Exercise Bike?

So you know you want to buy some type of home exercise equipment - but why buy an exercise bike?

One of the top benefits of exercise bikes is that they are probably the most affordable piece of exercise equipment on the market right now. Starting around $200 and ranging up to $2500, exercise bikes offer a huge variety of models for every price range and every exercise level.

It is however advisable to keep in mind that you will get what you pay for with an exercise bike. Don't expect a $200 exercise bike to come with all of the bells and whistles and last you over 3 years. However if you are on a budget, an exercise bike is a great way to get in shape for less.

Another great benefit of exercise bikes is that they provide a much lower impact on your joints and ligaments than other piece of exercise equipment like a treadmill or stair climber. This can result in less chance of sustained injury over time and can also be great for people with joint problems, arthritis, etc.

Another recent factor that has made the exercise bikes much more comfortable to use is the introduction of the recumbent exercise bike - where you sit in a semi-reclined bucket seat with your legs angled out in front of you instead of hanging down.

Until the recumbent bike came along, many people just weren't comfortable on the standard upright bike seat. The recumbent exercise bike allows people to get a much more comfortable workout - which means that they can exercise for longer periods of time.

Exercise bikes can also be much safer than other forms of exercise equipment. You can slip and fall on a treadmill. You can lose your balance on an elliptical trainer. It's much more difficult to fall off or injury yourself on an exercise bike. This makes the exercise bike a great alternative for the elderly exerciser or someone who is new to exercise equipment in general.

Another factor that makes the exercise bike so popular in home gyms is the fact that (with a recumbent bike) you can read while you're exercising. Boredom is one of the main reasons people don't exercise. So instead of forcing yourself to trudge through your workout, why not choose a piece of exercise equipment that's going to allow you to multitask and do what you want while working out?

Read your favorite magazine or the latest murder mystery novel. Set the exercise bike up in front of the television and watch your favorite show while pedalling. Time will fly by and you won't even know you've been blasting those calories!

This leads into what is perhaps the best benefit of an exercise bike. Because exercise bikes are so affordable, comfortable, low impact and safe - and because they allow you to fight boredom while exercising - the chances that you'll use it are extremely high.

No one wants to spend a lot of hard earned cash a piece of fancy exercise equipment and then use it for a clothes rack. You want to be able to stay fit, burn calories and keep healthy by working out. But if you buy a machine that you never use, all of your best intentions have gone to waste.

Because of the great benefits of exercise bikes, many people find that they not only use them for years to come but they also end up exercising much more than they thought they would.

60+ Benefits (Advantages) of Bicycling

1. On-going use of a bicycle has virtually NO carbon footprint.
2. You will be a leader in your community.
3. Bicycles increase mobility for those who don't have access to motor transport.
4. Bikes increase mobility for those who don't qualify to drive a car.
5. Bicycles increase mobility for those who can't afford motor transport.
6. Bikes increase mobility for those who don't want to drive motor vehicles.
7. Bicycling can be faster than walking, transit or motor vehicles.
8. Bicycling is the most energy efficient form of transportation ever invented.
9. You get healthy exercise from bicycling.
10. Save travel money by biking. If the switch is from a car this includes purchase price, gas, tires, fluids, insurance, maintenance, washing, parking, etc.
11. Reduce stress by bicycling.
12. Biking is therapeutic for the mind and spirit -- is fun and can make you happy.
13. Cycling is therapeutic for the cardio-vascular system, live healthier.
14. Regular cycling provides better muscle tone, bone mass improvement, clearer skin
15. Regular bicycling helps with personal weight management -- new full-time bicycle commuters can expect to lose an average 13 pounds their first year of bicycle commuting if they maintain the same eating habits.
16. Bicycling is a great initial activity for people who are obese and help them on their way to a healthier life.
17. Regular cycling can lead to lower health care expenses -- save money for a nicer vacation.
18. Allows the rider to appreciate the more of the nuances of the natural and built environment around them.
19. Your commute will be the best part of your day instead of the worst part of your day.
20. The exercise increase your productivity at work
21. Cycling improves your self-esteem.
22. Primary school students will thing you are "cool" or "hip" or "neat" or "rad" or whatever the current term is. In time even older people might come to appreciate your leadership.
23. Save on the membership to a health club, get your exercise bicycling to work, school, shopping, etc.
24. Bicycling is nearly a life-long activity.
25. Bicycling is a great full family and friends activity.
26. Cycling is low impact on the body.
27. Cycling is low impact on the environment
28. Bicycling in your neighborhood is a great way to meet your neighbors and build community.
29. Camaraderie of cyclists makes it a great way to meet a nice stranger with a similar interest.
30. Bicyclist can ignore the highway traffic jam reports.
31. Feel the satisfaction (liberation, freedom) of biking past a traffic jam in the bike lane.
32. Predictable commute time.
33. Easier parking.
34. Cheaper parking.
35. Leaving your car at home provide a parking space for someone less fortunate.
36. If you are lazy, your bicycle provides door-to-door transport (you don't have to walk across a vast parking lot).
37. Reduces the demand for new roads and paving the earth with asphalt and concrete.
38. Reduces the demand for parking lots and paving the earth.
39. Reduces energy consumption (see below).
40. Reduces air pollution -- bicyclist emit few poisonous gases. A four mile bicycle trip keeps about 15 pounds of pollutants out of the air we breathe.
41. Reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
42. Reduces water pollution -- bikes don't drip brake fluid, anti-freeze, transmission fluid, toxic dust, etc.
43. Reduces noise pollution -- even without a muffler bikes are quiet, creating a quieter community.
44. Reduces road wear -- even if cyclist feel like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders.
45. Reduces deforestation for planting of rubber plantations, because bicycles use very little rubber.
46. Reduces crime -- a huge amount of crime is associated with access to motor vehicles.
47. Reduces road kill and saves animals.
48. Demonstrates a concern for the future -- walk (ride) your talk.
49. Prevent and protest the sanctioned murder of innocent responsible citizens (homicide by motor-vehicle).
50. Bikes small profile reduces congestion.
51. Easy to vary your route by bicycle.
52. Increased bike use generates bike facilities which increase property values.
53. Bicycling gives you more fresh air than a sauna and you can still sweat and clean your pores
54. Bike Commuting is a license to dress weird and still feel smug.
55. Urban cycling keeps you humble.
56. Bicycling can be enjoyed in a wide variety of topography.
57. Cycling can be enjoyed in a wide variety of climates
58. Bicycles are a great means to see the world.
59. Bicycling is cool.
60. Biking Is Fun.

http://www.ibike.org/encouragement/benefits.htm

best regards,

CDTRF