There is no alternative to physical exercise for improving your immune system, increasing cardiovascular abilities, losing weight, maintaining the shape of your body and many more. And when you are talking about physical exercise, the best thing which comes in mind is cycling a low impact exercise. But due to unfavorable weather it is not always possible to go out for cycling. The best alternative to cycling is a stationary bike workout. From helping weight loss to reducing stress, there are a lot more benefits of stationary bike workout. Below some of the benefits and its specific uses are discussed briefly so that it will be easier for you to make a decision that why to chose a stationary bike as a mode of regular physical exercise which you can enjoy from the comfort of your house. Go through it for an in-depth knowledge of benefits of exercise bike.
Amazing Benefits Of Riding A Stationary Bike
1. Stationary Bike Workout Improves Cardio Fitness:
When you are thinking of doing a workout – be it for losing weight or building muscle, the first thing which is important to do is a cardio exercise which acts as a warm up before the main exercise. And cycling is an excellent example of a cardio exercise. Stationary bike workout boosts the cardiovascular fitness and tolerance level of it’s rider. Due to cycling, the flow of blood and oxygen throughout the body increases which in turn profits our health in different ways such as :
- Pumps blood efficiently
- Reduces high blood pressure
- Improves function of brain and memory
- Lowers risk of diabetes
- Reduces level of stress which in turn boosts mood.
- Strengthens heart and lungs
- Strengthens the immune system
- Generates more energy
- Improves the quality of sleep
2. Benefits Of Exercise Bike For Weight Loss:
One of the most important benefits of exercise bike workout is weight loss. If you are thinking of losing your weight, then a stationary bike could be a smart option for you. Calories are very important for the proper functioning of a body. It acts like a fuel. Whatever we are doing – walking, jumping, running, moving our hand and legs, and even breathing needs some amount of calories. The amount of calories that we need every day at an average to function our body properly is called our maintenance calories.
Now if we consume more than our maintenance calories then we will start gaining weight. But riding a stationary bike burns excess calories producing caloric deficiency and thus ultimately reducing weight. Moreover along with the reduction of weight it also strengthens and tones the muscles of the legs, thighs and buttocks giving an attractive athletic figure which many of us dream of.
Keep one thing in mind that you will lose more calories if the intensity of your cycling is higher. On the other hand when the intensity of cycling is higher it becomes tougher to keep pedaling for a long time. So you have to find a right balance to get good results. For example you can do long workout at low intensity twice a week or you can do high intensity workout only once a week. Or you can alternate between the two.
There is one more option you can consider doing. The high intensity stationary bike workout for beginners might be difficult so you could do:
- Begin with a low speed
- Then increase your speed to an average intensity and continue that for about 5 minutes.
- After that increase the speed to a little bit high and continue that for half an hour.
- Then reduce your speed and continue pedaling slowly for 5 to 10 minutes and then stop.
This way it will be easier for you to maintain a balanced workout.
3. Stationary Bike Workout Reduces Cholesterol Level:
In our body good cholesterol is very essential for certain functions. But an excess amount of cholesterol is bad for our body. It increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases which might cause death. One of the benefits of stationary bike workout is that it reduces the bad cholesterol level in our body. In many scientific studies it has been proved that by doing regular workouts and physical activities, bad cholesterol level decreases. So doctors recommend people with high cholesterol to engage in sports and workouts like cycling.
4. Workouts On Stationary Bike Improves Ventilation Of Lungs:
Physical activities like cycling make the heart healthier. And a healthy heart means that more blood will be pumped to different organs of the body including lungs. During cycling, the heart rate increases. In order to keep pace with the heart, the lungs expands and contracts at a faster rate, taking more oxygen into the body each time. This means that more oxygen-rich blood reaches different muscles of the body.
The lungs are surrounded by our ribcage so the expansion has a limit and that is up to 15% during exercise. So we can say that the lungs capacity increases during cycling which in turn helps to get more oxygen into the body. This has amazing effects all round the body especially with the breathing. It benefits the overall respiratory system. The breathing becomes deeper and rapid. Better breathing provides better health of all the living cells of our body and repairing weak or broken tissues which leads to healthy organs. You will discover yourself having a little bit more energy and thus will be able to do more works.
5. Stationary Bike Workouts Reduces The Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes
Insulin is a type of hormone which controls the amount of blood sugar (glucose) level in the body. It helps the body to use glucose to make energy. But when you are a diabetic patient, the body becomes insulin resistant which means that the insulin cannot function properly which causes the blood sugar level to rise.
Studies show that physical exercises like cycling helps to minimize the risk of diabetes. This means that the body becomes more sensitive to insulin. When we do exercise, our muscle demands glucose for producing energy. The cells then provide glucose to the body muscles. As a result the blood sugar level decreases.
But it is to be remembered that if you have very high blood sugar level- more than 240mg/dl, you should check for ketones in your urine before doing exercise. You can do this at home with a urine ketone testing tool. Ketones can be very dangerous and life threatening. You should not do exercises if ketones are present because it can make the situation worse increasing the blood sugar level even higher.
6. Stationary Bike Workout Helps To Strengthen Body Muscles:
If you thing that as you are not cycling on the road and powering your bike up the mountains and steep hills so you might not feel the resistance and your body muscles might not improve in a stationary bike riding, then you are wrong. All stationary bikes contain some resistance control which stimulates the rider’s efforts of climbing or powering up hills just like any other mountain biker.
Moreover unlike the road cyclist, you can create the resistance and the effect of climbing a steep mountain exactly whenever you want and for as long as you want. Isn’t it great? Imagine you are at your living room but you can feel the intensity and the resistance of climbing a hill. For cardio fitness or warm up, a low resistance is ok but increasing the resistance will help to improve your muscles.
With an increased resistance, it needs a lot of effort to keep pedaling. As a result the muscles which are involved in this effort, strengthens and builds up. The primary muscles that gets stronger are the lower body muscles- the glutes, the hamstrings, the quadriceps and the calves. Moreover, the abdominal and the back muscles also work and thus strengthens, as they allows the rider to maintain the position of the body.
In addition, the muscles of the arm- the biceps and the triceps also work and strengthen though in a lesser extent when you hold the handlebars tightly in an intense situation. Thus we see that the benefits of stationary bike workout is not only for lower body muscles but for the whole body muscles.
However keep in mind that cycling does not double the body muscles. It is a cardio sport and is not meant for body building. It is a good workout which helps to strengthen and tone the different body muscles in a moderate amount.
7. It is a low-impact exercise:
Compared to other form of exercises like running, jogging or other high-impact exercises, exercise bike workout has a low impact on the rider’s body. It is easy and gentle on the muscles and joints. For people who just came back from some injuries can choose cycling to remain active and fit. Because of its low impact it is a great option to avoid further injury or strain.
Though it is a low impact exercise but at the same time it is effective as well. Sit on the saddle of your bike and without giving too much stress on your hips, knees, ankle and other joints, smoothly pedal your way to better health.
8. You Can Do Interval Trainings:
In a stationary bike, you can do your interval trainings as well. Interval trainings are a strategy of cardiovascular exercise which allows you to alternate high intensity workouts with longer intervals of low intensity workouts. As stationary bikes have resistance control option so you can change the intensities of your workouts according to your wish. The key of resistance is in your hand.
Interval training is a time efficient way of exercise and is ideal for those who cannot give much time for cycling but wants to remain fit or well trained at the same time. Moreover if you do interval trainings then there will be an increase of oxygen intake and utilization of your body which will in turn increase your energy level and cardiac responses.
Tough interval trainings take less time-10 to 30 minutes, but it has health benefits a lot more than other moderate intensity exercises. And with a stationary bike, you get these benefits as a bonus.
9. Cycling improves muscle and joint mobility and lubrication:
Workout on exercise bike helps to improve the flexibility and mobility of muscles and joints. As a beginner you might feel a little bit pressure on your first attempt to ride a stationary bike. But with the passage of time, as you ride more and more, the endurance and capacity of your muscles and joints increases and as a result cycling and other physical activities will become much easier for you.
While pedaling, the joints of the hip, knees and ankles move and rotate improving their mobility and flexibility. Cycling also increases lubrication of the joints as well. People who are suffering from arthritis can do gentle cycling on a regular basis which might help to reduce the joint pain and swellings and improve their flexibility at the same time.
10. Cycling slows down the aging process:
Slowing down the aging process is one of the many health benefits of stationary bike workout that we have never thought about. According to a research, a group of older people who rides bike regularly were compared with a group of non-cyclist older people. Normally humans lose their muscle mass and strength as they grow older. But in this research it has been observed that the older cyclist maintained and preserved a good quality of their health. Their muscle mass and strength are preserved with their growing age and they maintained a steady level of body fat and cholesterol as well. In older men, the testosterone levels were also found high like young men.
Moreover, the immune system of the cyclist also seemed to show anti-aging qualities. Human body has an organ called thymus which makes immune cells called T-cells. Normally with the growing of age, this thymus gland begins to shrink. But in an older cyclist, it has been observed that the size of the thymus gland is consistent just like someone at the age of 20. Thus the number of T-cells was high as well and their body still functions just like an adult of age 20. Isn’t it great? So in order to slow down your aging process and to increase your life expectancy, try to adopt a weekly cycling routine.
11. Stationary Bike Workouts Are More Convenient And Safer Than Road Cycling:
Stationary bike workouts are more convenient and safer than cycling on the road. You do not need to worry about the risks factors like- accidents, poor or rough roads, inattentive or haphazard drivers, unfavorable weather conditions, poor visibility of the terrain. Moreover you do not need to worry about traffic while cycling on a stationary bike. Whatever be the weather conditions outside, you can safely carry out your workouts at any time of the year within the comfort of your room and can always stay physically fit.
12. Cycling nourishes our brain and makes us happier:
Stationary bike workouts not only benefit us physically but mentally as well. On a scientific research it has been proved that when we cycle regularly, our brain also grow along with our muscles. When we cycle, flow of blood and oxygen throughout different parts of the body increases including our brain. This nourishes our brain improving its performance. The brain then increases its protein production which is used to create brain cells. Thus more brain cells are produced.
Moreover, during cycling, our body secretes hormones like serotonin, dopamine and endorphins. These hormones are known as happy hormones as they controls mood, lessens anxiety and allows us to handle stress effectively. Serotonin acts as a neurotransmitter which gives us positive feelings and self confidence. Due to dopamine, we feel fresh and motivated. Endorphins relieve stress and pain in our body. Furthermore higher serotonin level stimulates sex organs improving sexual life as well.
In addition, cycling will help to get you good sleep. After a long day workout you will fall asleep easily. Moreover, it could be a reduction of stress and anxiety that helps to go to sleep easily. And after a good night sleep, it is obvious that the mood will remain cool. And cool mood makes everything easier in life.
Final Thoughts:
There are so many benefits of stationary bike workout that it will take a lot more time to finish this article. So let us cut short. To sum up we can say that the benefits of an exercise bike workout are huge- both physically and mentally as well. It is a great exercise for people of all ages. You will start to feel the difference in your body within few days of your regular workouts. Beside burning calories cycling will improve the condition of your heart, lungs, muscles and brain. Your body will be stronger, fitter and happier with each workout. So without delay start your stationary bike workouts today and stay healthy and happy always.