Cycling to Better Health

Simon Usborne, writing for The Independent, relays the benefits of cycling:

Several studies have shown that exercises including cycling make us smarter. Danish scientists who set out to measure the benefits of breakfast and lunch among children found diet helped but that the way pupils travelled to school was far more significant. Those who cycled or walked performed better in tests than those who had travelled by car or public transport, the scientists reported last month. Another study by the University of California in Los Angeles showed that old people who were most active had 5 per cent more grey matter than those who were least active, reducing their risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

[…]

Cycling has even been shown to change the structure of the brain. In 2003, Dr Jay Alberts, a neuroscientist at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute in Ohio, rode a tandem bicycle across the state with a friend who has Parkinson’s to raise awareness of the disease. To the surprise of both riders, the patient showed significant improvements.

It is undeniable that regular exercise has far reaching benefits to individuals and society in general. It always amazes me how far these benefits extend. To be the most effective, activity needs to be integrated into the daily routine of our lives and not a separate activity that needs to be accommodated and scheduled (or ignored). Making places where exercise can occur organically should be one of our highest priorities. That means making places that are walkable and bikable - places where the car exists in harmony with other modes of movement rather than reigning supreme.

Via Planetizen