National Bike To Work Day

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     I apologize for posting my blog so late today.  Last night I stayed in town and thought about biking to work today to celebrate National Bike to Work Day.  I just thought about it, I didn’t actually do it and if I had my blog probably still wouldn’t be up.

     I think if I lived in a city I would bike to work every day.  As a child I biked everywhere around town.  It gave me so much freedom and was so much fun.  I never realized it was exercise as a kid but it sure was a good health benefit.  I still like to ride bike but I don’t get the chance to do so very often because of where I live.  The Gunflint Trail doesn’t have shoulders to bike on and the logging roads and snowmobile trail are quite the work out.  With the price of gas these days you better believe I would be biking everywhere if I lived in or near a city.  

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  I know it isn’t always practical to ride your bike.  If you’re picking up groceries or going to a formal dinner then I can see taking the car.  But many work places these days have facilities for their employees to change clothes or even a shower which makes getting ready for work after a bike ride a breeze.  Saving money, getting exercise and helping the environment are all ways biking to work is a great idea.  Take time during National Bike Month to consider all of the benefits of riding a bike and then get your bike out and hit the road. 

On the average, individuals spend over an hour each day commuting in their vehicle to and from work.  If you spent even some of that daily drive time pedaling instead, the rewards would be:

• A BETTER BODY Most weeks, seven out of 10 of us fail to get the minimum recommended 30 minutes of activity per day—partly because many of us have to fight traffic to get to the gym. The result: More than 60% of Americans are overweight or obese, and rates of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes are soaring. Ride your bike to work, and you no longer need to make time to exercise.  Rack up just 3 hours of riding time a week, and you can slash your risk of heart disease and stroke in half. Plus, you’ll lose the gut and lovehandles—no diet required. Consult your doctor whenever starting any new physical activity.

• MORE MONEY The average annual price of keeping an automobile running: at least $3,000.The cost of running a bike for a year: less than $300. The joy of saving more than two grand this year: priceless. 

• CLEAN AIR The number of communities that will fall out of compliance with the Clean Air Act is expected to triple within a decade. Motorized vehicles are responsible for 70% of the carbon monoxide, 45% of the nitrogen dioxide, and 34% of the hydrocarbons people produce. Riding a bike is a simple way to improve the environment.