Bicycling At Any Age and Any Weight

If I could take up a (another!) cause it would be MORE bike lanes, more bike and hike paths and eliminate helmet laws.

What?

Did you read that right?

It's a proven fact that in communities without helmet laws, folks are more likely to get out on their bicycle and exercise for fun.

Nothing wrong with helmets and I am sure  a few folks will tell my I am nuts. But helmets should be an option, not a law. Ask any doctor. Most of their bike injuries are broken bones, not heads. Sure you can hit your head and there are car driver bent on killing a bicyclist or anybody in their way, but some things are just like that. Mysteries.

Exercise is a dirty word. Shhh...

But let's face facts. Bicycling out in beautiful nature is loads of fun. You can do it solo or with friends. You can go fast. You can go slow. You can pick your pace. It's easy to stop and rest most anytime.

Thanks to modern technology and (pricey) lithium batteries one can have electric assistance on a bicycle to insure one can keep up the pace or merely have the confidence to get where they're going and find home again. An electric assist can insure you get up that hill that keeps you from riding in the first place.

Bicycling is for all ages. If today's children spent as much time on bicycles as they do on cell phones, electronic games and computers, child obesity would be wiped out. So would a lot of allergies and diabetes, if water is substituted for sugary drinks. Bicycling requires water, so spend the money to figure out how to carry water with you. Even when you return from riding, drink another glass of pure water to make sure you are properly rehydrated.

Bicycling pumps oxygen throughout the entire body. Our bodies crave oxygen! Even a smoker can get out and feel the benefits of bike riding (and leave those cigarettes at home.)

If more folks used bicycles for neighborhood errands, traffic congestion and pollution would be cut dramatically. As a child, my mother wrote up lists and often sent me to the store to fetch things for our household on my bicycle. I thought she bought that cute basket for my bicycle so I could ride around with the cat.

Indeed the cat tolerated exactly one bike ride in that basket. I think he rolled his eyes at me too.

Did you know much of our bad weather is directly related to our record high use of polluting automobiles?

Bicycling is the most efficient mode of human locomotion. Go green. Go on a bicycle.

Bicycling is goof for your heart, lungs, life span longevity, waistline, muscles, coordination, mental health and immune system.

You can improve your brain power, health and happiness.

Cure insomnia. Sedentary insomniacs discovered that when they took up bike riding, they began falling asleep at night rather than laying awake in frustration. They also slept an extra hour on average.

“Exercising outside exposes you to daylight,” explains Professor Jim Horne from Loughborough University’s Sleep Research Center. “This helps get your circadian rhythm back in sync, and also rids your body of cortisol, the stress hormone that can prevent deep, regenerative sleep.”

Scientists at Stanford University have found that cycling regularly can protect your skin against the harmful effects of UV radiation and reduce the signs of ageing. Harley Street dermatologist Dr Christopher Rowland Payne explains: “Increased circulation through exercise delivers oxygen and nutrients to skin cells more effectively, while flushing harmful toxins out. Exercise also creates an ideal environment within the body to optimize collagen production, helping reduce the appearance of wrinkles and speed up the healing process.”

WOW, look younger. Ride a bicycle!

According to experts from Bristol University, the benefits of cycling extend deep into your core. “Physical activity helps decrease the time it takes food to move through the large intestine, limiting the amount of water absorbed back into your body and leaving you with softer stools, which are easier to pass,” explains Harley Street gastroenterologist Dr Ana Raimundo.

This is a great article about a delicate subject:
How to Ride a Bike: A Guide for Fat Cyclists
Dr Charlotte Cooper
Psychotherapist, Cultural Worker, Para-academic

Off to ride my Day 6 bicycle and see the world!

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