Cycling is on the rise. Bike shares are popping up in cities across the country. An increasing number of workers are commuting on two wheels. And more folks are pedaling for fresh air and fitness. The number one concern among all of them? Traffic—specifically staying safe when navigating streets busy with cars.

The good news is that a few bits of bike safety knowledge go a long way in keeping you out of harm’s way. Here’s how to avoid common causes of car-bike collisions.

Be visible

When a drivers hits a cyclist, the first words out of his mouths are inevitably, “I didn’t see her!” Though the onus is on drivers to be aware of their surroundings, you can take a few easy steps to make them aware that you’re there. This is especially important in low-light conditions, when accidents are most common. Stats show serious accidents happen most often between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Get daytime running lights. The latest trend in cycling is to run daytime running lights—white in the front and red in the rear—just like motorcycles and many cars. Portable, rechargeable lights like Bontrager’s Ion 100 are intense enough that cars can see you from nearly a quarter mile away. They also have a flashing mode, which gets the attention of distracted drivers. One study found that the incidence rate of bicycle accidents with personal injury to the rider was 19% lower for riders using permanent running lights. Well worth the 40 bucks they cost!

Wear reflective clothing. It’s easy to blend in with the surroundings when you’re pedaling a skinny bike along the roadside. Create a contrast by wearing “hi-viz” clothing or accent pieces like vests, a helmet, and gloves that make you easier to see. Research shows it can lower your risk of run-ins with cars by 40%. When the light is dim, wear cycling-specific reflective accessories.

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Be predictable

Follow the rules of the road. Flow with (never against) traffic. Obey street signs, traffic signals, and road markings. Hold a straight line as much as possible (obviously skirting around obstacles like potholes and storm grates) and avoid weaving in and out of parked cars. Signal your intentions to turn—simply put your arm out and point—so cars know which direction you’re going.

Mind the intersections

The majority of accidents happen in intersections. The most common scenario is a car turning right turns into you without seeing you. Other common scenarios include an oncoming car turns left into you as you’re going straight. Or a car simply pulls out into the intersection directly in front or into you. To avoid these, you can do the following:

Ride further left. Riders often hug the edge of the road as far right as possible. But in traffic, especially when you’re moving about the same rate of speed as the cars, it’s safer to move into the lane where you are fully visible. Riding in the lane is also smart when the road is simply too narrow for cars to pass you at a safe distance.

Stay out of the blind spot. When coming to a stop at a traffic light or stop sign, avoid stopping right next to the car to your left. The driver can’t see you and may turn right into you. Stop behind the car so you can see its blinkers. If the driver fails to use her blinkers, you'll also be able to see the car turning before it turns into you.

Be cautious passing on the right. When you’re riding to the right of traffic, especially if you’re in a bike lane, you will likely find yourself occasionally passing cars on the right hand side, especially when traffic is slow. It’s best to avoid passing on the right. But if you do, be vigilant and keep your eye out for intersections, driveways, parking lots, and other places cars may be turning right (or crossing traffic and making a left from the opposite direction), so a driver doesn't inadvertently turn right into or in front of you.

Make eye contact. When at an intersection with cars coming in from either side, make eye contact with the drivers to be sure they see you before pulling into the intersection. If they don’t appear to see you, wave an arm to get their attention. (Lights help a lot here, too.)

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Give yourself a door buffer

When riding past parked cars on your right, give yourself ample space to avoid being “doored” by someone opening their car door into traffic. It helps to keep an eye on side view mirrors, as well, since you can see cars that are occupied, where someone may step out without looking.

This article originally appeared on Time.com. 

Evidence keeps mounting that exercise is good for the brain. It can lower a person’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease and may even slow brain aging by about 10 years. Now, new research helps illuminate how, exactly, working out improves brain health.

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In one research review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, researchers examined 39 studies that looked at the link between exercise and cognitive abilities among people over age 50. They found that aerobic exercise appears to improve a person’s cognitive function and resistance training can enhance a person’s executive function and memory. Other exercises like tai chi were also linked to improvements in cognition, though there wasn’t as much available evidence. Ultimately, the researchers concluded that 45 minutes to an hour of moderate-to-vigorous exercise was good for the brain.

“There is now a wide body of research showing that the benefits to the body with exercise also exist for the brain,” says study author Joe Northey, a PhD candidate at the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise in Australia. “When older adults undertake aerobic or resistance exercise, we see changes to the structure and function of areas of the brain responsible for complex mental tasks and memory function.”

RELATED: Here's What Playing an Instrument Can Do for Your Brain

But how does exercise have these effects? Another new study presented at the American Physiological Society’s annual meeting in Chicago explored one possible way. In the study, researchers from New Mexico Highlands University found that when people walk, the pressure of making impact with the ground sends waves through the arteries, which increase blood flow to the brain (also called cerebral blood flow). Getting enough blood to the brain is important for healthy brain function, since blood flow brings the brain oxygen and nutrients.

In the small study—which has not yet been published—researchers used ultrasounds to assess arteries and changes in cerebral blood flow in 12 healthy young adults while they were standing, walking and running. The increases in blood flow were greater when the men and women ran, but walking was enough to spur the effect. “[Increased cerebral blood flow] gives the brain more to work with,” says study author Ernest R. Greene, a professor of engineering and biology at New Mexico Highlands University. “It’s another positive aspect of exercise.”

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Scientists are still exploring multiple ways by which fitness improves the brain. But blood flow is a promising path, since it can also help create new brain cells. The protein BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) also seems to play a role because it helps repair and protect brain cells from degeneration. Exercise can also boost mood by triggering the release of feel-good hormones and chemicals, like endorphins, which can improve brain health. A 2015 study found that exercise may be able to prevent the onset of depressive symptoms.

“Each type of exercise seems to have different effects on the growth factors responsible for the growth of new neurons and blood vessels in the brain,” says Northey. “That may indicate why doing both aerobic and resistance training is of benefit to cognitive function.”

Science and experts alike say high-intensity interval workouts reign as fitness royalty. Touted as a top-notch method for weight loss, improving your VO2 max and even helping you run faster, it’s no wonder this approach to exercise holds such high wellness honors.

Of course, just like any workout you do over and over, the routine can get stale. That is, until you learn the foundation of HIIT workouts and then switch it up every time you go to break a sweat. Allow trainer Adam Rosante, creator of Two Week Transformation and author of Super Smoothie Revolution, to break down the basics so you can turn up the benefits.

RELATED: No Time? This is How Much HIIT You Really Need

HIIT Workout: What You Need to Make It Work

“The foundation [of HIIT] is a series of intervals of intense activity, coupled with intervals of less-intense activity or complete rest,” says Rosante. “Beyond buzz, it’s popularity can largely be attributed to its efficiency. HIIT’s a great way to get fit in a short amount of time. But the key is to ensure that the high-intensity intervals are truly performed at your highest intensity.”

How do you know if you’re HIIT-ing it hard enough? Rosante says to go at 80 to 95 percent of your maximum heart rate during the work intervals, and 60 to 65 percent during your rest periods. (To find your max heart rate, just subtract your age from 220. Then take the percentages from there.) If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, push hard enough through the work intervals that you’re sucking wind. You shouldn’t be able to hold a convo, Rosante says.

You can do a HIIT workout with almost any exercise, from plank hip dips to jumping jacks to everyone’s favorite: burpees. That’s because it’s more about intensity than the specific movements, Rosante explains. But to help you narrow down what to do, Rosante says he prefers a mix of moves that force the glutes, quads and hamstrings (the body’s biggest muscles) to work explosively. Some of his go-to’s include jump squats, plyo lunges and sprints.

But don’t stop there. Rosante often alternates between a lower body and upper body move, or a lower body and total body exercise. “The alternation forces your heart to pump blood out to the muscles in a much higher volume, which, naturally, means your heart rate is significantly elevated,” Rosante explains. “When you boost your heart rate like this, you disrupt your metabolic pathways in such a way that they’re scrambling to return to normal long after the workout has ended.” This concept of burning calories even after you stop busting a move — known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption or EPOC — will blast fat and calories, fast.

RELATED: How to Beast Box Jumps and Other Plyometric Exercises

Choose Your Own HIIT Workout Adventure

Spike your heart rate, tone your body and break through plateaus with this HIIT formula from Rosante. Start with a goal intensity, then pick an option from each layer. No two workouts have to be the same — but you’ll get sweaty and fit with each round. We’ll call this one smash HIIT.

Infographic: Mallory Creveling / Life by Daily Burn

To warm up before you dive in, do a series of dynamic stretches and a few high jumps. After you HIIT it, cool down with a solid stretch of all major muscle groups. Rosante suggests holding each one for at least 3 to 5 deep breathes.

Standing Mountain Climbers

Start standing, arms bent at your chest, palms facing away from your body. Drive your right knee up toward your chest as you straighten your left arm toward the ceiling. Quickly switch to bring your left knee toward your chest and right hand toward the ceiling. Continue alternating.

RELATED: 15 Most Underrated Exercises, According to Trainers 

Push-Ups

Start in a high plank position. Without piking or dropping your hips, bend your elbows and lower your chest to the ground. Then push back up to a plank.

Speed Squats

Start with feet a little wider than hip-distance apart, toes pointed slightly outward. Drive your hips back and butt toward the ground to perform a low squat. Jump back up and bring your feet together. Then jump back into a wide squat position.

4-Point Plankers

Start in a high plank position with feet together. Jump your feet to the left side of your left hand, then hop them back to the plank position. Next, jump your feet to the right side of your right hand, then back to the plank position. Hop your feet between your hands, then back to the plank position. Finally, jump your feet wide, placing one on either side of your hands. Then return to the plank position. Continue jumping to each point, keeping your hands on the ground the whole time.

RELATED: 3 Plyometric Planks You Need to Try ASAP

Burpees

Start standing. Place your hands on the ground, wrists underneath shoulders and jump your feet back to high plank position. Drop your chest to the ground. Then, without arching your back, push yourself back up and jump your feet back up to your hands. Explode off the ground to perform a hop at the top.

High Plank Punches

Start in a high plank position. Keeping your hips still, punch your right arm out straight in front of you. Then your left. Continue alternating.

RELATED: 3 Fat-Blasting HIIT Workouts to Try Now

Sprints

Run in place (or on a treadmill or track) as fast as you can, pumping your arms for more power.

Y-W-T Holds

Lie on your stomach, arms straight out in front of you. Lift your legs and arms off the ground, with your arms to a Y position. Hold for a few seconds, then lower back down. Lift your legs and arms off the ground again. This time pull your elbows back and shoulder blades together so your arms form a W. Hold for a few seconds then extend your arms again and lower back down. Lift your legs and arms off the ground another time, this time moving your arms into a T position with elbows straight and arms out to the sides. Lower back down and repeat from the Y.

Want to shape up for warmer weather? Karena Dawn and Katrina Scott (who you probably know as the Tone It Up Girls) shared their favorite full-body workout to help get you started. With just four exercises, you'll target your core, shoulders, chest, triceps, glutes, hamstrings, and upper back. Complete the entire sequence with as little rest as possible to get your heart rate up, which helps your body torch calories. All you need is a little space and a yoga mat, making this the perfect workout to do at home (or outside in the sunshine).

And if you want more workouts from Karena and Katrina, here's some good news: Starting April 24, the pair is launching an 8-Week Bikini Series Challenge to help you get toned and strong for summer. The challenge includes meal plans, fitness tips, workout videos, and more. Head to toneitup.com now to sign up.

TIU Punch 'N Crunch

Begin by standing with your left foot forward, knees slightly bent, and hands held up by your face. Punch forward with your left arm, then bring back to center. Twist your upper body to the left as you punch with your right arm and bring back to center. Punch with your left arm one more time. As you bring your left arm back in, pull your left knee up to your chest. Lower back to start. Complete 15 reps, then switch sides.

RELATED: The Tone It Up Girls Swear By This Butt-Sculpting Workout

Walk Out + Pushup

Begin standing with your feet together. Slowly hinge forward at the hips and lower your hands to the ground. Walk your hands forward until you're in a plank position with your hands directly below your shoulders and core engaged. Perform a pushup. Walk your hands back to your feet and return to standing. Complete 15 reps.

Single Leg Row

Begin standing hinged forward on your left leg, knee slightly bent, and right leg behind you, arms holding dumbbells straight down in front of you. Engage your core to maintain balance. Pull weights up by your chest, elbows going directly behind you. Slowly lower arms back down. Complete 10 reps, then switch legs.

RELATED: The Exercise Drew Barrymore Uses to Tone and Strengthen Her Arms

Plank Tuck Jumps

Begin in a plank position with your hands directly below shoulders and core engaged. Hop both feet toward your hands, then immediately jump back to start. Complete 20 reps.

 

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