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PEDAL POWER
Cycling has the potential to be one of the most healthy and accessible forms of physical activity as it can so often be integrated into daily life. What other form of exercise has the added advantage of allowing you to combine daily exercise with your daily routine - be it to work, the shops, or just for pleasure? Regular cycling - at a level where you breathe more heavily than normal but are not out of breath - will benefit many aspects of your health
The Benefits of Cycling
Cycling is healthy: regular cycling helps to reduced the risk of heart disease and some forms of cancers, and can help you reduce weight.
Cycling is great exercise: leisurely cycling (around 10 miles an hour) burns calories at the same rate as very brisk walking (faster than 4 miles per hour)
Cycling is convenient and cheap: cycling in your daily life is much more likely to be sustainable in the long term than gym based exercise schemes.
Cycling is green: the bicycle is the most energy efficient mode of road transport.
Cycling just 20 miles a week can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 50%
Cycling for Health
Physical activity is one of the key determinants of good health, and cycling can help protect against
- heart disease,
- strokes,
- diabetics
- and some types of cancers.
Cyclists are healthier than the average motorist and can expect to live longer.
Why swimming is good for you
Swimming is a good sport to take up as it improves the condition of the heart and lungs, and is one of the few ways of getting exercise that improves your all-round fitness and stamina
You can look at it as having all the cardiovascular benefits of running, but with some of the strength-building effects of weight training and some of the suppleness-promoting effects of dance classes.
Swimmers need to know that their resting heart rate decreases 10 beats per minute in water, and maximum heart rate decreases by 10 to 30 beats. The heart puts out just as much blood as in other exercises because it pumps more volume with each stroke, but more slowly. No one is certain why your heart rate decreases in water, but the lower temperature and lesser pull of gravity in water may be the cause. In any case, if you know what your exercise heart rate should be, that number should be lower by at least 10 beats when you swim.
Swimming and Blood Pressure
Swimming on a regular basis, even of moderate intensity, can help reduce high blood pressure in some people. The higher your blood pressure, the greater your risk of developing heart disease or stroke.. Swimming may also help prevent high blood pressure.
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