Cardio Exercises, Part 8 (Cycling)

Exercise machines, like mobile phones, get fancier and more sophisticated through the years. There is no limit or shortage of gym equipment that are available to help you lose weight and have a healthy heart. Each year, some new models come out. They’re better, bigger, sturdier, etc. They’re just like toys. If you like to try an ‘old school exercise’ that maybe is something new to you, try cycling around the block. Recall those carefree days with your friends. Even the most dusty and rusty bicycle has massive advantage over the most sophisticated and newest gym equipment.

The joy and benefits of cycling

Cycling is a great form of cardiovascular exercise. It combines the benefits that you can get from running and swimming. It is an outdoor exercise and is thus a very interesting type of exercise.

Cycling is practical. It gets you to places while making you healthy and strong. Normally, you set aside time for exercise. This means that a specific time is allotted for burning calories and fats. Perhaps you can watch an episode of your favorite television show, watch the news or a movie while riding a stationary bicycle or running on a treadmill, but not much more. In cycling, you can schedule errands and do some other activities, like for example, visiting a friend or a sibling. It makes you do other things while maintaining a cardiovascular exercise schedule.

Cycling has less impact on the joints, making it suitable for those with injuries and painful joints. The bicycle carries your body and when it does, you have an exercise that doesn’t beat up your body. You can either intensify your exercise by pushing harder and faster on the pedal or just do a slow and easy ride.

You double exercise time and distance when you bike. You go to a distance or a place and you have to cycle back home, making the distance and time multiplied by two.

Cycling makes the lower body parts strong. The workload does not end only in the lower body. Biking is also a good full body workout.

Downsides of cycling

Although depending on your taste and need, some bicycles are expensive. You might also need a comfortable helmet and apparel. Although you don’t need to spend much in order to enjoy cycling, there are some people who might need high-end items to motivate them to exercise on their bicycle.

Bicycles also need maintenance and it might be a hassle on your part in terms of budget and time.

Cycling exposes you on the road. You don’t always get fresh air in the streets, most especially if you cycle around Metro Manila. And don’t forget the drivers and motorcycle riders in the city. Just be careful. Cycling can expose you to elements and accidents.