Excerpt of article in Huffington Post today on the health (and other) benefits of bike riding shows that taking to the wheels can help women lose weight :

“The League of American Bicyclists is the national sponsor of Bike Month — and this week, May 16-20 is the official Bike to Work Week. Biking to work can be a cheaper (no gas, tolls or public transportation fees), greener and, yes, healthier option.

A recent Harvard university study found that biking — even for as little as five minute each day — can stave off weight gain for middle aged women, according to Health.com. The researchers followed more than 19,000 women and found that those who started a five-minute-a-day bike ride routine gained 1.5 fewer pounds than their non-cycling peers over a 16-year period. Those who rode for 30 minutes a day kept off 3.5 more pounds than those who didn’t bike. “Bicycling is an answer to weight control,” lead author Anne Lusk, Ph.D., told Health.com.”

When these peculiar Bay Area spring rains stop, I’m ready to roll because biking is also a great endorphin producer. The fresh air, changing scenery, physical challenge (but not too much) of biking provides the perfect antidote to sitting at a desk all week.

Related articles

• Artists Celebrate National Bike Month (mymodernmet.com)
• “Bike to Work Week: Bike Commuting Tips” and related posts (care2.com)
• Cohousers Bike! May is National Bike Month (cohousingblog.com)
• Bike to Work! (texasgreenreport.wordpress.com)
• It’s National Bike-to-Work Week: Are You Participating? (fitsugar.com)