5 Surprising Ways Cycling Is Good for Your Mind and Body

Today, the sixth stage of the Tour de France will take the world’s top cyclists from the small commune of Arpajon-sur-Cère southwest to the Midi-Pyrénées town of Montauban in a near-superhuman feat of strength and endurance. For the less physically gifted, however, outdoor cycling still provides significant health benefits that go far beyond a basic cardiovascular boost. Here, five surprising ways biking can improve your mind and body—or, reasons to start spinning now.

It sharpens your focus.
Though studies have long linked regular exercise with spiked concentration and memory, cycling, in particular, has recently captured researchers’ attention. A 2012 survey of some 20,000 schoolchildren in Denmark discovered that those who biked or walked to school focused better than their peers for roughly four hours, while a small 2013 study found that 30 minutes of moderate cycling lead to consistently higher scores on various cognitive tests (memory, reasoning, planning) in healthy adult males. Additional studies on cycling’s effects on ADHD symptoms are forthcoming, including one from Stanford University.

It boosts your immune system.
Could biking be better than a flu shot? A self-reported study of Dutch employees found that bike commuters took far fewer sick days than their coworkers during the same one-year period—and the more often or further they rode, the less sick they were on average. A similar analysis that pulled data from a Commuting and Health in Cambridge study concluded that bicycle commuters called in sick less often and reported better mental well-being, overall.

It will make you less tired.
Compelling evidence suggests that casual cyclists are rarely exhausted, but rather, energized—as long as they don’t overdo it. Researchers at the University of Georgia found that 20 minutes of low-intensity exercise three times a week raised energy levels by 20 percent and curbed fatigue by 65 percent, which was more effective than moderate-intensity exercise. The activity tested? A leisurely spin.  

It improves sleep.
According to a Stanford University study of insomniac adults who added regular low-impact exercise to their routine—including biking—the additional leg-focused activity can deliver nearly one extra hour of rest and help you fall asleep twice as fast. It’s particularly effective when done about every other day for roughly 30 minutes in the late afternoon or early evening.

It brings peace of mind.
There is something inherently meditative about pedaling on the open road—a gut feeling that researchers are hoping to back with science. As Harvard psychiatrist John Ratey told The Independent, “Cycling is also increasing a lot of the chemistry in your brain that make you feel peaceful and calm,” thanks to the soothing rhythm and focus required—a research area that merits continued examination.

 

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