to injuries and falls. Keeping them strong throughout our life is the best way to counteract that process.
Cycling for exercise is a proven method for aging people to remain strong, and a far better option for seniors than running. Electric bikes are particularly effective at helping build muscle. Because things like interval training are easier with supplemental electric power, you can increase resistance and help power muscle growth.
3. Reduce Your Stress Levels
Stress, unbeknownst to many, is actually one of the greatest deterrents to healthy living. In fact, stress can counteract the positive effects of a good exercise routine, leading to heart risks, a weakened immune system, and actually causing you to gain weight. Fortunately, cycling for exercise not only provides numerous health benefits but also helps you lower your stress. This is due to a few reasons.
First, it is an outdoor activity, and exercising in the fresh air helps remove you from stressful indoor environments. Secondly, aerobic activity in cycling helps increase your body's endorphins, keeping you mentally strong and lowering your stress. Thirdly, adopting an electric bike exercise routine allows you to simultaneously enjoy the health benefits of daily exercise with the practicality of safe, efficient transportation—a win-win that can help lower the stress of a daily commute.
4. Help You Lose Weight
Losing weight is a byproduct of any good exercise routine. Cycling for exercise is not different. However, there is a huge caveat to losing weight through exercise: you must also eat healthily. Diet and exercise go hand-in-hand for long-term health benefits. The health benefits of cycling are clear, and losing weight is certainly one of them, just be sure that you are pairing this activity with a healthy diet as well.
More so than other common exercise routines, such as running or yoga, adopting an electric bike exercise routine helps you lose weight because it combines the benefits of extended aerobic activity with resistance training. Because electric bikes allow you to ride longer distances, you can choose when to use the electric power and when to push yourself, so the bike can help you improve your fitness and lose weight, all while also being a practical transportation option.
5. Give Your Immune System a Boost
Knowing that cycling for exercise can help boost your immune system —especially now, during a pandemic—should be enough to run out and buy an electric bike. This may seem like a strange concept to some since immune system strength is usually tied to supplements and sleep, not electric biking routines, but the science is clear. Regular exercise routines help people to lose weight, lower stress, and increase blood flow—three things that are vital to improving your immune system. As noted by Harvard research, “Just like a healthy diet, exercise can contribute to general good health and therefore to a healthy immune system.” It is always important to maintain a strong immune system, but there has perhaps never been a more important time than now.
The reality is that cycling for exercise can help you live a healthier lifestyle, and cycling for exercise can help you do it. After recognizing the importance of exercise, take advantage of these health benefits of cycling—improving your heart health, building muscle, reducing your stress levels, boosting your immune system, and losing weight—to get you back on the right path toward living your best life.
