Is Cycling For You? Read To Find Out!

Hey Guys! I’m not sure if you know about the recent achievement of a man named Henk van Dillen who managed to cycle 16,000 kilometres, over 2 continents, all the way from Rotterdam (Netherlands) to Singapore! Why did he do it? To raise funds for the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Henk is also a very adventurous person who takes in the wonders of the world whilst doing the things he loves and nothing more. Here’s a short video from Channel News Asia for you guys to know more about his cycling journey as well as his experience spanning 25 countries

Now if he can do it for a cause, why can’t we cycle for our own cause – our health? It’s simple. A regular bike doesn’t cost too much either. Nor does it require great amounts of skill to learn and practice. Let’s take a look at the many benefits of cycling.

Truth be told, contrary to popular belief, cycling doesn’t just work our leg muscles. It actually works most of the muscles in the body without us knowing!

Cycling builds muscle and stamina

Posing little risk of muscle strains and ankle sprains, cycling happens to be one of the safer alternatives to other violent sports like football or rugby. Alternatively, cycling actually steadily builds up one’s stamina and strengthens the joints, ligaments and tendons, improving muscle tone in the process.

Cycling for the heart and the tummy

It should come as no surprise that any energy requiring activity does indeed eat up calories. Cycling sure is one of them but not only does the activity itself burn calories, the muscle building does too, long after having cycled. Cycling at a steady pace also enables the average person to burn approximately 300 calories per hour. That means cycling manages to shed almost 1,000 calories a week should you cycle just thrice within 7 days. That’s equivalent to an average breakfast AND lunch! 😀 As for the heart, cycling generally improves heart rate and elasticity. Moreover, studies have shown that cycling just 32 kilometres a week can cut your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases by 50%!

Cycling for a better you

Anyone of any age or just about any condition is able to cycle and as we continuously strive for a fitter, toner body, cycling is definitely a habit to pick up. Yet another plus point from cycling is that it directly improves overall body coordination. Cycling, as with most other forms of exercise, releases endorphins that reduce stress and keeps one fresh all day, everyday.

That being said, there are definitely some precautions one should take when deciding to pick up cycling. To name a few would be

• Be cautious of how vigorous your cycling regime is.
• You should start with maybe 3 times a week.
• Gradually increase the frequency as your stamina and muscle capacity improve.

Dangers of starting out too aggressively do exist. For example, injuring or pulling a muscle could prevent you from gaining momentum and put you out of cycling for weeks. Conclusively, it is widely advised that you do pick up cycling as the many benefits outweigh the far fewer drawbacks.

That’s all from me this time. Do you cycle? Do you intend on picking it up? Do comment below on the information I’ve just relayed and feel free to start a discussion topic on our forum about anything at all.

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