5 Perks of cycling to work

It might be very new to India, but cycling to work could be a very healthy alternative to work. From environmental to health paybacks, there are an array of advantages that might be just up your street.

IMAGINE being trapped inside your car on your way to work because of traffic. All you can do is breathe calmly and try deviating your mind by listening to some music. But does that actually De-stress you? No.

Kolkata has some of the worst traffic congestion in the country, and there is no way one could escape that! But after years of city traffic, Kolkatans now have an escape from the constant conga line of cars. For, there is an array of residential properties already cued in and around our work sectors to inculcate “cycle to work culture”.

If you think about it, cycling to work comes with a host of great paybacks, and not just for the environment. Your body, mind and bank balance can all benefit too, so why not make this simple change and see what a difference it can make? Here’s a list of a few benefits you can expect to see:

One of the enigmatic perks of exercise is that it can twist the mindset into making healthier food decisions. You are not as tempted to be a slug in front of the TV and to eat comfort food in place of a healthy dinner, as one is often tempted to do when they commute by car. In fact, it builds muscles and improves circulation and wards off heart disease by raising the heart rate, lowering blood pressure and strengthening the heart.

There’s no better time to meditate on a problem than when you’re peddling to work. Giving more free time to think, without the added pressure of office surroundings, it’s the perfect opportunity to organize your mind before you get into work. You never know, you may end up finding a longed-for solution to a burning work problem.

Though strolling alone has its own meditative advantages, doing the same with family often lead to extra bonding with family. Cycling together is the perfect way to clear out problems. Talking through issues shoulder to shoulder instead of face to face provides a sense of unity. And why lose out on an opportunity to cycle to work, especially if you have to go the same way? After all, it provides an opportunity to enjoy the simple pleasures of peddling one foot in front of the other.

Cycling is the ultimate green transport. Every journey peddled instead of driven is a car not on the road. And that leads to less congestion,less pollution emitted into the air, and that means cleaner air for us all to breathe.

So many renowned beauticians have noted the aesthetic advantages of leaving your car behind. If you are cocooned away in a metal box, you miss the delights of the unexpected space or building or building detail, may be a pattern in the bricks, a decorative figurehead, a tiled entrance lobby; a park in the first blush of spring; previously unnoticed public art; interesting sign age and shops — the beauty of the urban space.