Better Bicycling » Health and the Environment

With an increasing number of overweight Americans, public health officials urge more exercise to counter this trend. The health value of bicycling is well known. For instance, a report from the Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 160, Number 11, June 12, 2000 states Bicycle commuting could save your life. In a prospective study of 13,375 women and 17,285 men, which followed participants for an average 14.5 years, bicycling to work was found to decrease risk of mortality by approximately 40% after controlling for other factors, including leisure time physical activity.

According to the American Heart Association, daily physical activity such as bicycling:

1. Reduces the risk of heart disease by improving blood circulation throughout the body.
   
2. Keeps weight under control.
   
3. Improves blood cholesterol levels.
   
4. Prevents and manages high blood pressure.
   
5. Prevents bone loss.
   
6. Boosts energy level.
   
7. Helps manage stress.
   
8. Releases tension.
   
9. Improves the ability to fall asleep quickly and sleep well.
   
10. Improves self-image.
    
11. Counters anxiety and depression and increases enthusiasm and optimism.
    
12. Increases muscle strength and the ability to do other physical activities.
    
13. Provides a way to share an activity with family and friends.
    
14. Establishes healthy habits in children and counters the conditions (obesity, high blood pressure, etc.) that lead to heart attack and stroke later in life.
    
15. Helps delay or prevent chronic illnesses and diseases associated with aging and maintains quality of life and independence longer.

If good health wasn't enough, bicycling is good for the environment. USDOT, in its National Biking and Walking Study, reports increased bicycling could save considerable amounts of fuel and pollution. Short automobile trips are the most polluting because cold engines on local roads are the least energy efficient. These trips also put the most wear and tear on a car. Fortunately, these are the very type trips bicycling is likely to replace. Think about this when making a visit to a neighbor, a quick stop at a close by store, or a commute to a nearby job.

Communities with bike paths find the paths bring benefits to the social environment too. Their children can range further and safer, neighbors are more likely to meet each other, and the community is made physically more attractive. Bike paths help knit communities.

In short, regular bicycling is good for you and the environment. To learn more about bicycling's relationship to health and environment, follow these links.

Links on Bicycling and Health:

Links on Bicycling and the Environment:

» Master Resources Page