Four Reasons to Bike More
Taking to your two-wheeler delivers far more benefits than a smaller carbon footprint. What other advantages does cycling offer? Consider these:
- You’ll get more exercise. Why pay for a gym membership or aerobics class enrolment? By using a bike to get to places you normally go anyway, you’ll burn calories, build muscles, improve your heart health… and get to where you want to go. While most of us lead busy lives, for many of us, it’s the kind of busy that tends to involve sitting at a desk or computer, not walking, running or lifting. Bicycling is also one of the simplest exercise methods you can find: as the saying goes, once you learn to ride a bike, you’ll never forget how.
- You’ll save money. It doesn’t matter whether gas is $1 a gallon or $5 a gallon – either way, filling up your car’s tank costs money. Obviously, the less gas you use, the more money you’ll save. (And using your car less also reduces wear and tear on your vehicle, which can help prevent the need for costly maintenance and repairs. Keeping cars off the streets also reduces the need for road maintenance, something we all pay for in the form of taxes.)
- You’ll rediscover your neighborhood. Traveling block by block without an armor of glass and metal surrounding you, you’ll gain an entirely new view of the place in which you live. You’ll hear the birds, feel the breeze, discover sights you’ve never noticed before and smell the air free of exhaust fumes (as long as you’re not riding directly behind a car). And it’s a lot easier to wave hello and exchange a few friendly words with neighbors when you’re on a bike, rather than hurtling past people at 30 miles per hour.
- You’ll have time – literally – to stop and smell the flowers. Riding a bike forces you to slow down the pace a bit, and that’s a good thing. Study after study show that today’s 24/7, non-stop, plugged-in lifestyle isn’t healthy for anyone (especially children). If you have young kids who aren’t ready to bike alongside you yet, consider buying a bicycle trailer (Craigslist is a good source for used ones in your area) so you can take your children with you when you run errands. That way, you’ll both be able to enjoy the outdoors, as well as spend some unhurried, non-plugged-in time together.
