With the help of Mieke, a PT in our State College office, we have organized two biking blogs full of great advice, insights, and facts for those of you who are new to biking in our community. These next two blogs will educate on benefits of biking, on ways to get involved in the local bike scene, on equipment and ways to prevent injury and stay safe.
First and foremost, if you have not been exercising for a long period of time, both Mieke and I recommend that you check in with your doctor to make sure that you are ready to begin an exercise regime. This is so you can really enjoy yourself without worry.
Without further ado, here is part one! Let’s start with 4 benefits of biking.
Biking is a low impact activity.
Biking puts less strain on your body because your body has less impact with the ground beneath you. This is great for many reasons. For example, if someone has arthritis, then the impact of running or walking can be painful at times. With a low impact sport like bicycling, this takes the strain off the joints and can make exercising more comfortable and more enjoyable.
According to Mieke, biking can also "...be great for people to recover from running injuries and for women trying to avoid pelvic floor strain after childbirth." Low impact activities like biking can help you begin exercising after the body has been through a stressful event. It is a gentle way to help heal and get stronger.
Biking is a healthy activity.
Mieke summarizes, "Studies show that biking is good for your body. It can help with memory problems and ADHD in kids. It's great for your heart and can help reduce blood pressure. It can help with weight loss, and it can help prevent some forms of cancer."
Biking is a great way to commute.
Mieke enjoys commuting to work on her bike during the warm weather seasons. She speaks on this positive impact biking has when used for her daily commute: "...(biking) helps me be active on a daily basis, saves on gas and is good for the environment."
Biking is an awesome community activity.
It is great way to connect with your family and friends and your community. Mieke takes advantage of this benefit. "There's nothing more fun than being out in nature biking with your partner, family and/or friends. You can talk while biking, enjoy nature around you and have a fun adventure." When Mieke bikes with her family, she uses Rails to Trails on the Lower Trail. Mieke also has a fantastic time with fellow bikers doing local fat tire mud races, mountain biking, and road biking. There are tons of ways to enjoy biking!
Now that we've learned about the benefits, let's get down to the fun part - getting involved! There are many great trails for solo rides, and there are also many local, welcoming bike groups. Biking will help you connect with nature, and finding friends who are active will help you stay active because it's a hobby you share together. Here are a few ways to connect with our local trails and biking groups:
- You can pick up a map at a bike shop or our visitors bureau in State College for local trails and places to ride.
- Centrebike.org has some reliable resources.
- For road biking: State College Cycling Club has weekly rides for different experience levels.
- For mountain bikers: Nittany Mountain Biking Association offers a weekly ride on Thursdays at 6pm.
- For rides offered by our local bike shops, contact FreezeThaw or The Bicycle Shop for more info.
- For women, there is a beginner's ride adjusted to the newest rider through The Bicycle Shop.
- Also, CRPR is organizing a bike info night for the ladies.
For those of you who are not in the central Pennsylvania region, you can search sites like North American Bicycle Tours and American Trails to find bike groups and bike trails, respectively, for every state. Also, don’t forget to check out a bike shop near you for more information related to your local region.
Lastly, what is just as important as enjoying yourself? Taking care of yourself! The Biking Part 2 blog will feature tips on how to get started. It will answer questions on equipment and on how to enjoy the sport while minimizing injury and strain as well as keeping safe while on the road and trail.
To read more about the health benefits of exercise, please follow these links to scholarly articles: Using Nature and Outdoor to Improve Children's Health, Cardiovascular Benefits of Exercise, and Physical Activity and Cancer Prevention: Etiologic Evidence and Biological Mechanisms.
Please go to our blog for further reading and check out our website to learn more about Atlas Therapy.
