Tricycles are three-wheeled bikes that you most commonly see ridden by children who have not yet learned to ride a bicycle with two wheels. Adult tricycles are also available. The action of pedaling a tricycle burns calories, uses energy and makes your muscles work -- all factors that can promote weight loss. Always consult your doctor for medical advice before starting a new exercise regime or making significant dietary changes.
Benefits
Riding any kind of bike -- whether with two or three wheels -- provides a cardiovascular workout. Tricycle riding is also typically done outdoors, which allows you to enjoy fresh air, sunshine and scenery and may be preferable to working out at the gym. The calories burned during exercise on a tricycle can be used to create a calorie deficit, in which the number of calories you burn is greater than the number of calories you consume daily. A calorie deficit is one of the few tried-and-tested ways to lose weight steadily and healthily.
Expert Insight
MayoClinic.com reports that riding a tricycle is an excellent and appropriate form of exercise for toddlers and preschoolers in the age group of two to five years. Children at this age are typically too young to appreciate or understand most organized sports, so unstructured play-like exercise is usually best for them. A tricycle -- or alternatively, a regular bicycle with training wheels -- provides a stable bicycle format for your small child to ride safely and lose weight if necessary. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, states that the rate of childhood obesity in the United States more than tripled between 1980 and 2008 -- going from 6.5 percent to 19.6 percent. Therefore, it is important to establish fun and regular exercise habits in young children if obesity is to be avoided.
Significance
A report on the website Medical News Today notes the potential of a tricycle to be useful in rehabilitation work or physical therapy. Because the three wheels of a tricycle provide physical stability for exercise, it is an appropriate rehabilitative tool if you are lacking muscle tone or are going through rehabilitation after an accident or illness. Medical News Today reports that children with relatively severe spinal cord injuries, for example, may learn to walk again via a locomotor training program that can use tricycle work to build muscles and physical coordination.
Types
Although adult tricycles are not as well-known as tricycles for kids, several types of tricycles are available and intended for adult use. There are two main types of adult trike -- the Delta and the Tadpole. The Delta tricycle has one wheel in the front and two wheels in the back; this order is reversed in the Tadpole, which has one rear wheel and two front wheels. Typically, Delta trikes are used for leisure riding while the Tadpole design is more suited to long-distance riding.
Warning
Like any kind of bicycle, a tricycle carries a risk of injury to the rider. Whether you are riding an adult tricycle or supervising a child on a trike, make sure to choose an appropriate riding area, surface or route. If riding with vehicular traffic, wear a bike helmet and obey the rules of the road.
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