As well as being a quick and easy way of getting from A to B, cycling offers lots of health-related benefits.
Cycling is good for your heart and your health
Cycling is a great form of aerobic exercise, raising your heart rate and helping to protect you against illness and disease. According to government targets, cycling is exactly the type of moderate physical exercise that we should take part in for at least 30 minutes five times a week. Regular cycling reduces the risk of serious conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, the most common form of diabetes and some types of cancer.
Cycling is great for improving your fitness levels
Cycling short distances just four times a week can improve aerobic fitness by up to 11% in just six weeks, while a four mile round trip to and from work each day over the same period increases aerobic fitness by a whopping 17%! If you’re a regular cyclist you’ll have the fitness level of someone ten years younger and cycling into your 30s can add two years to your life!
Cycling can help you to lose or manage your weight
Because cycling burns calories it can form part of an effective weight loss programme. Cycling burns at least 300 calories an hour – a chocolate bar or two glasses of wine – while a 15-minute bike ride to and from work each day burns off the equivalent of11 pounds of fat per year.
Cycling can help to maintain strength and coordination
Cycling improves leg strength, which in turn increases mobility and helps to prevent injury through falls. By improving strength and coordination, avoiding broken bones and fall-related injuries, cycling can delay the ageing process and reduce rates of injury in older people. Cycling can also be a great way of recovering from knee and ankle injuries and in many cases is an exercise that can be done if injuries stop people walking or running – one local former professional footballer can’t run easily because of knee problems but can cycle.
Cyclists breathe in fewer fumes than car drivers
Believe it or not, cyclists breathe in far lower levels of traffic fumes and pollutants than car drivers. So as well as avoiding those traffic jams and helping to reduce pollution, you’ll also be breathing in cleaner, greener air!
Cycling can improve your mood
It’s true! Cycling can have a positive effect on the way that we feel – see our Keep Fit, Stay Calm page for details of cycling’s stress-busting benefits.
