MAY IS NATIONAL BIKE MONTH!

Story by Meredith Nelson / May 12, 2016

According to a study by the University of Utrecht, people that ride bikes live an average of six months longer than those that don’t ride bikes.
People For Bikes reports, “for every additional 75 minutes a week that you spend on a bike (that is, for every 11 minutes per day) you generally increase your lifespan by six months.”
It’s National Bike Month and people everywhere are taking advantage of the spring weather to explore the outdoors by bike.  Want to know more?  Check out https://nationalbikechallenge.org/ to challenge yourself, your friends, and your family to go by bike!
Just remember a few safety tips:
  • always wear a helmet
  • never wear headphones (if you must have your tunes, at least only use one earbud)
  • use front and rear lights if you are traveling early in the morning or at night
  • ride with traffic
For more information on cycling safety, check out the Palmetto Cycling Coalition’s website athttp://pccsc.net/share-road/.
Cammie and Alice get ready to head home after a great workout!
PrimeTimers Alice Botts and Cammie Camp walked to the old PrimeTime location three times a week for eleven years and hated to lose their outdoor warm-up.  Not missing a beat, they have adapted by biking regularly and note that it takes about the same amount of time to get to the gym – it’s only a 15-minute bike ride!  (According to the statistics above, the five months of biking to our new location 30 minutes three times a week gives them approximately 1800 minutes of biking . . . you do the math, but it’s surely added a few years to their lives!) They thoroughly enjoy the view and appreciate the short burst of effort as they cross the bridge. Cammie has even discovered the convenience of going the extra two minutes or so and biking to Publix or CVS, and says “now that I know how easy it is to bike to the store, I will do it all the time!”
Maria arrives at the gym for a late morning workout.
PrimeTimer Maria Schaeffer has also discovered the fun of biking to the gym from her Isle of Palms home. She says “everyone should do it, it’s sooo beautiful!”

Many others have taken up biking to and from the gym. Why not give it a try in May to celebrate National Bike Month!?