Mia
Biking is one of the best activities and hobbies you can pursue for a variety of reasons. The freedom it offers is incredible, and you can go pretty much anywhere with your bike and use it for a whole suite of purposes. Want to just commute to and from work, school, or college? Good idea; you will be faster than on foot, and avoid the congestion of car traffic and having to park and all that. Or perhaps you seek nature and the wilderness, and ride your bike down trails and forests and slopes; the choice is yours. Practical, fun, extremely healthy, and beneficial, unless you live in a rainforest or somewhere where it is permanent winter or rain, there are not any reasons not to bike at least part of the time. So let’s take a closer look at some of the reasons why you should start biking and the numerous benefits it has.
Relaxation
Stress is one of the most insidious factors when it comes to mental and even physical health, often overlooked or even just ignored. Yet everyone has it to some degree, without even realizing the effects it can have on your mental and physical health, from headaches and greying hair to even ulcers and anxiety attacks. You need to unwind sometimes, relax, give yourself a chance to breathe and just think, and a perfect way to do this is to choose from a range of mountain bikes, and go explore nature a bit, see what dirt roads and trails you can ride down, what the breeze feels like and what thoughts and ideas you come up with when given the chance. Relax your mind, think of something other than your usual draining routine, and breathe deeply and fully.
Sleep Issues
Too many of us have sleeping issues caused by irregular and terrible sleeping patterns, as well as too much screen time before bed, and there are many more reasons. So what can be done to alleviate this problem, make it more manageable at least? For starters, biking can certainly be very beneficial, as research has shown that people sleep better if they cycle every day. After just 30 minutes of biking a day, you will fall asleep faster and sleep deeper, and an hour longer too. Our bodies need work and exercise to follow the natural programmed routine embedded in us, and being outside in the sun allows your body to find your natural sleep pattern and rhythm again.
Obesity
No matter how some activists may insist and argue, being overweight and obese is not good for you in the slightest. Being slow, sluggish, drained of energy, and depressed is no way to live, and biking is an excellent method of losing some of those extra pounds. Only 10 minutes of cycling will burn 97 calories, so half an hour or an hour regularly will have huge effects. Also, biking is a low-impact training, so it does not burden or put extra stress on joints that simply are not used to being used this much, and you make even, smooth movements. Most of your weight is put onto the saddle, meaning your ankles and knees will not be burdened or put under a lot of tension, which might also cause injury or just be counterproductive.
Connect With Your Surroundings
Biking allows you to explore new paths and ways to reach your destination each time. Whether you live in a large city, the countryside, or a village, there is surely an area, a street, a park, a forest, or a district you are not that familiar with. Biking lets you get around quickly, and you can get to know your surroundings better and discover new details. When you are in a car, you are simply too fast to take the world outside, but on a bike, you have enough time to drink it all in and get to know the places you cycle through. Whether in your hometown or the depths of a forest, biking lets you slow down just a bit to drink in the world around you.
It’s Fun
Not everything needs to have dissertations and essays written about how good or useful it is; sometimes, simplicity suffices, and biking is just fun. It’s fun. On a summer day, taking your bike out, and letting the soft breeze glide through your hair as you go fast or slow or uphill or downhill, for only a few minutes or whole hours, is pure enjoyment. Once you get into it, you will likely find yourself planning biking trips, perhaps even with someone else, on a lazy Saturday or holiday, seeing where you can go and just exploring. With our hectic lives and routines, just having fun can be enough to keep us going and refuel us for the next days and weeks.
Socializing
Again, the freedom of biking: you can bike alone and enjoy peace, or you can use it as a chance to socialize, call your friend or partner, bike together, chat, listen, and laugh while exploring unfamiliar woods and new territories. We humans are social beings; we need social connection and contact, and biking is a great way to foster existing or new relationships and bond over a shared passion.
Prevent Diseases
Regular cycling has been shown to help prevent diseases. The risk of incurring cardiovascular diseases or diabetes type 2 for example, is reduced when you bike. Biking has a positive effect on your blood, changing its composition and increasing the blood flow because of your increased heart rate and movements you are making while on the bike, comparable to swimming, for example. Your blood vessels will also become stronger and more flexible and will not be inclined to close so quickly. And that is without even mentioning all the mental health and overall physical benefits, some of which we have already covered here.
Biking is one of the most useful, fun, and easy hobbies you can do. Whether you like to go solo or with a friend or friends, whether you commute or explore your city or nature, whether you like the adrenaline of speeding down slopes and hills, or prefer the meditative peace and calm of a leisurely ride, biking has it all.
