Cycle your way to stay fit and lose weight

Anew study confirms that cycling is one of the best forms of exercise when it comes to losing weight or keeping trim.

Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, UK, investigated the relationship between this common means of transport and the risk of obesity. They studied 72,999 men and 83,667 women, between the ages of 40 and 60.

Comparing the daily modes of transport of 1,50,000 participants revealed that cycling was one of the most effective forms of exercise.

The researchers found that the most common means of commuting was the car or public transport, used by 64% of men and 61% of women. Active modes of transport such as walking and cycling were used by 23% of men and 24% of women.

Overall, those who didn’t commute to work by car or public transport had lower levels of body fat. Plus, active commuters, who got to work by bikes, had lower BMIs (Body Mass Index) than those who walked to work.

Commuters who favoured cycling had the lowest BMIs. For the average man in the sample cycling to the workplace was associated with a weight difference of 5kg, as compared to driving or using public transport.

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