Cycle to Work Day
Thursday 5 August marks this year’s Cycle to Work day, and the goal is exactly that – to encourage people to cycle to work.
Cycling – the alternative commute
Statistics from Cycling UK found only 4% of commuter trips were done by bike in England and Wales, and even fewer in Scotland and Northern Ireland. This data is from before the pandemic, and the last 18 months are likely to have had a big impact on how people commute. While many people might still be working from home and some will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, others might be looking for ways to reduce their time on public transport, and therefore cycling could be an alternative means of commuting for them.
Get peddling!
Cycling counts towards our physical activity recommendations (at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week). If you work five days a week, and commute by bike every day, your journey only needs to be 15-minutes each way and you’ve already achieved the weekly recommendation! Of course, the faster you peddle, and the more hills you climb, the more vigorous your activity will be.
Benefits
Regularly participating in physical activity, including cycling, has many benefits for our health, including:1-2
- Reducing risk of cardiovascular disease such as coronary heart disease or high blood pressure
- Improving body composition and helping to achieve or maintain a healthy weight
- Increasing life expectancy
As well as being good for your health, in the long run, cycling to work can be cost effective. Obviously, there are initial costs when purchasing a bike, including the cost of the bike itself as well as other bike equipment and suitable clothing to keep you safe and comfortable when cycling, and some costs involved in maintaining your bike, but over time these should be more cost effective than doing your commute by car or public transport. There are also cycle schemes that employers can sign up to which allow their employees to spread the cost and make savings on a new bike and all the accessories!
More on Cycle to Work Day
Check out the Cycle to Work Day blog, where they have all the answers to those common questions from planning your route, cycling on main roads, and even a cycle to work day checklist.
Love Your Gut
Remember exercise is essential for your gut health and you can learn more about it here: https://loveyourgut.com/help-and-resources/
References
- Oja et al. (2017) Brit J Sports Med 51: 812-817 http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096822
- Chavarrias et al. (2019) Medicina (Kaunas) 55(8): 452. doi:10.3390/medicina55080452