Is it Better to Walk or Ride a Bike?

Let us say your doctor has just told you that to live a healthy life, it is important for yourself to get out there and exercise. Alternatively, if you consider different commuting options, what option would you choose between cycling or walking? 

Is it Better to Walk or Ride a Bike

Which one has more benefits? Well, each one has their own benefits but let us explore what is the better option between the two in both these scenarios: 

Should I cycle or walk to lose weight?

If you are aiming to lose weight, there are many options to choose between these two, cycling is much superior. Unlike walking, when you cycle, you’ll be losing more calories faster.

Cycling is the best option for people who are always busy and have limited time. That is because, with walking, you burn half as many calories as you’d do when cycling.

Also, riding a bike will challenge you to go on hilly terrain, which burns more calories than walking. It is safe to say cycling is a much better way of losing weight faster, unlike walking, which burns lower calories.

Is a bike better for commuting to work?

Commuting expenses can be really exorbitant at times and even with carpooling, you might pay a little bit more than you’ve budgeted for. Even public transportation costs some money, so what options do you have in this case? 

You can either walk or cycle to work. Although walking may sound like a good option, consider this, how long will it take you to get to work when walking? Compare that with cycling and you will notice that riding a bike is much better. 

Also, in bigger cities, there are routes designated for bikes and you will avoid peak hour traffic. Because it is faster than walking and its routes are always free of congested traffic, the chances of getting to work late due to commuting are quite slim.

Walking makes you more tired

Between cycling and walking, what would you say makes a person more tired? Without a shadow of a doubt, walking makes you way more tired than cycling. 

Although cycling burns more calories than walking, you won’t be as tired when getting off your bike as you would be if you were hitting the road on foot. If you choose to walk to work, you might arrive very tired and unfit to carry out your duties. That can have a negative impact on the record you have worked so hard to maintain clean.

Benefits of riding a bike

Compared to walking, there are many benefits of cycling besides burning more calories and getting to work on time without paying a dime. For one, cyclists tend to be more happy and friendly than others. 

That might be because of all the socializing opportunities that are open to them. For example, if you join a community of cyclists in your neighborhood, you’ll be in an opportunity to meet new people. 

Also, cycling can help you maintain an economically stable life. Cyclists also tend to have better mental health and suffer from depression, anxiety, and other conditions less.

Environmental benefits

There are a lot of environmental benefits of cycling because you can make a difference in the ecosystem. By reducing carbon emissions, you will be contributing to a sustainable environment. 

These environmental benefits might not be accomplished by walking alone. For example, there are some distances you cannot walk and in that case, you’ll be tempted to drive or get an Uber. 

Using vehicles that produce carbon emissions takes us a step back from the goal of living a clean green energy lifestyle. In years from now, climate change might be exacerbated because of this if you do not make a difference now.

The bottom line

Cycling is way better than walking because of all the benefits, such as a dedicated route to get to work without encountering traffic. If you would like to lose weight, cycling can help you do that much faster than walking. Cycling is very good for the environment because you can cycle for longer distances, unlike walking, which limits yourself, leading to using carbon-emitting vehicles.