By Vic G George

CYCLING is a great way to get and stay fit. Here are 15 things you should know about cycling and why it is such a good form of exercise to make you fit and feel great.

1. Health professionals recommend that we do 30 minutes of exercise at least five times a week. Cycling is a really good way to do this. It is an easy way to get fit and stay fit. Just 30 minutes of cycling each day will reduce the risk of heart disease by half, the single most-common cause of death. Cycling exercises the heart without putting a strain on it and stimulates good blood circulation. It is estimated that if one third of all short car journeys were made on bike, heart disease rates would fall by between 5 and 10 per cent.

2. Cycling is not just for young people – anyone can get on a bike and cycle. It is for everyone, young or old, the handicapped, and those who are perfectly healthy. It can be relaxing, too – that is if you are not going uphill or pedaling into a very strong wind.

3. Cycling is also great for the environment. If you cycle for half-an-hour each day instead of driving you’ll save approximately 150 to 200kg of carbon dioxide emissions over the year. Cycling is a fantastic and environmentally-friendly way to discover the countryside.

In towns and cities with traffic congestion, cycling can turn out to be twice as fast as driving. And you don’t need to find an expensive parking place. Ten bikes can be parked in the space of one car. In fact, with cycling you burn calories and not carbon. Cycling is clearly the least polluting way of travelling distances. It is estimated that 2kg of carbon are saved for every short journey made on a bike instead of the car. Radical new bicycle designs may mean that more and more people will use them as their primary form of transportation.

4. Riding a bike is a low impact activity, meaning it is one of the safest ways to exercise without putting too much strain on your muscles and joints. For people new to exercise, riding a bike will let them get fit without undue physical strain. Cycling is a non-pharmacological method of lowering blood pressure.

5. Cycling can be a powerful calorie burner. Pedaling at a gentle 12 miles per hour on a flat road uses 450 kcal per hour on average. It is an aerobic activity, except when going uphill. This means if you keep at or below lactate level you will be burning fat and not just carbohydrate. Long, steady, just under lactose-level cycling will therefore burn away your excess fat. But don’t overdo it; if you burn off too much fat you’ll begin to lose muscle, which is not what you want to do as a cyclist.

6. Riding a bike is cheaper than going to the gymnasium in order to keep fit. It is participated by well over a hundred million people around the world.

7. As a sport, cycling is challenging, but that is best left for the fittest and keenest of cyclists. Road racing is a popular global sport that is much televised these days. The Italian Giro, the Tour de France, and the Spanish Vuelta are the three main challenging professional events held annually.

Indoor cycling events held in velodromes are becoming more and more popular with spectators, especially during the Olympics. Mountain biking, too, is becoming more and more popular. Some cyclists are convinced that the top mountain bikers are more fitter than the top road racers.

8. On average, cyclists live two years longer than people who don’t ride a bike. In fact, it is believed by health professionals that regular cyclists in their 30’s and over are as fit as people 10 years younger.

9. Cycling is great for those who only want to cycle for relatively short distances on flat terrain in good weather. This is why it is ideal for kids to keep fit by cycling to school instead of being driven there by car or bus. Compared with the cars used in the school-run, cycling is non-polluting and energy efficient. For kids, it is healthy and fun. It is a great antidote for childhood obesity.

10. For the majority of people, cycling is a stress-free way of keeping physically active. It can easily be incorporated into a daily routine. It is more enjoyable than stressful driving, even over longer distances. Any type of regular exercise is beneficial and cycling is perhaps the best as fewer injuries occur as a result of it – unless you fall off! Always wear a helmet.

11. Regular cycling encourages other healthy behaviour. It stops people from smoking and helps to cut down on bad drinking and eating habits. Cyclists that return from a long ride feel great satisfaction and talk to their friends about it.

12. Cycling not only tones your legs, it is great for your posterior, too. The only downside to cycling is that it can be detrimental to the bones of keen cyclists. They may have significantly lower bone density in their spines compared to those who do a greater variety of exercise. Cycling is a low-impact exercise, so it is good for those with vulnerable joints. But it does not have the weight-bearing impact of activities like aerobics, which helps to build strong bones. Remedy: perform some impact exercises if you cycle a lot and do no other form of exercise.

13. Cycling can be exhilarating, giving you the feeling of speed and freedom. If you go to the gym you could cycle there and back as a warm up and warm down exercise. These days half of all adults do no exercise. One third of adults are clinically obese. Cycling is therefore the perfect way for them to start to get on the long road to losing their excess weight and becoming fit.

Riding a bike improves muscular fitness and blood circulation and forms a valuable part of a weight loss programme. Cycling also keeps weight under control. Cycling for thirty minutes every day, five times a week, at lactose level increases life expectancy, controls weight, reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes, and gives you zest to your life. Studies show that cycling to work gives a 3 to 7 per cent increase in cardiovascular fitness and a 3 per cent fall in body weight over time. It also reduces cholesterol levels by 5 per cent.

If you undertake physical activity like cycling, you can enjoy a more varied diet without increasing your body weight. Cycling also raises the speed of your metabolism for hours afterward, so your body continues to burn fat and calories for hours after the exercise.

14. It is thought that cycling can help people suffering from depression. Endorphins released into the body from the brain while cycling are thought to be as beneficial as drug therapy for mild to moderate cases of the disease.

15. The unique thing about cycling is how it integrates exercise, travel, and a real sense of well-being.

Your ultimate fitness is within reach. Getting fit is not a pipe dream or for those with the perfect genetic make up. If you cycle your way to fitness you will see a new person staring back at you in the mirror.

Vic George has put together a complementary report on cycling and burning fat that will help you solve your weight problem permanently. To access it instantly please visit: [http://www.perfect-health-guide.com/guide-to-losing-fat.html]

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