On Yer Bike Mum!
Source: Sustrans
News Posted: 3 Mar 2008
OK Mums, your day of rest is now over. And right on cue, transport charity Sustrans has a new info sheet designed to help women everywhere get more active, and ditch stressful hectic lifestyles for active ones...
Mother's Day is traditionally the one day when women are told to relax but Sustrans says all women can enjoy better health by being more active the rest of the year.
The UK's leading sustainable transport charity released its Active travel and women's health information sheet today, which explains why mothers, grandmothers and daughters all need to be physically active.
Nearly three quarters of women fail to reach the minimum recommended levels of physical activity, exposing themselves to potential health problems including heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer and depression.
Making everyday journeys by walking or cycling for the school trip, to work, the shops or visiting family instead of relying on the car is the easiest way for women to achieve the recommended 30 minutes of activity on most days of the week, the information sheet concludes.
National Active Travel co-ordinator Rachel Bromley said: "Mums will deservedly get the chance to put their feet up on Mother's Day, but we shouldn't confuse an active lifestyle with a hectic and stressful one. The evidence we have pulled together shows how important it is that women include activity in their lives ? and that walking and cycling are easy ways to do this."
Mum-of-two Julie Treanor made the most of Sustrans' bike loan scheme in Luton so her daughter Danielle, aged ten, could pedal her way to a healthier weight.
Ms Treanor, aged 42, said: "The kids were chuffed to bits with the bikes and we regularly cycle to the park. Danielle has lost 9lbs and feels a lot better about herself, and I have lowered my high blood pressure. It's a great way to use up energy as a family because my main form of exercise used to be running around after the kids."
Grandmother Vivien Perks discovered the health benefits of regular exercise after joining Sustrans' Pedal Back the Years group in Cornwall five years ago.
Mrs Perks, aged 63, who now leads the cycle group, said: "I used to suffer from headaches and poor circulation, especially in the cold weather, and would get chilblains and blue hands. I had a bike in my shed but was terrified of going beyond my driveway so joining a group was the perfect way to gain the confidence to get fit.
"Sometimes when you go out in the wind and rain you think 'why am I doing this?', but you invariably come back feeling so much more energetic and happier."
The Active travel and women's health information sheet reviews evidence regarding the benefits of physical activity for women. It concludes that physical activity is vital for all women to improve their health and quality of life.
Active travel and women's health is the latest in a series of publications aimed at decision makers from health care professionals to transport planners. Copies can also be downloaded at www.activetravel.org.uk
Further information about Sustrans, including other news releases and detailed online route mapping, is available through our website: www.sustrans.org.uk
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