This post was most recently updated on July 9th, 2019
Whether the bike or the motorcycle is your vehicle of choice, cycling can be great for those who love the thrill of the open road and getting out on it. What many motorcyclists and cyclists might not know about these activities is that they actually have a pretty considerable impact on your physical fitness!
While hitting the gym or going for a hike are very important ways to stay healthy consistently, cycling and motorcycling can also do good to the body. And, if you need the statistics to back it up, here’s why you might want to skip the gym some days and head for the road instead.
Adding Hours to Your Life
It might sound like a bit of an old wives tale, but according to David Spiegelhalter, the Winston Professor of Risk at Cambridge University, it’s very much the case. According to Spiegelhalter’s research, for every hour that is spent riding down the road by bike, about an hour is added to the life of the cyclist. Given the number of hours some cyclists put into riding, this equates to an increased life expectancy of about two years.
Lowering Your Risk
Cycling to work might be something that many people do simply for pleasure, but this fun activity can easily increase your longevity. According to a study by the University of Glasgow in The British Medical Journal, the health of 250,000 people was tracked over 5 years. Of these people, it was determined that among cyclists there were 37 deaths during the period. However, the findings suggest that 63 would have died if they used a car or other transportation to commute.
Improving the Environment by Cycling
It might be a little less noticeable than other impacts of riding to work, but cycling can be better for the local environment too! Because the carbon footprint of bikes is minimal, it has an impact, however small, on air quality and the environment we inhabit. According to the European Cyclists Federation, 271g of carbon dioxide is emitted by cars as opposed to 21g by bicycles, making for a marked difference in the air we breathe.
Safety in Rising Numbers
As more people embrace the art of cycling and take the long road to work, it’s also statistically proven that this alone contributes to a decrease in injury or death while cycling. Fortunately, as roads are better adapted to cyclists, the systems, and pathways that service bicycles are made safer and more accessible. For example, in the city of Copenhagen, a study between 1995 and 2006 determined that trips by bike increased by 44 percent while the number of cyclists injured or killed dropped by 60 percent.
Easing the Healthcare Burden
It goes without saying that having a large population in their senior years in the short-term future will be burdensome for the healthcare system. But, according to a study by Transport for London, it was determined that cycling for just 20 minutes each day can drastically reduce the costs to the National Health Service. And, while this may not mean a lot to the average cyclist, researchers also estimated that there would be approximately 85,000 fewer hip fracture treatments over a 25-year period.
Stimulating Sales
Getting in a daily dose of exercise through cycling is certainly a good way to keep the doctor away, but there is also a bounty of economic benefits associated with bicycles and cycling. In the United Kingdom in 2010, there were approximately 23,000 employed either in the distribution or sales of bicycles, making it an industry that holds weight. With approximately $662 million in wages created as a direct result, it provides a significant boost to the local economy.
Predicting the Future
According to a statistic from Cycling UK, the future also bodes well for this sometimes-leisured activity. For example, if the use of cycling as a means of transportation increases from its current 2% to 10% by 2025 and 25% by 2050, the benefits would be worth $328 billion between 2015 and 2050. Adjusted for inflation, that’s approximately $56 billion annually!
A Little Extra Calorie Burning
There are certainly quite a few things to be said for cycling, and the statistics to back them up, but being on a motorcycle has health benefits of its own. It’s worth being aware that riding a motorbike won’t get you in the best shape of your life alone, but a 180-pound man can burn 40 more calories riding a motorcycle then he would behind the wheel of a car. Given the dexterity it can take to manage a motorcycle, it’s no surprise that there’s a bit of added benefit.
It’s not difficult to see why taking your bike out or going out on the road on your motorcycle can be a great choice for your health and well-being. Plus, it’s just a lot of fun to explore via cycling. But, if you need some added inspiration, you might want to consider shopping around for a new road bike or even adding some new motorcycle adventure products to further inspire a passion for the road.
About The Author:
Jessica D is a traveler by heart. Along with frequently penning down her thoughts related to the travel experiences, she is an avid biker and an expert reviewer of motorcycle adventure products too. https://www.frontrunneroutfitters.com/
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Wow! Great Post
A bike is the best way to travel. It’s cheap, easy and fun! Cycling helps you stay fit while traveling. You can explore new places, meet new people and get a lot of exercise in at the same time. In addition it’s good for your health as well as your environment since it reduces pollution