Loosenutz - On Yer Bike Campaign

Lets face it - we all know we need to exercise. The benefits of exercise need no explanation and neither do the consequences of not exercising yet according to the Health Survey for England, 60% of men and 70% of women are not active enough to benefit their health. How many of your family, friends, colleagues or even your children take part in regular exercise ? (and I'm not talking about walking to the off-licence for a change - although it would help).

Young people are increasingly less active too -the National Diet and Nutrition Survey in 1999 found that 40% of young males and 60% of young females do not meet the recommended hour a day of physical activity and as a direct result, treating obesity now costs the NHS at least £ 1 /2 billion a year.

Image source:National Cycling Strategy. Modern day life does not make it easy to fit a regular exercise program into our busy lives. With a young family, a demanding job, a house mid-renovation and a garden that you could easily lose a shopping trolley in, I understand how precious your spare time can be and it isn't easy to find the time or maybe even the motivation to get off the sofa and get fit, BUT what we all need to remember is this - improving your fitness not only increases your life expectancy it significantly reduces obesity, the risk of strokes, coronary heart disease (CHD), certain types of cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis... and the list goes on.

Gone are the days of the 'No pain - No gain' attitude to exercise. Exercise should be fun and what better way to get fit than riding your bike. Loosenutz organise regular rides in and round the North East of England with the emphasis on fun and if you want to join us then keep your eye on our [News] page for details of up and coming rides. If you don't see the type of ride you're looking for then drop us an e-mail and we'll either sort one out for you or try and put you in touch with someone who offers what you're looking for. Check out our [Past Trex] page and try some of our routes for yourself or if you've got a favourite route of your own then get in touch and we'll share it with the rest of the world.

Cycling has the potential to be one of the most accessible form of physical activity and can so easily be integrated into everyday life. Regular cycling - at a level where the cyclist breathes more heavily that usual (but is not out of breath) - will benefit many aspects of general health and wellbeing. The result ? - Active people live longer. Countless studies have shown that the risk of premature death is lowest among those who are physically active and better still, the greatest benefit from increasing physical activity is gained by those who are least active to start with. Daily cycling, for example riding to work, is sufficient to lead to significant health benefits and the Copenhagen Heart Study (2000) concluded that those who did not cycle to work experienced a 39% higher mortality rate than those who did. There are also benefits for mental health, with evidence of reduced depression and stress, improved self- esteem and confidence in performing physical tasks.

Now, where did I leave that pie?