In this blog, I am explaining how important is mountain biking for fitness. Mountain Biking has an immediate positive benefit to your mental and physical health both of which can be improved in several ways. Additionally, weight loss and muscle strength can also be achieved through mountain biking.
Why did I choose Mountain Biking for Fitness?
When going outdoors with a mountain bike a person experiences a change in his surroundings. Thus resulting in a change in the rider’s mental map as well. It provides the rider with a chance to indulge in nature and enjoy their fitness routine too. This creates positive energy for the rider and enhances mental and physical health. Nevertheless, mountain biking is a fun and exciting way to enjoy your regular fitness regime. Mountain Biking for fitness is a complete dose for your well-being. Know more about how important is mountain biking for the fitness and health of you and your family.
10 Health Benefits From Mountain Biking – List of Top 10 Advantages
- Fat Burning
- Better Cardiovascular System
- Whole Body Workout
- Muscle Tone and Weight Loss
- Stronger Decision Making
- Stronger Bones and Joints
- Maintaining Blood Pressure and Lungs Performance
- Disease Prevention
- Better Focus and Coordination
- Better Quality of Sleep
1-Fat Burning
Needless to say, weight loss is one of the most common benefits of regular mountain biking. Mountain biking is very efficient when a person is thinking about fat burning. An average of 600 to 800 calories per hour are burned through mountain biking. Mountain biking is a low-impact sport which means that it helps you lose that burn slowly but steadily. However, with that being said, you have to also watch out for what you eat and increase your protein intake so that your muscles do not feel sore. It is not enough to let know to explain more about how mountain bike for fitness
2-Better Cardiovascular System
A recent study conducted over five years shows that among 1500 participants those who kept an active daily routine and fitness regime had a 30% less chance of experiencing high blood pressure. Mountain biking provides a great opportunity to maintain an active daily life as blood vessels tend to improve during biking because they tend to dilate, keeping them clear of any impurities. This results in an overall improvement in the performance of your cardiovascular system and fitness level.
3-Whole Body Workout
It would not be wrong to say that Mountain biking is a full-body workout. The legs, thighs, calves, and all other minor muscles in your lower body workout primarily from pedaling thus creating muscle development and strengthening. Having to balance the mountain bike on rough or smooth terrains toughens the abdominal and core muscles. In tough riding situations, the core muscles can work up and burn lots of calories, sometimes, about 900 calories per hour. Whereas, chest and upper arm muscles are also reinforced by maneuvering and climbing as one tackles obstacles.
4-Muscle Tone and Weight Loss
Mountain biking particularly focuses on muscles in the glutes, calves, thighs, and hips. Bikers have usually more defined muscles with higher muscle endurance. This enables muscles to function effectively and better. Cross-country mountain biking is one example of biking that focuses more on endurance. This gives you improved muscle fitness and helps with strength and posture while strengthening muscles. Riding a few times a week will drastically reduce extra weight and one can easily burn around 150 calories on average, reducing half a pound of weight in just twenty minutes of ride per day, on average. Additionally, one can lose even more weight as the metabolic rate will increase. After all, low-impact exercise makes losing weight a fun activity.
5-Stronger Decision Making
Besides a stronger heart, more oxygen is transferred to different parts of the body, therefore increasing the brain’s functionality along with increased alertness. Apart from efficient thinking, regular bike riding enhances better levels of understanding. This also involves quick decision-making while changing tracks or what line to choose and how to attack the trail– which is different and far from the mindless pedaling that most cyclists do. In general Mountain biking helps build new brain cells, which makes up for all the cells we lose when we crash our brains out!
6-Stronger Bones and Joints
When it comes to bone health and strong joints, mountain biking is comparable to weight training. If you’re doing it the right way, mountain biking doesn’t hurt your joints as bad as running boasting calorie-burning qualities. Mountain biking usually improves overall function in the lower body and strengthens leg muscles without overstressing joints. It will target bikers’ quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
7-Maintaining Blood Pressure and Lungs Performance
Mountain Biking wards off hypertension (another term for high Blood pressure) and helps in maintaining the level for better living by improving lungs’ performance by a whopping 25% compared to the average couch potato.
Regular exercise promotes the release of endorphins in the body, which helps an individual feel better while lowering their stress levels. During and after a mountain bike ride, your body releases endorphins, which make you feel better about yourself and the world around you. This makes mountain biking the ultimate stress buster!
8-Disease Prevention
Having or developing life-limiting conditions (major illnesses)–such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, etc – can be reduced by up to 50% and it also lowers the risk of early death by up to 30%. Biking can also help keep you lean and fit, which may reduce your risk for certain types of cancer, including breast cancer. There was research conducted in 2019 that highlights that for breast cancer, an active lifestyle may help reduce the side effects of cancer treatment, including fatigue, and improve the overall quality of life.
Mountain biking will help to improve posture when you ride a mile every time, strengthening core muscles as well as those in the legs and arms. An individual’s balance tends to decline with growing age and inactivity, so it’s vital to stay on top of it. Improved posture is beneficial in the prevention of falls and fractures, which can help decrease the risk of injury and keep you off the sidelines.
9-Better Focus and Coordination
Mountain biking helps you navigate tricky courses and technical sections, as well as, improves coordination and concentration too – focusing on speed and safety as working out the safest routes.
10-Better Quality of Sleep
The good, long, and hard bike rides will definitely make a biker feel very tired which eventually helps in sleeping better. It also increases the quality of sleep and leads to better regenerative sleep. Mountain biking helps in reducing cortisol levels, which is a hormone that keeps people awake.
In the modern world, screen time has increased drastically for many individuals. People spend a good amount of their time staring at screens or in unnatural lighting. Circadian rhythm maintains a normal sleep/wake pattern. Regular biking and being outside in nature help to regulate this.
Who doesn’t want to refuel adequately and effectively with the right foods after an extensive bike ride? Mountain bikers usually burn a good amount of calories which increases their appetite. It is a good idea to eat well after biking.
Mountain biking is a full-body workout. There are many health benefits of mountain biking. Because of its multiple benefits, it is much loved by people. It is usually observed that whenever someone becomes a biker, they will never want to leave this beautiful sport.
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