OK, so I lied. There aren’t literally a million ways cycling can benefit you, but now I have you attention, perhaps you’ll carry on reading and learn of a few you weren’t aware of :o)

Cycling is an essential part of our lives. Remember those childhood days when we longed to ride a bike, practically begging our parents to buy us one and teach us to ride? Now grown up, some of us might have grown out of it and we could really do with getting back in the saddle (a horse saying, but it works!) and remember where the expression “it’s like riding a bike” comes from, because cycling has a whole plethora of benefits you may not be aware of.

1. Physical fitness – cycling is a great way to keep in shape. Those who cycle for 20-40 minutes three times a week are healthier and physically fit. Cycling keeps your body in shape as it sheds your excess weight naturally, unlike other forms of exercises which might make your body shape appear out of proportion.

2. A natural anti-aging solution – cycling exposes you to the daylight, and cycling for at least 20 minutes accrues numerous benefits to your body. Regular cycling protects your skin against the harmful effects of UV radiation in addition to reducing signs of ageing. Your body needs vitamin D which is synthesized in exposure to sunlight.

3. Kick out illnesses – do you often catch colds or flues even when you take medications in advance? Well, it’s time to get cycling because this might just be the solution you’ve been looking for. Moderate exercise makes your cells more active, preparing them to fight off any illness. Cycling provides the perfect type of exercise for those who shy away from the gym.

4 A safe way to lose excess weight – many people think that an quick way to lose weight is to run a marathon or jog often, while this might work for those who are slightly heavy; it poses a great risk for those with lots of excess weight. Just ponder about it, 3-4 times the body weight goes crashing through your body when your either your feet strikes the ground. This is a lot of force which puts you at great risk. Instead, riding a bike provides a great and safe way to lose weight, most of your weight is taken by the saddle, so the skeleton doesn’t take the batter continuously.

5. Improves your social life – whether it’s your family or clique of friends, riding bikes is a nice way to interact with them and you race each other to the finish line. Get to be more real with your friends by engaging in healthy competitions. Winners get to boost their self-esteem while those who came out short prepare for the next big ride.

For those with a young family, your exercise behaviour will influence directly on your kids exercise choices. So stop being a lazy bum and start riding. Riding a bike is easy and you don’t have to sweat it, unless you are preparing for a marathon.

6. Less Fatigue – long hours of sedentary lifestyles from our workplace to our homes has increased the chances of fatigue when we conduct a few manual work such as lifting and pushing. Physical activity such as riding for even a few minutes is effective way to condition your body.

7. Breakthroughs – once you start riding, you are less likely to stop. You will be tempted to beat your previous record, and this is especially so when you have bike friends of whom you are competing with. This will motivate you to keep you’re ‘A-game’.