Riding your bike to work is a great way to commute to and from work, providing a load of benefits from your own health, to the world around you. By riding to work, you give your body the exercise it needs to keep healthy, and at the same time doing your part to reduce pollution and road traffic. Unfortunately, in Australia, there aren’t enough people taking advantage of riding to work. A lot of workplaces provide bike racks for their cycling commuters, so, read on and learn about the benefits, and then get to riding.
Saves Money
With the current prices in fuel sky-rocketing in 2022 thanks to certain worldwide politics, some places across Australia are recording $2 a litre for fuel. Now is the best time to save your hard-earned money and ride to work.
Financial experts from finder.com.au are saying that by riding a bike to work each day, the average Australian family can save anywhere up to $1500 a month on fuel prices. Now that’s a whole load of extra savings you may not have realised you could potentially have.
Reduce your carbon footprint
It’s no secret that CO2 emissions from fossil fuels are damaging our environment and warming the planet, leading to a series of serious environmental issues. A number of large companies in Australia are taking steps to reduce their carbon footprint, and there isn’t any reason you shouldn’t too. Studies have shown that cyclists can potentially save an estimated 6 to 14 million tonnes of CO2 emissions. To do your part in helping save the planet, get on your bike and ride to work.
Beneficial to your health
Let’s move away from politics and prices for a while and instead focus on your health. Cycling is essentially the best cardio workout you can do. Burning around 400 calories an hour, it’s basically a gym workout without needing to go to the gym. By riding your bike to work each day, you’re giving your body healthy exercise that can help you keep in shape and prevent some serious diseases, such as obesity, heart attacks, cancer, diabetes, strokes and more. Remember if you’re just starting out, try not to outdo yourself and ride at a pace that feels comfortable for you.
May save you some time
Believe it or not, riding your bike to work may actually save you some time. Rising population means an increase in on-road traffic, and slower commutes. Bicycles are a lot smaller than cars (who knew right?) and even motorbikes and easily allow you to miss heavy traffic entirely. Whilst you must follow all road rules on the bikes, you can still more easily get around those large clumps of traffic that you’re usually stuck in whilst sitting in a car bored, and late for work. So, not only are you getting a morning workout, you can leave that little bit later if you need to and still arrive at work on time! There are a number of bike racks in Perth available for you to leave your bike, so there’s really no excuse not to take your bike to work.
You can avoid public transport
Driving through the city, or anywhere for that matter can be a struggle and a pain. Sometimes, due to bad traffic or annoying drivers, it’s better to just take a different method of transport. Usually, people resort to public transport. Public transport can sometimes be unpleasant, right? We all know it’s not the best experience sitting on a rattling old train, next to some stranger you’d rather not be near. Make your commute that much more pleasurable by taking the bike, who knows you may even see parts of the area such as a cute restaurant or shop you’ve never been to before, and revisit them when you get the time.
Beneficial to mental health
Cycling can be a soothing and meditative experience. Keeping your body active and moving provides a relaxing effect on your brain, boosting your mental health. If you suffer from any kind of anxiety or depression, getting a physical workout on a bike can improve your quality of life by an exponential margin.
It has also been found that people who regularly keep active live a more productive lifestyle and are less likely to feel fatigued and burned out after work. Keep a healthy and rich lifestyle by making a small change in your daily routine to feel better about yourself and the world around you.