While there are tons of articles on the benefits of cycling, there’s one in particular which might be the very reason to start this fabulous form of exercise. Did you know that cycling can reduce ageing processes whilst rejuvenating the immune system? It’s known to preserve muscle mass and strength with age while maintaining stable levels of body fat and cholesterol. So, if you’ve been looking for an anti-ageing miracle, this might just be it! And if you’re a regular cycler then I’m sure you’ll be happy to know it’s working wonders for you.
A study was carried out on 125 amateur cyclists aged between 55 and 79 which compared their results to healthy adults who didn’t exercise regularly. What they found was the organ known as Thymus, which makes immune cells known as T-cells, reduces when after your teen years, however the Thymus organ in older cyclists could still be found. The older cyclists’ cells were generating just as many as those of the younger people.
The reason for this occurring is that cyclists do in fact push their cardiovascular systems harder which helps to prevent the deterioration that’s caused by not exercising and being less active. Not only does regular cycling reduce ageing, there are more health benefits which was shown in a study published by BMJ that shown regular “cycling cut the risk of death from all causes by more than 40%, and cut the risk of cancer and heart disease by 45%”.
Those benefits alone should make you consider taking up cycling, but if you can’t get the motivation to start you might like to know it can boost your mental health and wellbeing just as much. Evidence suggested that those who cycle to work rather than using cars or trains, were in fact happier than those who didn’t.
Photo by Jordan Brierley on Unsplash
The Guardian had published an article which highlighted more benefits than just ageing and mental wellness, it said that a report carried out by the Sustrans charity found that cycling benefits the environment and society as a whole. The country could save up to £9.3bn and reduce deaths from air pollution by more than 13,000 over the next decade if targets were reached for walking and cycling.
Putting it all together in a list, makes me question why I haven’t started cycling sooner myself! These are the key benefits of cycling:
- Reduces ageing through producing t-cells in the body
- Improves the cardiovascular system
- Reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease by 45%
- Reduces the chance of death by 40%
- Increases your mental wellness and makes you happier
- Reduces body fat and cholesterol
- Maintains muscle mass and strength
- Eco-friendly and helps to sustain the plant – less carbon emissions
Personally, you might not want to commute to work every day or perhaps you’re not able to, some people haven’t got access to a bike, the time or other reasons. Don’t worry if this is you, you can try other forms of cycling such as spinning which takes place in an indoor cycling studio or the gym, so you don’t have to purchase your own spin bike you can just use theirs.
A spin class can give you the same amount of health benefits that can dramatically change your fitness levels for the better. The fabulous thing with a spin class is that it’s a low impact workout so it doesn’t apply too much pressure on your joints like more hard impact exercises do such as running. This means it’s a highly beneficial workout for anyone of any age and a safer option that can give you just as many rewards as a HIIT class.
There are different types of spin classes available, they have similar benefits but use different techniques and styles. All classes are built to improve your aerobic fitness which the NHS recommends for adults do at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity each week.
Our spin classes in Bristol are taken in our state-of-the-art indoors cycling studio where we hold Les Mills Sprint, RPM and The Trip classes. Each of these is different, the RPM classes by Les Mills is a cardio peak training workout that speeds up you heart rate then lowers it which ultimately builds up your cardio endurance and your aerobic fitness levels.
The Les Mills Sprint class a great workout that combines HIIT with cycling to work on speeding your heart rate up to use as much energy as you can. This is then followed by a period of recovery, then you repeat the process. If you’re looking to burn calories fast, this is a good spin class!
If you find it hard to stay motivate and keep going, The Trip is a revolutionary workout which offers a digitally immerse cycling class that uses cinematic screens and state-of-art sound systems, transcending you into another world. This helps exercises to truly focus and become part of their workout, without thoughts drifting off or getting tired. You’ll also lose body fat and gain lean body mass and muscle with this workout.
At Luxe Fitness Gym Bristol, you can use our ultra-modern and cutting-edge cycling bikes or choose from any of our other classes to get you on your way to becoming the best that you can be. Our trainers and gym maintain social distancing guidelines and we keep the highest standards of cleaning to sanitise all gym equipment. Choose from one of our spin classes today and find out we why were voted the best gym of the year 2021!