Mountain Biking – Page 12

It is easy to imagine the changes that take place after you start to bike more regularly. Most people are aware of the main benefits derived from the exercise itself, however, after you start to bike, you will see that the Benefits of Mountain Biking go a lot deeper than most expect. If you have been biking for a while, this list will most likely resonate with you from the start. If you are just now picking up the Hobby, let this list be great inspiration to get out there on two wheels. As a lover of the sport, I have found that Mountain Biking will overwhelmingly benefit your life in the following areas: Find a Productive Hobby Help Build Friendship Welcome Discomfort in Life Help Build Discipline Gain Overall Confidence in Life Having a Hobby What if I told you I had a magic remedy for lowering yourblood pressure, Cortisol levels, and BMI? Not only that, this remedy alsopromises to improve your Mental Health along with your overall physicalwell-being. STUDIES have found that these benefits are all found, simply byhaving a Hobby, a leisurely activity we engage in by choice. Engaging in a new Hobby is one of the best ways to maintain optimal productivity and well-being in life. And if your new Hobby just so happens to help you challenge yourself, experience new things, and enjoy the beauty of Nature, it does not get much better than that. This is the great thing about Mountain Biking as a Hobby! A lot of us get so caught up with work and family life, thatwe forget how vital it is to take time out for ourselves. This poses a hugeproblem, as we ultimately become more susceptible to Depression and Negativity. Making it harder on us is the fact that our world is rapidlychanging with Technology. We are now able to get the same experience on socialmedia as we would normally by visiting with friends. TV shows keep usentertained and inside for weeks, as we develop more sedentary lifestyles.Video Games replace kids' innate need to go outside and explore the world likewe once did. Mountain Biking is the type of Hobby that can combat all these issues we face. There is no such thing as a boring Mountain Bike trail. From alpine landscapes to vast deserts, trail systems weave you through the best landscapes Nature has to offer. This is one of my favorite benefits of Mountain Biking. Helping you build Friendship If you’ve ever ridden in a group, you most likely enjoyed one of the most important benefits of Mountain Biking, friendship. By my third ride on my local trail, I was ready to hit upeven the most distant acquaintance to see if they were down to ride. I was addicted to Mountain Biking, and I wanted everyone tocome try this. What I quickly discovered, was that nobody I knew really showedany interest in the sport. Some didn’t even know it existed! Luckily, most of us have those few close friends who havefollowed us into riskier situations. This was the case with some of myco-workers and before I knew it, the same people who previously had noknowledge of Mountain Biking were now showing more interest than me. After upgrading from my first Mountain Bike to a newermodel, I now had an extra bike, and a great excuse to invite a friend to comeout and ride. These first few rides with my friends really showed me how coolit was to be out experiencing new adventures with great people. Even before I was able to motivate my co-workers hit thetrails with me, I would run into fellow Mountain Bikers on the trail. Beingsuch a niche sport, you will find that most Mountain bikers are more inclinedto invite you to join them on their ride and even exchange information to meetup at some other time. This is even better, as these riders are often way moreexperienced, so trying to keep up will help you drastically improve yourprogression. As well, you will find that these riders are often part of an evenbigger community of bikers. You will be introduced to more riders, differenttrails, and even different riding styles. Welcoming Discomfort in life “Life Begins at the End of your Comfort Zone” Neale Donald Walsch If it were not for new experiences, where would your lifebe? Better yet, where would your life go? As children, just about everything we encountered was a newexperience, and as children, we would gladly welcome these new experiences.What you will find though, is that the older we get, the more Routine ourthinking and behaviors become. And while a Routine can be a great fundamentaltool for success, it is not a place you want to live in long term. It is a lot easier to look back on life than to predict the course going forward. If you reflect on your life long enough, you will realize the times when your willingness to step just beyond your comfort, often resulted in a rewarding new experience. Trying a new restaurant, learning a new process at work, or even taking a chance on a new investment are all great examples. Mountain biking is a great opportunity to stretch that strict zone of comfort you try to maintain. There are features on trails that will challenge you, speedsthat will make you nervous, and even crashes that can leave you scarred. Toconquer any of these challenges, you will have to take a leap of faith and stepjust beyond your comfort zone. This is where growth happens. Building Discipline A surprising benefit of Mountain Biking is that it really helps you build discipline. Now I am not talking about a consistent riding regiment,although that is a great example. I am referring to the work it takesto get better on the trails. If you stick with biking long enough, you will naturally getbetter with time. And this does not happen by osmosis, the efforts and choicesyou make over that time really tell the full story. Mountain Biking can be very challenging at times, it takes a lot of motivation and perseverance to overcome this. I can attest to the challenges I had with my local trailwhen I first started. A few steep hills on the trail would initially drain me tothe core, making it to where I could barely continue onwards. Instead ofchoosing to walk these sections, I remained disciplined and attempted everyclimb. I knew that these climbs would eventually help build my strength andendurance, making me an even more powerful rider. What you will also find, is that Mountain Biking will testyour technique, far before it tests your strength and endurance. The technique isvital for safe and fun riding, and technique requires consistent practice. I never thought I would spend hours in the parking lot of mylocal trail just practicing wheelies and manuals. I was not a big fan of“practice” and even less of a fan of embarrassing myself in front of otherriders. However staying disciplined and continuing to practice my techniqueseventually paid off when I was able to transfer these learned skills to thetrail, even surpassing the skills of some of the seasoned riders. Gain Overall Confidence in Life Mountain Biking can be really sketchy at times. I have rolled into a few situations on the trail that had mequestion my abilities on the bike. Rather than freeze up in these sections, I foundthat it was best to tackle these situations with as much confidence aspossible. Little did I know, these quick decisions I made on the trail, would eventually affect the decisions I make in life. One of the most surprising benefits of Mountain Biking, is the Confidence you gain over time. The mentality you will form while riding, is a mentality built on pushing your limits and overcoming challenges. I suddenly started to notice this mentality taking over whenI was at work. I was no longer dreading those emails that used to plague myinbox, I know felt more prepared to take on any issue that my colleagues neededhelp with, and I was quick to accept any challenge my boss threw our way. You will also build a lot more confidence in your physicalability. Mountain Biking takes a certain amount of physical fitness, more dynamicmovements than Road Biking. You willhave to learn to manage your weight on the bike and push your endurance incertain sections. All these factors make you a more nimble person, off and onthe bike. And this workout you experience on the bike and trailtranslates well into everyday life. If you are a man, there is a lot ofconfidence gained in improving your physical ability. In Conclusion There are a lot of benefits to Mountain Biking itself, but few are aware of the unique changes that take place in your life shortly after starting. If this article inspires you to get out there on two wheels, or if you have noticed any unique changes in your life after you started biking, please comment below.