Does cycling keep you young?

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horizon
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Does cycling keep you young?

Post by horizon »

The Guardian has reported this study from New Zealand:

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015 ... y-confirms

It will be really interesting to see the results when they look at lifestyle factors. It would also be interesting to know whether a cycling 60 year old had the same age markers as say a non-cycling 40 year old. It would also be good to do the test oneself (... or maybe not ! :mrgreen: )
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
SoloRider
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by SoloRider »

I think in my case it has aged me. Looser facial skin and the drying effect of sun and wind has definitely taken its toll over the last 12 years!
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al_yrpal
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by al_yrpal »

Cycling keeps you body younger no doubting that. But as for the mind thats another matter.

Al
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yakdiver
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by yakdiver »

Yeah look at me I don't look a day over 20 :lol:
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TrevA
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by TrevA »

I've been riding since I was 14 and I'm now 56. When i was younger i used to look older than my age - people thought I was 25 when I was 18. Nowadays, people think i'm in my mid-late forties.

i find riding/mixing with people of different ages keep your mindset young. I don't think like someone who's almost an OAP.
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661-Pete
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by 661-Pete »

Yeah - well, I like to think of myself as 5½ years old ..... Jupiter years, that is :lol: . But if that fails to persuade folks....

I looked at the photo at the head of the Graun article. A pretty young woman's face, but with an inset depicting a much older face with wrinkles. Well, I'm certainly wrinklier than the young face, maybe almost (but not quite) as wrinkly as the old face inset. What does that prove? What were in the list of 'physiological markers' they used? BP I know about - mine's being regularly monitored and I'm told each time that I'm 'OK for my age'. Other benchmarks are perhaps a bit more difficult to determine - unless you have access to expensive lab facilities or scanners.

Does cycling make a difference to all this? My father did a little cycling - less than I do - and he succumbed to heart failure 5 years younger than I am now. So maybe cycling has contributed to keeping the ticker ticking. Or maybe it's more to do with better knowledge about dietary, and maybe the medication I'm on. Who can say?

What cycling hasn't done, this will surprise some of you, is to improve my mental health. In fact it's probably aggravated things. I won't go into details just now. But I still strongly urge people to cycle if they can.
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mercalia
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by mercalia »

well there is a correlation - if u are dead or dieing you dont normally cycle much?
maxcherry
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by maxcherry »

mercalia wrote:well there is a correlation - if u are dead or dieing you dont normally cycle much?



Only if you are a 'Fair Weather Cyclist' :wink:
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gxaustin
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by gxaustin »

I don't know whether cycling keeps you young but I feel the same now, when cycling, as I did 40 years ago.
TrekMad
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by TrekMad »

When I look at my contemporaries I.often get a shock : grossly overweight, saggy faces, big red noses... Most of them would do well in. Santa Claus competitions ;) I'm still pretty much the same shape I was in 25 years ago, so I couldn't recommend it enough. My wife's not complaining either !
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horizon
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by horizon »

TrekMad wrote:When I look at my contemporaries I.often get a shock : grossly overweight, saggy faces, big red noses... Most of them would do well in. Santa Claus competitions ;) I'm still pretty much the same shape I was in 25 years ago, so I couldn't recommend it enough. My wife's not complaining either !


I don't think you're boasting (well, maybe you are a little ... :D ) but you're right, just get a bike (and ride it). It's the answer to an awful lot of problems.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
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Mick F
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by Mick F »

horizon wrote:........... just get a bike (and ride it). It's the answer to an awful lot of problems.
Exactly. :D

Cycling isn't keeping me young. I'm 63 in a couple of months and TBH I feel it sometimes, but even if it can't keep me young, it keeps me sane and it stops me from feeling older.
Mick F. Cornwall
Fogey
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by Fogey »

My wife says she likes the idea of going out with a teenager.
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Paulatic
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by Paulatic »

She should have gone to Specsavers [emoji3]
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David881
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Re: Does cycling keep you young?

Post by David881 »

Judging by the list of ailments discussed on this forum, no. However it is fun.
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