Being stuck at a desk during the workweek isn't for everyone. If you feel like making a career change that will get you outside in the fresh air and help keep you in shape, it's worth thinking about applying to work at a delivery service as a bike courier. In this career, you're rarely sedentary — much of your time is spent either pedaling your bike through the city or walking into peoples' businesses to pick up or drop off packages. As such, working as a bike courier will help you keep in shape (or get in shape) in a variety of different ways. Here are some fitness benefits of this career.

Weight Maintenance Or Weight Loss

Being on a bicycle for several hours out of the day will help you burn hundreds of calories, which is necessary whether you wish to maintain your current weight or actually lose weight. For weight loss to occur, daily exercise is often necessary because your caloric burn must exceed your caloric intake. If you weigh 185 pounds and ride your bike at a moderate rate for 60 minutes in your role as a bike courier, you can expect to burn a little more than 650 calories. Given that you'll likely be biking for several hours per shift, you can count on your daily caloric burn to be considerable.

Increased Muscular Strength

Pedaling a bicycle around the city each day is also an ideal way to strengthen your body. Although cycling is primarily a lower-body workout, you'll also work to strengthen muscles in your shoulders, back and core as you carry packages to and from various office buildings along your route. While pedaling, you'll work to strengthen your upper and lower legs, which can improve your balance and lessen your risk of muscle injuries during everyday life, given that added strength you'll possess. Added muscle mass also boosts your metabolic rate, which means that you'll burn calories quicker than someone of the same weight but without as much muscle.

Aerobic Exercise Benefits

Whether you're pedaling between the stops on your route, jogging into an office building or climbing the stairs, you'll always be improving your health due to your ongoing aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise will give you a comprehensive list of health benefits, including increasing your lung capacity and making your heart stronger, lowering high blood pressure and even alleviating stress. Many people also find that regular aerobic exercise increases their energy level.

For more information about the benefits of this line of work, contact a delivery company like Kidd Curry Express.