Amazing benefits of bike riding for your mind, body, and life!
Electric bikes have long been touted as a much more environmentally friendly commuting option when compared to driving or taking public transport – but their health and wellbeing benefits are often overlooked.
There are so many benefits of bike riding and when you ride to work you can seriously level up your commute – and although it might not be as well known, these benefits can extend to electric bikes, too. An electric bike still has the potential to be an incredible workout, and while the pedal assist element can help your tired legs out in times of need, you will always have the option to up the intensity of your workout, too. It’s win-win!
If you’re looking for a new way to commute around town that benefits both your mind and body, as well as the environment, then don’t sleep on the amazing health benefits of riding an electric bike.
1. Riding a Pedal Assist eBike Is a Great Form of Cardiovascular Fitness
Cycling in general is a well-known form of cardio fitness. Putting effort into pedalling the bike will undoubtedly get your heart rate up, and this goes for electric bikes too, which still require effort and movement from the rider.
Depending on how much exactly you want to work your heart and lungs, you can choose to pedal harder to make the bike go faster – and you still have the option to put in less work while staying on the move. If you’re feeling especially energetic, you can always simply use the electric as a conventional bike, too, by not using the pedal assist.
2. Electric Bikes Are a Low-Impact Form of Exercise
We know that compared to high-impact running and more intense forms of exercise, riding a bike is much kinder on your joint and bone health – and electric bikes are no exception. In fact, electric bikes are an even safer choice for those who are worried about joint pain and long-term harm to their knees – any time you feel like you need to pull back on how much energy you are exerting, you can always choose to let the ‘assist’ mode give you a little helping hand. Investing in an electric bike as a form of exercise is investing in your long-term health. Trust us, your knees will thank you!
3. Even Pedal Assist eBikes Can Be a Form of Resistance Training!
Anyone who’s been on a long cycle or a spin class can tell you that putting in the work in the saddle will get your legs burning and building your muscular endurance just as much as leg day at the gym.
If you’re looking for a form of resistance training to work your lower body, look no further than your e-bike – use ‘assist’ mode to your advantage to determine just how much you want those glutes and quads firing up. Another great way of squeezing in some exercise for the time-poor.
4. It Can Help You Recover from an Intense Workout
For those who are serious about their physical exercise, going on a leisurely cycle can be a great way to incorporate active recovery into your training regime. An electric bike could take this to the next level – you’ll still be getting a recovery ride in, but you’ll be able to bring the intensity down even further using ‘assist’ mode, depending on how intense the rest of your training week has been.
5. It helps keep illness at bay
Yes really, it’s not just an apple a day that will keep the doctor away! Cath Collins, chief dietician at St George’s Hospital in London, explains that moderate exercise boosts the activity of immune cells, making them more effective in fighting off infections.
Research from the University of North Carolina also shows that individuals who cycle for 30 minutes, five days a week, take approximately half as many sick days as those
6. Riding an eBike Lets You Top Up Your Vitamin D Levels
Since most people in the northern hemisphere are deficient in vitamin D, getting outside at any given opportunity is an easy way to soak up the sunshine vitamin. Being cooped up inside all day – whether that’s at work or on public transport – teamed with a busy schedule means that it can be unrealistic to get outside for long enough to get our daily dose of vitamin D.
But combining your vitamin D helping with your daily commute could be the perfect way to get it done. Not only do healthy levels of vitamin D help to boost your mood, but vitamin D is also crucial for maintaining healthy bones, too.
7. Cycling reduces your exposure to pollution
In addition to reducing your carbon footprint, cycling can also help you *avoid* pollution. A study conducted by researchers at Imperial College London revealed that individuals traveling in buses, taxis, and cars inhale significantly higher levels of pollution compared to cyclists and pedestrians.
Taxi passengers, on average, were exposed to over 100,000 ultrafine particles per cubic centimeter, which have the potential to settle in the lungs and harm cells. Bus passengers inhaled just under 100,000 particles, while car occupants breathed in around 40,000. In contrast, cyclists were exposed to only 8,000 ultrafine particles per cubic centimeter. This huge difference is attributed to the fact that cyclists typically ride at the edge of the road, away from direct exhaust smoke, resulting in lower fume inhalation compared to drivers
8. It boosts your longevity
That’s right, one of the most impressive benefits of cycling is that it lengthens your lifespan. A study conducted by King’s College London compared over 2,400 identical twins and discovered that those who engaged in the equivalent of just three 45-minute cycling sessions per week were biologically nine years younger, even after accounting for factors like body mass index (BMI) and smoking.
Dr. Lynn Cherkas, the researcher behind the study, highlights that individuals who exercise regularly have a significantly reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, various types of cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity. Regular exercise enhances the body’s ability to defend itself and regenerate new cells, making it more efficient in maintaining overall health.
9. Riding a bike is good for your gut
A study from Bristol University revealed that cycling offers advantages for your gut health, too. Gastroenterologist Dr. Ana Raimundo explains that physical activity aids in reducing the transit time of food through the large intestine, decreasing water absorption and resulting in softer stools that are easier to pass.
And if that wasn’t enough, aerobic exercise boosts breathing and heart rate, promoting the contraction of intestinal muscles. Dr. Raimundo emphasizes that aside from alleviating bloating, this mechanism also serves as a protective measure against bowel cancer.
11. It cuts your risk of heart disease
Regular cycling can reduce the risk of heart disease by 50%, according to research by Purdue University in the US. The British Heart Foundation found that approximately 10,000 fatal heart attacks could be prevented annually if individuals maintained a higher level of fitness. And it doesn’t take much, just cycling 20 miles a week can decrease your risk of heart disease to less than half that of individuals who don’t do any exercise.
Now you know about all the health and wellbeing benefits of cycling, it’s time to check out all environmental benefits of cycling, so you know you’re doing good things for yourself – and the planet.
12. Moving Around with an eBike Can Boost Your Brain Health
If you’ve ever looked into ways to improve your mental wellbeing, you’re sure to have come across recommendations to fit regular meditation into your schedule. While cycling might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of meditation, it can be a form of ‘moving meditation’.If you’ve ever looked into ways to improve your mental wellbeing, you’re sure to have come across recommendations to fit regular meditation into your schedule. While cycling might not be the first thing that springs to mind when you think of meditation, it can be a form of ‘moving meditation’.
What’s that exactly? Moving meditation involves focusing on the movements of your body or breath and bringing awareness to your body. Doing so can help to calm the mind and is a great alternative to those who find it hard to focus during sitting or still meditation.
13. Riding an eBike Can Challenge Your Core
While sitting in the saddle may not work your core strength quite as much as a dedicated session of planks and deadbugs at the gym, getting on the electric bike will still get your core to work – and because it’s needed for balance and stability in assisting the rest of the body, it’ll give you a functional core workout to boot, too.While sitting in the saddle may not work your core strength quite as much as a dedicated session of planks and deadbugs at the gym, getting on the electric bike will still get your core to work – and because it’s needed for balance and stability in assisting the rest of the body, it’ll give you a functional core workout to boot, too. Your abs might not be burning after your daily commute on your electric bike, but you’ll still be keeping that core alive and strong.
15. It Can Lower Stress Levels
Let’s face it – whether it’s work, family or general life woes getting you down, we could all do with a little bit of de-stressing. If you don’t know where to start, sometimes it really is as easy as hopping on your electric bike and heading to the great outdoors to clear your mind.Let’s face it – whether it’s work, family or general life woes getting you down, we could all do with a little bit of de-stressing. If you don’t know where to start, sometimes it really is as easy as hopping on your electric bike and heading to the great outdoors to clear your mind.
It might not seem like much but breathing in some fresh air and getting the blood flowing – even if it’s just minimal movement and letting ‘assist’ mode do exactly what it says on the tin – can work wonders for reducing those stress levels in no time.
Reference: [https://www.momentum-biking.com/us/10-amazing-health-benefits-of-riding-a-pedal-assist-electric-bike]