Originally Posted by
MRT2
I found weekly or more rides of 25 to 40 miles at a moderate pace somewhat beneficial for my cardiovascular health (and interestingly, cholesterol), but it doesn't do much for my weight which would also be my concern for you. To get your BP down, you probably need to lose some weight, and in my experience, cycling is only a moderately good exercise for weight loss, and most of your weight loss will come from diet.
A lot depends on how hard you ride, do you do intervals, or just a steady, slow ride? also, is your terrain flat, or hilly? But in general, 5 miles of cycling basically does nothing for you. 10 miles is a good start. 20 miles or more would be better. And if you do 20 miles or more, unless it is 15 miles of hilly terrain, try to push the pace so you get your heart rate up into the aerobic zone. That is a zone where you can talk, but you really don't want to because it is a bit of an effort.
Basically it is up a steady rise 1/3 and then 1/3 flattish then 1/3 easy downhill. I go fast enough to get winded at least until the end.
I know I won't lose much weight from riding, but I am improving my cardio. Just not sure at what point it becomes a waste of time. From the perspective of heart health anyway.
Also, I do it daily, which is generally considered much better than doing a larger amount once or twice a week, which does basically zero for your heart.