Pedal power: The health benefits of cycling outweigh the risks (by far)

Lisa Rooke
Heart Foundation WA
27

Now if you’re anything like me you’re a little battle-weary from defending your mode of transport in polite… and not-so polite… company.

Things like ‘you’re crazy!’ and ‘that’s so dangerous!’ or just some insult about ‘those guys in lycra’.

Being put on the spot can make even the best of us advocates struggle for words. Thankfully, there has been a heap of great research published this year to help us out. So the next time you’re lost for words - try some of these!

Here’s a few of the latest peer-reviewed articles and blogs that might help as you justify your choices at the office Christmas party or family get-together. Together we can come up with the best comebacks and avoid those awkward times you replay the conversation when you should be drifting off to a peaceful (activity-induced sleep).

Plus there’s a little fun with the last article. Merry Bike-mas!

Pedal power: The health benefits of cycling outweigh the risks (by far) https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2018/12/12/pedal-power-the-health-benefits-of-cycling-outweigh-the-risks-by-far/

·Health benefits of electrically-assisted cycling: a systematic review https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-018-0751-8

·Associations Between Changes in Cycling and All-Cause Mortality Risk https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(18)32010-5/fulltext

· Public support for bicycling and transport policies in inner Sydney, Australia: a cross‐sectional survey https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1753-6405.12791

· Using alternatives to the car and risk of all-cause, cardiovascular and cancer mortality https://heart.bmj.com/content/104/21/1749

·A Cost Benefit Analysis of an Active Travel Intervention with Health and Carbon Emission Reduction Benefits http://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/15/5/962

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3 Comments

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Kat

What a great summary, thank you for posting this!

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Kylie (Your Move)

Hi Lisa, welcome back! Thanks for sharing. I am now overwhelmed with how awesome cycling is and am armed with the many benefits. You have earned bonus points for readability and for inspiring us to reflect on why cycling is worth promoting. Merry Christmas.

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Gavin

I love the Mamil article - I've sent to my colleague who is one of the mentioned rare Mawil's

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