On Your Bike!

In August a group of intrepid Oxley staff will be cycling from the Oxley Sports Centre on a 5 day tour of the UK covering 400 miles in aid of the Alzheimer’s Society and we are interested in the effects and benefits for everyone.

Cycling, as with most exercise, has the benefits of building muscle strength and fitness, burning calories and producing “feel good” endorphins so that we feel less anxiety and depression in our lives and develop both mental and physical strength. Cycling is easy too, unlike other sports you don’t have to learn and practice a set of techniques, if you learnt as a child you don’t forget, and is a fun way to get fit. With Volleyball for example the ball can be a tough and you can end up with sore wrists if you don’t get your technique correct. Cycling is as intense as you want to make it, you can coast down hills with your feet off the pedals or enjoy the challenge of a long distance or uphill cycle. Generally cycling is classed as a low impact sport, like swimming in which your weight is supported by the bike resulting in less chance of injury, providing you stay on it of course. The downside is that you really only want to do it when the weather is good, even in our wonderful summers we can encounter a sudden grey sky and a shower of rain before getting back to the sunshine. There is however a way around that now. Gyms offer studio cycle as an enjoyable cardiovascular exercise class in which an instructor takes you on a cycle. You start slowly warming you up, build up in the main element of the class and relax at the end giving you the experience of a good old fashioned spin with all the health benefits, experts on hand and not a Pac A Mac in sight. If you are interested in trying studio cycling try an indoor cycle session at Oxley, phone the reception desk, book on and arrive a little early do that one of the Fitness Team can set you up on a bike. They can then guide you through the class, you’ll be more than welcome. For more information please call reception on 01935 818277 or visit www.oxleysc.com You can support the team at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/oxleytoamsterdam