Arthur Peabody

'Doctors in Wales can now prescribe free bike rides to encourage people to exercise under a pilot program, the first in Britain.'

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/w...ion-bikes.html

MattTheHat 

I took two free rides yesterday...without a prescription!


-Matt

livedarklions

There's pretty good evidence that light exercise is better at treating mild depression than medication, but the doctors are afraid to prescribe it because their patients won't take them seriously or see it as kind of an insult.

indyfabz

How much do they cost, and are they covered by insurance?

TimothyH

Ha ha ha... this was exactly what I wanted to ask.

My guess is a financial ploy to have the government pay for bikeshare subscriptions and the British healthcare system is a convenient mechanism to do so.

Who can argue with "alternative to drugs" and other such phrases?

Anyone who thinks it isn't a good idea financially will be accused of being anti-health, pro-drug companies, hate babies, racist, etc., etc., etc.


-Tim-

Doctor Morbius

Plus there aren't any kickbacks from the big pharmaceutical corporations. It's too natural.

TimothyH

People can exercise by walking.

Why does the taxpayer need to pay for bike share rides?


-Tim-

CAT7RDR

"A bike ride a day keeps the doctor away."

Who knew?

Arthur Peabody

Coincidentally the saying to which you allude appeared in Wales first also: https://archinte.jamanetwork.com/arti...icleid=2210883
Note the reference to economic considerations

TimothyH

The vast majority of modern, evidence based science disagrees with this.

Even so, most people will get more exercise on foot than they will soft pedaling and coasting around on a bike.

Let them go for a jog. There is no medical need for subsidized bike share. It is a financial scam.


-Tim-

frogman

Arthur Peabody,
Thanks for sharing this. A great support for the benefits of cycling ! I has has been known for a long time about the cardio vascular benefits of cycling.

I am ignoring the dumb negative posts that a positive post like this usually receives. Their responses are a source of entertainment.

KraneXL

That's because science deals with absolutes. Under that definition any exercise is better than none. But in reality walking across the courtyard or even a couple of blocks to get to the shuttle is not going to make any appreciable difference when you weigh 350 lbs. You'd have to walk miles, and that mean double digits. I've seen people put their bikes on trains and buses to go half as far.

Anyway, I removed the post for the sake of argument. Not that I'm anti walking, just more pragmatic about its benefits.

It may interest you to know that I AM A WALKER, and have been so since just after I was able to stand. I choose walking when nobody else would consider it. So I know the merits of walking, and what it can do.

jade408

I walk places and bike places. Biking works way better at head clearing than the walking does. And has a positive impact on sleep quality.

Walking seems to me more effective (level of effort and time spent are similar).

Altair 4

Taking a ride without a prescription?!?! And on top of that, you took two of them? That, my friend, is how addiction starts!

rollagain

Uh-huh. Next thing you know you're begging the doctor for a scrip for another bike and he says, "No, three's the limit." And you come out of his office and some shady character sidles up to you and says, "Psst. Hey, buddy, wanna buy a bike?"

MattTheHat 

I thought I could handle it. All my friends were doing it...

-Matt

krecik

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Altair 4

If all your friends were doing jumps on a mountain bike, would you...oh, wait.

TimothyH

And then the government will set up methadone Peloton clinics for all the addicts .

Arthur Peabody

Some people can't walk but can bike, especially a 3-wheeled recumbent. Exercise only works if you do it. Some will bike but not walk. Walking has begun to hurt for me; running did about 5 years ago, so much I had to stop.

79pmooney

I find biking far more practical. I can go further, do errands, get myself to places 10-12 miles away etc. that would be very time consuming on foot. I also like that I can load the bike (say with farmer's market produce) and not have to carry it by hand or on my back/

KraneXL

For me its just the opposite. When I'm walking I can muse, and because its a virtually autonomic activity it allows me to even enter a very deep introspection with virtually no interfere provided the area is safe from hazards and too much activity. The only thing better would be an isolated beach (try finding that in LA) or a serene mountain top away from all people and technology.

Although that type of very deep mediation is rare for me due to my inability to satisfy other life sustaining requirements that can distract from achieving that higher plan of existence. (I have yet to be able to achieve that even in a dream state where at least theoretically, one should be able to completely control their environment), I can move to a state where I can significantly remove the emotions that typically dominate the average individual that chooses to maintain a lifestyle without it.

My cycling meditation (like running) on the other hand , is a much different and might I say shallower form of mediation although the experience can be just as satisfying due to the release of endorphins rather than purely due to achieving a state of higher contentiousness.

Although some people focus on their breathing cyclical motion and steps, I concentrate on a state of well-being and enlightenment through spirituality which lowers my anxiety, help suppress my physical and psychological pain, decrease depression and improve my cognitive ability. There's no right or wrong here, just different choices for what works best for each individual.

KraneXL

All true, but its not just a matter of practicality. The absolute benefit comes from doing work.

I-Like-To-Bike

Groovy!

jade408

With a feeding tube and sugar drip.