As a consequence of the outbreak, COVID-19 caused a huge spike in bicycle sales. Because of increased concern about public transit and an increase in physical activity, an increasing number of people are opting for one of the most basic means of transport, resulting in a so-called “bike boom.”
People started modifying their bicycles, customizing them, and also repairing and maintaining them through automotive news, videos, and manuals.
It’s been a while since the environmentally beneficial mode of transportation “bicycle” was originally introduced, and its popularity appears to have waned in many nations over time. Bicycling is both healthy for our health and an environmentally responsible way of transportation.
People are now taking eco-friendly products more seriously and are now preferring sustainability over other products and biking is one of them. However, apart from being an eco-friendly form of transportation, biking has countless benefits both physical as well as mental health.
Unique Benefits of Biking
Here are some unique benefits of biking that you might didn’t know about.
Lungs’ Health
Biking improves our lungs’ health-improving overall cardiorespiratory health. Biking for an hour every day improves the number of capillaries in our lungs and also the alveoli number that improves our breathing efficiency.
Through biking our lungs expand and contract to their full potential improving the air intake. If you have a lung condition, biking is safe and not only safe but also helps with the lung condition by increasing your lung’s stamina, endurance, and capacity.
Biking is an intensely physical activity, and such activity improves our immune system by making our immune cells healthy and also increasing in number. This can protect you from respiratory infections like Covid-19 and Influenza.
Doctors also suggest biking for people suffering from severe obstructive pulmonary disease as a rehab program.
Weight Loss
Biking is considered a cardio workout. The cardio workout involves breathing intensively and making your heart beat faster. Under such conditions, a point is reached with the body temperature where our body stops using normal carbohydrates as an energy source and starts burning fat to meet the energy needs.
Such exercises burn the most fat and thus help lose weight and increase stamina. Also, biking involves our legs, and legs are one of the major muscles in the body, actually the largest, thus it is a high-intensity fat-burning activity.
If you wish to lose weight, you need to take care of your diet and start biking for an hour or two every day.
Biking also improves our overall metabolism leading to lean muscles. Through biking, fat is burned and muscles are increased thus giving you a lean body shape. Research suggests that if you include biking in your daily routine you can burn more than 300 calories in an hour or even more depending on your body type.
Abs
Your abdominal and core muscles are used to stabilize you when bicycling; your core holds you upright and secure on the bike. If you’re new to riding, you may experience discomfort in your abdominals and lats that lasts a day or two if you’re facing steep hills or irregular and challenging terrain.
If you’re an outdoor biker, harsher terrains will not only make for a more difficult ride, but also a more intense core exercise.
This will build your abs, and strengthening your abs may offer a variety of benefits, including enhancing sports performance, reducing lower back discomfort, and even just looking good.
Realize that your abs are crucial for transmitting force from your lower to the upper body, and the tougher your abs are, the more power from pedaling will be transferred to the bike through your arms on the grips. This is something you can do on both an exercise bike and a regular bike.
Mental Health Benefits
The stresses of everyday life might be overwhelming, but going out on your bike can help you better handle them. Cycling, in particular, has been shown to lower anxiety in addition to basic cardiovascular activity.
Our ‘feel-good’ chemicals, endorphins, are released when we cycle. These hormones aid in mental relaxation and happiness.
When we need some alone time, cycling might be ideal. They are, however, also enjoyable when shared with friends or family.
Loneliness is alleviated through social interaction. It allows us to express ourselves verbally, which can aid in the processing of our feelings.
Regular group exercise reduces stress and anxiety, improves cognition, and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Final Thoughts
For the time being, good old-fashioned cycling is seeing a revival. Bicycles provide a socially distant mode of transportation for critical employees and commuters, a healthier substitute for gyms or metro stations, and a fresh perspective on metropolitan streets.
Quarantine meant that the streets were suddenly calm, the air was fresh, and people felt safe. Yes, there was apprehension about using public transportation, but it was largely the pleasure of seeing cities as they could be.
To summarize, riding is still quite uncommon in many nations. It is due to the mentality of those who feel cycling is a fair sport. However, people must recognize how helpful bicycles are, as well as how they represent a great step toward sustainability and an environmentally friendly atmosphere.