Going on bike rides is one of the easiest ways to stay active and healthy. They are less strenuous than running or working out, but they still provide enough activity to get your blood flowing. But are you making healthy choices when you’re on your bike ride? Here are five different body parts that you can learn to keep safe when out riding your bike.

Eyes

Since bike riding is largely an outdoor activity, the elements can put some unnecessary strain on your eyes. If you wear glasses, you know the struggle of having your glasses falling off your face during any kind of physical exercise, so wearing comfortable contacts, such as Contact Lenses Plus silicone lenses, during your bike ride will benefit you. Another thing you can do to protect your eyes is to wear sunglasses. Not only do sunglasses protect your eyes from damage from the sunlight, but they also allow you to keep your eyes open and be more alert to your surroundings since you aren’t concentrated on keeping the sun out of your eyes.

Head

Your head is important for such tasks as containing your brain, the organ that controls all of your body’s functions, which is why helmet safety is not to be taken lightly. You should always wear a helmet when riding a bike. There is currently no federal law requiring the use of bike helmets, but some individual states do have laws requiring all cyclists to wear helmets. Many bike accidents that result in death are often caused by injuries to the head that could’ve been avoided if the rider had been wearing a helmet.

Knees

While cycling is generally good for your knees, since it uses the whole range of motion of your knees, bad cycling form can lead to serious knee injuries. If the seat on your bicycle is the wrong height for you, it can hurt your knees. Try experimenting with the seat position if you’re having issues. If you are consistently riding fast and hard using gears that are heavier and harder to push, that also puts unnecessary strain on your knees. make sure you know when to use each of the gears on your bike so you aren’t working yourself too hard.

Elbows

Your elbows are very similar to your knees in the way they help absorb impact, but that also means that they fall victim to some of the same dangers. Your elbows should always be bent when riding your bike. In the instance that you hit a pothole or some other bump in the road, keeping your elbows bent will lessen the impact on the rest of your body while keeping your arms safe as well. Keeping your elbows bent can even reduce the strain you feel in your shoulders and hands. Your elbows control the amount of strain and discomfort your whole upper body feels.

Back

Your spine should remain in a neutral and relaxed position during your entire ride. arching your back upwards or downwards could result in extra pain that you don’t want to deal with. Human backs are already naturally fickle and fragile and having a good back position while cycling is as important as having good posture in your everyday life.

Your back should be a straight line the whole way down, and the way to maintain that kind of posture is by making sure that your core is working steadily. If your core is working, then your body will naturally stay in a healthier position, and you will feel less pain.

Staying active is a fantastic and healthy thing to do, but you have to make sure you do it safely. The unfortunate thing about the human body is that it needs exercise to stay in working order, but too much exercise can be dangerous for it. Knowing your body’s limits and knowing the proper way to do the activities that keep you healthy will lead to a longer, happier life.