Hump Day Health Hack with @amysfitnessandnutrition
Central Otago's brand-new cycle train is now open. What better time to talk about the health benefits of cycling. There may even be a few things you didn't know that happen when you hop on your bike...
Mental Health
I don’t know about anyone else but cycling certainly kept me sane during lockdown. Cycling brings your attention to the present moment. You don’t tend to stress about the past, or worry about the future and rather have to concentrate on that very moment - the trail, the views and feeling the pedals beneath your feet (and staying upright of course!).
Forward Motion & Neurology
We feel good when we feel like we’re being productive and ‘moving forward’ with life – both neurologically and physically. For this reason the forward motion of cycling has actually been shown to flood our brains with dopamine – our reward hormone. Combine this with a boost in endorphins and serotonin from the aerobic activity and we have a potent cocktail of happy hormones.
Fat Burning
Did you know that around 80% of fat is burnt through our breath through low-intensity activity? Not sweating it out as many people think. The relatively low-intensity activity of trail riding still gets our heart pumping (but to a lesser extent than something like a run) keeping our heartrate in a golden ‘fat-burning zone'. Ideal!
Muscle Building
Other cardiovascular activities such as running can actually deplete our muscles, whereas the motion and load we put through our legs cycling, actually helps to build our leg muscles. This can prevent injury and also help prevent the muscle loss that occurs with age.
Low Impact
There’s no pounding the pavement or crazy jumping around. On your bike, you can invigorate your body, build muscle, burn fat and get a mood boost without the impact that comes with many other forms of exercise. This makes it great for people with injuries and people of all ages!
Convinced yet? If you’ve got a question let me know!