Cycling to Work: 5 reasons you should be doing it

Although the benefits of cycling to work and regular exercise are well known and documented, a large number of people within the UK do not get the recommended amount of exercise. Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of death in developed countries with an estimated 1.9 million deaths a year worldwide attributed to lack of exercise.

Complete Background Screening (CBS) is committed to promoting staff health and wellbeing and with the numerous cycle-paths locally, #CyclingToWorkDay is the perfect opportunity to focus on the benefits of cycling and how it can make a positive impact on the lives and health of workers within the UK and help boost productivity, staff wellbeing and sickness rates for businesses.

New CBS marketing assistant Wayne Mullins is one of our staff members who is making the most of the benefits of cycling to work.  He explains, “I live in a town called Maerdy, which is separated from the CBS office in Ynysbwl by the Llanwonno Mountain. When I was younger I used to cycle over this mountain with my friends all the time and now I’ve decided to take cycling back up.  Cycling to work will not only help me to get fit, it will save money on petrol and have a more positive impact on the environment.”

For those who are still sceptical or not sure how cycling could be of benefit to them – here are our top five benefits we think everyone should try getting back on our bikes and reignite a childhood past time for a healthier lifestyle:

Time, money and stress – with more cars on the road than ever, traffic jams and petrol prices rising, the work commute can easily spiral into one of the most stressful periods of the day. By riding a bike to work, you will not only get fit but also reduce stress, help the environment and save money on travelling expenses.

Physical health – the health benefits of regular cycling have shown to cut the risk of heart disease by around 50 percent. 10,000 fatal heart attacks could be avoided in the UK every year if people took up regular cycling.

Boost your brain – after the age of 30, cells start to deteriorate in the brain which can often result in memory problems as you get older. But just a five percent improvement in cardio-respiratory fitness due to cycling can mean a 15 percent improvement in mental tests, as cycling helps build new brain cells in the hippocampus- the region of the brain responsible for memory.

Get creative – while the physical benefits of cycling are numerous, what might not be as well-known is the creative and mental boost regular exercise can make. Leading business figures such as Alan Sugar and Mark Zuckerberg use exercise as a way to increase the flow of oxygen to the brain, sparking new neurons and allowing them time away from the office and pressures of work.

Stay healthy for longer – Moderate exercise through cycling helps make immune calls more active and ready to fight off any infections when they hit. Plus, people who cycle regularly take about half as many sick days compared to non-exercising people.