The one thing that strikes you as you walk around Amsterdam is everybody cycles, walks or takes the tram.

Men in suits, women wearing hipsters and mums with their little ones in the front seat. And there is hardly a car in sight - except taxis which are all luxurious Mercedes.

The air is clean and the canals and waterways give the streets an extra healthy feel. All the roads have dedicated cycle routes and the people of Amsterdam seem to pedal away so effortlessly, I felt breathless watching their calf muscles working away at the pedals.

Next to Centraal Station, there is a huge multi-storey bicycle park alongside a multi-storey office building, presumably for the employees. Where have you seen bicycle park in Brighton? That is something for the council and public to think about. Could the humble bike be the way forward for a solution to our traffic congestion?

Bringing back the bicycle into our travel culture could also stop so many people taking time off work because of sore throats, allergies, chest infections and even chronic fatigue from breathing polluted And please bring back the ice-cream man with his tricycle.

The commonest mode of transport into and out of Amsterdam is trams - and they look lovely. In fact, I saw hardly any car parks or roadside parking spaces.

Isn't it crazy that we would rather go to gym for our cardiovascular exercise and cycle away behind closed doors while breathing trapped air full of carbon dioxide? When doing cardiovascular exercise, you need pure air full of oxygen feed your muscles, otherwise lactic acid builds up and you get cramps.

Cycling has several health benefits. Firstly, you exercise the abdominal and the leg muscles, particularly the thighs. So, for those people who want to shed some unwanted fat around these areas, cycling is ideal.

Cycling also exercises the abdominal organs, particularly the liver which is the main factory and detox centre of the body.

When you are cycling and breathing lungfuls of clean air, it is helping both your liver and your heart.

If you, like me, are out of cycling practice, you will probably stop every ten yards.

don't give up.

You have to be careful about one or two hazards of cycling. It does put a strain on your back so it is a good idea to do some stretching exercises for the back, legs and shoulders to release any strain there.

We are lucky we don't have to make do with the old-style bicycles I saw in Amsterdam. We can choose modern mountain bikes that have so many gears they make cycling a treat - particularly up and down Brighton's hills. And we also have the seafront with its special cycle routes.

Dr Milind Jani works as a conventional and
holistic GP and Dr Asmita Jani as Ayurvedic Consultant from 3 Eaton Gardens, Hove.

Call them on: 01273 777448 or email: milind.jani@ntlworld.com