Bicycling & Your Health

Not Just for Athletes

Bicycling is one of the best ways to fit routine physical activity into your life.  Many people have no interest in being “athletes.”  That’s okay; athleticism isn’t necessary for a healthy life, but regular physical activity which increases your heart rate and works major muscles is.  Bicycling is a low impact exercise which can be done at whatever level works for you.

Live Longer

A study in Copenhagen found that people who regularly biked to work had a 40% lower mortality rate than sedentary people, even when controlling for factors like smoking.  The British Medical Journal found the health benefits of bicycling outweighed the risk by 20-to-1 (and you can reduce your risk to far less than the average by getting properly trained in safe cycling practices).

Reduce Your Risk of Chronic Disease

Routine exercise combined with a healthy diet is of the course the best way to maintain a healthy weight and stave off problems like high blood pressure and diabetes.  The beauty of bicycling is that you can fit it into your routine.  You’re already going to various places around town; rather than drive to a fitness club, why not make some trips by bike and accomplish two things at once?

Bicycling and Your Heart

A study in Australia gave people commuter bicycles in exchange for tracking their usage and health indicators.  One hundred cyclists replaced over 75,000 miles of car trips (that’s an average of only 2 miles per day per cyclist!) and saw significant improvements in coronary risk, cholesterol levels, physical work capacity, (and even job satisfaction!).

Bicycling and Your Lungs

Obviously replacing car trips with bicycle trips means less air pollution in your community, but did you know that bicyclists suffer less from air pollution than motorists do?  Studies from both the U.S. and Europe have found that air pollution actually accumulates to higher levels in passenger compartments than what persons experience outdoors.  In spite of the fact that bicyclists breathe more deeply, motorists actually breathe in more pollutants – in some cases more than twice as much as cyclists on the same streets.  Of course during severe pollution events, all persons should curtail strenuous activity, as well as unnecessary driving.

Bicycling and Cancer

The American Cancer Society says: “One third of all cancer deaths are related to diet and activity factors.”  Many people find that cycling makes them more likely to eat healthy food (it’s hard to imagine getting on the bike after a fat-laden meal!) and can also help them quit smoking, either as a motivator, stress reducer, or just a replacement activity (try smoking and bicycling at the same time!).

Bicycling and Male Impotence

In recent years a few physicians have raised alarms claiming that pressures from sitting on bicycle saddles can lead to impotence for men.  I believe this concern is overblown unless one spends many hours per week on a bike.  The average man who bikes a few miles per day, or even 40 to 60 miles on weekend recreational rides has little to fear, provided he has a good saddle and is properly fitted to his bike.  And when one considers how routine cycling improves overall health — chronic diseases like diabetes are the biggest causes of erectile disfunction — bicycling is really a plus in this regard.