Virtual bicycle exercise provides a way to exercise your entire body from mind to physical realms while providing an escape from everyday life. Instead of riding an exercise bike while listening to music, watching television or reading a book, riding a virtual bicycle offers scenery changes, excitement, interactivity and all-body challenges.
Facts
Virtual bicycle exercise involves riding an exercise bike while watching a computer-controlled video system depicting desired scenarios. Bicycles are attached to the video system to allow virtual interaction. Users pedal along as the bike travels through the desired scenario. Handlebars can be turned right to turn the bike right. Scenarios offer users the chance to "visit" foreign lands, experience bike trails, join or race other bicyclists and/or go mountain biking through local mountain ranges.
Joint Friendly
All types of bicycling provide a good fitness exercise that increases endurance without putting too much pressure on your knee, hip and ankle joints, according to the University of Washington Medical Center. Since the joints receive less impact, physical activity will be less painful than other more intense movements such as jogging or running. Individuals with limited joint use including fibromyalgia, the elderly, knee surgery recuperation or arthritis patients, can benefit from low-impact activities.
Benefits
Virtual bicycle exercise offers many benefits, psychologically and physically. Psychologically, you can stay interested, motivated and challenged while riding the virtual bike, according to FreePatentsOnline.com. Bicycling will provide mental and emotional stimulation, invoke decision-making, satisfy curiosity and give a sense of playing games. Physically, the entire body can benefit by getting a good cardiovascular workout, the level depending upon the exertion force applied to the bike and handlebars while viewing the software. Bicycling can improve lung capacity, blood circulation, increase energy levels, decrease fatigue, increase bone density and help reverse obesity, depression, high blood pressure and arthritis, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
Senses
Virtual bicycle exercise can provide sensory stimulation and enhancement. Exercise bikes can be equipped to engage vision, sound, touch and hearing to keep your exercise routine fun and rewarding, according to FreePatentsOnline.com. Riding the bike and watching engaging software will enhance perception by giving the impression that computer-generated images are, in fact, real images. The virtual reality software makes it seem as if you are actually there.
Types
Different types of virtual bicycles exist. Some involve riding a stationary bike while watching DVDs on a computer screen, according to Virtualexercisebikes.com. Other exercise bikes can be hooked up to Google Earth and used while maneuvering through your chosen scenario. More expensive equipment may include computerized software that connects to an interactive exercise bike to provide a virtual reality exercise experience, according to FreePatentsOnline.com.
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