6 Motivating Reasons to Ditch Your Car and Start Biking

Amanda Wilks Tweet us AmandaWilks01 AmandaWilks01 September 18, 2017 0 Comments

Amanda Wilks was a contributing author for BikeArlington.

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BIKE TAKEAWAY:

Hang up your car keys for the allure of a breezy bike ride to work, especially by joining others taking the Car Free pledge on Friday, September 22, 2017. Go Team Bike!

Reasons to Ditch the Car and Try Biking

Biking to work isn’t the outlandish stretch you might think it to be. Here’s my six reasons to swap your four wheels for two.

1. Your Health Will Almost Certainly Improve

If you’re going to spend an eight-hour workday trapped behind a desk, you may as well begin and end it with some exercise to burn off that excess energy. The health benefits of cycling are varied, but here are some of the highlights:

  • Improved cardiovascular strength

  • Low-impact exercise that hits all major muscle groups

  • Boosts joint and muscle strength as well as flexibility

  • Lowers stress

The biggest boon is you’ve effectively found a way to turn your idle time into a productive part of your day! It doesn’t matter if you’re new to biking, it’s an easy skill to acquire and it comes with a lot of benefits. Worth trying, right?

2. Cycling Is Easy

It’s often said that “you never forget how to ride a bike,” and that’s effectively true for many of us. Riding a bike is simple and there’s a solid chance you already know how. If you’re just getting back into biking, I recommend easing yourself into it rather than jumping right into 10-mile rides.

3. You’ll Save Money

This is a big one, but it’s simple: driving is expensive! A car commute may be costing you $10 or more per day, if you include gas, vehicle maintenance plus other fees. Meanwhile, purchasing and maintaining a bicycle is a fraction of that cost. The only fuel you’ll be paying for is food and water, and that’s much cheaper than filling your gas tank every weekend.

4. You Might Live Longer

People who switch to biking to work from their old car-commuting ways can live longer! You could gain anywhere from three to 14 months of life expectancy with one relatively simple change in your lifestyle that outweighs the downsides by a fair margin.

You won’t magically gain years on the end of your life just by hopping on a bike, but don’t underestimate the positive power of small changes to your lifestyle that can trigger bigger health boosts.

5. You’ll Feel Better About Yourself

Physical exercise can have extensive mental benefits. It’s a well-documented fact that working out can boost your positivity levels and help those with anxiety and depression, so it’s no small wonder that the mood boosts associated with exercise can trickle into the rest of your day.

6. A Quality of Life Boost Is Sure to Follow

For those of you with issues balancing, climbing, working or even finding a way to wind down after work, cycling can help improve your coordination and balance as well as burn off energy that keeps your mind working overtime at night—when you should be sleeping.

 


If you’ve considered hanging up your car keys for the allure of a breezy ride to work. Commuting by bike could very well be your ticket to a healthier life and a fatter wallet.

Click to learn more about Car Free Day

Mark your calendars and join BikeArlington and thousands of other DC area commuters on Friday, September 22, 2017, as they take sustainable transportation on Car Free Day.

Visit CarFreeMetroDC.org to take the Car Free Pledge today. Go Team Bike!

Do you have a great commuting story? We want to hear from you. Email info@bikearlington.com.

Photo Credit:

Sam Kittner/Kittner.com

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