Guest article by Felicia Simon
Why do you need to be biking to work? The first reason is exercise! This post is not actually about why everyone needs to get more exercise and could benefit from a bike ride everyday. Instead, it will focus on what exercise does to our mind.
- Helps alleviate depression
- Improves the memory
- Helps to de-stress
- Helps you to focus better
- Helps you stick to your goals
I don’t know about you, but everyone could use ALL of the above when getting to work every morning. The best part is, you don’t need to schedule extra time for a work-out before or after work, just make it part of your morning commute!
So if there could even be a better reason for biking to work other than the benefits it has on our minds, the benefits to the environment are a close contender. Think of the amount of emissions that would be eliminated if everyone at your office stopped driving across town and instead took their bike to work!
Okay in case you aren’t sold yet, here’s a good one: rediscoveries. When biking to work you notice all kinds of things that you would never even experience if you were zooming by in a car. For example, the smell of the blooming lilacs, the wind blowing through the trees, the warm sun on your face, bustling activities of local neighbours, even cool buildings you may not have noticed before! Rediscovering the town you live in is an amazing experience.
While you’re out rediscovering things you thought you already noticed, you’ll also experience your town’s community on a first hand basis. While riding your bike to work you’ll pass people gardening, running, and even biking. Saying a friendly hello to a fellow biker completely trumps rushing to work alone in your car.
By now you must be thinking that you may want to bike to work tomorrow. Arriving feeling fresh and energized while also experiencing the town you live in, the community you are apart of, and the environment you love, biking to work is so appealing you’ll never go back to driving!