Cycling and Hypertension

Me on a ride in Putrajaya

A Dahon folding bike ride who is based in China once said: "Cycling improved my issues with hypertension..."
And I tought he was pulling my leg.
Its been nearly six months since Michelle and I had made it a point to cycle our Dahon bikes which was gathering dust in our living room.
We started with Pulau Ketam and found it fun to bring the bikes for a short distance ride.
Later, we linked up with a bunch of folding bike riders and ever since, we've been riding almost every week.
Now, here's the best part: veteran folding bike cyclist Bil Choy suggested a weekend training ride in Hulu Langat.
He had organised four rides and it turned out okay.
Since I joined the rides in series 2 through 5, I found that my level of fitness has improved.
I am able to cycle a fixed distance along hills and steep gradient in Hulu Langat.
And each time I do so, I set a target: get to the checkpoints faster without tiring myself.
Since then, I had no regrets on attending the training rides as it is great for stamina building and improving my cardio-vascular movements.
Today, I went to my physician who took my blood pressure.
It checked out okay as I gave a 130/80 reading.
I told him that I have been regulary exercising and had set a target to shed some of my puppy fat by the middle of this year.
The more I cycle, the more I burn the fat and if I can achieve a 5kg reduction in six months, I may be able to reduce my depency on hypertension medication.
I can also look forward to longer rides and achieve great distance.