With coronavirus and sunny days, now is the best time to get on the bike!
Whether it's to improve your health or save money...
...cycling could be the best decision you've ever made!
Not yet convinced to swap your car or public transport for a bike?
So here are the 20 benefits of cycling or why you should pedal every day. Watch:
With the bike, no more traffic jams!
You can now avoid them and go 2 times faster than by car if you live in town.
In Paris, you can spend up to 60 hours in traffic jams, compared to 29 hours in Lyon, without advancing at all.
While on a bike, you don't suffer these forced stops:you move forward.
And that goes for any small town during rush hour.
Thanks to the bike, you will never be late for an appointment again. Discover here 10 reasons to cycle to work.
If you suffer from insomnia, cycling will help you solve this problem which affects many French people.
Researchers have noticed that cycling for 20 to 30 minutes every 2 days allowed people suffering from sedentary insomnia to fall asleep much more easily (time halved) and to sleep 1 hour more per night.
Indeed, exercising outside exposes our body to sunlight.
As a result, it restores the synchronization of our biological rhythm...
...and rids our body of "cortisol", a hormone that reduces deep and regenerative sleep.
Cycling allows you to better oxygenate the body and in particular the skin cells.
This better circulation eliminates toxins and stimulates the production of collagen.
Thus, the effects of aging on the skin are slowed down.
When cycling in good weather, don't forget to apply sunscreen to your skin to protect yourself from UV rays.
Choose at least an index of 30 for it to be effective.
If cycling stimulates the heart and the production of good hormones, it also helps promote digestion and weight loss.
In fact, physical activity reduces the time it takes for food to pass through the large intestine, allowing it to be softer and easier to eliminate.
In addition, outdoor exercise speeds up breathing and heart rate, which helps stimulate the contraction of intestinal muscles.
No more bloating! In addition, it would reduce the risk of bowel cancer.
What if I told you that cycling boosts neurons? So there's only one thing left to do:pedal!
Indeed, there is a 5% improvement in cardiorespiratory capacity among cyclists.
By increasing the oxygenation of the brain, we increase the production of new brain cells in the hippocampus, the region of the brain dedicated to memory.
These cells deteriorate from the age of 30.
Thus, not only do we notice better results of 15% on mental tests, but also a reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
Daily physical exercise strengthens our immune system.
The consequence is simple and radical!
You get much less sick when you cycle regularly.
So, cycle at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, so you don't have to go to the doctor again!
Indeed, it reduces by 2 the risks of falling compared to those who do not move from their sofa.
People who exercise regularly are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, and obesity.
Why ? Because when you ride a bike, the cells regenerate much more easily.
By doing 3 walks of 45 min / week, you not only look younger...
...but what's more, your body behaves as if it were 9 years younger.
Amazing, isn't it?
Being more physically active improves vascular health, which also has the effect of boosting libido.
It is common knowledge that male athletes perform better in this regard, worthy of men 2-5 years younger.
For women, it would delay menopause by as much.
Men over 50 who cycle at least 3 hours a week decrease the risk of impotence by 30% compared to those who do little exercise.
He won't necessarily love you for your little cycling shorts...
...but rather for your better performance and resistance to stress.
A study conducted by the University of Bristol with 200 people reveals that time and workload management is better among employees who come by bike.
They would also feel more at ease in their relationships with others and would be less prone to stress.
Any physical exercise is useful in the fight against cancer, but some studies have shown that cycling is particularly recommended.
Indeed, it has the effect of promoting the proper functioning of the cells of the body.
A Finnish study found that men who cycled at least 30 minutes a day were 2 times less likely to develop cancer than those who didn't.
Ditto for women, those who cycle frequently reduce the risk of breast cancer by 34%.
We often think that to lose weight, you have to throw yourself headlong into jogging.
Of course, running helps you lose weight by burning fat.
Yet, depending on your weight, running can do more harm than good.
Indeed, the joints suffer enormously because of the shocks on the ground.
So it is better to prefer the bike, because the saddle absorbs most of the shocks.
As a result, the skeleton and the joints do not suffer at all.
What if cycling to lose weight also saves you money?
A researcher from Ohio explains that the more the body mass index (BMI) increases because of junk food, the more money you lose (up to 800 €).
Because this way of eating requires eating more often and in larger quantities.
So lose some weight while cycling:your wallet will thank you.
You might think that a cyclist in town will breathe in all the pollution from cars and trucks. Well, not really, it seems.
Passengers in buses, taxis and cars have been found to inhale significantly more toxic gases than cyclists and pedestrians.
On average, taxi passengers were exposed to more than 100,000 ultrafine particles - which can deposit in the lungs and damage cells - per cubic centimeter.
While a cyclist is only exposed to 8,000 ultrafine particles per cubic centimeter.
This would be because the cyclists are on the side of the road, not just behind the vehicle exhausts.
Cycling to work eliminates the need for a gym membership!
Not only do you save time all week long, but you also save a lot of money.
Considering the price of these subscriptions, it is far from negligible.
You will be able to get back in shape without paying a euro!
Your wallet will thank you.
Cycling uses 10 times more oxygen than sitting in front of a screen.
Needless to say, this activity is great for your lungs and your breath.
Even better, it will strengthen your cardiovascular system, and over time allow the heart and lungs to work more efficiently by carrying oxygen more easily.
In the end, you will be able to exercise more with less effort.
No more getting out of breath climbing stairs!
Doctors have found that you not only burn fat when you ride a bike...
...but also several hours later!
After 30 minutes of cycling, you burn calories for another 1-2 hours after the activity.
And the more you progress, the more fat burning time increases.
And if you add a hill or a little sprint, you'll burn 3.5 times more fat than when riding on a flat road.
Replace a bad addiction such as cigarettes, alcohol or excessive consumption of chocolate, with a positive addiction.
The sports one is one of the best!
Indeed, once you get used to cycling regularly, you won't be able to do without it.
Why ? Because if you stop, you will quickly feel your body saying to you "When are we going back to it?!".
So the goal is to get addicted to cycling so you can never get off the hook again!
Plus, you'll feel happier and healthier.
And this positivism influences everything else in your life.
Athletes are always happy, we often hear.
This is not just a myth!
Because playing sports sends happy hormones.
Neurologists studied endorphins in the brains of 10 volunteers before and after a cardio training session.
By comparing the before and after scans, they noticed better uptake of the happiness hormone opiates in the frontal and limbic regions of the brain.
These are areas known to be involved in the management of emotions and stress.
There is a direct link between sports phases and the feeling of well-being.
It's a bit like a "happiness shoot"... but legal. And you will see that you will quickly be addicted to it!
If you have a little blues when you get in the saddle, pedaling for miles will lift your spirits.
Any light to moderate physical exercise releases natural endorphins which reduce stress and make you happy.
This is probably the reason why health professionals recommend that depressed people exercise at least 3 times 30 minutes a week.
This may seem strange...
...but going for a bike ride when you're feeling tired or lazy gives you a boost!
Indeed, physical activity, even for just a few minutes, wakes you up and gives you a boost.
Coming home, we feel invigorated and super proud to have moved our body!
Let's do a little math:1 car parking space contains 20 bicycles.
To make a bicycle, you only need 5% of the materials and energy used to make a car.
And let's add that the bike does not produce any pollution in circulation.
With a bike, you go 3 times faster than walking and I'm not talking about savings on the "petrol" budget!
You don't have to think long to prefer cycling, especially when you live in town.
Do you know of any other benefits of cycling? Share them with us in the comments. We can't wait to read you!
