I have mentioned in my blog many positive effects cycling has on the human body. From helping with muscles in the quads and glutes to even miraculously helping with aging, cycling does the body a lot of good. However, even if slowing down aging sounds more fancy and helpful, one specific benefit is often overlooked. Mental Health. Many types of exercise can boost a person’s mental health but cycling itself has many specific benefits.
Cycling for extended periods of time and hitting a new record, or getting a “cycler’s high,” is remarkably like the process of getting a “runner’s high,” thereby releasing dopamine and endorphins that overall improve your mood. Although this may not be as potent as it is when it is a runner’s high, since running is an overall more accomplishing and harder task, a cycling high can still do wonders to improve one's mental health.
Anxiety is also a major mental health problem that many an average person has faced. While there is no specific cure, cycling can help with this threat. A survey by Cyclepan found that after taking up cycling, 75% of people found that cycling helped their mental health, with 8% saying that it helped with depression and anxiety. The release of dopamine can do wonders to reduce the threat of depression and lessen the onslaught of anxiety. Many people have sworn upon the healing properties of cycling, with Olympic medalist Lizzie Deignan stating that cycling has improved her mental health and relieved much of her stress and anxiety.
The final major benefit is the ability to practice mindfulness. I can personally attest to how almost therapeutic it is to soar down a long, winding path with the wind hitting your face, as the sun sets in front of you. It feels ethereal, almost otherworldly. As the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once said in an article to Scientific American, “When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without a thought on anything but the ride you are taking.” It makes you feel more connected to the world around you.
Cycling, like many exercises, is a personalized therapy. But unlike many exercises, only cycling can give you that connection to the Earth, the complete dissipation of all stress and worries. Cycling has been proven by both clinical and personal statements, all saying one thing: it is good for the mind. Along with the body, cycling has been known to help with anxiety and low self-esteem. Cycling is the one sort of help that can be achieved whenever. Do not be afraid to get it. Take life into your own hands. Go out, cycle, and enjoy our precious planet. You will not regret it.
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