Most doctors recommend that people engage in aerobic exercise for 30 to 60 minutes, three to five days a week, in order to maintain a sufficient level of overall health. For many people, this means cramming a run or a visit to the gym into your busy schedule, but as it turns out, this may not be your best option.
The belief that going to the gym and jogging on a treadmill are effective workouts is wrong; not only do these inflict stress on our hip, knee, and ankle joints, but they are time-consuming activities that burn fewer calories than other forms of outdoor exercise. What if I told you about an aerobic exercise that could improve your fitness, while also saving you time and money?
Cycling is one of the best aerobic exercises for losing weight, shaping your figure, and enhancing the strength of your lower body. According to a study conducted by the National Forum for Coronary Heart Disease Foundation, cycling regularly can take you to the fitness level of someone 10 years younger, and dramatically reduces the risk of heart diseases.
What about that beer belly you’ve been trying to get rid of? According to research conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, those who bike as few as five minutes a day lose significantly more weight than those who do not.
The benefits don’t stop there. Unlike running and other high impact activities, biking strengthens your hips and knees without stressing your joints. It is unlikely to lead to knee complications such as arthritis and other orthopaedic problems. Cycling could significantly benefit people who have difficulties with mobility, not just those who are overweight or inactive.
Those who bike as few as five minutes a day also lose significantly more weight than those who do not.
Visiting the gym is a time consuming activity — it’s a luxury that can be difficult to fit into a busy day. However, something as simple as biking to work will save you time and money. Not only will you liberate yourself from the gym, but your commute may be faster, not to mention more enjoyable.
Depending on the geographic features of your daily commute, cycling to work could be significantly beneficial in saving you transit time. Even if it doesn’t, the added time would likely be offset by covering your exercise component for the day.
If you need further convincing to embrace your two-wheeled companion, talk with Louis Goddyn, a veteran Burnaby Mountain cyclist. Louis believes that his annual savings from cycling to work total $6,150. That’s a lot of coffee (or paid-off student debt).
But don’t just do it for yourself, do it for the rest of us as well. By doing something as simple as running an errand by biking, we can realize significant savings to our health care system. The more we cycle, the better the infrastructure becomes. The better the infrastructure, the more people cycle. It’s a wonderful positive feedback loop.
If you’d like to live an active lifestyle that saves you time and money, take the plunge and embrace your two wheels.
