It’s common knowledge that being healthy is related to a physically active lifestyle. We’ve all heard several times that daily exercising prevents sickness and prolongs life. It’s advised especially for elderly folk to make sure that they take their daily exercise seriously. This would prevent old age-related diseases like obesity, heart disease, cancer, mental illness, diabetes, and arthritis.
I always love to recommend cycling as an exercise that works for everyone. It’s not limited to any specific age group.
So why not hop on your cruiser bike while wearing a pair of cycling headphones and have some fun while also prolonging your life.
There are so many people all over the world who ride bikes on a daily basis with their laptop backpack for biking on the back. This is no surprise as riding a bike can be even more efficient than driving a car when it comes to health matters or other topics like traffic. But is cycling good for your heart? Keep reading for detailed answers to this question!
How Cycling Affects Your Heart?
It’s often common for elderly people to suffer from diseases like cancer, diabetes, and coronary heart disease (CHD). But know that elderly people who engage in physical activities like exercises on a daily basis have a higher life expectancy than those who don’t.
The British Medical Association carried out a cycling-related study. It was discovered in the study that if you cycle up to 32km (20 miles) a week, the chance of you suffering from heart disease is reduced by about 50%. The explanation to this fact is that cycling makes use of large muscle groups in the legs to boost your heart rate, which in turn improves your cardiovascular fitness. So, is cycling actually good for your heart? The answer is yes.
There are so many other factors aside from a physically inactive life that can cause health complications. It’s not practically possible to constantly eat unhealthily and expect that you can make up for it by adding just as much physical exercise with the help of a recumbent exercise bike with moving arms for example.
It’s a common error to blame diseases such as heart attacks on some existent disease in the blood vessels of the heart. This is wrong, as heart attacks are actually facilitated by engaging in harmful behavior like smoking and unhealthy eating when you are stressed.
Heart disease isn’t so age-specific and can be found in any age group. Kids are sometimes found to have inherited some heart-related conditions right from birth.
Some people are naturally more prone to heart related disease, based on the individual’s risk profile. Other habits such as smoking damage the heart as they increase the risk of you suffering from heart disease. That’s why you should get a cycling water bottle to stay hydrated.
How to Improve Heart Health
Because of certain factors relating to professionalism, age, and other things, we can’t all ride the same types of bikes. Each individual would have some type of bike that fits their personal profile.
It’s advised that you shop for a bicycle that fits your type of person and works efficiently in your quest to get healthier and prolong your lifespan. Buying a bike might sometimes go beyond the purpose of comfort. One must consider their own safety and general wellbeing, so biking doesn’t hurt your knees badly.
As a beginner in cycling, it’s advised that you go on rides with different bikes before purchasing one for yourself. You can achieve this by simply borrowing from other bikers or you can choose to rent one.
A routine bike-fitting by an expert at the bike shop should make getting a bike that suits your physical profile an easy task. It’s important to get a bike that matches your personal profile.
There are bikes for 60 year old women that are manufactured to meet the needs of elderly individuals or people who are not so fit. Comfort bikes have wider wheels, high rise handlebars, lower tubes, and shock absorbent seats. They are definitely comfortable to ride.
Electric bikes are also an option for people who are aged or not fit, for whatever reason, to ride a bike. They have motors that decrease the amount of effort the rider needs to put into pedaling which adversely makes riding an easy feat.
If you’re new to the cycling game and you don’t have a mapped-out plan of cycling activities, you should probably get yourself a hybrid bike and a Garmin watch. Hybrid bikes are good for all types of terrains and are available at affordable prices.
There are also tricycles, recumbent bikes, and lots more.
Let’s not forget about stationary bikes too. These bikes are usually stationed in one place, as the name suggests, and still work effectively for exercising. Also, since they are used indoors, you don’t have to be worried about what the weather is like outside. Just try stationary cycling and keep improving your health as you reach your fitness goals!
Conclusion
Intensive exercise isn’t recommended in some cases, hence consult with your doctor before you begin cycling if you have an existing health condition or problem.
Remember to go for a bike that best suits you. It will make things a whole lot easier.