Cycling is the Secret Sauce
Cycling for Health: Why Bike Riding is the Best Way to Stay Fit in Los Angeles
We all know that staying active is crucial to living a healthy life, but sometimes it feels impossible to fit exercise into our busy schedules—especially in a sprawling city like Los Angeles. Between work, errands, and that infamous L.A. traffic, finding time for fitness can seem daunting. Lucky for us, cycling is one of the easiest ways to sneak in exercise without even thinking about it. Whether you’re riding to work, running errands, or just cruising the beach, you’re getting fit and protecting your health in ways that might surprise you.
Let me break it down for you: hopping on your bike regularly can save you from a laundry list of health problems, from heart disease to mental illness, and it’s a low-impact, fun workout that anyone can enjoy. Let’s dive into why cycling is the perfect fit for anyone living in a city like Los Angeles.
Why Cycling is Your Secret Weapon Against Health Problems
Living in a car-dependent city like L.A., it’s easy to fall into a sedentary lifestyle, and we know that comes with some serious health risks. But here’s the good news: regular cycling can protect you from a host of diseases, including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. It's one of the best ways to keep moving without having to carve out time for a gym visit. As someone who’s embraced biking as a way of life, I can personally vouch for how much better I feel—mentally and physically—after I made the switch to a car-free, bike-friendly lifestyle.
Cycling is particularly great because it's low-impact. Unlike running or certain high-intensity workouts, biking puts less strain on your joints. It’s perfect for anyone, from total beginners to seasoned athletes, and people of all ages can enjoy the benefits.
An Easy Workout You’ll Stick With
We’ve all started new fitness routines only to give up a few weeks later. Whether it’s the strict schedule or the intimidating equipment, so many workout plans end up feeling like a chore. Cycling is different—it’s a workout that doesn’t feel like a workout. Need to run an errand? You’ve already squeezed in exercise by biking to the store. Planning a beach day? Why not bike there instead of driving? The freedom and fun of cycling, combined with its practicality, make it easy to stay consistent.
Health Benefits of Cycling
So, what exactly can cycling do for your health? Here are some major benefits you’ll enjoy when you start riding regularly:
Boosted cardiovascular fitness – Keep your heart healthy by getting that blood pumping.
Improved muscle strength and flexibility – Biking uses all the major muscle groups, giving you a full-body workout.
Better joint mobility – No need to worry about stiff joints when you’re cycling.
Reduced stress – Feeling overwhelmed? The fresh air and movement can help clear your mind.
Weight control – Burn calories while you commute. Cycling burns about 300 calories per hour at a moderate pace.
Mental health benefits – Whether you’re fighting anxiety, depression, or just the blues, biking can improve your mood and mindset. (Trust me, there’s nothing like coasting down a sunny street to lift your spirits!)
Making Cycling a Part of Your Daily Routine
Cycling isn’t just about fitness; it’s about weaving health into your everyday life. Riding to the store, biking to work, or even taking a casual ride around your neighborhood are great ways to add more movement to your day. And the best part? You don’t need to commit hours at a time. Research shows that just two to four hours of cycling per week can improve your overall health. If you ask me, that’s a small time investment for such big returns.
Here in Los Angeles, biking is a time-efficient way to avoid traffic, save money on gas, and get where you need to go while getting a workout in. Let me tell you from experience, riding to work beats sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic any day.
Cycling and Specific Health Issues Cycling isn’t just good for general fitness—it’s a lifesaver when it comes to specific health concerns. Whether you’re worried about obesity, heart disease, diabetes, or even mental health, biking has your back.
Obesity and weight control – Cycling regularly raises your metabolic rate and burns body fat, helping you keep your weight in check.
Heart disease – Studies show that cycling reduces your risk of heart disease and strengthens your heart muscles.
Diabetes – Research from Finland shows that cycling for just 30 minutes a day can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by 40%.
Mental health – Depression, anxiety, and stress are no match for a good bike ride. The combination of physical exercise and fresh air is like a natural mood booster.
Riding Out
Cycling is more than just a way to get around—it’s a lifestyle choice that can improve your physical health, boost your mental well-being, and help you stay fit without having to rearrange your life. Whether you're new to biking or a seasoned commuter, integrating cycling into your daily routine here in Los Angeles is one of the smartest health decisions you can make.
If you’re ready to hop on the saddle and ride towards better health, start small, be consistent, and enjoy the ride! Whether it's to the beach, the store, or work, there’s always a new adventure waiting on two wheels.
Keep it rolling, baby…
If you’re not ready for this ride to end, roll over to these related posts:
➤ Cycling Supports Your Cycle, Ladies
➤ From Beaches to Tunnels: My Unexpected Bicycle Adventure
➤ Beginner Bike Rides in Los Angeles and Tips for Safe Cycling
Whew, my stomach is touching my back!
I’ve been at this desk this whole lovely Sunday, pumping out these blog posts! I’m still in my pajamas, I haven’t even brushed my teeth. Shhh, that’s between me and you. The empty space in my stomach is seeming to turn into air as my gut microbiome begins declaring war on itself since it hasn’t had any substantial food to digest this evening.
I’m really a writer, y’all.. not a paid one, but a writer nonetheless — a published writer from New York, a boyish woman named Kate, that I met in a petite village along the coast of France, Villefranche-sur-mer, said to me, “the only requirement of being a writer is writing.”
This makes for the third post we’ve published to the blog today. (We as in me and ChatGPT, el oh el). And the 8th within the past week!
I’m giving a concerted effort to post blogs within this lil’ bike life girl niche for the next 12 weeks. Currently closing week 3 of 12. My Sweet Lord.. I do believe this is already the longest I’ve kept up any sort of consistent work.
Before the outset of this blogging challenge, I told my best guy friend, Calvin, about the self-imposed penalty that I was putting in place in the event that I didn’t maintain progress, and his response without hesitation was, “oh heck no, I wouldn’t send Trump a mother[expletive] penny!” I responded, “EXACTLY! I’m not,” reassured of how good of an idea this penalty is. Calvin continued, “oh, no, I wouldn’t.. you, you’re about to send Trump some money,” and began to cackle. I insisted that he didn’t understand the measure in place. The only way I’d have to mail the completed Trump National Committee contributor form would be if I failed to meet the weekly blog publishing requirement I’d set for myself. “Oh no, I get it,” he says after I continued to explain, “when have you ever kept anything up for 12 weeks, TK?”
Thank you for riding, riders.
