Health and Fitness

Pedal Health Organization (British spelling) is an Australian site with excellent information on cycling health. I felt that the design could discourage the youngest player, so I decided to provide questions and answers on the site, in the order as the original unless another order seems to be required. Then, my readers can check the original to read more detailed information, to find sources and to seek the excellent table.

Q: What Pedalling health?

A: Pedalling health is an investigation into medical and other research on the value of the exercise, especially walking and cycling.

Q: What are the sources were used in their paper?

A: The authors have carefully documented authoritative sources for each certificate medical check their site to find these sources. In talking about traffic solutions, other sources and / or their own opinions are used.

Q: Who are the authors and what is their origin?

A: They are four Australians: Ian Roberts is a senior lecturer in computer science from the University of Adelaide, Secretary of the Bicycle Federation of Australia, and a member of the State of South Australia bicycle Harry Owen is professor of anesthesia and intensive care at Flinders University, Peter Lumb is a lecturer in social work and public policy at the University of South Australia and Vice President of the Bicycle Institute of South Australia, Colin MacDougall is a lecturer in the Department of Public Health at Flinders University.

Q: Why cycling and walking stressed compared to other years?

A: The authors claim that the exercise must be "moderate, habitual and not seasonal." They conclude that the only activities that fully meet this definition are gardening, walking and cycling. However, they did not discuss the health aspects of gardening or compare the other two. In addition, they stressed that cycling (and walk) could help economically and environmentally. This is a bike to work, school, running errands, and to visit friends could reduce the use and cost of motor vehicles. They also point out that sporting activities or "packaged" exercises that are often recommended for the year actually involve greater risks. And people are more likely to quit.

The bicycle and walking, on the other hand, at low costs for equipment or fees, serve useful purposes every day, are convenient for people with different levels of fitness - including the least-shaped And are attractive to people who are not normally. Special bicycles are still available for people with severe physical disabilities.

Q: What is meant by moderate exercise?

A: This document shows that the exercise to 70% of maximum heart rate is better than exercising at 60%, but said that the year 2000 kCal exercise per week is more important than a few sessions of breath sweat and exercise. The highest level of exercise has not been determined.

Q: Other exercises involve more risk than cycling?

A: Below are the comparative risks of the hospital for sports injuries popular:


Victims / 100 hours
Cycling .005
football .06
basketball .11
squash .13
football .19

Q: Did you say that people who are involved in sports are more likely to quit?

A: Yes, Pedalling Health does not give figures but says that the exercise diminishes with age, both for the population as a whole and for individuals. Cyclists show a smaller decline than those who are involved in sport. Lapsed May athletes have a higher risk than the non-sporting population. Girls in particular are likely to abandon the exercise while activities in their adolescence, and children become inactive adults inactive. A non-sport exercise such as walking or cycling allows everyone to participate throughout the year. In particular, on foot or bicycle to work or school is a normal, everyday activity which should lead to good health. Cycling is also an activity that the elderly can participate in safety without the risk of more vigorous exercises.

Q: Is it really matter if people get enough exercise and how is it important?

A: If you look at the risk of heart disease only for men, be sedentary is equivalent to smoking 20 cigarettes a day, with a systolic pressure over 150 mm Hg, or having a blood cholesterol levels more than 6 , 9 mmol / L. A sedentary lifestyle also promotes coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, obesity and type II diabetes. Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in Australia and has the highest medical costs as well.

Q: What are the benefits of cycling?

A: Cycling on a regular basis

1. lowers cholesterol in the blood.
2. increases the high density lipo-protein/cholesterol rate in the blood as well.
3. reduces the chances of stroke and heart attacks caused by clotting.
4. reduces the chances of diseases caused by high blood pressure.
5. is as effective as medication to reduce hypertension.
6. makes it unlikely obesity thereby reducing the risk of diabetes.

Q: How much exercise is needed?

A: The benefits of regular exercise begins at 800 kCal exercise per week, but 2000 kCal is preferred, that is two and a half to six hours of exercise per week on average for a cyclist.

Q: What are the advantages of greater exercise?

A: The exercise some more measurable benefits as well. The exercise of more than 2000 kcal per week led to a 2/3rds reduction in the number of deaths by heart attack. The risk of death by heart attack is reduced by 20% in 2000 kCal the year, but 6000 kCal year reduction of over 50%. Beyond that, the benefits to stabilize. (6000 kCal would be approximately 18 hours per week for a bike ride cyclist or the shuttle.)

Q: If the exercise is healthy, why not people do more?

A: Two reasons fast, is the amount of time spent watching television and the amount of time spent in motor vehicles, since people only have a lot of time. When asked why they did not exercise more, people in Australia have given the three most common answers: no time 33%, no confidence by 23%, and no desire to 13%. Some reasons for these responses might be people's fears major competitive sports or activities and their fear of injury during training. Also, they may find many activities for the year to be promoted to their nature. High-intensity exercise may require more skill and that many people, especially the elderly and the sick. The chances of injury are more important as well. High intensity exercise can also cause problems of cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, exercise and fitness are currently marketed as products for those whose health is already in decline. Preventive exercise is much more important.

Q: Is there a correlation between longevity and fitness?

A: One third of deaths from coronary heart disease, colon cancer and diabetes are due to physical inactivity.


The physical condition and the mortality rate:
A strong negative correlation
Age-adjusted death rate
All 100,000 cases per year
men's women's skill level
65 40 lowest 20%
Next 25 20 20%
Next 28 14 20%
22 7 20% next
20 10 20%
Q: Is not this kind of table showing only those who are naturally more healthy to live longer?

A: risk of physical inactivity and benefits of exercise are independent 1) high blood pressure, 2) ratios unhealthy fat in the blood and 3) overweight to exercise benefits everyone.

Q: Well, are not most people get enough exercise?

A: In Australia,

# 27% of people are sedentary
# 28% engage in the exercise low (less than 800 kcal or 2 1 / 2 hours of exercise)
# 25% get moderate exercise (more than 800 kcal less than 2000 - 2 1 / 2 to 6 hours)
# 20% obtain optimal exercise (more than 2000 kCal or 6 hours of exercise)

In total, we can say that nearly half the population of Australia are quite inactive to significantly increase their chances of contracting diseases.

Q: But is important that the exercise of its overall health?

A: They are the main causes of death in the USA:

# A combination of all causes 34%
# A sedentary lifestyle 33%
Chronic disease # 16%
# The tobacco and alcohol 8%
# The hypertension and overweight 7%
Family history # 2%

Q: Does that cyclists and pedestrians have proved performed in the simple transport rather than years?

A: A study compared men who happened to walk or bicycle with those who were inactive and found that walkers and cyclists with at least 1000 kCal spending a week had only 42% of coronary heart disease inactive .

Q: Why cycling is a better exercise than walking?

A walk provides exercise for the heart. In a study of Finnish men and women who have freely chosen their own method of exercise, walkers reached 60% of their maximum heart rate, cyclists and reached 70% of their own. Accordingly, cyclists bodies much improved walkers averaged a VO2 max of 38 while the average of 57 cyclists. Cyclists exercise was high enough to achieve a response training, as walkers was not. Cyclists therefore achieved better health benefits of their exercise.

In a controlled study to verify these results, which lasted ten weeks in a group that worked and a group bicycled, cyclists have shown an improvement of 7.3% in VO2 max while walkers showed an improvement of 1 , 6%. On the treadmill test, the cyclists improved by 13% and 9% walkers, although cyclists have started at a higher level.

Q: What is the effect of exercise on specific health problems?

A: To the best blood lipids and lipo-protein profiles:

# It takes at least 1000 Kcal of exercise per week (2-4 hours)
# Benefits to 4500 kcal per week (10-20 hours)
# Exercise and diet have more than twice the earnings of food only change.

To lower blood pressure:

In four weeks, systolic blood pressure decreased by 97 to 88 with three sessions per week and 84 with seven meetings per week. Here are the effects of exercise on blood pressure in men:

# Not 150/80
Moderate # 120/70
Aerobics # 60/30

In type II diabetes, those at high risk are assisted as follows:

# Less than 500 kcal, 47 deaths per 10,000 years
# Less than 2000 kcal, 35 deaths per year 10000
# More than 2000 kcal, 27 deaths per year 10000

For osteoporosis, physical activity has been shown to increase bone density, while inactivity decreases.

Q: We have examined the benefits. What are the problems caused by cycling and walking?

A: First, we must recognize that all forms of prevention and treatment have costs and side effects. For example, drugs used to treat heart disease are also known to cause depression and sudden death. Because the exercise to avoid the problem before it occurs, the costs are much lower. However, exercise can lead to injury.

A study in Australia examined the injuries in hospital and compared the time involved in the activities of the number of injuries. The results showed that football is 38 times, squash is 26 times, basketball is 22 times, and soccer is 12 times more dangerous than bicycles per hour.

It is worth noting that most cyclists are minor injuries. Only .5% of cycling injuries are essential, as opposed to 3% of pedestrians injured. Cycling injuries are less severe than those of other road users.

However, 90% of all injuries substantual cycling are collisions with motor vehicles.

Q: Would you say that, while motor vehicles are the real problem?

A: You can not deny that our concern with the safety of users of motor vehicles has been to the detriment of cyclists. The automobile, in particular, to create three threats: 1. they are dangerous for their occupants, 2. they threaten other road users, and 3. they encourage sedentary lifestyles.

The policy design cars and roads to be safe for users of motor vehicles alone tends to make cycling more dangerous.

Q: Does the risk of motor vehicle collisions equal for all?

A: No, the data show wide variations by age and sex cyclist, the type of road being done, and the age and sex of the operator of motor vehicle. In particular, adolescent and cyclists arteries show a much higher rate of accidents. For over 18 years, the chart shows the arteries as the accident rate over 150 per million hours and well below 50 for non-arteries. For teens, the accident rate is approximately 450 million hours on arterial roads. In 1991 in Australia data, with all age groups, accidents than men outnumber those for girls by two or three to one (however, no attempt was made to compare the number of hours riding or the number of riders between the two sexes). The largest number of deaths from the same investigation is between boys and adolescents. However, other data show that men in Australia to spend four times more time to cycle as women, men and adolescents are 40% of all cyclists.

Q: Are there other benefits for users of the road cycling and walking?

A: The walking and cycling are "non-polluting, non-congesting, non-infringing road, non-threatening, health promotion and environmental sustainability."

Q: What is the biggest risk for a cyclist killed while cycling or dying of heart disease?

A: For Australian cyclists on the road six hours a week, there is a reduction in the risk of heart disease by 85 deaths per 100000 years and an increase in deaths from bicycle 100000 for 19 years. Nevertheless, they still have a mortality rate of 121 per 100000 years from CHD. There are other health benefits to cycling and who do not have exact figures, but they also reduce the mortality rate among cyclists at the same time. Thus, the benefits of cycling far outweigh the risks.

Q: What is the most effective way to reduce deaths bike?

A: When asked this question, Peter Croft, Manager of the Route environmental safety, Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales has identified the reduction of speeds of motor vehicles as the answer. Lowering speed limits would be two results: 1. This would give more time to avoid the accident. 2. It would reduce the impact velocity.

Impact speeds in a collision with a motor vehicle in large part determine whether a cyclist to live or die. Looking collisions between motor vehicles and pedestrians, at impact speeds below 20 mph, only a small number of pedestrians killed, at impact speeds above 30 mph Only about 5% survive. Speed also affects the ability to stop. Between 25 and 50 mph, the distance required to stop three of 60 feet to 180 feet. Thus, accidents are more likely to occur at higher speeds.

An Australian study finds that pedestrian deaths down 60% if the maximum speed of movement have been reduced by 12 mph (20kph).

I strongly recommend reading Pedalling Health or at least look at the excellent table. It is now available from two sources (see the right column of the URL).