We firmly believe that good health is a multi-dimensional target.
We strive to be healthy in body, mind and spirit. For us, that means we need to exercise our bodies to keep our muscles strong, we need to be constantly learning to keep our minds sharp and we need to spend time within ourselves to work towards a peaceful spirit. It’s a constant struggle and balance to stay on a healthy path but we’ve truly prioritized it. It’s been even more important since COVID-19 seeped into nearly every aspect of our lives.
Cycling has been a magical outlet for us to accomplish well-rounded health. It strengthens our muscles, allows us to take a beat and settle our spirit or boost our mental health and of course, we are always learning things while in the saddle. When COVID-19 emerged, we worried that cycling would be another casualty and we wouldn’t be able to continue our regular riding pattern. We wondered: is cycling safe in the COVID-19 age?
Thankfully the answer we found is that not only is it safe but it’s almost necessary.
And we are not alone. We could probably write an entire blog post on this one study completed by BikeRadar and partners that found 87 per cent of cyclists have used riding to boost their mental health during the coronavirus lockdown. Most people have had some struggle with mental health since COVID-19 came onto the scene. It turns out that it’s not just cyclists who have discovered the joys and benefits of bike riding. Bike shops have been struggling with keeping up the demand for bikes. More and more people are discovering that it’s a great way to get some fresh air and some great exercise. Plus, if you ride alone or ride with a group but stay a little further apart, it’s almost completely safe. In this recent article, a biology professor from the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth said “I’d like people to stop wasting mental energy on the wrong things. To stop worrying about outdoors and bike riders since it’s such a low risk.”
Ultimately, you have to make the decision what is right for you and your family but we have found strength, both physical and mental, in riding our bikes. It seems that the studies and data emerging from coronavirus studies are thankfully supporting our choice.
