Cycling is one of the easiest ways to exercise, because there is no high level of skill or equipment required.
Cycling builds strength and increases muscle tone through strengthening leg muscles and increasing the mobility of hip and knee joints.
Cycling improves cardio-vascular fitness by using the largest muscle groups the legs, which will raise your heart rate to benefit stamina and fitness.
Cycling helps the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Cycling is a lifetime activity and can help ward off health issues related to an inactive lifestyle.
Cyclists are physically active citizens, and are good for the economy as they have fewer sick days and need less medical treatments.
Cycling can help you sleep better. Exercising outside exposes you to daylight and this helps get your circadian rhythm back in sync, and also rids your body of cortisol, the stress hormone that can prevent deep regenerative sleep.
Cycling improves your cardio-respiratory fitness which will help improve your mental fitness, by building new brain cells in the hippocampus – the region responsible for memory.
Cycling helps your overall health. Moderate exercise makes immune cells more active, so they’re ready to fight off infection.
Here in Victoria you can ride all year round and can cycle almost everywhere. If you are just starting out there are three important things to remember:
Be Visible – wear bright colors, and use headlights on the front of your bike and blinking red lights in the back.
Be Predictable – A common mistake that beginning cyclists make is feeling that they are not entitled to be on the road – behave like a car, riding in a straight line in the lane where the car’s right wheel would go.
Choose appropriate route – some roads are just not suitable for bikes. Heavy, high-speed traffic on roads with no shoulders will make for unsafe or unpleasant riding.
Before starting any new exercise regime, check with your health care practitioner for information and tips about keeping yourself safe and injury free.