Cycling For Healthy Living
Cycling may be seen as a sport, an exercise, recreational activity or a mode of transport. It involves the rider using his feet to peddle the bicycle. Persons involved in cycling are denoted to as cyclists, bikers or less frequently known as bicyclists
Benefits of Cycling
• Cycling will help you reach your destination quicker while providing exercise to most of your core muscles and can be used as a supportive exercise with any sport.
• Cycling stresses out our body resulting in tiredness and ultimately better sleep.
• Cycling improves attentiveness and alertness which will help during long office hours.
• Cycling keeps you fit and thereby make you look less old as well as live longer without trying too hard.
• Cycling also assists in digression and in toning the extra fat accumulated in our bodies.
• It helps increase our stamina and is said to be one of the best ways to have a Healthy Heart.
• It helps in increasing our blood flow across the body thereby boosting all our internal as well as external organs.
• Cycling being a light exercise leads to our body becoming immune to common infections like cold, cough and other basic level diseases.
• Cycling is pollution free, so we can cycle to benefit the world.
• Cycling during pregnancy can help keep a check on the weight gain.
• Cycling is one of the best options to lose weight, especially for those with knee problems.
• You save a lot of money in the long run. Just imagine all the money you could save over Travelling expenses, Doctors fee, fuel, etc.
• No age limits: The young as well as the old can cycle. It can definitely be a good way for the full family to carry out short cycling exercises as well as enjoy cool family time together.
• You won’t feel guilty eating fatty food after all the efforts you put into cycling.
• It’s a good way to do away with sleepiness and feel fresh.
• What better than going for a long ride with your better half – The experience shall be Simply Priceless.
As we all know that for cycling we require a bicycle, thus let us discuss the invention of bicycle.
Celerifere a wooden scooter-like contraption which was believed to be the earliest bicycle invented in France about 1790 by Comte Mede de Sivrac. It had no pedals and steering but it looked similar to a bicycle. The rider would push forward using his feet for running or walking and then glide above the celerifere. An improved version of celerifere known as the laufmaschine means running machine. It was steerable but it did not have pedals and was made of wooden frame. To make the machine go forward the rider had to propel his foot against the ground. Karl Drais von Sauerbronn who was a German Baron was credited with the invention of the laufmaschine. It was exhibited first on 6 April 1818 in Paris. Nicephore Niepce who was an inventor and a French photographer renamed the laufmaschine as velocipede which in Latin means fast foot. In 1800s for all bicycle like inventions velocipede became a popular name. Ernest Michaux a French blacksmith invented the first commercially successful design of the velocipede in 1863. This design included pedals mounted to the rotary wheel hub and cranks. The first company to commercially manufacture velocipedes with pedals was Michaux and company founded by Michaux. The first actually efficient bicycle consisting of large front wheel and small rear wheel rotating on simple tubular frame with rubber tyres was known as the Penny Farthing which is also denoted as Ordinary or High bicycle. It was invented by James Starley a British Engineer in the year 1871. The first safety bicycle in 1885 was designed by John Kemp Starley a British inventor. It had a driver chain to the rear wheel, equal sized two wheels, and steerable front wheel. To the racing Bike, mountain bike, gear bicycle and now the electric cycle.
Always remember to have all the basic safety gear like Bike helmet, Gloves, Safety Vest, elbow and Knee pads etc. Hence get addicted to cycling and become a happier, healthier and ultimately wealthier person.
