Friday, October 22, 2010

CYCLING FOR FITNESS

Benefits of Cycling
Gone are the days when cycles were used merely as a means of transport by people to commute on shorter distances. Cycling is a sport and an exercise now, which has got the whole world going crazy after it.
Cycling is by far the most energetic activity you can undertake. Other activities like weight lifting may produce more force or more muscle power over a short period like sprinting or swimming, but there is nothing that matches the long-term, high-power demands of cycling. For many people cycling provides a fun, consistent, reasonable means of exercising, improving cardio functions, and losing weight. The added advantage of this exercise is that people of all age groups and fitness levels can do it.
Cycling needs efforts from whole body. It is a complete exercise for whole body. Be it your limbs or shoulders or arms, everything has to be in motion and rhythm. The nice thing about cycling is that you can go at the speed that you want. If you want a good vigorous work out, you can increase the weight on your exer-cycle. If you want a leisure ride you can take your cycle around your neighborhood. Cycling makes you utilize your hips, legs along with waist line muscles and thus helps in burning stored fat and ultimately leads to a proper slim trim shape and size of body.
The health benefits of cycling are numerous. For instance:

Cycling is good for your heart: Everyday cycling is an effective and enjoyable form of aerobic It reduces the risk of serious conditions such as heart disease,and the most common form of diabetes.

Cycling helps in weight management: Cycling can be part of a program to lose weight because it burns the calories. You can burn almost as many calories as jogging and it is much gentler on the joints than jogging or aerobics. Hence it is highly recommended for anyone over forty. It also activates and boosts your metabolism thereby fastening the weight loss process.

Cycling can improve your mood: Cycling can have positive effects on how you feel. Moderate cycling has been found to reduce levels of depression and stress, improve mood and raise self-esteem.

Cycling can help to maintain strength and coordination: There can also be indirect benefits in terms of reducing injuries from falls, which can be seriously disabling, especially in older people. Cycling also helps a lot in maintaining your stamina and also enables one to carry out day to day work with vigor and energy.

Cycling helps save the environment: Already there are scores of reasons to say that our earth is getting polluted day by day and cycling is one cool solution for all environment concerns. A cycle is zero on emission levels and can bypass the most congested traffic without any hassles. Thus it is more efficient in pollution norms and doesn't get stuck up at heavy traffic congestion.

If you exercise regularly, you will be able to lose excess pounds and achieve a healthy weight. At first, try to take a thirty-minute session three-five days a week. Do not forget to warm up before cycling. Your pace should not be too high: you should feel warm and only a little out of breath. Cycling is fun. Find a pal to join you. Do not hesitate, just take out your helmet and go out and ride.

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