Cycling To Work Could Help You Live Longer, Say Scientists
Cycling To Work Could Help You Live Longer, Say Scientists
If you needed more reason to take up cycling, science has just found grounds to convince you.
Cycling to work could help you live longer, say scientists and greatly reduces the chance of developing cancer.
According to a major study by the University of Glasgow, who tracked the health of more than a quarter of a million people over five years, a daily bike ride to the office nearly halves the risk of heart disease, lowers the risk of dying early by 40% and reduces the chance of developing cancer by 45%. The goal of the study, published in the British Medical Journal, was to show what kind of impact active travelling had on commuters.
In light of this findings, we must do more to make cycling safer and more popular. For instance, build infrastructure to promote cycling and make it easier for people to commute by bike. Including cycle lanes, city bike hire, have showers at work and possibly make it feasible to carry the bikes in trains.
Maybe we should all take tips from cities like Copenhagen that have prioritised cycling by building bike lanes; tunnels for bikes, so cyclists do not need to pass heavy traffic; and bridges over the harbour to shorten travel time for pedestrians and cyclists. As a result, today, no car or bus can travel faster than a bike through Copenhagen.
In this same study, walking to work was also found to be good for health, although it does not offer the same benefits as taking a bike. Possibly because cycling is a higher intensity exercise whereby bigger distances are covered and cyclists were generally more fit.
Cycling unlike going to the gym takes no effort once it becomes part of your weekly routine. It also has the benefit to relax your mind as you cycle and get you, fitter, as well.
A shift from cars as the major form of transport to and from work, to other more active forms such as cycling, will be both environmentally friendly and increase the health of the population.
