Health Benefits of Bike Riding

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Health Benefits of Bike Riding

• Riding for Your Body Mind

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Health Fitness Benefits
One reason for Americans sedentary lifestyle is
that walking and cycling have been replaced by
automobile travel for all but the shortest
distances --Journal of the American Medical
Association, October 27, 1999
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Benefits Overview

• Improved cardiovascular fitness
• More active lifestyle
• Clean air
• Ease of incorporating it into your life
• Stronger immune system
• Better sleep

• Increased joint movement and less pounding
• Stress reduction
• Reduced back pain
• Exposure to sunlight
• Sweating
• Weight loss and fitness
• Increased energy level

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Health Benefit

• Improves Cardiovascular Fitness
• Strengthens the heart
• Increased circulation carries oxygen-rich blood
  to muscles
• Heavy breathing increases oxygen intake
• Reduces chance of heart disease
• Increases protection from high blood pressure and
  diabetes

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Health Benefit

• Gives Body Fast Energetic Workout
• Shaping, toning, firming of thighs, calf muscles
  and pelvis
• Fat replaced by muscle
• May reduce cellulite from thighs
• Less stress on knees ankles than
• running and aerobic exercises

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Calories Burned
Activity (1 hr) 130 lbs 150 lbs 190 lbs 225 lbs
Aerobics 354 422 518 621
Basketball 472 563 690 837
Bicycling, light effort 354 422 518 593
Bicycling, moderate effort 472 563 690 891
Bicycling, vigorous effort 590 704 863 1080
Running, 10 min mile 590 704 863 1026
Running, 5.5 min mile 1062 1267 1553 1836
Walking, slow pace 148 176 218 284
Walking, moderate pace 207 246 343 445
Walking, very brisk pace 236 281 402 526
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Health Benefit

• Stress Reduction from Moderate Exercise
• Enhanced self-esteem
• Relief from mild to moderate depression
• Increases mental health
• Decrease anxiety
• Fun exercise!

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Rx Physical Activity
Physical activity can play a key role in helping people feel better. It can improve mood and reduce anxiety. --Louis Appleby, DOH
If we could package exercise up in a pill form it would be the single most widely prescribed medication in the world because it does so much for everybody. --Dr. Miriam Nelson, Tufts University
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More Benefits

• Exposure to Sunlight
• Vitamin D from 15 minutes/day may help prevent
  prostate cancer, breast cancer, and osteoporosis

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Why Cycling?

• All exercise is beneficial but cycling is
• especially beneficial because its
• transportation and a work-out rolled into one!

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Why Active Transportation?

• For your Body
• For your Community Clean Air
• For your Pocketbook

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Why Do Active Transportation?Walking and Biking

• Enhanced employee recruitment, retention and
  satisfaction
• Healthier employees Increased productivity
• Reduced employee demand for parking
• Reduced health insurance rates and medical
  expenses
• Improved environmental quality
• Improved accessibility to worksite less
  congestion
• Improved image for NOAA and community

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Selected Resources
Centers for Disease Control www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/sgr/chap4.htm
The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center www.bicyclinginfo.org/hf/
Healthy Transportation Network www.healthytransportation.net
Active Transport www.activetransportation.org
Commuter Page www.commuterpage.com
Commute By Bike http//commutebybike.com/
Sacramento Transportation Management Association http//www.sacramento-tma.org/Bicycling.htmFive_Keys_to_Commuting
Pennsylvania's Bicycle Driver's Manual http//www.dot.state.pa.us/
Health Benefits of Bike Riding for your Body and Mind. eMedicine Health, WebMD, March 2008.
National Safety Council. Fact Sheet Library 2001.
League of American Bicyclists bikeleague.org/programs/index.php