Men and women are being equivalent in every sector of today’s world! Be it education, job sector, household or even raising a child, men and women are being equally treated in every possible way.
Then why not cycling?
Cycling is an amazing sports activity which assures to keep you fit and healthy.
Just like men, women also need to adopt the habit of cycling to enjoy its benefits.
Let’s talk about cycling for women – how it helps women with their body, mental health, and triggers empowerment possibilities.
We are also going to point out some myths about cycling and women’s health. These myths reduce the willingness of women to gear up and go for a ride.
Hence these need discussion as well.
Internal effects & benefits of cycling
Let’s start pointing out the cycling benefits for ladies.
Cycling and women’s health
Well, it is known precisely how cycling makes you healthy and fit enough. Starting from the heart to the legs, regular cycling improves each organ of your body in the long run.
- For your heart
Cycling works great for the smooth functioning of the heart. It strengthens your heart by improving blood circulation.
Besides, it reduces the possibility of random heart attacks and strokes.
Heart diseases are very prominent in the women of the USA. This could be greatly reduced if they grow up in the habit of cycling regularly for at least 20 minutes.
Include cycling in your workout routine and your heart rate will be stable. Plus if you have any breathing issues, cycling might solve that as well.
- For the brain
Studies discovered that when your cardio-respiratory system improves by a certain percentage, your brain development takes place thrice.
This happens because cycling boosts the blood flow of the brain.
With the improvement of brain activity, the possibilities of dementia and Alzheimer’s are reduced.
You may be interested eat before the cycling detail guide
- Your kidney! Yes!
You don’t believe it?
Well, the simpler formula is when you keep pedaling your legs on a ride, your blood circulation automatically increases.
This blood circulation ultimately increases the blood flow of your kidney. With the increased blood flow, your kidney starts filtering/purifying more blood and discharging wastes.
Hence, if you face the risk of kidney failure at an early phase of life, make cycling your daily workout thing and reap the best benefits out of it.
In that case, consult with your doctor first!
- For strong muscles
Cycling is an aerobic exercise that is perfect to tone up your body shape. Almost every muscle of your body avails the opportunity to work out while cycling.
Your calves get stronger when pedaling. Your thigh and hip muscles get into a perfect shape and tone.
Wondering about your arms? Your arms remain stuck to the handlebar so how are they supposed to work out?
Well, you might not be feeling it, but your arms also get enough exercise to tone up.
Cycling eliminates all the body fat so if you are more into fitness and body workout, cycling could be your bestie!
- Your joint
Cycling includes the movement of your hips, ankles, knees, and back. Making a habit of cycling regularly relieves you from joint pains.
The joints of your body get strengthened and lubricated when you cycle regularly.
Different experiments have been made on people having regular back pains, hip and knee joint pains. Their conditions improved a lot after cycling for a couple of days.
If you have recently suffered from an injury and worry about getting hurt, relax!
Because cycling won’t hurt your joints at all. In fact, you will love moving the pedals slowly and going for some fresh air!
- A strong and improved immune system!
Women after 30 start facing issues with their immunity. The backbone gets weaker and they lack a strong immune system.
In this case, cycling for women is a must as it reduces the possibility of visiting a doctor’s chamber more often.
This is because cycling involves physical movement along with some sweat, which strengthens your immune system.
Your body starts kicking off some unwanted germs. The antibodies and WBC changes significantly to fight off diseases.
So better late than never! Keep cycling regularly to activate your immune cells and boost your immune system!
- Improves your digestion system
When you grow the habit of cycling regularly, your body adapts to the increased heart and breathing rate. Your intestinal muscles start contracting and the digestive system prevents the food from bloating.
Besides providing other health benefits, cycling also helps in the easy processing of food in your digestive system.
- Mental health benefits with cycling!
You might not admit it but women are more prone to anxiety and stress problems. A lot happens in her life and she often gets underestimated for almost everything!
According to a study conducted by the Mental Health Foundation, “women are more likely to suffer from the worst mental health situations compared to men.”
You cannot finish counting the blessings of cycling for your mental health. Take your bike and go out early in the morning for some fresh air.
Keep pedaling and enjoy the refreshing breeze along with some amazing views. What else could be more peaceful and calm than this?
Life keeps throwing problems at us continuously, and we strive hard to face them. We break down and get depressed.
In this regard, cycling teaches us to keep calm! Moreover, it lets us think peacefully and face the harsh reality of life with a strong physique.
- Cycling is best for building endurance
Just like any other sport activity, Cycling is great for building up your stamina and endurance.
You might not realize it but your body starts building endurance without any sort of training! Doesn’t that sound great
Just cycling regularly increases the power and capacity of your lungs. Besides, it also strengthens your heart, working on your cardiovascular fitness!
Prevent Diseases
As mentioned above, growing up a habit of cycling regularly helps you to be strong, fit, and lead a disease-free life.
There are some major diseases that you can fight off with regular cycling. But you must consult your doctor and seek advice from him regarding your disease and workout routine.
- Cycling for women’s weight loss/Obesity
According to a Healthy Survey conducted for England 2014, “More than three-quarters of women over 45 years of age suffer from obesity issues.”
In England, women are more likely to be obese than men.
Obesity is sometimes considered the root cause of other major diseases.
Steady Cycling for an hour can lose up to around 300 calories, including the extra fat of your heart, kidney, liver, knees, and other organs!
So if you are on the verge of being obese, start cycling right away!
If you are obese already, make sure to check wehter the bike is capable to carry your weight. Bikes have weight limits, so it’s better to check.
Again for comfort riding, make sure to have a wider seat.
- It helps you fight off Breast Cancer
A report made by the National Cancer Institute depicts that “Women who are physically active have lower chances of dealing with breast cancer.”
Regular cycling involves continuous physical movement of your body. So it can be a great medium to fight off against breast cancer.
Women are advised to get engaged more in physical activity during their menopause as that phase has a risky probability of breast cancer.
- Diabetes
For a diabetic patient, it is absolutely important to consult his physician before planning to cycle regularly.
As there could be risks and threats involved, so please consult your doctor if you are planning to cycle regularly.
A diabetic patient must choose the right saddle for him. This is because the wrong saddle might exert pressure on the soft tissues between your legs, known as the perineum.
There is a nerve bundle along the perineum which is prone to damage if you are riding with the wrong saddle.
A diabetic patient must get more involved in physical activity to maintain his glucose level. Hence if your doctor agrees, cycling would be an excellent choice.
Other cycling benefits for women body
Besides strengthening almost every muscle of your body and improving your health, Cycling also got some amazing benefits. We are going to describe those to encourage you for cycling!
- Look upto 10 years younger!
Stanford University conducted a study that proved that Cycling does wonders for your skin as well! Cycling improves your skin texture and reduces the signs of aging.
Again cycling accelerates the flow of oxygen. This flow provides nutrients to the skin cells and removes the injurious toxins.
Believe it or not, Cycling reduces your fine wrinkles too! This is because regular cycling triggers the production of collagen in your body.
- No more fighting with sleep!
Along with domestic chores, women have been handling tons of responsibilities every day! Hence they need a break for themselves including a long and tight sleep.
As cycling involves a lot of physical movement, it helps to have better long-term sleep which is extremely important to be healthy and active.
Stanford University conducted another experiment, asking a group of insomniacs to cycle every day for 20 to 30 minutes.
The results were impressive! They fell asleep earlier than their regular routine. They also enjoyed a long-term sleep without dealing with insomnia!
- Intake a lot of Vitamin D naturally
Cycling regularly lets you remain under the sun for a specific time. And we know Sun is the natural source of Vitamin D.
So you intake a lot of Vitamin D and it is great for your immune system and the development of bones and teeth.
Sometimes we women tend to have a bad mood which leads to a rough day. This happens because of low vitamin D.
Get out in the sun, explore yourself riding with your bike and uplift your mood instantly.
External effects & benefits of cycling
Earlier we talked about the internal effects of cycling on women. Let’s figure out the external effects as well.
- Boosts your confidence and self-esteem
Women, due to a lot of barriers in every phase of life, are more likely to get nervous when compared to men.
They perform their responsibilities and work as an all-rounder yet they lack confidence and a high sense of self-esteem.
Cycling, in this case, boosts your confidence level and builds your self-esteem. Wondering how?
Cycling teaches you to be consistent in every walk of life.
While cycling you face a lot of barriers- sometimes a rough road, reckless vehicles, potholes but you tackle them all and continue your journey no matter what happens.
Hence cycling can be a confidence booster for women of any age and race.
Cycling makes you fit and active which is a must for uplifting your confidence level. The touch of wind on your hair and skin instills a sense of freedom that you always wanted to enjoy!
- An active social life and some great friends!
Cycling can be a medium for activating your social life as well. Because cycling does the job of connecting people together!
Check the local cycling club of your area and apply for its membership. You will get a lot of enthusiastic people crazy about cycling and mountain biking!
Arrange for a racing competition during the weekends and soon you will be surrounded by some amazing great friends! This is another great way to release your mental stress.
- Cycling saves your time!
Yes! Cycling saves your time and lets you invest more time in your family affairs. You can just take your bike and ride fast to a grocery or for an easy workout.
These two-wheel vehicles need less time and less space in comparison to the four-wheel giants. Again you don’t have to stress and panic over parking issues!
- Sense of empowerment
Well, wouldn’t you love heading for a ride with your face shining bright and full confidence level? This probably could be the best way to start your day!
If you can keep the flow of energy and confidence throughout the day, you can surely achieve milestones in every other aspect of life.
While you ride back home. Seeing through all your efforts and accomplishments would be the proudest moment ever!
- Cycling is environment-friendly
Cycling should be more often used as a medium of transportation as it doesn’t harm the environment at all.
Your bike will not dispose of fumes or any other poisonous gas.
Besides, bike horns are not too loud and maintain optimum audibility range. Hence cycling doesn’t cause trouble to the people around you.
Again you can avoid hectic traffic jams if you are riding on a bike.
- Don’t forget the “fun” part!
Cycling for women doesn’t only result in a strong physique but it’s a total package of fun.
While cycling, adrenaline, and endorphins are released from your body, instantly lifting up your mood and making you smile! I
even go shopping with my bike! Cycling makes me happy and confident! It is also fun to watch the activities of people while you cycle.
Time to face some baseless myths regarding cycling for women
It might sound harsh but women are constantly facing difficulties in cycling. Even in this era, women are being trolled if they talk about purchasing a bike for cycling.
The social differences throw some baseless myths regarding cycling which deprives the women of enjoying the wonders of cycling.
- Social taboo and differences
We, women, face the extreme pain of childbirth yet are said to be vulnerable and fragile compared to men!!! This is one of the major myths that refrain women from cycling.
Have you ever heard of Lael Wilcox?
She was participating in a bike race of around 3000miles long. All of a sudden she was suffering from a respiratory infection.
What she did next was mind-blowing!
She rode off course to seek medical help and then started again for the race!
That’s how tough and highly endurant women are!
So think twice before underestimating women !!
- While on periods, your speed slows down
Our menstrual cycle might affect our performance. It is true because of the rise of progesterone and estrogen levels.
But it doesn’t slow down our speed and willpower.
As I have mentioned earlier, women are strong and always ready to face challenges. Hence a natural monthly cycle like ‘periods’ can never stop them!
- You are reckless while riding during your pregnancy
If you are pregnant and want to cycle, consult your gynecologist and seek her advice. If she nods yes, then go for it!
Don’t pay heed to what others say.
Cycling is an amazing exercise for both the mother and the baby as well. Regular cycling will let you avoid storing unnecessary pregnancy weights.
Moreover, regular cycling requires a lot of physical yet safe movement of your body.
This feature of cycling helps to avoid pregnancy complications and lets you have a smooth and faster post-delivery recovery.
Besides, it also develops the utero-brain and your child gets the least possibility of being obese!
- There are specific bikes and gear for women!
The majority of the bike companies launched clothing lines, gear, saddle, and other requirements for women cyclists.
However, there are myths concerning the fact that women cannot ride on a bike that is specialized for men.
This isn’t true because if a woman finds comfort riding a man’s bike; if it causes no trouble to her, then let her buy it with no hesitation!
Women do not exactly need separate bikes and gear. Comfort and willpower are what matters.
- You will end up having large legs with cycling
Another ridiculous myth based on cycling for women! Cycling on a regular basis will increase the strength of your legs.
The muscles will gain strength so ultimately your legs might increase a bit in size.
But not like those terrifying Large legs! Your entire body shape will get toned, let alone legs!
You will look younger and slimmer so stop panicking on this stupid irrelevant myth!
Conclusion
Cycling is an excellent exercise and you cannot deny the fact. Besides, you can never finish counting the advantages of cycling for women.
From your skin to your knees and toes, it provides you with immense strength and a developed immune system.
Don’t stop yourself from cycling just because of some myths. Women are strong and they can overcome any challenge.
Cycling is essential for women to stay fit, healthy, and confident.
To the wonderful women out there- Let’s change the orthodox mentality!
Get motivated, stay committed, take your bike out and enjoy the wonders of cycling!
Happy cycling!
