As we all know, cycling offers a lot of health benefits. Studies have shown that cycling is among the best medicines for stress. Recently, Dutch studies also report that cycling is good to treat early symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.
Benefits of Cycling
Bicycles offer us the best sports that have been proven to beneficial to our overall wellness. We want to ride safe and therefore it is important to give it proper maintenance using the right tools. Make bike check and repairs comfortable with the right bike stand so that next time you go cycling you know you are riding it safe.
Cycling is the best medicine for stress
Hustle and bustle in the office, tight deadlines after work. According to experts, chronic stress is one of the greatest health risks of the 21st century. Every second to third German suffers from excessive pressure. Cycling helps reduce stress.
Exercise is considered the first and foremost measure to reduce the negative effects of stress. Those who exercise regularly will soon feel the success for themselves. Because during sport, blood sugar is broken down and blood pressure is lowered. This effectively protects against stress-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
But the best thing is: After moderate endurance training, the adrenal gland releases even less cortisol for the rest of the day. This is the stress hormone that keeps the body on alert long after it has encountered a stressor. In addition, cycling can lead to a kind of meditative state, which can also serve to reduce stress.
Cycling help treat symptoms of early Parkinson’s Disease
Indoor cycling can help treat the symptoms of early Parkinson’s disease just as well as the prescribed medication. That was the result of a Dutch study.
The researchers looked at 130 adults between the ages of 30 and 75 who were already affected by the disease. The test subjects were asked to ride a stationary bike three times a week for a period of six months or to stretch extensively just as often. At the end of the test period, the cycling group showed significantly fewer symptoms of the disease than the stretching group, such as tremors and loss of control of the musculoskeletal system.
Cycling has effects similar to drugs in Parkinson’s disease
The effects of cycling are comparable to the improvements through medication, says Bas Bloem, head of the research group at the University Clinic in Nijmegen:
“New medication is seen as useful if the patient’s movement skills improve by three points. That shows the relevance of the cycling effects that we discovered. ”The control group scored up to four points worse than the cyclist group.
The exercise bike was connected to a screen during the study period. The test subjects could race against avatars, climb virtual climbs or even play a kind of bicycle Pacman.
Reduced complications from cycling
The study is based on previous research that showed that Parkinson’s patients who pedal at a high cadence for 40 minutes three times a week experienced an average reduction in symptoms of 35 percent.
By increasing the fitness of the patients, cycling is potentially life-prolonging for the test subjects. This can reduce serious complications in the area of the lungs and the cardiovascular system.