Running is unquestionably the best way to improve your cardiovascular health. There is no exercise out there that makes the heart work harder than simply putting one foot in front of the other at a moderately quick pace or faster. However, as people age, their bodies tend to suffer normal wear and tear, and running can often become a painful activity, especially on the joints that are absorbing the most shock from the road: the ankles, knees, and hips.

Fortunately, even when your body is wracked with pain when you run, there are still some very good options to maintain and improve your cardiovascular health. One of the best options, though, is cycling. Riding a bicycle is an excellent way to get a good exercise workout and keep healthy. Cycling is great because anyone who can ride a bike can do it, you can ride a bike almost anywhere, and there is little or no shock on the joints like there is when running.

Once you learn to ride a bicycle, you never forget. That, at least, is the adage, but it is very true. Riding a bicycle is something that many of us learn to do as children, and the training wheels come off and we are on our own. Once we learn to ride a bike, we do not forget, and the skill stays with us for the rest of our lives. Even if you have not ridden a bicycle in many years, it is not too late to simply get back on and go for a ride. Try it, and you may surprise yourself with how easy it is.

A bicycle can go almost anywhere. Certainly, is recommended that you stay on streets and sidewalks with your bike, but bicycles are also capable of going off-road on dirt tracks and paths, and can even handle rough terrain, such as uneven gravel. With a little extra effort, a bicycle can also plow through muddy fields. However, if none of these options appeal to you, you’ll be happy to know that there are plenty of paved bike trails out there, built specially for the avid cyclist.

The greatest advantage of cycling to running, though, is the lack of wear on your crucial leg joints. As your body ages, it takes longer and longer for the knees and ankles to recover after a run, and pain in these areas is extremely common. However, a bicycle smoothes out the motions of running, and the shock that is normally present when a runner hits the pavement with his or her foot is not present on a bicycle. A cyclist can ride for miles and miles without ever having to put his or her foot on the ground.

Cycling offers many advantages to traditional running, including the ability to anyone to do it, the wide range of options you have in deciding where to ride your bicycle, and the relatively gentle way in which cycling affects your ankles, knees, and hips. All of these things are reasons why you ought to give cycling a try today.

Author Bio: I write for TIR Massage Stone about hot stone massage and massage stone therapy including hot and cold applications.

Category: Recreation
Keywords: cycling,running,bicycle,