In recent times, science has (re) discovering the benefits of moderate physical activity on our health: in a world that is increasingly quick and in which we have less and less time to devote to ourselves, we have seen that even just work on the computer, standing standing or going down two stops first from the bus going to the office to find positive effects on our health.
Home-work. About the home-work journey, a new study published on Experimental Physiology It highlights the positive effects on cardiovascular health of those who choose to move by bicycle instead of in the car. «We have all heard of the 10,000 steps per day rule. With our studio we wanted to discover its equivalent on two wheels – a minimum distance to be followed by bicycle to find a positive effect on health “, explains Federico Formenti, honorary professor at King’s College London (United Kingdom) and responsible for the project.
It is good for the heart (and the environment). The researchers compared two groups of commuters-26 cyclists and 31 motorists-who traveled at least three times a week a house-work journey of about 4 km per section.
Analyzing several indicators of cardiometabolic well -being, it emerged that the heart of those who pedaling was on average a 30% healthier than that of those who drive the car, and that, with the same weight, the cyclists had a greater amount of lean mass.
The bicycle routes, as it is easily intuitive, are also more ecological, and reduce CO2 emissions by 12 times than those in the car (non -electric) – not to mention that, as Formenti recalls, “the more people pedal, the less people guide and the better the quality of the air”.
It takes little. The real “discovery” is what little is enough to remain in the form by pedaling: “I thought that pedaling in the plain for only 8 km, three times a week, at a speed of about 15 km/h represented an insufficient physiological stimulus to detect health benefits”, comments Formenti.
“From the results it emerges that also a moderate physical activity and limited to a few days a week is enough to improve our health.”
The importance of the cycle paths. The researchers are keen to underline the importance of the development of cycle networks in our cities to encourage citizens’ bicycle movements:
“The development of cycle networks also with limited radius less than 5 km is potentially sufficient to improve health, therefore to reduce healthcare costs, and certainly effective in reducing city traffic, an effect already widely demonstrated in the cities of European states such as Holland and Denmark”, underlines the architect Caterina Ursella, one of the authors.
«A tip: don’t worry too much about having your hair in order in the workplace. Insecure the helmet, dispel and pedal! », He jokes Formenti, who – we asked him – is a commuter cyclist since 2006.
“In the last three years of work I have counted only one day of absence due to illness, so I would say that a few drops of rain does not erase the benefits of those daily pedal minutes,” he concludes.