This Page About Healthy living - Cycling

Healthy living - Cycling

A staggering 70 per cent of all car trips are less than five miles; the ideal distance for a quick spin on the bike. Perhaps we could hope to match the example of some towns in Holland and Denmark, where nearly half of all journeys are made by bicycle. A word of praise here, too, for the people of York and Cambridge, who wheel out their bicycles for as many as 20 per cent of all journeys.

Health benefits

The health benefits of regular exercise are becoming something of a modern mantra and you may be tired of hearing them - probably because you know instinctively that exercise is the right thing to do - but we're going to remind you anyway.

Regular exercise is good for:

• Healthy hearts. Reduces several cardiovascular risks, including high blood pressure. A major study of more than 10,000 people found that those who cycle at least 20 miles a week are half as likely to have heart problems as those who don't cycle at all.
• Weight control. Research suggests we should be burning up at least 2,000 calories a week through exercise (far more than can be burned in the recommended 30 minutes of moderately intensive exercise at least 5 times a week); others suggest 66 minutes of exercise a day. This is a large demand on time, but is easily achieved if you turn the business of getting to work or school into your weekly exercise routine. Cycling burns 300 calories an hour, so if you do it twice a day, the numbers soon add up.
• Posture and poise.
• Digestion.
• Healthy minds. There's no doubt that regular exercise reduces the risk of problems such as depression, stress and anxiety. There's truth in the saying "Run [or cycle!] your cares away."
• Skin. Exercise gives you a glow without the use of expensive creams
• Bones. Because the bicycle supports your body, cycling isn't necessarily a weight-bearing exercise (although this depends on your technique). This means it's good for people with certain bone and joint problems, but it may be less effective for protecting against osteoporosis, although all exercise helps strengthen bones and muscles to some degree.

Get the key facts on cycling and health from Leeds Cycling Action Group.

Take it lying down

If you find cycling a strain on your spine or neck, or if you have problems with some of your joints, you might want to try a recumbent cycle. Rather than perching high and leaning forwards as on a traditional bicycle, this allows you to recline and supports your back. It uses different leg muscle, but is still great exercise.

Safety

Many people are put off riding because they worry about the risk of falling or injury. But the risks need not be that great if you're prepared for them.

In recent years there has been a huge drive to get people to wear helmets to protect against head injury. The Bicycle Helmet Safety Initiative in the US has lots of advice on helmets.

However, increasingly people are arguing that wearing a helmet actually has little effect on the risk of head injury. The Ontario Coalition for Better Cycling has a very thorough rundown of the arguments and evidence. The British evidence also makes interesting reading.

Traffic pollution is another health risk that concerns cyclists. Continue to learn more about cycling, please visit BBC.

Home | Golf | Tennis | Rowing | Skiing | Fishing | Cycling | Hunting | Swimming | Ice Hockey | Windsurfing