Cycling is one of the most exciting sports activities that most people usually do to become fit. It also helps you become physically fit and in mental well-being. People do cycling as a mode of transportation or as an intense or casual fun activity. In this article, I am going to share 18 Benefits of cycling, particularly for women.
If you look at my experience, cycling has made me care about my health. Something I never really cared about before (thought of it but never implied it). When I was a little less than 200lbs, eat junk food daily, drank a lot of coke, and had been an insulin-dependent diabetic for several years.
When I first started riding it was hard. I was slow and I almost thought of giving up. So, I started making changes to my lifestyle to make it easier. I felt better and developed more endurance as soon as I was cycling every day. And eventually, I quit many of the bad habits and started losing weight.
Cycling had been very beneficial for me and changed a lot of things in my life. I am around 150lbs now and it really means a lot for me. With my personal experience and after doing a ton of research, I have written this article on the benefits of cycling for women and all females.
Only a few minutes of cycling every day is enough to give you your desired results. Cycling is one of the rewarding sports activities women can do at any age or activity level. A wonderful workout that keeps you active, healthy, and fit both mentally as well as physically.
Continue reading ahead to know in-depth about the benefits of cycling for women: (The first few benefits I am going to cover is going to based on my research, further I will be sharing some changes I saw in me after cycling for months)
1. Cycling is Good For Your Heart
Do you wonder why cyclists stay healthy? Because regular improves and stimulates your heart, lungs and reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Cycling only for 20 miles a week reduces the risk of heart disease by half, even in females. It strengthens the heart muscle, reduces blood fat levels, and lowers resting pulse.
A study was found that people aged 20-60 with regular cycling have fewer chances of getting heart diseases than the people who don’t do cycling at all.
According to cdc.gov, one in every 16 women have coronary heart disease which can even lead to death, In 2017 this disease killed almost 300 thousand females – or about 1 in every 5 female deaths. These statistics are quite old as of now, according to many researchers and doctors, these numbers have tripled till 2021 and are expected to increase further. These numbers were of the United States alone.
Across the globe, heart disease is the number 1 cause of death, according to WHO, more than 16.9 million people die worldwide every year due to heart diseases.
That’s why it becomes so important to take care of your heart and cycling do the same.
2. Cycling Saves Your Joints
Cycling is an amazing exercise that not only strengthens your joints but also helps in their movement. It is a low-impact activity, which means, cycling limits impact stress on weight-bearing joints such as knees, feet, and hips. Movement in cycling helps to lubricate the joints, which reduces stiffness and pain.
As the bone density in the female body starts decreasing at a certain age. For this reason, cycling becomes very important for women as it will help in keeping the muscles and joints fit and active.
According to studies done, women are more prone to joint problems than men (learn why?) and joint problems are extremely painful. That’s why it becomes very important for women to take care of their joints and cycling is the solution.
3. Cycling Strengthens Your Muscles
Cycling helps in strengthening your muscles which results in better health fitness. It exercises not only your lower body but all four of your limbs. As you peddle, your calves strengthens, your hips and thighs also get tone.
As you keep your hands on the handle of a bike, your arms also get to work out. All of your muscles such as your shoulders, back, your core, and your heart, these all get strengthens.
4. Cycling Can Help Protect Against Breast Cancer
People recovering from cancer, with breast cancer, and without breast cancer should cycle every day to recover from it or to avoid the risks of breast cancer.
Any activity that keeps you lean and fit can reduce the risk for certain types of cancer, and cycling is one of those activities. According to research, physically active females have a lower risk of getting breast cancer as compared to inactive females.
According to breastcancer.org, 1 out of 8 women will develop invasive breast cancer in their life which estimates more than 1 million women. In 2021 alone, 281,550 new cases of invasive breast cancer with 49,290 new cases of non-invasive breast cancer were diagnosed in the US.
Breast cancer is a big problem and we need to work on it.
Even if women with breast cancer, cycling can help in the reduction of the side effects of cancer treatment. Females who stay physically active all through their post-menopausal phase might have a lower risk of breast cancer.
5. Cycling Helps In Weight Loss
This is the most searched query and question that comes in people’s heads that Does cycling helps in weight loss? As I have mentioned above my experience, cycling does help me in weight loss and has helped a lot of other people as well.
I lose almost 50lbs after cycling every day for more than 5 months, I have seen other people doing pretty quickly than me but the main reason was I didn’t cycle that much, I cycled only 3-5 miles.
It is a fun way for losing weight – cycle with your friend to maintain the routine. It helps in losing few pounds, but if you mention a proper diet along with it, you’ll surely lose weight more than I do in the first place.
All you need is to maintain a regular cycling schedule and go for a long, easy ride for few minutes every day. Along with weight loss, it’ll help you with more health benefits and can improve your mood.
6. Cycling Acts Like An Energy booster
This sports activity can do wonders in many ways. It builds up your stamina and decreases fatigue. Beginner cyclists can feel in their initial days that an intense round of riding a bike may seem tiring in the end.
However, it’ll release stress and triggers the brain to emit a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which releases energy. Just ride at your own pace and distance slowly. You may feel more confident once you make cycling a regular habit.
The energy level will get high resulting in enthusiasm at work and higher energy for all normal activities.
7. Fights Off Insomnia – Better Sleep
After a few months of regular cycling, your joints will start moving easily and your back muscle will get stronger. This will eventually help you with insomnia. Even though you don’t do anything the whole day, and you feel mentally tired, your body needs to feel that tiredness equally to have a good night’s sleep.
Cycling will help you fall asleep faster and actually sleep more efficiently. Although for a goodnight’s sleep, a good mattress will support you in fighting insomnia. Your mind will get relax and you’ll feel fresh when you wake up every time.
8. Cycling Reduces Stress and Pressure
Women usually face stress and pressure more than men. They should need to opt for a sports activity that’ll help them in releasing the stress. And for that, cycling is one of the best stress-releasing sports activities. It helps in easing the body movements by letting your heart pump blood smoothly in your body.
Cycling itself is more like meditation, your breathing, the turning of the pedals in rhythm. Working out the muscles bring them to relaxation afterward, the fatigue you feel is the relaxation itself. Go out on cycling and you will yourself feel the release of stress and pressure.
9. Cycling Improves Digestion
This benefit of cycling is not only for women but for every human being. For people who are suffering from digestive problems, I would suggest that you should include cycling in your daily habits. Because cycling ensures quick movement of food through the intestines, which helps in improving digestion.
The acceleration in your breath and heart rate can also help your intestinal muscles contract. This affects easier time passing stools and preventing bloating. Any active person will inform you all about exercises. Cycling is also great for core muscle stability.
I had a poor digestion and I would say it really improved over time after cycling regularly.
10. Have a Healthier Pregnancy
Long ago, it is said that performing any exercise during pregnancy could be dangerous for health. But in today’s world, doctors recommend doing some sort of exercise to keep yourself from gaining excess pregnancy weight. Along with this, exercise results in easier and less complicated labor and a faster recovery post-delivery. Only 20 minutes of low to moderate activity would do its benefit in improving pregnancy symptoms.
However, Cycling, a low-impact cardio activity would be considered safe for most pregnant women during the first 4 months but it is recommended to always take the doctor’s advice and not cycle too much.
Just be careful while riding after your first trimester. Your center of gravity would get change, which can make it hard to balance safely on the road.
11. Environmentally Friendly
Cycling doesn’t need any fuel or diesel to ride on the roads. It is an environmentally friendly option that you can take for transportation. It is a cheaper and healthy replacement for transportation.
Cycling does not require any parking space in crowded parking areas, or it does not require you to stop traffics as you can go through the heavy traffic as big cars won’t. You can ride on to your favorite place that is not too far from your house.
Cyclists know how to ride a bike perfectly, and hence they also know ways to avoid traffic which improves their overall navigation skills. A short and easy way to save money and live healthily.
12. Cycling Helps In Your Mental Well-being
Cycling is one of the most effective sports which improves the mental well-being of people. It releases tension, boosts creativity, lets you forget about your everyday problems, and clear up mental blocks.
A university study founds that improving your cardio-respiratory fitness by just 5% led to a 15% improvement in your mental test score. Cycling generates a boost in blood flow to the brain.
The best way to clear your mind which combines outdoor experience and sightseeing. Therefore, bringing peace and happiness to the rider.
13. Female Empowerment on Two Wheels
A bicycle is a powerful tool for changing social perspectives. Because riding a bicycle was only meant for men and boys. According to a group of feminist cyclists, riding a bike needs balance, self-control, and self-confidence, qualities that female requires to claim their place in public spaces.
Out of all the reasons for female cycling, women empowerment is probably one of the best. The strength you gain from regular cycling will transfer into every other area of your life. That means from your work to your family to your friendship. And the feeling when you pass a dude on your bike is worth something.
14. Cycling Helps in Building Endurance
Professional cyclists have greater endurance and stamina. Why? Because they have practiced regular cycling for years and you don’t even know when your body gains endurance.
If you are one of that female that is willing to join running activities, I would recommend you to start cycling as it will help you improve running performance by developing fitness, endurance, and stamina without damaging your leg muscle. Cycling also increases lung capacity by strengthening your heart.
15. Encourages Supplementing Vitamin D
Early morning cycling lets your body soak in the sun which encourages supplementing vitamin D as the sun is a natural source of it. And for women, having enough vitamin D is important as they suffer great morbidity and mortality related to osteoporosis and fractures.
There are a lot of benefits of Vitamin D – you can see the benefits here.
This can be decreased by vitamin D. And for cyclists, getting sufficient Vitamin D into your body is important because cycling causes a lot of sweat while riding. The lower level of vitamin D can also lead to a significantly low mood, so it’s better to go riding in the morning when the sun is up.
16. Cycling Improves Immunity
The Covid-19 Pandemic had let us learn a lot about and I don’t need to tell you the importance of Immunity nowadays.
With all the above benefits of cycling, this one is also related to your health. Physical exercise may help flush out bacteria out of your lungs and airways, which lessens the chance of getting flu or cold.
Going outside on a ride and breathing fresh air will keep you healthy. According to research from the University of North Carolina, moderate exercises help keep immune cells more active and make them ready to fight off diseases easily. Daily cycling has been shown to boost the immune system.
17. Make New Friends With Cycling
Cycling is a fantastic solo sport, that we can ride anywhere, in groups, with friends, family, or even strangers. This enriches our social life and helps us connect with new people, which in return brings us a feeling of belongingness. You can also look for a local cycling club in your neighborhood and meet your friends for a weekend ride.
18. Cycling Increase Flexibility
Cycling increases flexibility in the lower body muscles. The hamstrings, calves, and hips will get strengthen and get flexible by riding a bike. It’ll help you getting out of your bed or bending your knees will become much easier and less painful.
Just remember, after riding along the route, stretch your legs, so that you won’t feel fatigued on your next day.
Cycling is a very flexible sports activity. It depends on you, whether you want it to be intense or relaxing. If you’re an adventurous woman, you would go for relaxing rides. Above all are the benefits of cycling for women. Your body will get comfortable once you start riding your bike.
All you need is to pick up your helmet and bicycle and go outside for your regular ride.
19. Improves Productivity
After almost a month of cycling, I noticed that I became more productive than ever before. I was a very lazy girl but now I am proud to say that I am not that lazy. I do things out, finish all my work especially on time. And the reason I think about this is Cycling, It made my mood fresh and indirectly ignited a fire in me.
