What Makes Mountain Biking Ideal for Any Adventurous Soul?

Over the last several years, mountain biking has remained a very popular recreational activity which has been practiced by tens of millions of Australians. As health concerns such as heart diseases, obesity and diabetes are on the rise, outdoor physical activities are more than essential for our well being. One such exciting and fun way to enjoy the health benefits of regular cardiovascular and fitness exercise is mountain biking.

The best thing about it is the fact that all you need for this activity is a mountain bike, and if you plan on riding in the dark, mountain bike headlights. There is a wide array of choices when it comes to this kind of bikes and their accessories such as the mountain bike headlights are a relatively inexpensive investment. For the sake of helping you improve your well being and potentially find a new hobby, we’ve made a list of some of the benefits that mountain biking offers.

Heart Health

Regular exercise is known to improve cardiovascular fitness. Studies have shown that people riding at least 30 kilometers a week have about 50% lower risks for developing coronary heart disease. Mountain biking uses many muscle groups, which requires a lot of oxygen, which in turn makes the heart work steadily and increases your heart’s fitness by up to 7%.

No Stress on Joints

Biking is a low impact sport, meaning that it puts far less stress on your joints than with other aerobic activities like running. Biking is also considered a non-load bearing sport, meaning, the act of sitting takes all the pressure off your joints, thus reducing the risks of injury.

More Brain Power

Just 5% of improvement in cardio-respiratory fitness from biking leads to an improvement of up to 15% on mental tests. This is because the blood flow and oxygen boost the brain to build brain cells in the hippocampus – the part of the brain responsible for memory. Moreover, it regenerates and fires receptors, thus helping ward off diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Full Body Workout

You can, without a doubt, recognize the defined calf muscles of a cyclist, but you might not realize that mountain biking involves all of your muscles. Of course, it has the most effect on the legs, calves and thighs along side helping you get a tight butt. But the balance required to stay upright also works on your abs and core muscles. Maneuvering and climbing also helps strengthen your upper body and as an added bonus, mountain biking doesn’t require a long gym membership or an expensive personal trainer to get a good workout session.

Enjoy Nature

There’s no better way to experience nature than to breathe in fresh air and occasionally get stuck in thorny bushes along the trail, right? On a more serious note, mountain biking allows you to steer off the road and enjoy the majesty and solitude of nature. Japanese researches have shown that being out in nature improves relaxation and reduces stress, which is the exact opposite of what urban environments do – stimulate anxiety and fear.

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