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BIKING: THE FUN WAY TO STAY IN SHAPE

14/08/2019
BIKING: THE FUN WAY TO STAY IN SHAPE

Biking has gained a lot of popularity over the years, as a leisure activity that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It’s estimated that approximately one billion people use bikes every day for a number of reasons. These reasons can be as a form of fitness, recreation, sport, or even as a source of transport from one area to another!

Biking is a relatively low-impact exercise that is relatively easy, and helps one stay in shape. It’s also eco-friendly, and the most important part… it’s fun! All that is required is a good mountain bike preferably one from Bikester and you are good to go!

If you are looking to trim off some fat, or tone up your body, biking can be one of the best exercises choices. Biking is very convenient, for example you could go biking at the weekend for a workout, instead of going to the gym. Or you could cycle to and from work for transport, this will boost fitness, save you money on fuel, and is also environmentally friendly.

EFFECTIVE LOWER BODY AND CARDIO WORKOUT

Biking offers a great lower body workout, with a perfect balance of cardio – ideal for strengthening the heart. It also burns lots of calories – you can burn between 400 to 800 calories an hour, depending on your pace, incline, etc.

Biking can practically be done by anyone regardless of their gender, age, weight or height. Slow cycling, or walking are normally encouraged for obese individuals – this is largely down to their low impact nature. One can start slowly and progress to higher speeds, steeper inclines, etc once a good baseline of fitness is obtained.

People who have injuries, especially those that are joint related are also encouraged to bike, instead of doing more vigorous/high impact exercises such as running. Put in simple terms…Biking offers a myriad of health, social and commercial benefits as detailed below…

EASY, CONVENIENT, AFFORDABLE

Biking is an easy and convenient form of exercise. With your mountain bike, you are totally in charge of your exercise regime. You get to decide when you want to workout, and how many times per week you cycle.

Biking is an easy craft to learn. A majority of people are taught how to ride a bike from as early as two years old, it’s a skill that most people can already do, whereas… If you’re new to the gym, most of the time you will need the assistance of a personal trainer – to help teach you how to use the gym equipment – as it’s far more technical, compared to riding a bike.

Also, with biking, you just need to make a one off purchase, rather than having to spend money each month renewing your gym membership. Biking is extremely cost effective!

Improves Mental Health

There’s nothing better for making you feel great than doing regular exercise. Whether that’s working out at the gym, pumping some weights, or doing a fitness class, etc – they all help to stimulate feel good endorphins and lift your mood.

That said, training outside has added bonuses, for one you’re exposing yourself to natural light (ideal for health and improving your sleep), but the other benefit is just being outside in the fresh air. If you cycle at least 2-3x per week you are going to notice a big improvement to your mental health and well-being.

OPPORTUNITY TO GO GREEN

Our world is in danger of destruction due to human activity. The best part of biking is that its eco-friendly. Other than the materials used to manufacture the bike which are less compared to motor vehicles, biking has no impact on the environment. It doesn’t require any form of power or energy for the equipment to work or maintained. Biking uses already existing trails along parks and in the forests.