Cycling:To work and for play

What do you envision when you think about cycling (or bicycling)?

Do you see cycling as a means to improve and maintain your fitness?

A means of transport to get you to work or other daily activities, or something to do on your own or with family and friends as a fun leisure time activity?

Maybe the last time you rode a bicycle was when you were fifteen before you gained your driver's license.

Perhaps you have never ridden a bicycle or only used a stationary bicycle.

Regularly using a bicycle, outdoor or stationary has many  health benefits associated with cycling.

There are two categories of bicycles: outdoor bicycles and stationary, indoor bicycles. 

Both outdoor and stationary bicycles can be used to improve and maintain various aspects of fitness and as a physical activity associated with health benefits.

Cycling can be a form of aerobic exercise and can improve your cardiovascular endurance when you pedal continuously during your cycling session and avoid coasting for any length of time.

Maintaining a steady pace will also help you maintain your training heart rate in a range appropriate for aerobic training.

Cycling can also be a form of anaerobic exercise when you introduce interval training by performing sprints and hill climbs interspaced with coasting. 

Short intense sprints or hill climbs will challenge your cardiovascular system for short periods of time.

Regulary cycling will build muscular endurance and muscular strength mainly in your legs. Your arms, back and core muscles are also utilised when you ride a bike.

Other physical fitness related benefits to be gained from cycling include improved body-composition, balance, co-ordination, reaction time and flexibility to a small degree. 

These fitness benefits are similar to those to be gained from regular jogging, but since cycling is not weight bearing there is less stress on your joints.

Because you will work your muscles slightly differently to jogging, cycling makes a great cross training alternative to jogging and running.

The health benefits to be gained from cycling also correspond to that of jogging and other moderate to intense physical activities when performed on a regular basis.

Being regularly physically active may decrease your risk of several chronic diseases, improve your psychological well being and sleep patterns, and help you maintain a healthy body weight...link to the full article to learn more about outdoor and indoor cycling.