Does a Cycle a Day Keep The Doctor Away ?

Physical inactivity is often sold as one of the big contributing factors to non communicable diseases (NCD’s) such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers. Physical activity has a positive physiological effect on the body by lowering the risk factors for these NCD’s, along with positive psycho-social implications for the individual. However, does the lifestyle choice of being physical active really have a large bearing on developing NCD’s or should we be focussing on a holistic approach towards combating this global health challenge ?  

By having the pleasure of living in Copenhagen, a city with 300km of bike lanes, I am one of the 52% of ‘Copenhageners’ who commute daily by bicycle. The cycling infrastructure is staggeringly impressive, where cyclists have their own traffic signals, there are angled bins at the side of roads, and people handing out free newspapers to passing cyclists. I was also impressed by the fact that it is socially acceptable for all ages and social backgrounds to cycle every day as it is the cheapest and quickest form of transport.