If you’ve ever pedalled up a hill before, it probably wouldn’t surprise you to hear that cycling is great for working the lower body, but did you know the health benefits reach far beyond your quads and hamstrings?
Check out these brain and body benefits of cycling:
Benefits for your brain
Boosts your mood: Whether pedalling a favourite trail or whooshing down a hill, biking is great for relieving stress and improving mood.
Bonding with friends and family: A bike ride with family or friends provides excellent bonding time. What better way to connect than to go on an adventure together?
Benefits for your body
Get heart healthy: Biking is a great workout that helps to improve cardiovascular health.
Protects your joints: Biking is non-weight-bearing, which makes it a good option for people dealing with joint pain or injury.
Increases your lower body strength: Pedalling a bike is a great lower body workout, particularly for the quads, hamstrings and calves.
Improves coordination: Pedalling while maintaining balance and steering improves your coordination.
Healthy Parks, Healthy People
Research shows that spending time in nature is good for our physical and mental health and biking is just one of the ways to include more nature in our lives. This is why Ontario Parks has embraced the worldwide Healthy Parks Healthy People movement which encourages everyone to spend more time in nature.