Improving fitness, having fun, saving money or fighting for the environment – starting a bike can be one of the best decisions you’ve ever made. Don’t you believe it? Here are the 30 main advantages of switching to two-wheeled transport.
You can get there faster
Using a bicycle, you can reach your destination up to two times faster than by car or public transport on our busy roads.
A deeper sleep
An early morning bike ride will help you to wake up quickly and easily at the beginning of the day and to fall asleep in the evening. Researchers at Stanford University have asked several insomniacs to ride a bicycle for 20-30 minutes every day. As a result, they fell asleep twice as fast and their total sleep time increased by an hour.
“Outdoor exercises are very helpful,” explains Professor Jim Horn of Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Center. “They normalize your heart rhythms and rid your body of cortisol, a stress hormone that prevents deep, restorative sleep.
Look younger
Scientists at Stanford University have found that regular cycling can protect the skin from the harmful effects of UV radiation and slow the appearance of signs of aging.
Dermatologist K. Rowland Payne explains: “Improved circulation from exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to the skin cells more effectively, while eliminating toxins. Exercises also create an ideal environment in the body to optimize collagen production, which helps reduce wrinkles and speeds up healing processes.
Accelerate the digestive process
According to scientists at Bristol University, the benefits of bicycles have a significant impact on digestion. “Physical activity reduces the amount of time that food passes through your digestive system and also limits the amount of water your body takes away, resulting in a softer stool,” explains gastroenterologist Ana Raimundo.
In addition, aerobic exercises improve breathing and heart rate, which helps to stimulate intestinal muscle contractions. “In addition to the fact that it eliminates the feeling of bloating, it also reduces the risk of bowel cancer.
Improve brain activity
You want your gray matter to sparkle? Turn the pedals. Researchers at the University of Illinois have found that a 5% increase in cardio-respiratory activity leads to a 15% increase in brain activity. Cycling stimulates the growth of new brain cells in the hippocampus, an area responsible for memory that loses its properties from the age of 30.
“This improves blood circulation and enriches the brain with oxygen, which activates the receptors and prevents Alzheimer’s disease,” says Professor Arthur Kramer.
It’s less painful.
Forget about the apples, “Ride the bike, leave the doctor out of it.” “Moderate exercises increase the activity of immune cells and they are ready against infections,” said Kat Collins, a senior nutritionist at St. George’s Hospital in London.
According to research at the University of North Carolina, people who ride for half an hour five days a week are twice as sick as lazy as those who don’t get up from the couch.
We prolong life.
King’s College London compared more than 2,400 twins and found that those who rode 45 minutes 3 times a week were biologically younger than their siblings, even though they were different in height, weight and smoking habits.
“Those who regularly do sports significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension and obesity,” says Dr Lynn Chauxas, author of the study. The body works more effectively, protects itself more successfully and produces new ones,” says Dr Lynn Chauxas, author of the study.
Saving the planet
Twenty parked bicycles occupy the same amount of space in the city as 1 car. Only 5% of the materials and resources used to produce a bicycle are used to produce it, compared to the materials used to build a car. The bike does not pollute the atmosphere.
Bicycles are also efficient – you travel 3 times faster than a pawn, with the same energy consumption. Interestingly, you’re about 6 times heavier than a bicycle and the car is 20 times heavier than you.
Your child…
Your child can benefit from a bicycle as much as you can. According to the University of Michigan’s research, expectant mothers who are regularly exposed to physical activity during pregnancy are more likely to tolerate it, recover more quickly and feel better all 9 months. At the same time, your future child is 50% less likely to be obese and more nutritious.
“There is no doubt that moderate physical activity, including cycling, helps your mother and her baby during pregnancy,” says Patrick O’Brien, Speaker of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.