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Cycling - health benefits

Tobefitandhealthyyouneedtobephysicallyactive.Regularphysicalactivitycanhelpprotect youfromseriousdiseasessuchasobesity,heartdisease,cancer,mentalillness,diabetesand arthritis.Ridingyourbicycleregularlyisoneofthebestwaystoreduceyourriskofhealth problemsassociatedwithasedentarylifestyle. Cyclingisahealthy,low-impactexercisethatcanbeenjoyedbypeopleofallages,fromyoung childrentoolderadults.Itgivesyourheart,bloodvesselsandlungsagoodworkout.Itisalsofun, cheapandgoodfortheenvironment. Ridingtoworkortheshopsisoneofthemosttime-efficientwaystocombineregularexercisewith youreverydayroutine.Anestimatedonebillionpeopleridebicycleseverydayfortransport, recreationandsport.

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Cycling to keep healthy and get fit

Itonlytakestwotofourhoursaweektoachieveageneralimprovementtoyourhealth.Cyclingis: Lowimpactitcauseslessstrainandinjuriesthanmostotherformsofexercise Agoodmuscleworkout cyclingusesallofthemajormusclegroupsasyoupedal.Cycling hasbeenshowntogetyoufitterthanwalking,asitliftsyourheartratetoamore beneficiallevel Easyunlikesomeothersports,cyclingdoesnotrequirehighlevelsofphysicalskill.Most peopleknowhowtorideabikeand,onceyoulearn,youdontforget Goodforstrengthandstamina cyclingincreasesstamina,strengthandaerobicfitness Asintenseasyouwant cyclingcanbedoneatverylowintensitytobeginwith,if recoveringfrominjuryorillness,butcanbebuiltuptoademandingphysicalworkout Afunwaytogetfit theadventureandbuzzyougetfromcoastingdownhillsandbeing outdoorsmeansyouaremorelikelytocontinuetocycleregularly,comparedtoother physicalactivitiesthatkeepyouindoorsorrequirespecialtimesorplaces Time-efficientasamodeoftransport,cyclingreplacessedentary(sitting)timespent drivingmotorvehiclesorusingtrams,trainsorbuseswithhealthyexercise.

Health benefits of regular cycling

Cyclingismainlyanaerobicactivity,whichmeansthatyourheart,bloodvesselsandlungsallgeta workout.Youwillbreathedeeper,perspireandexperienceincreasedbodytemperature,whichwill improveyouroverallfitnesslevel. Thehealthbenefitsofregularcyclinginclude: Increasedcardiovascularfitness Increasedmusclestrengthandflexibility Improvedjointmobility Decreasedstresslevels Improvedpostureandcoordination Strengthenedbones Decreasedbodyfatlevels Preventionormanagementofdisease Reducedanxietyanddepression.

Cycling-healthbenefits

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Cycling and specific health issues

Cyclingcanimprovebothphysicalandmentalhealth,andcanreducethechancesofexperiencing manyhealthproblems.

Obesity and weight control

Cyclingisagoodwaytocontrolorreduceweight,asitraisesyourmetabolicrate,buildsmuscle andburnsbodyfat.Ifyouretryingtoloseweight,cyclingmustbecombinedwithahealthyeating plan.Cyclingisacomfortableformofexerciseandyoucanchangethetimeandintensityitcan bebuiltupslowlyandvariedtosuityou. Researchsuggestsyoushouldbeburningatleast8,400kilojoules(about2,000calories)aweek throughexercise.Steadycyclingburnsabout1,200kilojoules(about300calories)perhour. Ifyoucycletwiceaday,thekilojoulesburntsoonaddup.Britishresearchshowsthatahalf-hour bikerideeverydaywillburnnearlyfivekilogramsoffatoverayear.

Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovasculardiseasesincludestroke,highbloodpressureandheartattack.Regularcycling stimulatesandimprovesyourheart,lungsandcirculation,reducingyourriskofcardiovascular diseases. Cyclingstrengthensyourheartmuscles,lowersrestingpulseandreducesbloodfatlevels. Researchalsoshowsthatpeoplewhocycletoworkhavetwotothreetimeslessexposureto pollutionthancarcommuters,sotheirlungfunctionisimproved.ADanishstudyconductedover 14yearswith30,000peopleaged20to93yearsfoundthatregularcyclingprotectedpeoplefrom heartdisease.

Cancer
Manyresearchershavestudiedtherelationshipbetweenexerciseandcancer,especiallycolonand breastcancer.Researchhasshownthatifyoucycle,thechanceofbowelcancerisreduced.Some evidencesuggeststhatregularcyclingreducestheriskofbreastcancer.

Diabetes
Therateoftype2diabetesisincreasingandisaseriouspublichealthconcern.Lackofphysical activityisthoughttobeamajorreasonwhypeopledevelopthiscondition.Large-scaleresearchin Finlandfoundthatpeoplewhocycledformorethat30minutesperdayhada40percentlower riskofdevelopingdiabetes.

Bone injuries and arthritis

Cyclingimprovesstrength,balanceandcoordination.Itmayalsohelptopreventfallsand fractures. Ridingabikeisanidealformofexerciseifyouhaveosteoarthritis,becauseitisalow-impact exercisethatplaceslittlestressonjoints.Cyclingdoesnotspecificallyhelposteoporosis(bonethinningdisease)becauseitisnotaweight-bearingexercise.

Mental illness
Mentalhealthconditionssuchasdepression,stressandanxietycanbereducedbyregularbike riding.Thisisduetotheeffectsoftheexerciseitselfandbecauseoftheenjoymentthatridinga bikecanbring.

Hand cycling and health

Handcyclesaresimilartorecumbenttricycles,buttheyarepoweredwithhandinsteadoffoot pedals.Velcrostrapscanbeusedtosecurethehandstothepedalsifnecessary.

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Thisstyleoftricycleallowsamputees,peoplewithspinalinjuriesandthoserecoveringfromcertain conditionssuchasstroketocycleasaformofexerciseandrecreation.Handcyclistsget cardiovascularandaerobicbenefitssimilartothoseofothercyclists.

Where to get help

Yourdoctor BicycleNetworkVictoriaTel.(03)83768888or1800639634(forcountrycallers)

Things to remember

Cyclingcanhelptoprotectyoufromseriousdiseasessuchasstroke,heartattack,some cancers,depression,diabetes,obesityandarthritis. Ridingabikeishealthy,funandalow-impactformofexerciseforallages. Cyclingiseasytofitintoyourdailyroutinebyridingtotheshops,park,schoolorwork.

This page has been produced in consultation with, and approved by:

BicycleNetwork
Contentonthiswebsiteisprovidedforeducationandinformationpurposesonly.Information aboutatherapy,service,productortreatmentdoesnotimplyendorsementandisnotintendedto replaceadvicefromyourdoctororotherregisteredhealthprofessional.Contenthasbeen preparedforVictorianresidentsandwiderAustralianaudiences,andwasaccurateatthetimeof publication.Readersshouldnotethat,overtime,currencyandcompletenessoftheinformation maychange.Allusersareurgedtoalwaysseekadvicefromaregisteredhealthcareprofessional fordiagnosisandanswerstotheirmedicalquestions. Forthelatestupdatesandmoreinformation,visitwww.betterhealth.vic.gov.au Copyight 1999/2013StateofVictoria.ReproducedfromtheBetterHealthChannel (www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au)atnocostwithpermissionoftheVictorianMinisterforHealth. Unauthorisedreproductionandotherusescomprisedinthecopyrightareprohibitedwithout permission.

Cycling-healthbenefits

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