Bicycle Tour

Many adults only remember riding a bike. They gave it up as they became older. Adults can and should take advantage of bicycle riding to get some exercise. Older folks may want to ride the large tricycle with a basket on the front.

I remember my first bike. It was blue with a bell attached to the handlebars and when you worked the little tab back and forth with your thumb, you would hear a tinny ring. All the kids in my neighborhood had bikes, of course they were two speed bikes, stop and go, unlike the many different bikes that are available now.

I don't remember any of us being overweight back then. We rode bikes rather than watching some silly or violent program on TV. In fact, there was no TV, no McDonald's, no computers, no Gameboys; the only video games we had were pictures in our heads.

During the daylight hours we didn't have many sedentary games. We ran around in the yards playing imaginary games. It was great fun. At night the whole family would sit around the supper table eating and talking. The meal usually consisted of a meat, two or three vegetables, and dessert with tea or milk to drink. No one opted for bottled water, oh yeah, there was no bottled water.

The only time we had hamburgers was on Saturday nights, no fries. Instead of fries we had goulash. During the summer we cooked outdoors on a homemade barbecue pit made out of stone. There were no charcoal, electric, or gas grills, we used wood in the pit.

Some of the neighborhood kids were always invited to eat supper with us on Saturday night. We would eat on a wooden picnic table in the backyard. After supper we would play basketball or horseshoes, or some other game. We got plenty of exercise.

Maybe if we had kept on doing those type of things, we would not have so many lazy and overweight people now. Get some "kids" of all ages together and go for a bike ride at least once a week. When you are riding, maybe along the way you'll ride upon a backyard barbecue pit where you can fix some burgers the old fashion way and pitch a few horseshoes after supper.

There are many reasons people chose to ride a bicycle, but one growing reason is to improve their health. Not only can bicycling help tone leg muscles and burn calories, but there are several other health benefits associated with riding a bike. The following paragraphs will discuss some of these health benefits, as well as provide tips on getting started.

There are several health benefits for those who take out time to bike. In addition to toning and building leg muscles, regular bicycling provides various other health benefits to aid in keeping fit and healthy. Some of these benefits include, but are not limited to boosting aerobic capacity, reduce risk of colon cancer, reduce cholesterol and will help reduce blood pressure.

Boosting your aerobic capacity can be one of the greatest help benefits associated with bicycling. When someone first starts riding a bike regularly, they can sometimes see up to a 20% increase during the first four months of their bicycling. In other words, their heart will be able to deliver oxygen to the body's muscles with more ease, making tasks like climbing the stairs or walking long distances less difficult. Reducing the chances of cancer and reducing cholesterol and blood pressure levels are also great health benefits associated with riding a bike regularly.

Beginning Bicycling Techniques

Many people consider bicycling for better health, yet they do not know how to get started. Getting started in regular bicycling does not have to be hard. The following paragraphs will provide some useful tips to help you get started in bicycling for better health.

Always begin by planning short routes. Bike routes for those just getting started in regular bicycling for good health should be a maximum of 10 -15 miles or around an hour ride time, and rough riding conditions should be avoided. Parks are a good place to ride your bike regularly. By riding in a park, it is easier to think of your regular bike rides as sight seeing adventures, and less like a workout for better health. You should try to ride your regular route at least three times a week. Riding your bike to the store, or to run similar regular errand can also be a good choice of bike route.

The many health benefits of riding a bike regularly should be more than enough to make you consider bicycling for better health. Getting started is easy, and the results are well worth the time and effort.