This post may contain affiliate links, which help to keep Discerning Cyclist rolling. Learn more.
You’ll know full well that cycling has numerous and varied health benefits: for starters, it burns calories, which will help if you’re trying to lose weight. It can also lower your risk of cancer and boost your mental health just as much as your physical well-being.
But is cycling good for circulation, too? Does cycling increase blood flow at all? And why is good circulation so important to your body anyway? Let’s find out:
1. Why is Blood Circulation Important?
Circulation is key in helping your muscles perform to their maximum and can go some way to alleviating muscle pains and facilitating your recovery.
Good blood circulation also means your body’s most important organs receive the right amount of oxygen and nutrients to function properly. Without this, you could potentially risk various cardiovascular diseases, which could harm your heart, kidneys, and brain, for instance.
According to the NHS, poor circulation makes the skin on your feet and legs more prone to injury, infection, and ulceration. Injured skin may also take longer to heal, and infection may spread, while your mobility may also decrease.
2. How to Improve Blood Circulation
- Take regular exercise. To that end, it’s worth mentioning that the NHS highly recommends cycling as one of the best and most beneficial forms of exercise. A healthy diet, including less/no drinking alcohol and smoking, will also help.
- Drink plenty of water. The more dehydrated you are, the thicker your blood becomes, so the harder the circulation process around your body will be, and oxygen around the body. Energy drinks are a good substitute, while students show antioxidants in tea, which also help with circulation. You can’t beat good, old-fashioned H2O.
- Try more therapeutic methods. A massage, warm bath, or a trip to the sauna should relax you, lower stress levels, and improve blood circulation, too.
3. Does Cycling Help Circulation in Legs?
Absolutely. Poor circulation in your legs can be avoided most simply through regular exercise – especially in the form of aerobic activities like cycling.
Pedaling will boost circulation in your legs, work your muscles hard, and burn calories. You don’t have to go too hard at it, either—high-intensity training can make your legs swell and restrict circulation, so little and often is perfectly fine.
4. SUMMARY: Does Cycling Help Blood Circulation?
Of course. Cycling is a fantastic way to stimulate and improve your heart and will greatly lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Plus, as noted by Better Health, research shows that people who cycle to work have two to three times less exposure to pollution than car commuters, so their lung function is improved. A 14-year Danish study consisting of 30,000 people aged 20 to 93 found that regular riding protected people from heart disease, too.
In a 2018 study published in the Circulation journal, it was found that people who cycled often suffered roughly 15 percent fewer heart attacks than non-cyclists. Even small amounts of cycling time were discovered to be linked to lower heart disease rates.
So, if you’re looking for that extra bit of vitality without making too drastic a change to your lifestyle, regular cycling, even if in short bursts, is the ideal remedy.
