Biking daily may reduce weight gain in women!

Article by: Dr Zoe Arugay

Ladies, Usher loves biking!
Photo: Fame Pictures

Ever thought of going on a strict diet regimen and saying goodbye to mouthwatering goodies? No worries, ladies, all you need is a pair of wheels!

A new study has surfaced that biking for as little as five minutes a day can help women reduce weight gain as they enter middle age, especially if the subjects are overweight, to start with.

According to the new found study, which has been conducted on more than 18,000 premenopausal women ranging from ages 25 and 42, for 16 years has gained an average of 20.5 pounds.

Over the course of the study, women who spent around 5 minutes a day biking had a weight gain of 1.5 fewer pounds than those who didn't engage in the said activity, researchers have discovered. And women who increased their daily biking by 30 minutes kept even more weight off, and gained around 3.5 lesser pounds compared to those whose biking habits remained the same.

Dr. Anne Lusk, the lead author of the study and a research fellow in nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, says, "Bicycling is an answer to weight control. Walking is not necessarily an answer unless the person is walking briskly."

Further studies reveal that women who were overweight or obese at the beginning had better results than normal weight women who increased their biking for 30 minutes.

Current guidelines suggest that adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise on most days of the week, where studies show that women are well below the mark.

Studies also explain that inactivity is not the primary cause of rapid weight gain but the physical surroundings as well.

For instance, while most cities have embraced walking and biking by adding sidewalks and bike lanes, in the U.S., emphasis has been mainly on the walking environment.

According to gathered data, nine percent of commuters in the U.S. walk to work and 0.5 percent bike. Wherein contrary to the Netherlands where the roads are bike-friendly, 27 percent bike compared to 22 percent who walk to work.

Experts suggest that infrastructure or facilities should be provided to encourage more people to bike.

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