After having done the Easter egg hunt, it’s time to get back to physical activity, cycling …
Yes, it is precisely to limit the damage caused by the consumption of chocolate eggs that I wanted to tell you about this original initiative from the city of Strasbourg. The urban community has decided to encourage its citizens to cycle. And where it is original, it is that it will go through the doctors to achieve its goal.
That is to say ?
Well, around fifty general practitioners, cardiologists and sports physicians will be able to prescribe bicycles to their patients. And with their prescription, their patients will have the right to use the Vélhop free of charge, which is the equivalent of the Parisian Vélib. The city will pay the 20 euros monthly subscription. So, this free voucher is not valid indefinitely since the doctor will prescribe a specific time of physical activity.
But in concrete terms, who will be able to benefit from this bicycle prescription?
So, for the moment, it is only patients who are concerned. Mainly diabetics, people suffering from cardiovascular diseases or obesity. Because it has been shown on several occasions that physical activity and in particular cycling are, if I may say so, effective drugs. Endurance sports can lower blood pressure, blood sugar levels … and this can prevent another heart attack.
But, Cécile, you say that the free only lasts a time, suddenly, isn’t it a sword in the water?
A priori, not because all doctors will tell you: the hardest part is to take the first step, for example, to resume physical activity after a heart attack. When you’ve gotten into the habit of doing part of your daily commute by bike rather than by bus, and you start to feel the benefits, the gamble is almost won. In addition, each patient will be followed by a sports and health advisor. But, anyway, the city of Strasbourg has planned to evaluate the initiative after a year.
And if the experience is successful, all Strasbourg residents will be able to cycle for free?
In a second step, the experiment could in any case be extended to people who are at risk of having one of these diseases. In other words, in prevention. And if all goes well, without a bad pun, health insurance could put its hand in its pocket and take care of these Velhop subscriptions. Because obviously physical activity is a drug that does not dig the security hole!
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