• Stationary bikes provide reliable, all-weather workouts that can benefit everyone.Young man on exercise bike image by Elzbieta Sekowska from Fotolia.com
  
  Widespread research has shown a clear connection between steady, low-impact exercise and a reduction in the incidence of serious health problems. While muscles atrophy with age and lack of use, routine exercise on a stationary bike mitigates the effects of passing years and allows for a range of activities not otherwise possible. The Greek Philosopher Plato's words remain ever true: "Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it."
  
  

Convenient and Effective

• Stationary bicycles provide the kind of low-impact cardiovascular workout that make them a safe and ideal form of exercise, regardless of the snowstorms or heat waves outside. Exercising in the comfort of the home has also been shown to increase the frequency and duration of workouts, according to "Arthritis Today." Given the reluctance that many people show toward exercise in general, stationary bikes allow for multitasking such as reading or watching television that can directly enhance the experience.
  
  

Burn Fat and Increase Energy

• This kind of exercise represents an effective way to burn fat and get the heart pumping over an extended period of time. Particularly valuable on a routine basis, this kind of exercise can burn between 250 and 275 calories every half hour, a tangible benefit for men, women and children. The resulting increase in energy makes it more likely that people will return to the stationary bike on a regular basis, a key to its physical effectiveness.
  
  

Safe and Easy

• Among the biggest mistakes people can make when beginning an exercise program is to dive in too quickly or forcefully, which can cause a range of debilitating muscular and cardiovascular problems. Stationary bikes allow for the gradual development of stamina without the risk of falling or having to maintain a certain speed.
  
  

Eases Arthritis Pain

• Given that the pain of various forms of arthritis often causes people to discontinue exercise entirely, stationary bikes can be set to very little resistance, which makes the experience tolerable and still provides the measurable benefits of regular exercise. Also, as those with such arthritis pain are more likely to develop balance problems, stationary bikes remove that concern. There is no possibility of leaning as with typical of bicycles and even walking, which greatly reduces the possibility of injury.