Is Bike Commuting Enough Exercise?

Written by Matt Gavin in Cycling to Work,Health Benefits,Uncategorized

Daily exercise sessions are essentials to keep your mind and body young and reactive. Regular exercise can yield benefits such as increased longevity and reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases. However, if you can’t find time to go to the gym, is bike commuting enough?

Bike commuting is enough exercise if you ride for at least 15 minutes each way (30 minutes in total) per day, five days a week. Other benefits include metal well-being and stress reduction. Alternating such exercise with strength, upper body, balance, and flexibility training is also essential.

Find out how bike commuters stay fit and healthy below.

Is Bike Commuting Enough Exercise?

The guidelines released by Mayo Clinic and WHO regarding how much exercise we all need indicate that 30 minutes of activity five times a week (150 minutes in total) is enough to keep you healthy and strong. However, these figures vary depending on your age, level of fitness, and lifestyle. 

Therefore, if you cycle for at least 15 minutes each way of your commute, you will be within the general guidelines for a healthy lifestyle. If you are not in the position of going to the gym often, deciding to commute by bike can supply enough exercise to keep you fit and healthy. 

In terms of calories, cycling burns twice as much as walking. Therefore, 30 minutes of cycling can help you burn up to 200 calories (for women) and 230 (for men). Of course, your weight, height, and body type will influence these figures.

However, bike commuting only provides excellent cardio, endurance, and lower body exercise. Since the upper body, strength, flexibility, and balance types of training are not as practised; it is important to implement your routine with other types of exercise.

Other Benefits of Bike Commuting

The several mental and physical benefits of exercise, in general, have been praised through many studies and researches. However, cycling can also be beneficial for other aspects which include several below.

  • Improves your mood – just like runners often enjoy the so-called runner’s high, cyclists get their own version of the same feeling. As the exercise causes your blood to pump faster, the level of endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine in your body also increases.
  • Promotes better sleep – riding can reduce stress and synchronize your circadian rhythm.
  • Improves memory – riding, just like other types of exercise, can help your body create and build proteins that are responsible for the formation of new cells, including the ones responsible for memory.
  • Improves mental health – cycling has been associated with better self-esteem, as well as a lower risk of depression and anxiety.
  • Promotes creative thinking – just like walking, the repetitive movement of cycling can help you free your creative juices!
  • Reduces stress – the regular cycling pattern can help you keep stress at bay and give way to feelings of calmness.
  • Increases focus – cycling yields similar benefits to the one of meditation when you concentrate on each leg movement and your breath.

Factors That Can Influence Your Level of Exercise

You are correct to consider your commute an effective daily exercise routine. However, some factors can influence its effectiveness in your lifestyle. The factors below will tell you whether you need to implement your schedule with more exercise.

The Length of Your Commute

The length of your commute is undoubtedly one of the most influential factors. As we have seen, 30 minutes of exercise a day is the recommended amount, and even a short walk is better than no activity. However, you will notice different health benefits if you ride for 15 minutes than if you ride for 40.

If you are looking to grow your muscles significantly and shed the extra weight, increasing the amount of time you spend cycling is an excellent starting point. However, even a short ride can be beneficial. If you ride for under 30 minutes a day in total, you should consider other training types.

Type of Itinerary

A short commute in a well-paved, flat urban area will not impact your body in the same way that an uphill ride of the same length would. Of course, they are both useful to an extent. However, if you feel dissatisfied by your short ride in the city centre, you can always opt to implement your routine with other types of training.

How Fast Do You Cycle?

While you won’t need to race to see the benefits of bike commuting, the speed at which you travel on your bike can increase or decrease the number of calories burned and the level of aerobic exercise.

To know how much calories you have spent while cycling, installing an app such as Strava can help you track the calories you have burned, miles cycled, speed, and time. Striving to increase your performance every day can be an excellent way of progressing.

Other Types of Exercise to Implement

As we have seen, cycling is an excellent form of aerobic and endurance exercise. However, some other areas of your body might not benefit as much from this type of training. If you are looking at shedding more weight or building up more lean mass, you should consider implementing the following types of exercise in your routine.

  • Arms and upper body exercises

Arms and upper body exercises like strength training can help you build muscle in the areas not so impacted by cycling. Moreover, the right types of activities can increase the strength and mobility of your back muscles, which is essential to improve your cycling performances, stay healthy, and avoid injuries. You can find inspiration for such exercises in the video below:

  • Consider abs and torso exercises

Even if cycling is showing excellent results for your overall health, you might struggle to notice your abs being more defined without other training practices. A short abs session after your ride home can help you solve this issue and speed the progress along.

  • Yoga for balance and flexibility

Yoga, as well as mindful practices such as meditation, have been seen to yield excellent physical and mental benefits. When associated with other types of training such as cycling, this practice can help you build strength and live a more balanced lifestyle. Even more importantly, it can help you refine your balance and flexibility skills, which, in turn, can improve your performances when on the saddle.

Other Lifestyle Factors to Consider

Exercise alone can be extremely beneficial, but might not supply you with everything you need to live a healthy lifestyle. Some other factors to consider to lose weight, avoid injuries, stay in shape and feel strong are the ones below.

  • Review your diet 

Your diet and nutrition can have a significant impact on whether cycling to work will be enough exercise. A diet that is rich in processed foods, sugars, fats, and carbs might require you to exercise for longer. Switching to cleaner sources of nutrients and opting for less processed foods is the first step to meet your goals.

  • Reduce your sitting time

If you cycle to the office just to sit for the following nine hours, you might still not meet your fitness goals. Additionally, sitting for prolonged time frames has been associated with increased risks of heart disease and mental health issues. Switch to a standing desk instead to burn more calories and stay healthier.

  • Conduct a Dynamic Lifestyle

Looking after your garden, participating in activities such as dancing, and generally moving a lot can also help you stimulate your mind and body and burn more calories.

Conclusion

Ultimately, if you are riding your bike for at least 30 minutes every day (15 minutes to work and 15 minutes back) for five days a week, you would be meeting basic exercise requirements. However, implementing changes in your lifestyle, such as limiting sitting time, eating healthily and training your balance and flexibility, can help you stay in shape. 

Naturally, your average calorie intake will determine whether you will be able to lose weight just by cycling. Nonetheless, this is still a much healthier lifestyle choice than driving to work.

Sources

Matt Gavin

I am the owner of True Commuter and I want to inspire people to leave their car at home more often for their benefit, and the benefit of the environment. I have been alternative commuting for years now, and want you to try it too!!

Recent Posts