Is indoor cycling good for exercise?

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Cycling is a useful exercise that is recommended by the UK's National Health Organization (NHS). However, if you are afraid to go out or you do not have enough time for a scenic bike ride, indoor cycling is also an option with many health benefits.

1. Cycling in place boosts happiness hormone

Indoor cycling helps our bodies release endorphins - happy hormones into the bloodstream and helps you feel good about everything. We can test it for ourselves by taking an on-site cycling class. You will easily feel that we are happier after the exercise is over than before the session begins.
This is explained because when the body moves, endorphins will be released, acting with receptors in the brain and thereby stimulating positive feelings in the human body. This feeling can be addictive and make us want to go back to class more often. This is also the reason that exercise will help us avoid depression as well as other negative mental health conditions such as stress.

2. Minimize injury

Indoor cycling is a suitable exercise when you are recovering from an injury, surgery or simply you need a gentler exercise than usual. The stationary cycling exercises help to reduce the pressure on the hips, knees and knee joints, ankles much more than other exercises like running.
With indoor cycling you can practice without worrying about having to collide with others leading to injury. With that, because we don't need to worry about other issues, we can focus on the exercise and reach our goals.
Bicycle training modes and exercises can be tailored to each person's abilities and goals. Adjusting your own regimen also helps to minimize injury as well as overtraining leading to self-harm.

3. Cardiovascular health promoting effects

A healthy cardiovascular system is when the heart and lungs supply enough oxygen and blood to the cells in the body and transmit it to the muscles, helping to create energy to maintain the body's activities. Basically, the more we exercise for a healthy cardiovascular system, the more our body's endurance will increase and thereby prevent cardiovascular-related diseases.
Indoor cycling is a great exercise to improve cardiovascular health. Similar to other forms of cardio such as jogging or swimming, stationary cycling helps promote faster heart beat, better blood circulation. However, indoor cycling exercises have advantages over the above forms of exercise because they are suitable for people who want to do cardio but do not want to put a lot of pressure on the knee joints. A 2017 study conducted with female high school students showed that the benefits of stationary cycling even improved fitness better than outdoor cycling.

4. Muscle strengthening effect in legs and core muscles

One of the other benefits of stationary cycling is that it helps you build muscle not only in your lower body, but also in your core. The reason is that when you ride an indoor bike, your upper body must be in sync with your lower body. The movement in the abdominal flexion position, from side to side continuously when cycling will affect the core muscles and the muscles along the sides.
When you have more muscle, the energy burn increases and helps you lose weight faster, and the calorie burning continues even after you are done working out and resting.

5. Indoor cycling helps burn excess energy and lose weight

According to Harvard Health, an hour of cycling at a moderate pace will help us burn about 420-622 calories. Meanwhile, an hour of Hatha yoga helps you burn from 240–356 calories. Thus, cycling indoors will help us burn twice as much energy as when doing yoga.
A study done in 2018 found that just cycling indoors is enough for you to increase endurance, strength and lose weight without even adding to any diet which abstinence. Combining exercise with a diet rich in carbohydrates and proteins will help us lose weight faster and increase good cholesterol for the body.

6. Expand your circles and get more inspiration

Usually when you start taking an indoor cycling class, you join a community of people with similar passions and goals. Friends who practice together are the motivation for each person to attend class more regularly. This process of connecting with people who share the same goals will bring us closer together.
Cycling together is also a good opportunity for you to cheer and encourage others. You can encourage and help those who are weaker than you, and you can also be inspired by stronger people to reach their level. Practicing together, we will achieve the goal we set when we join the class and make new friends.

7. Cycling improves mental health

The warm-up exercises and the cool-down time at the end of the workout will be the ideal time for us to relax our spirit. After you have spent all your energy with the continuous cycles of the cycling class, you should close your eyes, ride gently and allow the negative emotions in you to be released.
Indoor cycling class will help you build an “I can do anything” attitude. Therefore, stationary cycling is very useful in building mental strength. With stationary cycling, we need to have faith and perseverance to attend class every day, following all the strenuous exercises to build muscle endurance. Mental self-discipline and self-discipline is something you'll gain from stationary cycling workouts. This strength will become a valuable page when we apply it in all aspects of life, especially when we need mental strength and consistency.
In case you are having problems with obesity, joints, cardiovascular, intestinal, ... in addition to performing exercises such as cycling, should not be combined with the treatment course of the doctor to maximum efficiency can be achieved. When there is a need for medical examination and treatment, customers can go directly to hospitals of Vinmec Health System nationwide for in-depth consultation.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.