All Things Cycling

One form of cardio that has been up and coming is cycling. As of recent, cycling has grown in popularity among people of all ages. Rather than just riding your bicycle outside, cycling studios become a very common way for individuals to get a great workout within a fun environment. While cycling, or spinning had been around for decades, the craze for it has grown making it one of the most desired forms of exercise. Cycling can be done both indoors and outdoors and is commonly a high-intensity workout that combines both cardio and endurance work. The most common benefit of cycling includes the toning of the muscles. In today’s blog we are going to discuss all of the benefits of cycling in terms of health and wellness.

Cycling Benefits:

• Increased Cardiovascular Fitness
  • Cycling on a regular basis helps to improve your heart, lungs, and circulation which ultimately reduces risk of cardiovascular diseases. With this being said, spinning can strengthen your heart muscles while lowering your resting heart rate.
• Muscle Strength and Flexibility
  • The resistance element of cycling allows your body to not only burn fat, but also build muscle strength as well. Those who have a higher percentage of muscle are able to burn calories easier. Spinning regularly increases muscle and flexibility specifically in the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves.
• Decreased Stress Levels
  • One of the greatest benefits of cycling in my opinion is its ability to reduce stress. It has been proven that cycling reduces your stress hormones throughout your body, specifically the ones which disturb sleep. Cycling can also boost serotonin levels and stabilize your circadian rhythm.
• Decreased Body Fat Levels
  • As stated before, cycling regularly can improve your cardiovascular system. As your heart muscles grow stronger, your resting pulse will lower allowing your blood rat levels to reduce greatly. When considering your body fat levels, cycling helps to easily build muscle and increase the rate at which you are able to burn calories. This in turn makes it easier to lose body fat and maintain a healthy weight.

In conclusion cycling has many great benefits for your mental and physical health. I definitely recommend you try out a cycling class when you get the chance. Oftentimes cycling studios allow your first ride for free! Otherwise, if you are interested, Warhawk Fitness and Aquatics has their very own cycling studio in the Wells Hall basement. Group Fitness instructors run the class and love newcomers! If you have a membership to the Williams Center here on campus these classes are free of charge. Click this link to view the Group Fitness class schedule. Make sure to also learn more about cycling and all of its benefits from Better Health.

Do not get discouraged.

Cora Shircel