Benefits of Biking

Okay, we all know bikes are one of the few methods of getting there that doesn’t produce carbon dioxide emissions. But biking also offers far-reaching benefits to you.

Find out what biking can do for you and the planet:

Easy on the Earth
Rather than adding to the pollution problem, biking is a completely clean form of transportation. The only fuel it burns is your own calories!

Biking is also quiet, a huge plus for all of us suffering from the ill effects of noise pollution.

Fitness
Not only good for the atmosphere, biking is good for your derriere, and lots of other body-parts as well. Firming, toning, calorie-burning: Biking has it beat over driving any day of the week.

How many calories will you burn in a hour of moderate biking? Or 30 minutes? Find out with this handy biking calorie-calculator.

Boosting Your Mood
Even moderate exercise, like a leisurely bike ride, will boost levels of euphoria-producing hormones called endorphins. Translation: You can bike away your blues.

Enjoying the Scene
When we whiz past scenery in a car, we miss so much. The slower pace of biking enables ups to experience the beauty of locale. Avid bikers report the satisfaction of smelling newly mown grass, or flowering trees, or the fertile damp earth as one of the added bonuses of cycling.

Meeting Like-Minded Others
You can bet that fellow cyclers are probably health-and-environmentally-minded. Many bikers say that deep friendships often form among cycling enthusiasts because of their common ground.

By the Care2 Staff.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Magdalena R.

11:57AM PDT on Sep 24, 2011

I always think of driving as wasted time (not to mention all its negative effects on the environment). Public transportation might take longer, but I can read a book, study, write, or knit/crochet while on the bus or light rail, so I'm actively using all of that time. And biking, running, or walking are not only good ways to get around but are also great forms of exercise, so I get my daily workout in!