How to Cycle to Stay in Shape

Video Transcript

KEVIN LIVINGSTON: Hi. I'm Kevin Livingston. Apart from just plain fun or getting from point A to point B, cycling can be a great tour or avenue for better fitness, for better health. Some of the obvious benefits are you're using your legs, you're helping strengthen those muscles, your quads, your whole legs, but cycling also engages the upper body. When you stand you engage your arms, you engage your core, your back. So cycling can be more of a full body workout if you do use different techniques. So standing to bring in more upper body, sitting, you're going to drive use more of your legs. On top of the muscular benefit, the huge benefit is cardiovascular. It's good for your heart, good for your lungs, good for your whole system, you can get a lower resting heart rate which is a great sign of your fitness, and when you're cycling, you're also burning a lot of calories. This is a great way to manage your weight. Keep your weight in the right range for you body type, your height. But like with any exercise or any sport, it's always best to consult the professional. I tell all of my athletes that I work with that first I prefer they go, get a checkup from their family physician or from a doctor and make sure you've got the green light to be on the road to being more fit.