I love cycling as both a hobby and a sport, as it allows me to discover new places. Riding in the beautiful Alps is particularly exhilarating! However, I’m not sure about the specific health benefits it offers.
Depends on how much you do it (overtraining might actually start to have negative health affects), but as with all exercise the health benefits are:
- increased cardiovascular fitness
- increased muscle strength and flexibility
- improved joint mobility
- decreased stress levels
- improved posture and coordination
- strengthened bones
- decreased body fat levels
- prevention or management of disease
- reduced anxiety and depression.
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For all the possible health benefits and would say most of them can be easily undone due to a poor lifestyle off the bike.
Perhaps the mental health benefits. However I can also see how it could lead to an unhealthy mental state perhaps obsessed nature in certain areas.
Taking @JustInTime list I could come up with countering points to most. For example just taking the quote “you can’t out train a poor diet” it is easy to undone the health benefits with drinking too much and eating crap. Equally just cycling can lead to reduced bone density and muscle strength and flexibility due to only the specific movements required but cycling. Or skinny fat as another example of how on the outside someone can appear great and healthy but on the inside it is another story.
Yes 100% there are health benefits however when it is part of the bigger picture. Not really wanting to be a Debbie Downer.
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Agreed, but same can be said about other factors - OP could have health challenges and exercise might actually harm. If we look objectively at the health benefits and presume that OP is of good health and has a lifestyle to support that, then @JustInTime 's list is spot on 