This Monday, Grab your Bike and Enjoy the Outdoors

Instead of hopping in a car, try hopping on a bike. Keep your brain sharp and pedal toward happiness, leaving your stressbehind.  Whether you’re commuting to work or doing Move It Monday activities, include a bike ride.

Your lungs and heart will thank you! From commuting to work to an enjoyable ride, biking exposes you to more fresh air and 60% less carbon monoxide than you would get in a similar car ride. Also, a recent study of active commuting showed cycling lowers your risk for cancers and cardiovascular diseases. And don’t forget, the more time you spend outdoors, the more you increase your vitamin D – so soak it up! Here are more reasons to ride.

But what if you don’t own a bike or haven’t yet mastered riding one? You can still enjoy the benefits of a bike ride. Check out your local recreational facility and use one of their stationary bikes. Get started slowly with a 15-minute workout then keep going from there.

For biking outdoors, stay safe by taking advantage of good urban planning. Cities and towns make way for bikes either with designated bike paths or bike lanes on city streets, use them because it halves the risk of injury. And if you don’t have a helmet, pick one up at a local bike store and have it properly fitted.

Commuting to work on a bike is fun, you can get fit without even thinking about it! Plus, it also saves you money on gas. Need some other fun ideas? Pack a picnic and go for a ride to your local park. Discover a new neighborhood. Take a ride along a scenic route with your family and spend quality time together.

Taking in fresh air, seeing nature from a new perspective, and getting your heart rate up makes biking a great, low-impact way to help you stay fit, feel good, and be healthy. It’s almost unimaginable to be on a bike and be in a bad mood!

We’d love to know where you decided to go on your biking adventure this Move It Monday. Share your ride with us on Facebook or Twitter and tag it with #MoveItMonday!