365 Ways to Save the Planet

Day 154 – “I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike, I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like.”

Bicycle Race, was just one of the many songs I enjoyed listening to, off my Queen’s Greatest Hits album, when I was a kid. Couldn’t help think of that song while getting ready to write today’s post.

It’s World Bicycle Day! It’s the day where we celebrate all the wonderful benefits of riding a bicycle.

GearHungry.com came up with a list of 23 benefits of bicycle riding. I thought I would share five of them.

1. Cycling Helps You Get in Shape – Perhaps the most compelling reason to ride a bicycle from a personal perspective is the fact that doing so can help you lose excess weight and improve your cardiovascular health. 
2. Riding Your Bicycle Improves Mental Acuity – When you exercise your heart muscle by riding your bicycle all that blood surging through your veins is carrying oxygen it’s picking up in the lungs, which are also getting a good workout. That oxygen rich blood is then distributed to your brain where it helps you become more alert and mentally sharp.
3. Cycling Can Save the Planet – Leaving the car home and taking the bicycle to work is one important step we can each take to putting the human race on a path toward sustainability and making sure we leave our grandkids a world every bit as beautiful as the one we grew up in.
4. Riding Your Bike Saves Money – No tank to fill, no parking to pay for, no meter maids to deal with and no duals to the death with other drivers whose nerves have been frayed to the breaking point. 
5.  Riding Your Bike will Help You Sleep Better – Getting out on the bike on a regular basis helps work off the stress and tire you out so you can get a proper night’s sleep.

And you’re going to want to start getting out on your bike, so you can prepare yourself for the ride of a lifetime. The Great American Rail Trail will span across 12 different states from coast to coast, enabling cyclists to travel safely and efficiently, avoiding any and all car and pedestrian traffic. The path will span 6,000 kilometers (3,728 miles), starting in Washington State, heading west through Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and finally, Maryland, where it will end in Washington D.C. The trail will hopefully be opening in the next year or two. Check out the route HERE.

So, get out there and ride your bike. Ride it where you like.

Tomorrow, ideas on where to donate a bicycle.