Member Article

Citybike can help achieve a healthier New Year

New Year’s resolutions are still fresh in the mind and our determination to keep them is at its strongest.

But with only 8% of people estimated to achieve their stated goals, how can you make sure 2015 is the year you make a real change?

Citybike, Liverpool’s cycle hire scheme, has teamed up with Bikeright, Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group and Riverside Centre for Health to give people the chance to try citybike as part of National Obesity Week (Jan 12-16).

On Tuesday, January 13 from 10am members of the public will be able to head to the Riverside Centre on Park Street to see how easy it is to use citybike and make it part of a healthy lifestyle.

There will be 20 minute led rides, a test to see how easy it is to burn 100 calories riding citybike around the city and a stationary citybike for people who want to build their confidence.

If you are one of almost half of the population who resolve to become fitter and healthier then research suggests the key to success is making healthy choices an everyday habit rather than a special effort.

According to lifestyle website AllAboutYou.com, it takes 66 days to form a new habit and while adding fruit to your lunchbox and cutting out sugary treats is a simple way to be healthier, what about exercise?

For many, going running or joining the gym regularly is a daunting prospect but there is a way to make exercise a part of daily life – by using citybike to get around Liverpool.

With more than 100 stations around the city centre and reaching out to the suburbs and business parks, you are never far away from a citybike station.

As well as helping speed up journeys across town, using citybike is also good exercise, helping improve cardiovascular health and support healthy eating to lose weight.

Cllr Roz Gladden, Deputy Mayor of Liverpool and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, said citybike’s convenience made it the ideal way to help support those New Year health goals.

“Cycling is a great form of exercise and the roll-out of citybike across Liverpool means that it is perfect for commuting to work or as part of a commute which uses public transport and citybike.

“It is simple to use and affordable, with annual members enjoying the first half hour of every journey for free, which should give you enough time to get across town to work.

“If you use it twice a day, every day before long 2015 could be the year you achieve your New Year resolution to be healthier.”

Annual memberships are just £60 and include the first half hour of every journey free plus five hours of free cycle time for longer trips. Top-ups cost just £1 per hour.

For more information on citybike memberships please visit www.citybike.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Dan Minchin .