Beat Boredom with Bike Riding

Bike riding is an aerobic activity that helps the cardiovascular system. It also keeps the heart rate generally lower than either walking or jogging, according to the American College of Sports Medicine. By keeping that heart demand lower, it's possible to exercise longer.

Being gentler on the heart made bike riding the right exercise for Rhonda Monroe of Charles Town, West Virginia. Rhonda suffered a heart attack when she was 36, underwent quadruple bypass surgery and continued to have cardiac problems—and surgeries—for the next several years. She tried using a treadmill to regain her strength, but walking made her back hurt.

Medication she needed to fight inflammation also caused weight gain. "My size four figure blossomed to a size 12," she says. Then, about six months ago, Rhonda tried out several bicycles in a local bike shop and left with a seafoam-colored one that was easy to ride. She also found a stationary exercise bike for free in the online classifieds (the bike's owner was moving) and uses that to ride indoors during bad weather.

Now, at 42, Rhonda rides for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, around her neighborhood. "It has strengthened my heart to almost normal," she says. "I look skinnier, too."

Getting ready to ride

From a physical standpoint, most of us can adapt easily to beginner level bike riding. Wear close-fitting clothes that won't get tangled in the chain or wheels and always wear a bike helmet when you ride outdoors. Most stationary and street bicycles are upright, but recumbent (semi-reclining) models of both types may help women with mobility problems, lower back pain or balance issues.