The hobby or sport of riding a bike is very popular though out the world. Bicycles are used for all sorts of travel from commuting to work (although I personally do not commute with a bike anymore after some very close calls), through traveling on your vacations to some exotic country, to fast paced professional races or long distance runs.

Here is what I see are some of the health benefits of cycling.

1. Your Mental Health

This benefit is not talked about as much as the more obvious ones but for me it is certainly one of the more important plusses.

Riding a bicycle is a great way for the mind to de-stress.

After a bad day at work or some other stressful situation I like to ride for an hour. I usually make sure the ride is nothing too strenuous but something that will keep my heart pumping.

It allows me to clear my head and reset my mental batteries. I’ll usually finish the ride with a quick short sprint, then a hot shower followed by a cup of Chamomile Tea.

Another byproduct (for me) of an hour relaxing ride is it somehow helps me workout problems in my head. For example, if I am struggling with a problem at work and I just can’t work out how to do something in the correct manner then quite often after a good bicycle ride I’ll approach the problem from a different angle and find a solution.

2. Healthy Heart and Lungs

Riding regular can give your heart and lungs a great workout which can help reduce the risk of people having problems with their heart.

Of course anyone starting to get into riding a bike should take things very slowly and talk to your doctor.

3. Better Circulation

Another benefit is your circulation will usually improve.

If your feet (and sometimes hands) are often cold when the room is quite warm then you may have bad circulation.

For me, the improvement happened over a long time (months) so it is something people need to do on a regular basis.

4. Toned Body

It is also great for burning those calories, slimming down that layer of fat we usually ‘obtain’ (from eating too many nice foods!) from various activities.

Of course you are not going to use cycling to build massive muscles but I personally prefer toned muscles to huge muscles. It makes me feel faster on my feet.

Summary

These are what I think are the important benefits but before you rush out on your bicycle you should start very slowly and never push yourself at all in the beginning.

Also if you have joint problems then you should be extra careful to make sure this activity doesn’t have a negative effect.

I have some joint problems and I didn’t have any problems but not everyone is the same.

I suppose because riding is actually a circular motion and no jarring moves of impacts like jogging then the chance of joint problems should be less.