Including You in My Everyday Life

Since the pandemic started, classes were suspended and we are all advised to stay at home to avoid being infected of Covid-19 and stop it from spreading. We all gone through feeling stressed, annoyed, and bored. We are all used of being free and not staying at home for too long but it all changed when Covid-19 reached our country. Because of it we developed traits that are unhealthy for our body. We tend to stay laying in the bed for too long just scrolling through our mobile phones which exposes us to radiation. We sit in our couch doing nothing and not being able to sweat all the toxins that our body has.

I am not proud but I’m gonna admit that I am one of those people that were mentioned above. This pandemic made me lazier than I was before. I can stay in my bed for the whole doing nothing but scrolling through social medias and not even doing my modules. I stayed up all night exposed in radiation or just by simply having an insomnia attack which I really hate the most and getting up 12 noon or even later in the afternoon.

This lifestyle was worse than I imagined. When face to face classes was still allowed, I was able to sweat toxins from my body just by walking from the boarding house that I used to live in and going to my classes every day. The tiredness enables me to sleep early and not having my insomnia.

Being able to realize this situation that I have, I tried exercising but eventually I stopped after a few days of working out. And now with the opportunity of buying my own bicycle, I decided on having a stroll every afternoon in order to sweat away all the negativities that life has given me. Today, I am on my 6th day of cycling. As far as I have observed, I can easily sleep early (when I say early it is 9:00-10:00 PM because I usually sleep at around 2:00-4:00 AM in the morning and that is because I have trouble in sleeping early and I don’t know why) and woke up a lot earlier than I used to.

The picture below was a photo of me that I captured yesterday while resting a bit before continuing my ride.

Here are some of the health benefits that you can gain in cycling that I had found in the internet. I hope it helps you the that it does to me.

BENEFITS OF CYCLING

Cycling for health and fitness

It only takes two to four hours a week to achieve a general improvement to your health. Cycling is:

Low impact – it causes less strain and injuries than most other forms of exercise.

A good muscle workout– cycling uses all of the major muscle groups as you pedal.

Easy – unlike some other sports, cycling does not require high levels of physical skill. Most people know how to ride a bike and, once you learn, you don’t forget.

Good for strength and stamina– cycling increases stamina, strength and aerobic fitness.

As intense as you want– cycling can be done at very low intensity to begin with, if recovering from injury or illness, but can be built up to a demanding physical workout.

A fun way to get fit– the adventure and buzz you get from coasting down hills and being outdoors means you are more likely to continue to cycle regularly, compared to other physical activities that keep you indoors or require special times or places.

Time-efficient – as a mode of transport, cycling replaces sedentary (sitting) time spent driving motor vehicles or using trams, trains or buses with healthy exercise.

Health benefits of regular cycling

Cycling is mainly an aerobic activity, which means that your heart, blood vessels and lungs all get a workout. You will breathe deeper, perspire and experience increased body temperature, which will improve your overall fitness level.

The health benefits of regular cycling include:

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.

Cycling and specific health issues

Cycling can improve both physical and mental health, and can reduce the chances of experiencing many health problems.

Obesity and weight control

Cycling is a good way to control or reduce weight, as it raises your metabolic rate, builds muscle and burns body fat. If you’re trying to lose weight, cycling must be combined with a healthy eating plan. Cycling is a comfortable form of exercise and you can change the time and intensity – it can be built up slowly and varied to suit you.

Research suggests you should be burning at least 8,400 kilojoules (about 2,000 calories) a week through exercise. Steady cycling burns about 1,200 kilojoules (about 300 calories) per hour.

If you cycle twice a day, the kilojoules burnt soon add up. British research shows that a half-hour bike ride every day will burn nearly five kilograms of fat over a year.

Cardiovascular disease and cycling

Cardiovascular diseases include stroke, high blood pressure and heart attack. Regular cycling stimulates and improves your heart, lungs and circulation, reducing your risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Cycling strengthens your heart muscles, lowers resting pulse and reduces blood fat levels. Research also shows that people who cycle to work have two to three times less exposure to pollution than car commuters, so their lung function is improved. A Danish study conducted over 14 years with 30,000 people aged 20 to 93 years found that regular cycling protected people from heart disease.

Cancer and cycling

Many researchers have studied the relationship between exercise and cancer, especially colon and breast cancer. Research has shown that if you cycle, the chance of bowel cancer is reduced. Some evidence suggests that regular cycling reduces the risk of breast cancer.

Diabetes and cycling

The rate of type 2 diabetes is increasing and is a serious public health concern. Lack of physical activity is thought to be a major reason why people develop this condition. Large-scale research in Finland found that people who cycled for more than 30 minutes per day had a 40 per cent lower risk of developing diabetes.

Bone injuries, arthritis and cycling

Cycling improves strength, balance and coordination. It may also help to prevent falls and fractures. Riding a bike is an ideal form of exercise if you have osteoarthritis, because it is a low-impact exercise that places little stress on joints.

Cycling does not specifically help osteoporosis (bone-thinning disease) because it is not a weight-bearing exercise.

Mental illness and cycling

Mental health conditions such as depression, stress and anxiety can be reduced by regular bike riding. This is due to the effects of the exercise itself and because of the enjoyment that riding a bike can bring.

Hand cycling and health

Hand cycles are similar to recumbent tricycles, but they are powered with hand instead of foot pedals. Velcro straps can be used to secure the hands to the pedals if necessary.

This style of tricycle allows amputees, people with spinal injuries and those recovering from certain conditions such as stroke to cycle as a form of exercise and recreation. Hand cyclists get cardiovascular and aerobic benefits similar to those of other cyclists.

Source:

Better Health Channel

https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/cycling-health-benefits