Health, Walking, and Cycling

Health Benefits

Overview

Would you like to decrease your risk for developing numerous chronic diseases and increase your longevity—for free? It’s as simple as opting for the stairs rather than the elevator or picking up your walking shoes rather than the car keys. Physical activity can profoundly improve health and wellness. So pump up your bike tires and hit the road.

But how much activity is enough? And what type of activity will give you the most ‘bang for your buck’?

Current public health recommendations are for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per day. Lighter-intensity activities require more time, and higher-intensity activities require less time.

These recommendations come from national panels of scientists and health professionals and are summarized by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

A brief summary of the Surgeon General's report on physical activity and health can be viewed here.

In addition, the NIH is an excellent source of health information. Here is a link to websites developed from the various institutes within the NIH discussing the health benefits of physical activity.

Want to find out more about the NIH?

Eating well is also an important part of a healthy lifestyle. The Department of Health and Human Services recently announced new dietary guidelines for making better food choices and living healthier lives.

Biking and walking
National Center for Bicycling and Walking: The challenges in health

Exercise for all ages
For young people:
NIH
CDC

For seniors

Designing an Active Community

CDC's Active Community Environments Initiative (ACES)

Promoting Physical Activity: A Guide for Community Action

Designing & Building Healthy Places

Increasing Physical Activity Through Community Design: A Guide for Public Health Practitioners

Active living by design

If you're feeling particularly ambitious, you can download and read this 200+ page Tranportation Research Board report on the effects of the built-environment on health.

Thanks to Jeremy Raw and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization for their assistance with this site.
Site designed by: Phillip Barron