Cycling
I recently got a Trek FX 1 bike and I thoroughly enjoy it! Riding a bike outside allows me to easily do at least 3 hours of cardio each week, which I have found difficult to accomplish on a regular stationary bike so far. More than anything, I love the positive mood and overall well-being that ensue, ideal for any type of mental work one has to do.
As psychiatrist John Ratey, MD, mentioned, “The real reason we feel so good when we get our blood pumping is that it makes the brain function at its best.”
Numerous Health Benefits
As with any other type of cardiovascular activity, cycling lets you tap into fat burning, aids in muscle building, provides endurance training, boosts cognitive function, improves insulin sensitivity, and enhances heart disease risk markers (such as triglycerides, HDL, and blood pressure).
Biking ideally a little bit every day can offer these more specific health benefits:
- Helps with chronic inflammation
- Lessens risk of cancer
- Enhances joint health
- Aids with maintaining weight
- Ameliorates mobility
- Improves sleep quality
- Decreases all-cause premature mortality
When it comes to brain health more precisely, Ratey, who wrote Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, explains how research has confirmed that exercise intensifies alertness and perception, along with strengthening movement and coordination, improving attention and concentration, and helping with learning and memory; exercise “keeps the brain young.”
On a Final Note
Of course, within the Primal Blueprint Fitness Pyramid, cycling (or any other cardio activity) should be paired with strength training and some sprinting (safer on a stationary bike). Also, a little flexibility/mobility work is always welcome at the end of the day, or whenever you have a few minutes. So enjoy your cardio workouts for all of the above benefits. And if you don’t have a bike yet, maybe you should give cycling a try!
Until next time!
References
Mark, Sisson. “Benefits of Cycling for Health and Fitness.” Mark’s Daily Apple, 19 Apr. 2022, http://www.marksdailyapple.com/benefits-of-cycling-for-health-and-fitness/?utm_campaign=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=mda&utm_content=MDA&_kx=mk0fqpukHTKgWpX3wQ7I8fwKBsCt-EYRqPuvWUBzzwA%3D.QazHWz. Accessed 8 May 2022.
Dregni, Michael. “Healthy Revolutions.” Experience Life, Apr. 2022, pp. 58–63.
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