Cycling : Benefits for the Whole Family

 

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I have a very timely guest post about cycling as a family, in collaboration with Evans Cycles.  Miss N and I were chatting this morning about how her  Cycling Proficiency test is due soon, and how confident she is feeling on her bike now.  Going out on your bike is great excercie

The world is in the midst of an obesity crisis, and after years of being warned by health and food experts, both adults and children are tipping the scales at very unhealthy weights. After years of tackling the problem through initiatives like eating five portions of fruit and veg a day and the notorious turkey twizzler-gate, we are still bombarded with images and shocking news stories regarding the health of our nation.

But 12 months after the generation inspiring Olympics, which apparently motivated more children to be athletes than reality television stars; we should ask ourselves, what can we do to kick the health crisis looming over everyone’s shoulders? Well if we take some inspiration from Olympian Bradley Wiggins, there’s always Bike to School Week for the children; but why stop with the children when there’s a whole host of men’s and women’s bikes for you to hop on and join in the fun?

Bike to School Week

The Bike to School Week initiative was devised so every child across the UK could benefit from the support of a bike officer; and for those schools that aren’t signed up, children can benefit as a guide has also been developed for schools to follow.

The programme is then run over a six-week period where events, activities and lessons are given to help children with their cycling knowledge. It’s also a great benefit to children’s health as cycling is an excellent way to exercise. It’s also been proven that children who walk or cycle to school, thus getting some exercise, have a greater ability when it comes to concentrating than children who don’t.[1]

But it’s not just children who can benefit from Bike to School week.

Cycling for adults

As a parent you can also benefit greatly from the Bike to School initiative, as you can take this opportunity to jump on a bike and join your children on the ride to school; providing yourself with an excellent form of exercise.

Cycling is one of the best forms of exercise around due to the numerous benefits it can provide to your health. These benefits include improved cardiovascular fitness and a decreased risk of heart disease. It’s also great for losing weight and building and toning muscles, it can allegedly help increase your life span, strengthen your immune system, improve your coordination and has also been linked with improving mental health.

So with all these benefits to both parent and child, there’s no excuse why you shouldn’t get your family on some bikes and start cycling away.