27 Sep Mountain Biking Benefits

Are you looking for a way to be outside, enjoy the sun, embrace the beauty of the desert and yet gain a thrill through speed or navigating sharp corners and terrain? Mountain biking may be just the activity for you. It is a great way for you to take your mind off your work, stress, or difficulties. It will help you connect with yourself, connect with nature and have fun. Phelps LaClair serves Scottsdale, Phoenix, Mesa and Gilbert areas, and we know the importance of creating a life with a healthy balance that you can look back on and be proud of. We want to help you build the most strategic estate plan so you can enjoy life, rather than stress about what lies ahead. Mountain biking is a way to embrace adventure, release stress and find a new thrill.

Benefits of Mountain Biking

Though many realize that exercise is beneficial, with diabetes and obesity on the rise, it is all the more important. Not only is exercise imperative for overall physical health, it also can bring joy to your life if you let it. Benefits of mountain biking include:

• Social Benefits: While mountain biking is a great individual sport, connecting with others who are passionate about zipping down the terrain and building their stamina is a great way to build deeper bonds with people and create new friendships.
• Improved Sleep: By exerting energy in the outdoors, your body’s natural circadian rhythm becomes aligned with the sun, allowing you to fall asleep easier and stay asleep at night. The exercise also decreases your cortisol levels, which is the hormone that keeps you awake.
• Increased Balance and Coordination: Mountain biking not only provides a cardiovascular workout, but also increases your balance and coordination. While biking you are working your core when adjusting to the terrain, elevation and pitch, along with building up muscle memory for balance which strengthens new neural pathways.
• Released Stress and Improved Mood: Through the vigorous activity of mountain biking, your body releases the hormones called endorphins and serotonin which are your body’s natural “happy” hormones. These calm muscle tension, allow for relaxation, and decrease the feelings of depression and anxiety. Potentially treacherous trails require an intense focus on what you are doing, which allows for a release of stress through giving your mind a mental break from the daily concerns of life. Gaining the skills needed to navigate the terrain in mountain biking can also increase your self-confidence and self-esteem.

There are several more physical and mental health benefits of mountain biking. As with exercise, it improves your heart health, decreases the possibility of disease by boosting your immune system, and positively impacts your joints. As biking is a sitting activity, the amount of pressure on your joints is decreased. It’s a great low-impact exercise to engage in.

We at Phelps LaClair enjoy the aspects exercise and the outdoors have on positive mental and physical health. Contact us today about strategic estate planning as well as your favorite trails in the Phoenix area!

Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (9/19/2017) Zach Dischner (Flickr)