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Statistics Canada reported on bicycling in Canada.
Physical activity, moving, is an important part of a healthy day. That is to say, a good day comes from the workout in nature ideally too. It can come from walking, weightlifting (though hard to do outdoors), and the playing sports.
There are many ways to get it. But there for some, there are limitations in what they can do. For some, that can mean a limitation in the ways in which they are able to handle themselves in a sport where they do not have the skill.
They may have a tendon or ligament injury at the time, or surgery from years prior, that can limit their ability to play the sport with friends. Weight training can be similar, but can also be the source of injury.
As we age, we become less and less able physically and mentally to bounce back from the traumas. In terms of the physical traumas, to muscle, bone, ligament, and the like, we need to keep in mind the limitations of current physicality and of age.
There was a good article with lots of notes by Statistics Canada on the benefits of lower impact exercises found in a regular upright or recumbent biking or bicycling. The article bleakly opened on the note of the level of obesity in the general population.
“In an era when nearly a third of children and youth and just under two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese, cycling for leisure or transport is a valuable form of exercise,” the report stated, Cycling is also good for the environment―commuting by bicycle helps to alleviate road congestion and noise pollution and reduces emissions.”
The benefits are for the health folks and for the environmentally minded. Not everyone is one or the other let alone both. However, there are noted risks with bicycling. Those include the possibilities of crashes.
“Strategies to protect cyclists include infrastructure such as bicycle paths, dedicated bike lanes and traffic calming; side guards for heavy trucks; driver behaviour, with an emphasis on sharing the road; and cyclist behaviour, including increased visibility and helmet use,” Statistics Canada explained.
It has been a rather quiet national debate. However, people care about the environment in a similar way in which they care about the health of themselves in general. One of the main concerns for Canadians is health care. It may be the big one for the population, especially with an aging population approaching the concerns of the Western European and East Asian nations.
The report continued, “Some resist legislated helmet use, at least for adults, on the grounds that helmets offer minimal protection and encourage risk-taking, and that such legislation impinges on personal freedom and reduces ridership; others dispute these claims. Medical, public health and other sectors recommend that all-age helmet use is legislated and enforced across Canada.”
The analysis showed the helmet and bicycle use of the Canadians aged 12 and older in 1994/1995 and 2012/2013. There was also some analysis of the cycling fatalities for the 1994-2012 period.
The behaviors of helmet users and non-user had examination and analysis as well. They were drinking alcohol, getting flu shots, seatbelt use, and smoking. A common and good methodology and analysis to see if people are healthier in their habits in general if they also use something health-wise or not.
“In 2013/2014, an estimated 12 million Canadians (41%) aged 12 or older reported that they had cycled in the previous year,” the article stated, “Cycling was more common at younger ages―82% among 12- to 14-year-olds versus 27% by age 50 or older―and among people in higher-education and -income households.”
Education and income reflect the cycling levels. It also may reflect residence. The neighborhoods with lower traffic due to particular traffic reduction implementations, bicycle paths for the ability to easily bike, and the perception of crime levels.
There may be more crime in some areas, but the individual residents may not feel as though there is as much crime in the area. Men bike more than women. Those in the cities were more probable to bike than the rural folk. It has a certain logic to it.
Although, women reported the amount of traffic as a boundary to full participation in the bicycling world.
“The decrease in cycling was evident in most age groups. Cycling was more common in Quebec (48%) and Manitoba (46%) than in the rest of Canada,” Statistics Canada explained, “It was less common in the Atlantic Provinces (from 18% in Newfoundland and Labrador to 32% in New Brunswick), Saskatchewan and Ontario (both 38%), and Nunavut (23%).”
According to the 2013/2014 estimations, about 7 million people biked in the previous 3 months, which is up about 500,000 people since 1994/1995. Could that be due to the increase in the total population, so a similar percent?
Statistics Canada stated, “Despite this numerical increase, cyclists comprised a diminishing percentage of the population: 24% in 2013/2014 versus 29% in 1994/1995 (Figure 1). Even when the aging population was taken into account, the decrease persisted: if the age structure had remained unchanged during the two decades, an estimated 25% of the population would have reported cycling in 2013/2014.”
With the apparent decrease in the physical activity, it seems important for Canadians to get back on their butts because general health can be improved through some simple aerobic activity on their inside recumbent or on an upright bike down the local bike trail. Do it!
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Image Credits: Pixabay