6 Health Benefits of Motorcycling

Motorcycling gets a bad rap. Tell anyone you ride a motorcycle and chances are they’ll raise their eyebrows and give you a stern lecture on the risks. Next time Aunt Helga tells you that you’re going to kill yourself riding your bike, forward her this list of health benefits of motorcycling.

Benefits of Motorcycling Include:

1. Calorie burn! Your body burns 200-300 calories per hour riding a motorcycle. This amount varies based on terrain and body size. It takes effort to maintain balance, maneuver the controls, and battle headwinds. Ride for an hour a day, five days a week and over the course of a year you will have burned off 65,000 calories. You must burn 3500 calories to lose a pound of fat, so that is the equivalent of 18.5 pounds of fat loss. Not too shabby!
2. Stronger thighs and less knee problems. Motorcycle riders are known to have less knee problems. That’s because riding a motorcycle regularly strengthens your thigh muscles, which helps hold the elements of the knee in place. Many riders find that knee pain is actually relieved by riding.
3. Stronger, more powerful core muscles. Do you ever wonder why your back gets sore during a ride? It’s partly because you engage core muscles when you ride. The abdominal and back muscles remain tight during your ride and are actively engaged as you steer and maintain balance.
4. Improved posture. Want to know what else those strong core muscles do? They improve your posture. Activating the muscles from the neck all the way down to the pelvis regularly through riding strengthens muscles and joints and keeps your posture in tip-top condition.
5. Improved cognitive functioning. A study performed by researchers at the University of Tokyo found that brain performance improves in individuals who regularly ride a motorcycle. They hypothesize that it may be due to the constant mental stimulation that bikers face while negotiating the open road.
6. Improved mental health. Bikers report higher levels of life satisfaction and overall happiness compared to drivers. In addition, there is something to be said for the camaraderie that bikers enjoy and share with each other.

Although biking does come with some degree of danger, wearing proper gear and exercising caution on the roadway can help keep you safe. And the benefits of riding, as detailed above, are great! As bikers and motorcycle crash lawyers, we believe in a healthy life-balance. Ride on, enjoy the road, and if you are ever involved in an accident, call the experienced team at Kass & Moses.