Have you considered biking, but found reasons not to give it a whirl? The following five reasons will get you back in the saddle again.

Biking is a simple sport to take up, even if you haven’t done it for years. Even if you’re out of shape, you can handle some form of biking. If you can balance on a bike, you can bike. Feel free to go at whatever pace you feel comfortable, slowly working your way up as you get more comfortable.

Biking is a great calorie-burner. Let’s compare calorie burning for a few forms of exercise, assuming you weigh about 150 pounds and exercise for a half hour each day. A half hour of biking (moderate pace, easy course) is worth 264 calories. If you swim at a moderate pace for thirty minutes, you’ll burn about 200 calories. A half hour walk will only burn 132 calories. Throw yourself into a hearty biking workout to burn some calories.

You can bike just about anywhere and anytime. You can bike at home, at the gym, both inside and out. Most hotels have stationary bikes in their workout rooms, and most vacation areas have bike rental shops on hand. There’s no excuse not to bike.

You can bike to actually get places and do things. You can use biking as an alternate mode of transportation, meaning you aren’t just wasting your time in the gym. This is fabulous for the environment and for your body–all at once! Be sure to take safety precautions and wear a helmet and reflective gear, and to equip your bike with a rear view mirror and a sturdy lock.

Biking is easy on the joints. If you’re recovering from injuring yourself in a basketball game or tearing a ligament while running, you’ll be thrilled to discover how gentle biking is on your joints. It’s a low impact form of exercise that still makes use of your major muscle groups and challenges your heart and lungs.

Dust off your bike, bring it into the shop for a tune up, and get back out on the road. Try biking with a friend or a bike club for maximum safety and support for long road trips. Or, if you prefer biking indoors, check out your local fitness club’s spin classes.

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