Health Benefits of Cycling

All exercise is beneficial, but cycling is especially beneficial. This is because it's transportation and a work-out rolled into one.

Cycling is often touted as a great way to get fit and there's scientific evidence to back up this claim. We'll go over some highlights, and invite you to visit BikeBiz Magazine for more information.

Cycling is beneficial as a cardio-vascular exercise and it's kind to joints, unlike running.

Two studies suggest that journeys to and from work by bicycle provide exercise of sufficient intensity and duration to improve fitness and health, and that travel by bicycle provides greater increases in measured fitness than does walking. This was on the basis of cycling for 30 minutes, at the participants' own pace, (one way) during commuting.

Cyclists who ride regularly have improved aerobic fitness,  decreased cardiovascular load in submaximal standard work, and increased use of fats as an energy source in physical activity. 

Cycling is a pollution-free, environmentally sustainable mode of transport which makes negligible contributions to congestion. Motorised road transport is a major source of noise in the environment, while cycling is virtually silent. By lowering motor traffic we can reduce the levels of real and perceived risk for those on foot and travelling by bike, as well as decreasing social exclusion. This can allow people to be as mobile as they would like to be,and in particular lets parents allow their children to walk and cycle to school,to play outside, or travel independently.

Countries which have seen a modal shift in favour of cycling have noted reductions in casualties as the roads become safer. For example,in The Netherlands and Denmark,there have been steady increases in the amount of cycling in recent years, accompanied by lower casualty rates per mile. This has been achieved by adopting comprehensive measures to create better conditions for cycling. The more cyclists that there are,the more motorists are aware of cyclists. Consequently they are better at dealing with them and are more positive in their attitude towards them.

'Packaged' exercising is often seen by participants as a chore not a pleasure; people quit. Cycling, however, incurs no joining fees and does not require expensive equipment. Cycling can be incorporated into a daily routine and need not be exercise for exercise's sake.

Exercise declines with age, yet cyclists show a smaller decline than those involved in team sports or gym activities. A non-sport exercise such as cycling allows year round participation as part of a daily routine. Cycling is an activity that seniors can safely adopt without the risks of more strenuous exercises.

Cycling is practical for people with various fitness levels - including the least fit. In fact, as bicycles support riders, cycling is a far more benign exercise than, say, jogging. Pavement pounding can strain knees, especially if the novice jogger is on the plump side.

Cycling on a regular basis:

* Reduces the cholesterol levels in the blood.

* Increases the high density lipo-protein/cholesterol ratio in the blood as well.

* Reduces the chances of strokes and heart attacks caused by clotting.

* Reduces the chances of illnesses caused by high blood pressure.

* Is as effective as drugs in reducing high blood pressure.

* Increases fitness and declines obesity, thus helping reduce the chances of diabetes.

In a Finnish study of men and women who had freely chosen their own method of exercise, walkers reached 60 percent of their maximum heart rate, and cyclists reached 70 percent of theirs. As a result, the cyclists' bodies improved more.