Ever wondered how it is cycling is better than running?
Both are aerobic exercises that help enhance blood circulation, keep your tummy slim and trim, burn calories, increase stamina and endurance and help keep your heart healthy.
With the same benefits, do you know how or why cycling is more advantageous to your health than running or sprinting?
Well, this article aims to comprehensively highlight some of the best benefits of cycling over running.
But first…
Health Benefits of Cycling
From your immune system to promoting heart health and keeping you fit, cycling is the perfect way to exercise the entire body. There are numerous amazing benefits of cycling – and mentioned below are some important ones:
1. Boosts your Body’s Ability to Recovery from an Injury
People suffering from acute and chronic joint complications such as knee pain or arthritis tend to stay indoors and not work out at all.
This is a big mistake. Light cycling can help keep your joints active and your body will naturally start to heal your injuries or alleviate pain.
However, it is important to consult your doctor before going cycling in case you are arthritic. Sure, it might hurt in the beginning but as time passes, you will feel more comfortable with the method of exercise – and in turn, accelerate your healing process.
2. Strengthens the heart
Most heart diseases we are susceptible to develop stem from high or low blood pressure and hypertension. Going cycling every day can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disorder – helping to keep your heart healthy and young.
3. Builds your calves and thighs
Skipping leg day at the gym is fine if you are into cycling because that is just as efficient. Strong legs and thighs are attractive in both men and women. They also look good while you wear your favorite jeans or go out in shorts. Cycling, therefore, builds your endurance, which can help you in the future if you are planning to go hiking or mountain climbing.
From a medical perspective – especially for men, cycling can help maintain or even produce more testosterone. Men hitting their forties will begin to show symptoms of low testosterone, which can result in decreased stamina and hair loss. Cycling every day can help steer you clear of this problem.
4. Live longer
Tour de France recently conducted a study that suggests that the participants who were known to cycle more had longer life spans than the average human being. This means a healthier lifestyle and cycling can help minimize the aging process.
Cycling helps kills stress, keep symptoms associated with depression at bay and help minimize your daily anxiety.
5. Helps you lose fat
Perhaps one of the biggest reasons for people to go cycling in the first place is the idea of weight loss keeps people dedicated throughout the exercise. Cycling is a great option for diabetic people, especially diabetic women who are unable to lose their visceral fat because of their condition.
Imagine the happiness you will feel once you measure your weight and find you have lost a pound or two. Intense cycling can also help with the metabolism in your body to burn fat faster than normal.
6. You feel good
Cycling helps kills stress, keep symptoms associated with depression at bay and help minimize your daily anxiety.
You exert energy and you do not think about anything else rather than steering and paddling your way through the path. Once your muscles and bones are warmed-up, you will slowly start to feel good about your condition and life itself.
Cycling is an exercise that unlike running can last far longer and prove to work more muscles than usual. Moreover, it is a pretty awesome feeling once you travel all those long distances – pressing yourself further and further.
Reasons Why Cycling IS Better
We are not undermining the importance of running, but only highlighting how it has better health benefits than running or sprinting. If you have a bicycle and it is currently lying around in your garage with dust and webs on it, you might want to reconsider after reading this article.
1. Pain points
Cycling is more suitable as it causes less muscle damage than running does. Long-distance runners have an 83% risk of muscle soreness.
In addition, they put a heck of a lot of stress compared to cyclists. Once the pressure on the knees starts to build, the condition can worsen and cause several pain points around the body to flare.
Running makes it harder for the immune system to recover from this damage, which is why you always feel a need to take a break from exercising for at least a couple of days till you fully recover.
2. You get to go places
This is the most fun part about cycling and probably why most people prefer it over running.
With running you are limited to a certain range after which you get tired and head home. With cycling, that range can expand and you can travel through different terrain altogether.
Whether it is a forest trail or a dusty hill path, you will get to see so many things and never get tired of it all. Going beyond the natural boundaries is a nice experience, which is what keeps cyclists motivated throughout their journey.
3. Your appetite decreases
This is a fairly recent discovery that states that cycling can actually reduce the amount of food you consume per day. When you cycle, your body suppresses a hunger hormone called ghrelin.
Results show that an hour of intense running cannot even come close to how much an hour of intense cycling can reduce your appetite. This helps you eat less and focus more on exercising, which is good if you really want to lose weight and build a good physique.
4. Thrill factor
Cycling is way better if you are an adrenaline junky. Imagine going on top of a hill and cycling through it or coming down a steep slope at fast speeds. Running up and down a hill is hard and not very exciting because you can never achieve enough speed.
With cycling, especially with a mountain bike, you will feel everything rush by you and the wind soaring through your hair as you descend.
5. Coasting factor
Coasting is when you let go of pedaling and simply glide through the place without making much effort. People love coasting because it makes you feel like you are gliding. With running, that is not possible because if you stop running, you will only be standing in the middle of the road.
6. Less impact
The faster you run the more force you exert on the path, which can damage your feet in the long run. Plus, there is just so much force that your knees will absorb after which you may start to have chronic knee pain.
With cycling, all you need to do is pedal. Continuous repetitive pedals are better at helping you lose weight than running at a higher speed. You will often feel fatigued from running too hard and your stamina will diminish in a matter of minutes.
7. You can cycle to work
With a bicycle, you can paddle yourself to work every day however; you cannot do the same while running. That would only get you dripping with sweat; you will arrive at work tired and short of breath. Not a good way to start your day.
Furthermore, cycling is an environmentally-friendly mode of transport – considering if your workplace isn’t that far. Hybrid bikes are best for this. So, you will be killing two birds with one stone – keeping fit and contributing towards Mother Nature.
8. You can carry more
Running only gives you a limited option to carry gadgets and snacks. With cycling, you can customize the bicycle where you can not only fit in snacks but water bottles for a longer trip. Imagine cycling for 100 miles. It is quite obvious that you will get hungry and thirsty along the way, which is why cycling is considered a way better option than running.
Bottom Line
The aforementioned reasons do not necessarily apply to everyone. Some people may feel comfortable running while others do not.
It is simply a matter of personal preference however, scientific data prefers cycling over running as the means to a healthier lifestyle.
If you think the same, take that bicycle out of your garage dust the cobwebs and give it a try. You might start liking it once you give it a chance.
