Are you thinking of ways to improve your health in 2019? Many of us have over indulged over the Christmas period and maybe feeling the waistband getting a bit tighter. One great way of improving your overall health is Cycling.

Cycling is a great low-impact way to stay fit and healthy. It provides many benefits such as increasing strength and endurance, as well as decreasing body fat. Cycling mainly uses the legs but also incorporates upper-body muscles such as the chest, back, triceps and shoulders.

The Benefits of Cycling

It is recommended that it only takes two to four hours a week of cycling to achieve a general improvement to your health. Cycling has so many benefits including:

• Increased cardiovascular fitness
• increased muscle strength and flexibility
• improved joint mobility
• decreased stress levels
• improved posture and coordination
• strengthened bones
• decreased body fat levels
• prevention or management of disease
• reduced anxiety and depression

Cycling not only improves your physical health but also your mental wellbeing, Mental health conditions such as depression, stress and anxiety can be reduced by regular cycling. This is due to the effects of the exercise itself and because of spending time out in the fresh air.

Why not try out some of the cycle routes around Donegal like the Donegal Cycle Route which starts in Donegal Town and goes to Newtoncunningham then connects to the National Cycle Network. That way you will get to see some of the beautiful scenery our county has to offer.

Getting the whole family involved

Cycling is an activity the whole family can do together. The smallest child can fit into a bike seat or a tow-along buggy and you can all set off. Riding a bike is a great fun way of getting the kids some exercise and if they see Mum and Dad regularly cycling then they are more likely enjoy taking their bicycle out as they grow up.

Safety First

As with any sport safety should always be taken into consideration. Please ensure that you are well equipped with safety helmets and protective gear when out on the roads and that you obey the rules of the road and be aware of other vehicles and road users at all times. Always ensure that your bike is fitted with the correct lights and reflectors if cycling at night.

Check out our range of Bicycles at Robert Kee Power Equipment. We have something to suit all the family and also a large range of accessories to help with visibility and maintenance of your bicycle.