When it comes to cardio, gyms offer many options. Many fitness classes are available at most gyms, as well as yoga classes and other gym equipment. Two very popular options, cycling and running, may be hard to choose from, especially if you are a beginner. However, there are plenty of reasons cycling is way better than running, whether you’re indoors or out.

There’s much less impact
Running is much harder on your body than cycling is. Running is a very high-impact activity that can cause muscle strain, inflammation, and other injuries. A research study revealed that long-distance runners saw between 133% and 40% more muscles damage, 256% high inflammation levels, and 87% more muscle soreness compared to cyclists in the following 38 hour recovery period. Study author David Nieman, MPH, professor of public health at Appalachian State University, said these results were surprising and much greater than anticipated.

You can go places
Unless you want to show up somewhere really sweaty and out of breath, running to your destination is probably not a great idea. You can take a bike to work, the grocery store, a friend’s house, or really anywhere within a reasonable distance. You can cover a lot more ground and see some amazing sights at the same time when you ride your bike places. You can’t do that when you run. Of course, if you’re cycling at the gym, you won’t be going anywhere physically, but you’ll certainly be peddling down the metaphorical path to better fitness.

Think about the accessories
Runners can basically buy themselves cool shoes, and that’s it. Road bikers can deck out their helmets, saddlebags, shoes, and entire bikes. This means more gift ideas, and more ways to treat yourself! You can express your personal style way more with cycling than you can while running. While you take an indoor cycling class, building up those muscles for the tougher terrain outside the gym, you can dream about all that awesome apparel you’ve had sitting in your online shopping cart.

What else is great about cycling? Studies show that cycling at least three times a week at a moderate intensity can stimulate dopamine production, which increases energy levels by roughly 20% and reduces fatigue up to 65%. If you want a great way to get in shape and have fun at the same time, try cycling! It’s easier on your body, you can go places, you have more accessory options, and it’s just really fun!