Get on your bike

Christchurch’s flat terrain makes cycling a great exercise option, especially when it comes to adding low impact cardio into your daily routine.

Regular exercise, such as biking, helps prevent and manage a variety of medical conditions, and is also an environmentally friendly option. Hopping on a bike is low-impact, high-gain exercise.

Biking is synonymous with numerous health benefits. Listen to your body and ride at a self-determined pace to get the best out of it. From boosting metabolism, to building muscle, and burning more calories, to improving overall body function, and strengthening the legs without overstimulating them, the benefits are well documented.

There are other easily-forgettable benefits too, such as improvements to balance, posture, coordination, and a positive effect on cholesterol to boost cardiovascular health and reduce the risk of stroke and heart attacks, according to studies. It’s not all physical though. Cycling brings you back to the moment and reduces feelings of stress and depression. Awareness, mental clarity, they’re results of focusing on yourself, your breathing, and your goal on the bike.

Cycling may also help prevent and manage type 2 diabetes, with a recent study finding that regular cycling can lower mortality rates for people with diabetes by 24% and, if continued for at least five years, can decrease mortality rates by 35%.

If you don’t want to cycle, you can give your body a similar cardio workout, by opting for a rowing, stair-climbing, or elliptical machine. You can also run hills, swim, or walk.

Here are some of the benefits:

1. Weight management

Cycling habitually, especially at a high intensity, can help lower your body fat levels, which promotes healthy weight management. Studies suggest that including sprint and strength training with regular cycling may temporarily increase your metabolism, and build muscle, allowing you to burn more calories, even while at rest.

2. Strengthens legs

Cycling improves overall function in your lower body, and will strengthen your leg muscles without overstressing your joints. It targets your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.

3. Good for beginners

Riding a bike is fairly simple. If you have difficulty with a standard bicycle, try a stationary bike or exercycle. Start at low intensity, and increase as you build up fitness.

4. Lowers cholesterol

A review of 300 different studies showed indoor cycling has a positive effect on cholesterol levels, which in turn can boost cardiovascular health, and lower your chances of stroke, and heart attack. It may boost HDL (good) cholesterol levels while lowering LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Did you know?

About 1 in 5 people in New Zealand cycle. There are about 730,000 cyclists, or 21% of New Zealanders. This does not include exercycles.