Sometimes I fall into the trap of thinking a particular workout is not hard enough and doesn’t make that much of a difference. But I was happy to come across this article recently on Yahoo! News, citing an article that found yet another health benefit to cycling:

“People who cycled 6 miles a week for only six months lowered their insulin level by 19 percent, but walkers who covered the same ground saw no change, a study from the Karolinska Institute finds. (High insulin is tied to weight gain.) Biking works more muscles, amping up fat-burning metabolism, which can keep insulin in check. Pedal the pounds away!”

Six miles seems like almost nothing, and for such a short distance I would have thought that walking might actually be harder, but it’s great to hear of another benefit of cycling. I tried to find a link to the actual study but couldn’t find it.

Here is another article from Bicycling mentioning that even 10 minutes of cycling improves happiness and therefore adds to weight loss:

“A recent study from Bowling Green State University reported that as little as 10 minutes of cycling improved the mood among 21 men and women, compared to a similar group who did nothing during that time.

Feeling happier can help you beat fat by reducing the likelihood that you’ll reach for a mood boost in a pint of ice cream or plow your way through a pizza to burn off the blues after a bad day at work. Cornell University researchers have found that people who are sad tend to not only eat more food but also eat more high-carbohydrate, high-calorie comfort food than those who feel happy.”

Happy riding!