Gone are the days when it was common to have no idea what “cycling” was. With more and more people registering for triathlons daily, cyclists are riding on the streets and training more than ever.
An Important Research Revelation
Cycling can not only bring us convenience and reduce the chances of traffic jams, but it can also reduce our risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. It can even reduce the risk of death.
A study conducted by the British Medical Journal, also known as BMJ, made an astounding reveal on the benefit of cycling.
At the beginning of the new century, in 2000, the United Kingdom planned huge research where they included and tracked 500,000 people by collecting their data and genetic information.
As of today, 263,540 of them are commute to work. They have been tracked for at least five years. Their average age is 52.6 years old, the ratio of men and women is 50:50. Among them, 3,748 people have cancer, and 1,126 of them have died.
Analyzing data from this large group of people shows that people who ride bicycles to and from work have a 41% lower risk of death.
For people who cycle to work, it reduced the risk of cancer death by 40%. It reduced the risk of cardiovascular death by 52%. This is an astonishing result.
Through this data, we can find that cycling to your workplace can reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and the risk of death due to these two diseases.
We can also see a trend where it is directly proportional to the distance you ride to work and the amount of exercise during this process.
Risk reduction is the longer the distance you ride to work, the lower the risk will be. Of course, walking to and from your workplace can also reduce cardiovascular risk, but, regrettably, this will not reduce the risk of cancer.
If you walk to work every day, you have to walk at least 6 miles a week, equivalent to about 10 kilometers.
At the same time, we also found a quantitative relationship. That is, the farther you go to work, the more obvious your risk of cardiovascular disease is reduced.
For example, if you take a bus for a distance and then ride a bicycle to work. What will happen? Well, by doing so, it can let you live longer and stay away from cancer.
This situation is called mixed commuting. Mixed commuting means taking the bus for a while and then going for a bike ride.
This way of exercise can also reduce cardiovascular and cancer risks. This is similar to the effect of riding a bicycle, but it is not as good as the effect of simply riding a bicycle.
Therefore, if we call the mode of cycling active mode and taking a bus to work as non-active mode.
According to research, 90% of people who ride bicycles to work can achieve the minimum recommended exercise.
Benefits You Can Gain From Cycling
You may even be considering starting cycling as well, and why shouldn’t you? The benefits of cycling are endless.
It Is An Easy Way To Exercise
Cycling is one of those hobbies that doesn’t require a fortune or amazing skill. While veteran triathlon and Iron Man competitors ride for longer, faster, and further, anyone who knows how to ride a bike can get on the seat and start peddling away and get a fun form of exercise in.
Builds Muscle
Cycling strengthens you and tones muscle, and not just in the legs! When you spend half an hour cycling, you are toning up your entire body. Without much strain on your muscles, the mobility in your hip and knee joints is helped, too!
Builds Stamina
Regular cyclists frequently end up riding further each time without realizing it. This is great for those who want to start a healthier lifestyle and have fun while doing so!
Improves Cardiovascular Fitness
Recent research has found that changing your transportation to work from driving to cycling can improve cardiovascular fitness by three to seven percent. This is because doing so requires using many muscle groups at once while raising your heart rate.
Help To Reduces Stress
This one is for those who hold down stressful, deadline-intensive careers and need a way to relax. Exercising, in general, is known to aid depression and relax the mind when stress has overwhelmed it.
Cycling may be the perfect form of exercise due to its interaction with mother nature, allowing you to escape reality for just a little while to take in nature and fresh air!
The Only Con
As you can see, the pros for cycling are enough to encourage anyone to dust off that bike hanging in the garage and take it for a ride around town. However, it would help if you understood that cycling is consistently ranking number one for the most dangerous sports, even with a 37 percent reduction in injuries since 1995. Know how to be safe on the road and avoid a deadly encounter with cars!
Wear A Helmet
Helmets are, fortunately, becoming more used by cyclists, but numbers still show that too many people are still riding without them. Even if you are taking your bike on a peaceful ride through the park, you should be protecting yourself with a helmet.
It’s your only line of defense in crashes and is as important as wearing a seatbelt at all times. Not only do helmets save lives, but they also have a recently-exposed link to a reduction in spinal cord injuries.
Ride In The Left Lane
Too often, drivers of cars get frustrated with cyclists who take up a lane on the road and will attempt to speed past the cyclist to turn right rather than waiting patiently behind the cyclist. The left lane is overall safer, as there are fewer turns, and people will more likely switch lanes completely to pass you.
Have A Headlight
Headlights for cyclists are just as crucial as for drivers. Your presence should be known on the road at all times. Otherwise, you risk major injuries. The car is bigger than you, much bigger than that, and invisibility to the drivers is setting up for a disaster.
