There are a lot of good reasons for cycling as much as possible.
- You're saving the Earth by not creating carbon emissions through the use of a car.
- You're saving money by not buying petrol ($100/year to service your bike is far less than typical annual fuel costs).
- You're saving your health through regular exercise (after my first week of cycling, my resting heart rate went from between 85 and 90bpm to between 68 and 73bpm; that's a huge difference for just a week of riding every other day).
- You're saving money on a gym membership, because the time you would normally spend at the gym is being spent on exercise anyway.
These are all definite reasons for me to cycle, not to mention that finding a type of exercise which I enjoy and can do on a regular basis is particularly important for me because of my ADHD. I'm told that exercise is very good for it, and I noticed this before I even suspected that I had it. When I was at the gym four days per week, I was in a far better state than when I wasn't exercising. I'm basically like a puppy, in that if I don't get my daily walk I start to tear up the furinture. And your shoes.
But these reasons, while compelling in and of themselves, are not the main reason I cycle. Quite simply, I cycle because it feels good. I get a fully sensational experience - I get to see, hear, feel, and smell the world around me in ways I can't possibly get at the gym, or even on a slow walk. I enjoy the stiffness in my muscles the day after a particularly hard ride; it's a reminder that I'm doing something worth-while and that my body is responding to it.
When you think about it, enjoyment is really the only thing that works when it comes to changing your habits and doing more exercise. If you don't like what you're doing, you won't enjoy it and none of these "reasons" are going to be reason enough. So if you want to get healthier, rather than kicking yourself for avoiding the gym or the running and feeling bad about making excuses, try something else. No matter how good the exercise you're trying to make yourself do looks on paper, if you don't actually like it, you'll never get anywhere. Whereas if the whole point of it is to enjoy it while you're doing it, it'll feel less like hard work and all those benefits will be the cherry on top.
Of course, if you can't find any exercise you enjoy doing, then you'll just have to pick the one you hate least and bear it for all eternity.
If you don't like what you're doing, you won't enjoy it and none of these "reasons" are going to be reason enough. So if you want to get healthier, rather than kicking yourself for avoiding the gym or the running and feeling bad about making excuses, try something else.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, yes, this. Last summer I dedicated myself to yoga and running, two activities that a lot of my friends enjoy. But I quit: because yoga is just boring to me, and running, while better, still lacks a kind of usefulness I need my exercise routines to have. Cycling is both transportation and exercise, and thus I'm not doing it going "calories in, energy out, I'm exercising!!, yada yada." It's not about the stats, it's just about feeling the buzz while you're doing it (but I'm not into racing, might be different if I was). I don't even feel like I'm exercising when I cycle, it's a side effect (a good one!) of transportation. But I also know people who hate cycling because they can't stop worrying about traffic or have poor balance on a bike. It's all about what you're comfortable with.
The only job I've managed to keep for longer than six months (I also have ADHD) was two miles away and I used to walk there and back, every day. I wonder if there is a correlation?
The only job I've managed to keep for longer than six months (I also have ADHD) was two miles away and I used to walk there and back, every day. I wonder if there is a correlation?
ReplyDeleteWell, I've found that this year I haven't needed my medication, and I'm cycling to work twice/week. It could also have to do with my classes being better-behaved, but even last year my best class (which was on par with the ones I have now) had me freaking out if I'd forgotten my Ritalin.
In fact, this week is the first week I've felt like I need my medication to cope, and this is the week I haven't been cycling because I was sick.
I also noticed that university was WAY easier once I took out a gym membership and was getting a good 4 hours' exercise each week (about what I'm getting at the moment), and this was well before I was diagnosed!
So when I read that exercise is extremely beneficial to ADHD, I went "Ah! That explains a lot!" :-)
So yeah, I'd say there's a correlation there and possibly even a causation ;-)
But I don't enjoy any exercise. Argh.
ReplyDeleteTechnically, saving money on petrol is not really a valid reason: cycling is slower, and your time is worth rather more than the petrol would cost.
ReplyDeleteThe other reasons are good, and if you're spending the time on exercise anyway, it might as well get you from A to B as a side-benefit; but if you were only cycling to save money on petrol, it'd be a bit of a false economy.
Depends on what I'd be doing with that time. If I'd just be at the gym anyway, which costs even more money, then I'd say it's worth it :-)
ReplyDeleteOr even if I'd be spending that time kicking myself for not being at the gym, it's still worth it :-p
Technically, saving money on petrol is not really a valid reason: cycling is slower, and your time is worth rather more than the petrol would cost.
ReplyDeleteCycling is frequently faster than driving. Especially in Melbourne. Plus by the time you factor in the time it takes to park and then walk when you could have just locked your bike out the front, you're laughing.