How healthy is cycling?

"Cycling is excellent exercise. It helps people meet recommended
physical activity guidelines, improves mental health and well-being, and
reduces the risk of premature death and ill-health. It also fits into
daily routines better than many other forms of exercise, because it
doubles up as transport to work, school or the shops etc. - and it's
much cheaper than going to the gym!"

Here’s some facts from our briefing on cycling and health:

"People who cycle regularly in mid-adulthood typically enjoy a level of
fitness equivalent to someone 10 years younger and their life expectancy
is two years above the average;
On average, regular cycle commuters take more than one day per year less
off sick than colleagues who do not cycle to work.
People who don't cycle-commute regularly have a 39% higher mortality
rate than those who do;
The health benefits of cycling outweigh the injury risks by between 13:1
and 415:1, according to various studies. The figure that is most often
quoted is 20:1 (life years gained due to the benefits of cycling v the
life-years lost through injuries);
Boys aged 10-16 who cycle regularly to school are 30% more likely to
meet recommended fitness levels, while girls who cycle are 7 times more
likely to do so;"

http://www.ctc.org.uk/resources/ctc-...statistics#How many people
cycle and how often?
--
Bod

On Sunday, 2 August 2015 09:52:11 UTC+1, Bod wrote:

The health benefits of cycling outweigh the injury risks by between 13:1
and 415:1, according to various studies. The figure that is most often
quoted is 20:1 (life years gained due to the benefits of cycling v the
life-years lost through injuries);

Indeed - as I used to say to my obese driver workmates when they asked me if I thought cycling to work was dangerous.

"It's dangerous NOT to!"