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Pedal your way to good health
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Cycling is a good exercise to stay fit. It helps the mental outlook as well.
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CYCLING IS the most efficient means of converting human energy into propulsion. Hundreds of Indians still cycle to school, college and work everyday, but fewer and fewer cycles now ply on city roads. Learning to ride a bicycle is a rite of passage for every child, but interest switches to bikes and cars when we grow older. A pity, given our high fuel prices and air pollution. When we give up our bicycles for petrol guzzlers, most of us do not replace the exercise aspect of cycling-about 240 calories per 10 km. Lean and fit collegians who zip around on cycles soon turn into podgy, pot-bellied adults on smoke-spewing bikes. Why do we stop cycling after 18? Fear of compromising one's status is a big reason. In Scandinavian countries, even royalty ride bicycles in public, but our urban middle class youth and adults think it is beneath them to cycle on city roads. Motorcycles and cars are the modern way of expressing oneself. They deliver a powerful message about the person we want to show ourselves to be. This attitude is a hard nut to crack, despite the fact that modern sports bicycles look as cool as any trendy bike or car. Do it anyway. If LA's extreme BMX riders are any indicator, you will have few followers in the beginning, and more than you know what to do with when the trend catches on.
No time to cycle to work. May be true for people who live farther than 8 km from their workplace. However, cycling (20 kmph) is as quick as - or even faster than - driving to work during rush hour, for distances below 8 km. Besides, what about the time saved on exercise? Feel hot and sweaty after a morning ride? Your average government boss will throw a fit if you take off for a shower as soon as you get to work, but attitudes are shifting in private firms. Look at it this way: if you have no problem with using the toilet at your workplace, there is no reason why you should feel uneasy about showering there. Showers are meant to be used, so develop a thicker hide and use them. Employers with foresight will recognise that fit employees mean lower healthcare costs for the company. Cycles take up little parking space, and the people who use them are more likely to be alert and creative at work. Cycling on city roads is unsafe. True and false. Our roads could certainly be more cycle-friendly, and a cycles-only lane would be a big boost for those who pedal. However, three out of four cyclist fatalities result from head injuries, most of which can be prevented by wearing a cycling helmet. Accidents caused by cyclists are due to faulty brakes, poor visibility of clothing, and not following traffic rules. While a cyclist will always come worse off in accidents with four-wheelers, a helmet, safety gear and a death wish-free brain make him as safe as any biker.
The rise of mountain biking and the popularity of the Tour de France and Lance Armstrong mean that cycling as a fitness sport definitely has a future here. However, it is the everyday little things that will better our lives and the environment. Using the cycle to run errands, to go to work in winter and to go on the occasional long-distance sightseeing trip will do a world of good to your fitness and even to your mental outlook.
RAJIV M.
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