03 Jun The Benefits Of Cycling To Work
So today is #WorldBicycleDay – And it is staggering how little of our population in the UK actively cycle on a daily basis, whether that be for downtime, or your commute to work or to take your children to school. But we think this could change if people really knew the benefits that cycling can have on both your physical AND mental health! It’s time to ditch the car keys and pick up your helmet with Miko’s array of cycling storage and shelter solutions.
Let’s Look At The Stats
In official reports carried out in 2017 in the UK, these were the findings:
- A huge 71% of the population surveyed admitted they never cycle at all these days.
- Only 42% of people (aged 5+) own or have access to a bike.
- 4% of commute trips are made via cycling.
- Between April 2017 and March 2018, there were an estimated 288,000 incidents of bicycle theft.
Cycling Benefits On Your Physical Health
With it being said that it only takes around two to four hours of exercise a week to improve your general health, there really is no excuse to not get on your bike and enjoy a bike ride from time to time. Whether you ride to the local shops to pick up this evening’s dinner, or you switch up your morning commute to work, it can have substantial benefits on your general, physical health. These can include; increased cardiovascular fitness, improve your joint mobility, improve your posture, 45% lower risk of developing cancer.
You will find that gentle exercise in the form of cycling is great for lowering health risks and improving your general physical fitness as firstly it is one of the easiest sports, once you learn how to ride a bike, you never forget. It is low impact exercise which ultimately results in less strain on the body, it provides a good muscle workout leaning your legs, bum and stomach and working all muscle groups as you pedal. And it is good for building stamina and strength over time.
Cycling Benefits On Your Mental Health
Looking after your personal mental health can be as easy as you prefer. You can do the simplest of tasks such as reading a book at the end of your day, to having regular meetings with a trained professional to discuss how you feeling in general about your day to day situation. It is all about finding out what works best for you and what works best for your mind to be calm, comfortable and happy. Cycling is an easy yet effective way of taking care of your mental health. A gentle exercise like such can have astounding benefits on your mental health, taking a little chunk of your day to work on yourself and focusing solely on yourself. You will notice a relieving source for stress – stress can be the main factor of contributing to health problems both externally and internally as well as mentally, causing anxiety and depression. Cycling reduces levels of cortisol, also known as the stress hormone.
Regular cycling is known to benefit your sleeping habits, as the movement of the exercise will leave your body feeling tired which of course is the main contributor to sleep, however, it encourages a release of Human Growth Hormone into your bloodstream while you are sleeping.
Higher self-esteem and energy levels can be benefited by cycling on the regular, as being on the move and increasing your heart rate gives you that little extra motivation you have been looking for to get through your day’s tasks, and when you work out it aids a strength and feel-good factor within, ultimately boosting your general mood and confidence.
Cycling Benefits On Your Day-to-Day Routine
Whether you choose to cycle to and from work, taking your children to school, or just to enjoy long bike rides at the weekend, were you aware on the benefits that cycling can have on your general day-to-day business? For example, it can be a more time-efficient form of transport for you. When you decide to take the car to work, you could run into the unavoidable rush hour traffic, therefore sitting at traffic lights and roundabouts for a substantial amount of time in the morning, wasting valuable time of your day. Cycling to work has been made even easier and safer these days with the brand new and more popular cycle lanes aiding you to beat the rush.
Cycling also helps to settle your financial situation being FREE. That’s right, no petrol costs, general MOT or service maintenance, just hop on your bike, pop on your helmet and off you go!
Tackling The Risks Of Bicycle Theft
With a staggering 288,000 incidents of bicycle theft occurring between 2017-2018, Miko Shelter Solutions have an extensive range of bicycle shelters and storage products that we can offer and design you to ensure that your cycling equipment is kept safe and secure. We can offer you:
Contact Us
If you are taking motivation from us this summertime and opting for your bike rather than your car, then don’t hesitate to get in touch and give us a call on 0191 428 0452 to discuss your cycle storage solutions, or arrange a bespoke solution to store your cycling equipment to upmost safety.
