Most likely you know that nowadays the bicycle is quite a popular mode of transport. And there is absolutely nothing surprising in this, because, compared to other modes of transport, a bicycle has many benefits. But what exactly are the benefits of a bicycle? Let’s try to find the answer to this question!
Well, if you want to buy a high-quality bike, then you do not need to spend too much money on it. The fact is that there are quite a few shops that sell used bicycles. But you can try to find them and learn to cycle with them first.
So, perhaps the main benefit of bicycles is the health benefit. When you ride a bike, you regularly experience physical activity. It’s pretty good for your health. It turns out that you combine a convenient method of moving around the city with sports. So even if you don’t have time to go to the gym regularly, cycling (biking) can still keep you fit.
Another important benefit of a bicycle is the fact that the use of this transport is free.
Who is not suitable for cycling?
We should not forget that biking, like any other sports activity aimed at improving health and physical ability, has its own contradictions. If you don’t follow some rules, then the negative impact of biking on the human body is possible. There are several diseases that do not allow doing this sports activity. The following are the most serious diseases in which cycling is strictly contraindicated:
- Discoordination of movements;
- Cardiovascular disease or defect;
- Fragility of the bones;
- Disorders in cartilage and articular tissue;
- Some forms of anemia that lead to loss of consciousness;
- For biking with violations in the vessels of the brain, a specialist consultation is required.
How many calories are burned while cycling?
Cycling speeds up your heart rate, which increases metabolism, energy expenditure and calories burning. Cells are saturated with oxygen, which oxidizes lipids. Fats break down with the simultaneous release of energy (calories), which is spent on biking. When splitting a gram of lipids, about 9 calories is burned.
So, for example, if we take distance as a basis, a pedestrian can walk 5-6 km in an hour, and a cyclist will travel a similar segment of the path on a flat road in 25-30 minutes and spend much fewer calories. If we take time as a basis, then in an hour of riding a cyclist can burn more calories than a pedestrian, and maybe less, because the road can sometimes go downhill. Even if the road is absolutely flat, the cyclist is sitting and the pedestrian is walking.
Burning calories on a bike is “long-term”. It starts slowly but continues several hours after the end of the walk.