Proof Motorcycling makes you Fit of mind and body

Sort of a tangent from RVFR's " WTH is.... " thread where wifes don't see why we need to ride and Dr Phils name is invoked to help why not focus on the positive benifets we hold to be true.

I've always felt that a great days ride makes me feel physically fitter and much happier inside reading our latest arrived copy of imported UK Mag BiKE have just read two interesting articles titled " Ride yourself fitter " & " Can motorcycling make you Happy " where they set about finding out if what we've felt to be true is in fact true and utilise help from Trent Universities physiologists to prove their case.

1) " Ride yourself fitter "
They set out and actually proved by scientific means and found that just 3 hours of ordinary riding is equivalent in burning calories to 3 hours of steady walking. Not a bad comparison and one thats easy for everyone to understand.

Yay,hunny I'm just off to burn some calories with a 8 hours walk equivalent, fact is I like sticking to back roads and like moving around the bike in corners if not for necessity but just for fun, my missus has also commented many times I've looked particularly buff after a good days ride. :biggrin:

2) " Can motorcycling make you happy "
Being Happy just riding is not new to any motorcyclist, to many it is
why we ride bikes they proved their case in 3 ways.

a) Risk - the brain has evolved to reward risk taking but our modern
society has become so safe and dull the chemicals released with
adrenaline are rarely used these days but are very important to our
well being in order to stave off depression.

b) Light - Modern living means most people don't get enough exposure
to the sky, Light suppresses a chemical melatonin which makes us dopey
which in some can border on depression... ( probably not as
important in Oz or the USA as Blighty but if it supports riding thats good enough for me )

c) Riding is like Meditation - They liken the brains concentration on
a fast road ride and the brains ability to block out
everything like everyday stresses in order to process all scenes and
flawlessly controlling of hands, feet, arms body legs in the same way
as meditation is used to lower blood pressure and act as a natural
antidepressant.

They concluded by saying they have confirmed motorcycling makes you both physically and mentally fit and an excellent hobby as part of a healthy life style. A conclusion I find no fault with. :biggrin:

 

Just what I'v always said !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

hence the saying (you never see a motorcycle infront of a psyciatrists office):biggrin:

 

Just one question: Noting all of these benefits, does it still make us go blind? What about the hair on our palms? Will that still happen? Inquiring minds (not mine, of course) want to know...:spy:

 

Ode to A Small Lump of Green Putty I found In My Armpit One Midsummer Morning.

 

Amen to that brother!

I definitely agree with the risk factor adding a spice to life. Before I got a motorcycle I felt like Tyler Durden in Fight Club since I have a computer programming job and nothing really in my life to get the heart pumping.

But since then some of the best weekends I've ever had were on my VFR!! :whoo:

Now if only the police would lighten up and let me haul ass in peace...

 

Just goes to show what all the "NAY" sayers dont know! It is very interesting to see that published, what we all feel when were riding is a naturally occuring mechanism of the brain, that not only makes you feel happy, but is very good for you too. Not a drug or alchohol induced state of bliss, all natural! There is no better escape than this!

 

dr phil..........? Oprah's beetch hell we ride to get away from the wife and the house don't need a bogus PHD for that ohh wait he doesn't have a phd my bad..................

 

I think I rode about 500 miles this weekend. Down to Maryland yesterday and back and up to Harmony NJ today with Two4one and another VFR bud of ours and I feel great. I feel calm, my head is clear and I actually feel like I do after a long ride on my Mountain Bike. I can tell you that riding the peddle power bike is surly more demanding physically than riding the VFR, unless you are carving some serious curves for a while, but I believe riding the VFR is more mentally demanding that riding the mountain bike, even on technical trails. Either way, I'm glad to hear that there is proof that my motorized cycling is as healthy as my non-motorized cycling....

 

You know, you don't see too many Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy quotes getting thrown around now-a-days.

Back on subject... I'm always happier after a ride. Long rides, tired but happy. Now I know it's all the exercise I'm getting. :biggrin:

 

Reminds me to get off my arse and dust off and grease up my old NRS2, MTBing is great fun although had to buy a polar early on to stop hitting Red Line and going faint somewhere each ride. The study itself compared brisk riding to brisk walking rather than high energy sports like running or Mountain Biking etc.

One to 3 day 400 to 1200 miles rides of mostly back road twisties are what I enjoy most and tend to move around and hang off a bit mostly for fun, all charged to tackle life and work for the next month. :biggrin:

Never tire of reading Hitchhikers, quoting Vogon Poetry is just my thing when something dosn't make sense. :wink:

 

What a brilliant idea, my missus thinks I should loose about 20 lbs. :biggrin:

 

Nice thread, great points. Think I'll frame this up and put it in the hall for the wife to see every day, as she don't believe anything good comes from riding nor owning more than two bikes.

 

I cleared my head reading your post!

BZ

 

I guess your just about ready to walk the beach in your rainbow colored speedo.......................

 

Just in case you needed another reason I just found a new advantage of riding a motorcycle, remedial massage. :smile:

Have been suffering 3 days with a persistent painfull cramp under the arch on my foot and with no relief from cold or hot packs was considering seeing the local physio for a remedial massage when a buddy ex VFR Gen5 owner now GSXR1000 owner talked me into a lunch time fang though our local tight twisties. Glad I did my foot cramp disappeared totally somewhere along the way after hooking into the 15mile section of continual 10 to 35 mph corners.

 

I wonder if I could get my dr. to prescribe a Motorcycle ......

 

Always stretch before and after a ride, cramp prevention.

 

...and Dr. Phil is a big dodo head.