It's the fastest growing health phenomenon with more urban cities waking up to the benefits of pedal-pushing to their offices.

Not only does cycling add up to a great workout, but it brings a person closer to nature and eases stress levels too. In a study on how emotions like happiness, pain, stress, sadness and fatigue vary during travel and by travel mode, researchers found that bicycling could uplift the mood like no other.

Calorie burn

An average person burns about 50 calories per mile when cycling

Various benefits

Cycling is a low-impact exercise and causes less injury. It is also used to strengthen the knee joints and leg muscles.

 It is regarded as a great butt-toning activity, say fitness experts.

Instead of the usual train friends, join a new community of cycle-loving folks. Mumbai has quite a few cycle groups that do regular meet-ups.

The habit will be easy on the wallet as you say goodbye to petrol expenses. It is also does away with the usual parking woes.

 With the rains adding to the rush-hour jam, maybe it's time you forget carpooling and star pedal-pushing!

Follow these rules

Always wear a helmet

Check that your tires are inflated, brakes and gears are working operating properly, etc. before starting out.

Cycling can be daunting on busy roads so always be visible as visible as possible to others and obey traffic rules.

BDST: 1844 HRS, Aug-27, 2014