Health & Fitness
Since its inception, Cycling England has promoted the health benefits of cycling both for young people and for adults.
Unlike team sports, exercise classes or other dedicated forms of activity, cycling can be slotted into everyday life, substituting for the school run or commute to deliver considerable advantages along the way:
Cycling for thirty minutes most days, combined with a reduced calorie intake, can achieve a weight loss equivalent to the reduction achieved by three weekly aerobics classes.
In one recent study, people who cycled to work experienced a 39 per cent lower rate of all-cause mortality. It is the perfect activity for the already overweight or obese, as it provides cardiovascular exercise without putting excess strain on the musculoskeletal system
An important safeguard against health problems like heart disease and cancer, it is unsurprising that improve cycling rates will have an impact on our purse-strings as much as on our waistlines.
Economic modelling commissioned by Cycling England has calculated that a 20 per cent increase in cycling by 2015 would save £107 million in reducing premature deaths, £52 million in lowered NHS costs and £87 million by shrinking absences from work.
Cycling England has also recently produced a report which brings together for the first time much of the existing research into the various health benefits of cycling. The ‘Cycling and Health - What’s the evidence?’ report is designed to be an essential reference guide for health practitioners and provide a solid platform for action. The report can be downloaded as a PDF below, or hard copies can be requested from the press office on 020 7260 2782.
The productivity gains produced by cycling are also likely to be substantial. It is well recognised that physical activity can help mental focus and emotional wellbeing: teachers involved in early-stage Bikeability trials were quick to report that pupils became more alert after cycle training; and a quarter of parents believe that cycling to school has improved their children’s mental development.
