It was just announced that the Obama administration has more than doubled spending on cycling and walking initiatives to $1.2 billion in an effort to coax Americans out of their cars. Hallelujah people, we are on the move!
The number of reported walking trips has more than doubled from 18 billion in 1990 to 42.5 billion in 2009. Bicycling trips saw a similar increase, from 1.7 billion to 4 billion during the same period. “Americans want and need safe alternatives to driving,” said Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, “By making biking and walking safer and more accessible, we’ll be able to provide Americans with more choices and help foster more active, livable communities.”
So ladies, there is no better time than now to channel your inner pedal power. Cycling tones your leg muscles, keeps joints healthy, increases blood flow and lung capacity. And of course, it’s great for burning up the cals.
Ever notice how long and lean cyclists are? That is the goal. Pedaling your two-wheeler is a great workout for your larger lower body muscles. It will strengthen your quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves. Cycling engages your shoulders and arms to tighten and tone without bulking up your upper body. Your core and spine are also at work when you pedal, keeping you balanced on the bike, especially if you challenge yourself on uneven terrain.
Spending time outdoors on a bike is breezy, beautiful and fun. It’s like burning calories without effort. For example a 150 lb women can kill an average of 140 calories for a moderate 20-minute ride. Kick it up a notch and try an intense bike ride and your calorie burn increases to 190 for a 20 minute ride. To really get your body going the best kind of bike workout is an interval ride that combines five minute moderate riding followed by intense three minute sprints for a total of 20 minutes.
Utilizing that infusion of government cash and an Obama inspiration my hometown of Long Beach is making an effort to be the most bike friendly city in the country. Last year they hired cycling, pedestrian and livable communities expert, Charles Gandy as our Mobility coordinator, http://www.charliegandy.com. Soon after Charlie’s installation the city’s transportation department quickly installed these cool green lanes in my local business district, Second Street, called “sharrows”. They are street lanes designed so bicycle riders and automobile drivers can peacefully share the road. Riders no longer have to fear the dreaded driver door ding and car commuters cannot pass bike riders on the road.
More exciting innovations for our fair city, in the next two months Long Beach will be creating Bike Boulevards and Bike Lanes to make it easy to travel from the East side of the city to Downtown. I can make this commute in a speedy 20 minutes each way. That is a good healthy dose of daily cardio! Encourage your local community to do the same. It’s a healthy living biking revolution in the making.
To see what else Long Beach has in store check out http://www.bikelongbeach.org and view the video to the right. Stay tuned as we update Bike Long Beach progress monthly!
