The secret to staying in shape and keeping your health in check involves staying active and training regularly.
Regular physical activity helps you steer clear of serious illnesses (not limited to: obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes) while simultaneously providing a multitude of intangible benefits.
When it comes to combating the pitfalls of a sedentary lifestyle, hopping on your bike and
Realize the benefits of
Cycling allows you to merge regular physical activity seamlessly into your everyday life.
With an astounding estimate of one billion people pedaling their way every day—for transportation, recreation, and sports—bicycles have become a symbol of stamina, discipline, respect, and community.
Intangible Benefits
I prefer to segment the benefits by tangibility as the intangible is often overlooked.
If you are a beginner you may be hyper-focused on physical improvements or how you perform.
Yet, when you put your muscles into action by pedaling and steering a lot more is happening behind the scenes. The accumulation of your physical efforts is strong catalyst promoting a series of cognitive and psychological changes.
Out of the numerous intangible benefits that come from
Discipline
Every time you decide to go
Your mind is secretly disciplining itself as your brain is flooded with endorphins from
A tip for beginners and anyone is to make the routine fun. Even training or learning can be fun when you gamify the experience.
Perseverance
Regimen breeds discipline; fortitude breeds perseverance.
Pushing past your limits looks different for each person because we have different goals when
Each person is on their own journey. You might be training for a race or navigating a new commute route.
The more we conquer these calculated uncertainties the more we develop our capacity to persevere despite unforeseen circumstances.
Respect
The union between man and machine is a unique experience. As you develop your abilities, knowledge, and mental fortitude on the bike you begin to see yourself in a new way.
Examples such as taking up regular exercise or daily commutes invites a certain appreciation for oneself. You instill respect for yourself, your body, and the road.
Cycling allows us to experience the road in a way not possible with walking or driving. This is what separates
Community
The concept of community is simple: learn, grow, and share with others. A bike shop is a great place for a beginner or expert to meet local cyclists.
You have the ability connect with experts and peers that share your interest. The benefit of a bike shop or group ride* are different for each person.
For beginners this is a great way to immerse yourself in the sport and study more experienced group members. Everyone benefits from the positive energy and shared effort of the group.
Trainees get a chance to practice and leaders get a chance to educate. They say there is no better experience than on the job training.
Seeing examples of others training was a catalyst for my development. Getting comfortable with the pain and sharing the joy of the ride with other beginners was encouraging and motivating as a beginner.
(*Experience levels may vary depending upon the seriousness of the group)
Getting Started
The most common question from beginners is where do I begin? Beginners start here. When I think about progress the word curiosity comes to mind.
As your
The learning period of your
Follow your interest and never stop asking questions. They say research is just formalized curiosity.
