Is commuting = Moderate exercise?

[Hacienda71]

If you stopped doing the cycling for a year would your fitness level drop? the answer is yes, of course it is exercise. It is just that you are used to it. Keep doing it it is good for you.

 

[knonist]

I think your "friend" may be a little jealous that you are getting into shape while he/she is not.

Cycling is very good excersise...if it wasnt, explain all the "whippet" type riders that you see on the way into work.

More accuratley, with a absence of nearly 6 weeks I can tell you that my fitness levels have been massivly effected by cycling, I was clearly very much fitter than before and have proved iot to myself during some recent sporting activity.

Ignore others keep up the "cursing speed" and stick at it....good for you

btw how fast do you have to go to curse?

I do my trip (9 miles or so) in around 45mins.
It is in country side of cambridge so no steep hills.

I wear my office gear to cycle so I try not to break sweat, I guess I can cycle faster but wearing all these jackets (a fleece jacket + a windfproof outer sheld) would make me hot and itchy.

 

[J4CKO]

I used to make the mistake in my younger years that if it didnt leave me utterly knackered and aching or involve massive effort it wasnt exercise, yesterday I did my 14 mile round trip on the bike, brisk 2 mile walk with the Dog and Tidied/Hoovered the house, that is plenty of activity I think and probable more than a fair proportion of the population.

 

[knonist]

If you stopped doing the cycling for a year would your fitness level drop? the answer is yes, of course it is exercise. It is just that you are used to it. Keep doing it it is good for you.

I had a month long holiday over the xmas without cycleing, and I can feel the drop of my fitness.
And when I started again 2 weeks ago, it was kind of hard to start off with...

 

[knonist]

i dont know sweet pea. riding at 12mph for 45 minutes on a flat road, little to stop you (hence not making you expend energy getting back up too speed) on a light bike even with the addition pf rack and panniers could easily equate to light exercise as per the definition given

The OP says he doesnt sweat, doesnt sound like hes getting out of breath.

The latest thinking on exercise zones tends to focus upon perceived effort (how hard do you feel the exercise is), on a scale of 1 very easy trhough to 10 very hard. So i would ask the OP to rate his commute himself. above 4 i say is moderate, below 4 light. (4 dead who knows??)

As i said though the simple thing is to use a HRM this can ell you all sorts of things about how hard your heart is working.

I dont in anyway want to denigrate the exercise the OP is doing, i just thought it was an interesting topic.

andy

With no wind, then I recon I can cycle with this speed indefinitely.
So i rate it around 3-4.

But a small increase in speed / wind would make the trip alot harder.

 

[GrasB]

After 6 months of commuting of 18 miles a day, I found that commuting is easier than it used to be. I enjoy cycle at cursing speed (12mph) and in order to avoid injuries, I do not want to cycle faster.

The question arise here: is my daily commuting equivalent to moderate exercise (or even light exercise)?

Almost certainly moderate exercise. Cycling is primarily an aerobic exercise, long periods of sustained increased effort helping to increase your bodies ability to absorb & distribute oxygen around the body. It will also increase your strength in your lower body & core muscles.

According to the NHS, the definition of exercise are as follow:
Light exercise generally allows you to talk at the same time. Examples of light exercise include going for a walk, doing some light housework or gardening.

Moderate exercise should make you feel slightly out of breath. You should feel slightly worn out, but not to the point where it is unbearable. Examples of moderate exercise are going for a brisk walk or walking up a hill.

This is a general guide at best. What I know is I can put out around 150w without getting out of breath for hours, that's about 18.5mph sustained cruising given a flat road with no wind, now if anyone wants to call that light exercise they're fairly deluded.

A friend of mine said what I am doing now cannot classed as exercise as it became a routine of my life, and exercise should be in addition of that, which I kind of agrees as I’m getting used to the commute, I am not out of breath nor feeling worn out, I didn’t break sweat, and I cannot feel the increase of my heart rate.

What do you guys think?

Your friend is talking rubbish... again at my 18.5mph cruise I'll not feel my heart rate increasing but my HRM will show it's well above 100bhp from a sub-60bpm resting rate. As for building a regular routine around exercise not being exercise... why does the NHS say you want to build in regular exercise into your daily routine? Making it a part of your day is what it's all about. If you stop commuting you'll lose your strength & fitness, also you'll not be burning as many calories.

Does your friend also think that Olympic class athletes don't exercise? These people have a built in a routine of physical exertion to get to the level that they're performing at. The only way to get to that level is by maintaining a high level of exercise for sustained periods over years.

 

[hackbike 666]

The quote that I always get is "you cycle so you shouldn't be overweight" although I have done it for years is it more of a usual routine for me?

 

[GrasB]

Being overweight has more to do with on-average eating more calories than you burn during your usual daily routine than taking regular exercise. If you eat 10'000 calories a day but only burn 7500 you'll put on weight even if you are extremely active.

 

[fay144]

It is a fair point that there are different degrees of exercise though. I have been debating whether to count my commutes as exercise too, as it is much less intense than other things which I would count as moderate exercise.

For example, I do my longer runs at a pace where I can still hold a conversation. My heart rate is around 140-150, from a resting of 65-70. I'd say that was moderate exercise (unlike, for example, running sprint intervals, which would be intense exercise, with a heart rate of 160+).

However, when I cycle to work, my heart rate gets nowhere near as high as on my easiest runs, except on 10%+ hills. It's usually about 110.

Now, I am not saying that it is not worthwhile - there is a lot of benefit in training in all the different heart rate zones, including the lower ones. But I would say that is low intensity exercise really.