A Great Way to Get Around AND LOSE weight!

Ever considered riding a bike to school, work, or just around the neighborhood? In Los Angeles, California USA, sales for bicycles has increased by 20% for the past month (June to July 2008 figures). With fuel prices no where close to falling to decent levels, people are increasingly heading to the nearest train station or bus stop to commute.

Did I mention, the bicycle store?

People are buying more bicycles (or freshening up what they have now) in LA . Sales for racks, fenders and other accessories for these two-wheelers are seeing an increasing trend. Riding bicycles are not for ‘health freaks’ nor for people on a shoestring budget anymore.

A really good ‘side-effect’ of riding a bike to wherever is that we expend calories in the process. It’s not rocket science really…Have you ridden a bike on a steep hill? You know what I am talking about. The amount of calories being used is really dependent on your level of exertion and body weight. Estimates for calorie expenditure on a bike hovers around 500-600 calories an hour…Talk about a fat-burning exercise with minimal stress on our knees.

So I am really thinking about getting a new bike and have cycling a part of my exercise program (I am currently brisk walking and jogging, with light weight training).

Getting around with a bicycle AND losing weight is just the right thing with fuel prices reaching record highs.

Get acquainted with practical and safety tips on the road with this clip:

Source:

http://www.bicyclekingdom.com/cycling/calories.html
http://www.latimes.com/features/lifestyle/green/la-fi-pennywise8-2008jul08,0,3470206.story