The link between regular exercise and good health has been well established in many research studies throughout the world. The National Fitness Survey, published in 1992, found that the majority of the UK population does not take sufficient exercise to ensure good health. Britain has a higher incidence of CHD than most other countries. A common way in which people in some other countries take more exercise than we do is by cycling, both as a means of everyday transport and as a leisure activity. They were given initial fitness assessments and completed a detailed questionnaire on their present attitudes and health.
Aerobic fitness is the capacity to maintain vigorous exercise without becoming exhausted.
It was assessed on an instrumented bicycle by recording the changes in heart rate with a progressively increasing load. The greater part of the improvement in aerobic fitness occurred during the first six to eight weeks of the trial, reflecting the change from a sedentary to a regularly active lifestyle. Nevertheless, those cycling less still made significant gains in their aerobic fitness. This implies that even a small amount of regular cycling is directly beneficial. The research team assessed the significance of this improvement in aerobic fitness by comparing the participants with the population as a whole.