Can Bicycling Save Your Life? Start by putting your heart first.
Did You Know?
- 3 hours of bicycling per week can reduce a person's risk of heart disease and stroke by 50%? (League of American Bicyclists).
- Moderate bicycling can burns 600 calories per hour for the average person Been away from bicycle riding for a while? No problem - your proficiency comes back quickly. Why do you think they say "It's just like riding a bike!"
Ways to incorporate bicycling into your lifestyle
1. Replace a bike ride with one of your normal driving routines.
Did you know that across the U.S., households take an average of 11 car trips per day, but only 20 percent are work related? And 60% of car trips are 3 miles or less?
This means we have lots of opportunities to replace one or more trips per day with our bikes such as riding to the store for milk, riding to a neighbors house for coffee, or riding to see your kid's game. You'd be surprised how fast you can reach 3 hours of riding.
2. Commuting by bicycle to your work, train or bus stop.
If your daily commute is 4 miles each way, at an average of 12 miles per hour, your ride would take just 20 minutes, and never break a sweat.
Plus, commuting by bike helps the environment by reducing pollution, smog and global warming. But more importantly, biking to work is a great way to start and end every day with an invigorating and mind-cleansing routine
3. Take a bicycle tour or rent bicycles next time you go on vacation.
Instead of a car or bus tour, use a bicycle for a more rewarding and memorable way of experiencing the places you vacation. Exploring by bike is a much more intimate way to see a new area, allowing you to stop more often and look more closely at the people and places your visiting.
Where to Ride?
Recently, the US government pledged over $1 Billion to help improve walking and biking trails around the US. From the successful rail-to-trail that turn old rail lines into walking and biking paths, to bike lanes and paths around parks and recreation areas, biking is more accessible than you think. Like to go off road? From coast to coast, the US has mountain bike clubs and organizations committed to creating and preserving trail networks. There are also more than 160 US ski areas that open trails to mountain bikers in the summer, with nearly 90 of these offering chair lift service for cyclists.