What the weather is, makes a difference. Riding through the four seasons, I’ve become even more aware of the weather. It has a bigger impact on my choices. I’m not shielded from its heat or cold as much. Its winds – their direction, their strength – make a difference to my day. Rain or sunshine, make for different choices.
I’ve long watched the weather. Surfing does that. Wind direction and speed, influence the ocean’s waves and their quality for surfing.
Over this past year, the weather has become an even closer friend.
The weather changes every journey. I notice her more. I notice the subtlety of her day and night, her winter and spring, her summer and autumn. She’s quite beautiful to watch.
I watch her closely. She’s fascinating. She brings me alive. She makes me adapt. She teaches me how to love her in all her moods and colours. Not a foe to be feared, or judged as bad, or resisted in some way. She asks me to surrender to the changes, adapt, grow stronger in her presence.
She’s wise that weather.
On 28th-29th November 2015, people from around the world will gather in the People’s Climate March. To find an event near you, click here.
For some music to inspire… enjoy the video below:
You’re The Voice: An anthem from women for climate Action and Hope.
This is the fourth post in a 5-story challenge about how my year-long cycling experiment has changed me. The first post looked at saving money. The second post considered my well-being and the third was a light-hearted recollection.
Gary, from PedalWORKS was kind enough to nominate me for this 5-story challenge because he’d like to learn how my year-long cycling experiment has changed me.
This post is the next in a series of five stories about how my year-long bicycle experiment has changed me. In the first story I wrote about saving money. In the second I reflected on how it is contributing to my well being. Now for the third story, it’s time to talk about a special honour that was bestowed upon me.
You see, it didn’t take long for the word to spread about my year-long bicycle experiment and before I knew it, I was chosen for a very special role.
Some of you might have heard of a singer called Kylie Minogue.
Unbeknown to many of Kylie’s fans, there is a unique club of bicycle riders who hold Kylie in high esteem. What happened early this year took me by great surprise.
Here’s the story of how I discovered that I was Replacing Kylie….
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p.s. Kylie is visiting Australia this week and singing a live duet – a new disco Christmas song – with her sister Dannii on X-Factor Australia’s Grand Final . I wonder if she’ll be bicycle riding while she’s here… 😉
Gary, from PedalWORKS was kind enough to nominate me for this 5-story challenge because he’d like to learn how my year-long cycling experiment has changed me.
Welcome to the second post in a 5-story challenge about how my year-long cycling experiment has changed me. The first post looked at saving money. Now it’s time to look at well-being. At the end of the post, you’ll find an interesting infographic.
During these past eleven months, I’ve pedalled more kilometres and spent more hours riding than any other year in my life. It’s caused a significant increase in my level of physical exercise. So, with that, you’d think I should be fitter, stronger and healthier. And I am! … but even more than I’d expected.
When I began thinking about this experiment in November 2014 and what it might mean for me, I realised it carried several motivations. One was to save some money. Another was to make me fitter. I had no specific goal for either. I just knew that both would be likely outcomes and I’d enjoy them. They would be of value to me.
So it’s now a wonderful surprise to notice how my well-being has changed over the year. You see I wasn’t paying attention at first to changes in my fitness. That’s because I was so focussed on making the change to ride my bicycle instead of taking the car. Now that this choice is normal for me, I’m noticing. And this is what happened:
My bicycle riding became incidental exercise.
Incidental exercise is the type that happens as we go about our living – walking around the shops, cleaning, gardening, using stairs instead of an elevator or escalator. In my case, it’s been riding my bicycle as transport.
And this is what I’ve noticed:
- Riding uphill is easier – I’m less puffed and less daunted when facing a hill climb
- My legs are more toned; they feel stronger. I can carry larger loads in my panniers.
- My mind becomes clearer after a bike ride.
- I sleep better – ahhh 💤💤 🙂
- I have more energy and feel more physically capable.
BUT I’ve also noticed that with more riding, different muscles tighten.
My shoulder (trapezius) muscles were tightening and that wasn’t good. I’m told this is a common issue for bicycle riders. So with some help from the bike mechanics at Mikes Bikes, the position of my bike’s seat and handlebars have been adjusted to make my riding position more upright. And I’m remembering to relax my shoulders while riding.
As well, a few twinges crept into my knee. After a visit to my physiotherapist at Ridiculously Well (how could you not feel better 🙂 ), I learnt that my thigh muscles (quadriceps) which play a key role in stabilising the knee, had shortened. This is also common amongst bicycle riders. It was easily remedied with some stretches – which for me, centre around some regular yoga poses to lengthen those muscles.
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So it seems all this pedalling has led me somewhere better…
As this year-long experiment has progressed, being well has become easier because my exercise is incidental to living. I love that. It makes me even happier.
Finally I want to share with you a neat infographic*. It begins with USA-specific statistics about cycling participation and then you’ll see HEALTH BENEFITS and what happens when your body is biking.
It helps me understand what might be behind my ‘somewhere better’.
* Source: Fix.com via Ghergich & Co.
Gary, from PedalWORKS was kind enough to nominate me for this 5-story challenge because he’d like to learn how my year-long cycling experiment has changed me.
To keep the conversation going, I’m inviting you to leave a comment or write a blog post about how riding your bicycle has helped your well being. I’d love to read them! 🙂
a bike for all seasons 