7 Compelling Reasons Why Cyclists Should Start Practicing Yoga
Yoga is known for being tremendously beneficial for overall health. Many people that have consistently practiced yoga for an extended period of time have found that everything from physical to mental health has improved dramatically. At the same time, cycling is also a great activity for boosting health. Thus, combining both yoga and cycling will allow anyone to become immensely healthy. With this in mind, here are seven compelling reasons why cyclists should start practicing yoga.
Boosts Time Needed for Recovery
Many cyclists find that they need to take a day or two off after going on particularly tiresome cycling sessions. Cyclists who are passionate about the sport are often very unwilling to take time off, however, do so as they become tired and achy after cycling too much. Amazingly, by practicing yoga, the ability for the body to repair itself becomes much more efficient. Cyclists will be able to partake in the activity without extended time off if they start practicing yoga.
Improves Sense of Balance
Balance is a key aspect of cycling. Without proper balance, it can be difficult for cyclists to make tight turns during such things as competitions. Yoga is particularly known for helping individuals gain a better sense of balance and equilibrium. Thus, combining both yoga with cycling will easily allow for better coordination and performance.
Muscle and Nerve Stability Increased
Certain muscles are contracted for extended periods of time while cycling. Many cyclists find that certain muscles, especially those found in the leg, become very tired and unstable after a long cycling session. Yoga is very effective in stabilizing muscles throughout the legs, meaning that common aches and pains experienced by cyclists will become a thing of the past.
Flexibility Improvements
Surprisingly, many cyclists complain of inflexibility in specific areas of their body.
The sport involves heavily using a limited amount of muscles, thus, areas which aren’t particularly used for such activities as peddling can become very inflexible over time. Thus, cyclists can restore flexibility to all areas of their body by partaking in yoga sessions which can improve flexibility almost instantaneously in certain individuals.
Everlasting Endurance
Simply put, cycling is an endurance sport. Many of the world’s best cyclists are masters at being able to endure pain and tiredness for long periods as they cycle courses which stretch for miles upon miles. Lots of novices in the sport find it tremendously hard to endure extended cycling sessions. Yoga can improve how the cardiovascular system handles prolonged exertion, which means that it helps bolster overall endurance. Cyclists that have always found it difficult to partake in long-distance cycling events have found great benefits from involving themselves in yoga classes.
Bolster Core Strength
The core, otherwise known as the abdominal muscles, are perhaps the most important muscle group when it comes to sports. Without a strong core, all other important movements in cycling cannot be completed. One of the biggest reasons why a particular cyclist may not be able to improve their personal best records is because they haven’t paid attention to improving their core. Yoga is primarily based around using the core for various different movements. Hence, after consistently practicing yoga, core strength will be astronomically boosted, which means personal bests will easily be broken due to increased core strength.
Powerful Peddling
Yoga can improve the physical strength that is required for important actions in cycling such as peddling. Being stronger at peddling means faster times and less fatigue. Seasoned cyclists that have done yoga for a few months will notice that they don’t need to peddle as hard to reach the same results as they did before beginning yoga.