Its About The Smiles, Not The Miles!

Its August 1st which means its National Cycle to Work Day, and nobody knows this better than Rebecca, our Head of Procurement.

Having started cycling around 18 months ago, she is a huge advocate of it and can’t recommend it highly enough. Here’s why she says you should all be dusting off those wheels and getting outside.

‘I started cycling again after years away from it and it has been in a word - lifechanging!

From the physical side of things, the changes are huge.

For those of you sat at a desk for 8 hours a day, you do tend to get a bit squishy around the edges. I blame Louise and the constant supply of digestives, but in reality, I had gotten a little lazy and wasn’t doing as much as I could have been.

Normedica run the Cycle to Work scheme which meant I didn’t have the concern of forking out a huge amount of money all in one go and could pay for my bike over a period of 12 or 18 months.

For me, it was a no-brainer.

I went from paying ￡80.00 a month for a bus pass to spending ￡30 a month on the scheme knowing that in 18 months it would be done and my travel costs would drop to ￡0. On top of that, within the first couple of months of cycling every day, the change in me physically and mentally was huge. My body was changing dramatically. I felt stronger within myself and I was sleeping much better than I had in a long time.My general moods were much better and I had much more control over how I was feeling.

Having never been a morning person, cycling in to work offered two immediate benefits. Firstly, I got an extra 40 minutes in bed every morning because I didn’t have to leave so early and secondly, that 28 minute ride offered me the opportunity to blow away the early morning cobwebs and enjoy the scenery on route.

I take a route that takes me around the country lanes for a large chunk of my journey so its quiet, car free and I have numerous dogs that I can say hello to on my way in which is a guaranteed way to introduce a smile even on the most stressful of days.

In the last 18 months, other than a couple of accidents that took me out for a little bit of time, (my fault and weather related), I have lost over 18kg in weight which has massively boosted my self esteem, confidence and mental health. I am stronger and fitter than I have been in years and I regularly get out on the bike on a weekend as well to go exploring. I have found so many places I wasn’t even aware of in the local area and the cycle routes are fantastic.

As long as you are respectful when you’re on the road, the risk is minimal and most drivers are great. Same as most cyclists. - its just the odd one that spoils it for the rest of us!

The benefits to cycling are huge, and even if you only did it a couple of times a week, it won’t take long before you start to feel the change physically, mentally and financially.

If you do anything this month, dust your bike off and get back out there. I promise you will not regret it!’