If you haven’t noticed, the amount of female cyclers has skyrocketed across the nation over the past few years. And when you consider that biking, whether in spin class or on the open road, is one of the most effective and low impact cardio exercises you can do, the rise in popularity comes as no surprise.
Sculpt your entire body:
According to a study by Anne Lusk, Ph.D., a research associate at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, the benefits of cycling abound. She studied more than 18,000 women over 16 years and concluded that biking as few as five minutes leads to less weight gain than no cycling at all. The reason for this is due to the fact that even a mellow ride administers a burst of both muscle-strengthening and heart-pumping action to your body. To put it in perspective, a woman weighing 135-pounds can burn nearly 500 calories in an hour of cycling at a comfortable pace. Both your entire lower half and your core are put to work every time your feet turn, toning the thighs, calves, glutes, and abdomen.
Lower your risk of injury:
Not to mention that you can do all of this and keep your healthy joints and bones. “Because it’s a low-impact exercise, your hips and knees are strengthened, not stressed, so you feel better and less beat up after a ride compared with running,” says Lusk. That means you can still be cycling long after you’ve hit senior status. And you should–cyclists live two years longer than nonbikers and take 15 percent fewer sick days on average.
Get happy:
So you’re convinced it’s good for your body, but did you also know the benefits it can yield for your mind? Like many cardio intensive exercises, you can expect that awesome feeling of what we know as “the runner’s high”. In fact, another study found that just 10 minutes of indoor cycling can improve your mood and energy level. And if you are one of many people that finds it difficult to motivate yourself to exercise, you can always jump into a spin class at the gym for a little extra push and perhaps a more successful workout.
Sources:
Womenshealthmagazine.com
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UC Berkeley chapter.