Motorcycles have generally been considered dangerous vehicles to drive by some people, especially parents, etc. But, you will be shocked to know that riding motorcycles is very beneficial to your health. It doesn’t only improve physical health but mental health also. Thus, in this post, I will be discussing the excellent health benefits of riding a motorcycle.
Here are the 7 surprising health benefits you get from riding motorcycles:-
- It strengthens the knees and thigh
- Improved cognitive and brain function
- Riding a motorcycle burns your calories
- Riding a motorcycle gives a positive outlook
- Riding a motorcycle strengthen your neck
- No need to do squats anymore
- It helps you maintain the correct posture
Let’s get into details of the mentioned health benefits above we get by riding motorcycles. Let’s start with the first one:-
Riding a motorcycle strengthen your knees and thigh
You may be going to the gym to strengthen your knees and thigh, but you will be surprised to know that you can make your knees and thigh stronger by riding a motorcycle.
As you get on the motorcycle, the body parts that first get into work are the thigh and knees. The handling portion is controlled by the upper body portion, including shoulders, hands, knees, etc. Thus regular riding improves the overall body and knees with minimal actions on the motorcycle.
Riding a motorcycle regularly makes your thigh strong because as you get on the bike, you use your leg to keep the motorcycle upright with or without riding. Thus, you are using your thigh muscles to lift the motorcycle, and the average weight of the motorcycles are 400 pounds to 600 pounds. So, if you ride a motorcycle daily, it will strengthen your knees and your thigh.
According to casbo.org, “Orthopedic surgeons have noted that motorcycle riders have fewer knee problems because riding motorcycles strengthen their key muscles used to hold the patella and other bones and the knee in place.”
Improved cognitive and brain functions
As I have already said, riding a motorcycle improves not only the physical aspect of your body but also the mental aspect. And, you will be surprised to know the level of enhancement riding motorcycles give to the brain and other mental capabilities.
It improves your cognitive function, it’s hard to believe, but it’s the truth. Before I explain further, I want to clarify the meaning of the “cognitive function.”
Cognitive functions refer to multiple mental abilities, like remembering, attention, decision making, thinking, reasoning, etc. These mental capabilities are the most crucial function on the road while riding a motorcycle but in real-life situations also.
I am not talking about things in the air; there are certain studies available to prove the brain’s cognitive function.
A research was conducted in 2009 by Ryuta Kawashima partnered with Yamaha motor, a professor better known for this brain research. He looked into the brain functions measured by devices put on the heads of 21 male riders riding motorcycles found their brain’s prefrontal area activated. A brain’s “prefrontal area” covers functions like memory information processing, concentration, alertness, and balancing functions.
The research surprised me most when I found that the prefrontal area of the brain doesn’t work as much when driving any automobile.
According to Kawashima, “The group that rode motorcycles got higher marks in cognitive function tests.”
Hence, there is no more doubt that cognitive function improves while riding a motorcycle. If you want to read the research paper on “How riding a motorcycle affects cognitive function,” I have given the link to the research paper below.
https://global.yamaha-motor.com/news/2009/0304/research.html
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jsaeijae/5/2/5_20144193/_pdf
Riding a motorcycle burns your calories.
Motorcycle riding is fun and addictive, and you will be glad to hear that you can also get the benefit of exercise on it without even exercising. You can burn around 600 calories per hour simply by riding a motorcycle as it requires low-impact exercise.
The calorie burn per hour will vary depending on the distance and the way you ride your motorcycle.
If you are a regular rider using your motorcycle to go from place A to place B, then the average calorie burn will be below 100 calories.
Generally, riders who ride motocross or race motorcycles could burn up to 600 calories or more for sure because it requires a lot of work and core strength to survive and ride for long hours.
Riding a motorcycle gives a positive outlook.
Riding a motorcycle gives a feeling of pure joy and excitement that most riders can relate to. If you are fed up with your boring negative life, then you must ride a motorcycle. Although it will not solve your problem, it can definitely give you relief from your thoughts and anxiety.
It brings positiveness to your life and keeps you thrilled with every throttle you push. We get a feeling of joy while riding because certain chemicals like adrenaline, dopamine, and endorphins get released, making us feel good and twist the throttle more.
Dopamine is specifically known as a “happy hormone,” this is the same hormone that releases while kissing, making us feel happy and making the thing do again and again to experience the exact moment.
The release of these crucial hormones makes us feel happy, increases pleasure, enhances mood, and minimizes pain.
A scientific study conducted by Ryuta Kawashima said, “By using motorcycles more in our life, we can have positive effects on our brains and minds. While riding a car is a comfortable machine that doesn’t activate our brains. It only happens when going across a railway or someone jumps in front of us.”
Thus, riding a motorcycle is not merely a physical activity but also affects our mood and makes us feel good.
Riding a motorcycle strengthen your neck
As we ride motorcycles, we wear helmets, and sometimes we need to face the fast windblast falling on our neck. Thus, riding a motorcycle indeed strengthens your neck.
The windblast on the body, including the neck, can become more impactful when there is no windshield. Thus make sure to have and windshield on your motorcycle to save your neck and body from unnecessary strain. And, for a comfortable ride, you must take care of the handlebars.
For more information on the handlebar, you must read this post on handlebar risers.
No need to do squats anymore
Riding a motorcycle makes you free of doing squats every day. Riding a motorcycle requires you to move your body, often including your thigh and knees. These movements are like low-impact exercises that strengthen your knees and thigh.
The movements of legs are low for general people compared to the motocross and racing ones. It can help you stay injury-free if you don’t have any problem, and for those who suffer from any joint pain, it can work as therapy.
Riding a motorcycle helps you maintain the correct posture.
Riding a motorcycle requires us to ride in an upright posture, and it can vary with the various motorcycle. But, as you ride your motorcycle regularly, your body makes muscle memory of your posture. These muscle memories help us to maintain our correct posture. The sitting stance is different for various motorcycle types like naked, sporty, cafe race, etc. Some motorcycle requires upright riding posture while some require aggressive or sporty, but you will become comfortable with that posture after some time. That’s where muscle memory works in maintaining posture.
Final Words
Motorcycles are fun, unique, and thrilling to ride; anyone who disagrees clearly has never ridden a motorcycle. Thus, don’t get discouraged by those people around you. I have already discussed the top 7 health benefits of riding a motorcycle. Therefore, have a ride around the city and relief your street. Please share your experience with my email.
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