Get on your bike for a no-sweat workout

A new study shows that intense exercise for as little as 6 minutes a week has significant health benefits. Bursts of exercise, such as short sprints on your bicycle can help prevent diabetes and heart disease according to Dr Jamie Timmons, and exercise biologist at Herriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

In simple terms, these intense spurts of activity burn up energy stores in the muscles, allowing more blood sugar to be absorbed and taken out of your system before it damages your body.

So next time you're out on your electric bike, get the nearest Lycra-clad cyclist in your sights and go hell for leather to catch them up, overtake them and leave them in your slipstream - it'll do you no end of good.

Thanks to the ever-interesting and informative BoingBoing blog for this story