Our planet is in crisis, and it needs our help! Every year, global warming effects are more and more noticeable. Ice caps are melting which causes a series of other natural disasters such as floods. Besides that, the Earth is getting hotter making it easier for bush fires to start and spread. In cases like these, a lot of people and animals lose their homes. Aside from running habitats, big industries, such as paper industry, cut down forests and pollute our rivers which, in 50 years, will have disastrous consequences for the planet. So, we must do something to prevent this fate.
Whether you’re an eco-activist or not, by changing some of the habits, you’re helping the planet survive. Altering small patterns of your behavior can make a great difference in the quality of your life too. Merging these two adjustments gives us a winning combination- cycling! Besides environmental, cycling has health and economic benefits for you. If you haven’t tried yet, read this list of benefits that might convince you to hop on two wheels and check this Buyer’s Guide For Every Cyclist.
1. Physical activity
The 21st century is the era of “sitting people”. Shortly, this means that everyone is spending hours sitting at their desks in front of computers. Then they waste some more time in the car stuck in traffic, naturally sitting. And finally, when they reach home, people tend to kill some time by, you guessed it, sitting in front of a TV watching a light-hearted film. This is disastrous for their back and overall body.
So, Captain Obvious on duty claims that cycling keeps you physically active. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or an expert, riding a bike is a great exercise for your body and mind. There are some things you need to know about cycling as a beginner, such as remembering to put on a helmet, and the importance of stretching. But besides that, cycling is an efficient form of cardio exercise that develops muscles in your legs and straightens your back, which is necessary for those who sit a lot. Unlike running or jogging, this low-intensity type of workout as it doesn’t put too much pressure on your joints, so this makes it a great exercise for those who are going over an injury.
2. Reduces stress
Let’s face it, everyday life for an average man is pretty stressful. Whether we’re less capable of controlling our emotions or we’ve become more irritable for minor inconveniences, keeping your cool can be quite hard sometimes. That’s why a lot of people take up the sport as a relaxing past time activity.
Not everyone likes running, kicking a ball or swimming. Some people find pleasure in simpler things, like cycling. Contrary to popular belief, cycling isn’t boring. While you’re on your bike, you can completely shut off the negative thoughts and enjoy the ride. Appreciating intriguing cityscapes or nature while the wind plays in your hair is a true vacation for your mind and soul. In addition to that, riding a bike is true anxiety relief. As you focus on the road, you forget to be anxious and convert that negative energy into paddling strength and power. Tiring your body in such a way will make you fall asleep easily and wake up rested. You can’t know unless you try.
3. Prevent illness and disease
As the Medicine advances, a lot of rare and not so rare diseases can be easily identified. And besides genetics, stressful, unhealthy lifestyle and polluted environment are two of the biggest reasons why they appear. The effects of diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and many more can be, if not prevented, then minimized by regular physical activity. So, be responsible for your body and start exercising.
By cycling, you improve your blood circulation which gives amazing results for your heart. Besides that, riding a bike builds up stamina and strength which all can boost your immune system making you less prone to various illnesses. This means that cycling has incredible benefits for your health. Additionally, it strengthens your muscles which helps with your posture and coordination. We must not forget that cycling is a form of exercise, which means that it burns calories and helps us lose unwanted weight preventing obesity that causes diabetes. Ride a bike to stay healthy and look good.
4. Healthier cities and towns
Cycling doesn’t only improve the health of the cycler. It also improves the “health” of the towns and cities. How are the cities ill, you might ask? Well, healthy cities have a lot of healthy citizens, which isn’t the case in this modern era. Cars are polluting the air creating greenhouse gases that damage the atmosphere. Damaged Ozone lets more harmful sun rays that can be hazardous for people’s health.
But how can you save the environment by cycling? Firstly, cities and towns need to decide that they want to be “healthy”, which means promoting a healthy lifestyle. This should include building bike trails and encouraging citizens to take upcycling. Then a spotlight hits you, a future cycler, that will give up driving a car and start riding a bike instead. Fewer cars on the streets mean less carbon emission, air pollution and pollution-related disease amongst the population. This all leads to healthier citizens and healthier cities.
5. Quieter streets
Air pollution isn’t the only type of pollution that comes from cars and vehicles altogether. If you live in a city, especially in a busy street or boulevard you know how loud vehicle noise can get. Even though most people are used to hearing traffic noise and electronic appliance hums, over time, it can become overbearing.
Traffic noise pollution is everything that exceeds the noises we usually hear and those we are used to. So, loud car honking, tires screeching or even an obnoxiously loud argument under your window can be considered as noise pollution. Sadly, many citizens need to accommodate these sounds due to bad city plans and too many cars, trucks and buses on the roads. To reduce the noise, the city needs to work on cycling trails and promoting it as a better way of commuting. Besides that, bikes are much quieter alternatives to loud cars. They don’t use ear-wrecking horns nor do they crowd the streets creating jams. Peaceful streets equal peaceful citizens.
6. Traffic and jams
The truth is, nobody likes to be stuck in the traffic jam. Being late for work, an important meeting or coming home later than expected is horrible. Spending hours stuck in congestion surrounded by nervous drivers and constant noise is everything but relaxing. Oh, we could do anything to prevent it… We can! Ride a bike.
Cycling to work is not only faster but way healthier for your body and mind. Even if your office is at the other end of the city, you’ll get there faster on a bike than moving half a kilometer per hour in your car. But, let’s face it, when it comes to speed, bikes aren’t your best option. The average speed a cycler usually achieves is around 16 per hour. Luckily, electric bikes exist. A high-quality e-bike can offer you a faster ride to work or a more convenient cruise around the city. They have motors that help you peddle easier and with less effort making an average consumer want to cycle more. Their speed reaches 25 km per hour which makes them much faster than regular, push bikes.
7. Economic benefits
Besides fighting climate change, bikes have economic benefits for you. Taking into consideration how much money you need to spend to buy a good car, service it yearly, fix anything that breaks and monthly or even weekly pay for gas, that creates carbon dioxide, you finally conclude that car is an expensive luxury we don’t need for shorter commutes. Instead of that, investing in a high-quality bike is way better for your health, environment and your pocket.
Getting a bike is not only cheaper, but the maintenance is easier and faster. Cycling also saves time, and times is money, so you’re winning anyway. Besides this, unlike cars, bikes don’t need gas or antifreeze that end up polluting rivers and water in general. So, cycling is safer for you and the environment.
Conclusion
Choosing to ride a bike instead of your car is one of the simplest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. And you’ll feel like you didn’t give up anything at all because it comes with countless health and environmental benefits. It reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. It improves our mental health as well, by minimizing the anxiety and helping our mind stay focused on the relevant things. Cycling keeps us active while we’re saving the planet.
Taking care of our planet is essential if we want it to last. Reducing pollution and watching out for the cities’ and citizens’ health is an essential step to preventing climate change. Besides that, it’s a faster way of commuting to work and reducing jams and noise in the streets. Remember “There is no plan(et) B”.