Over recent years, more and more people have opted to bike on their commute to work. In fact, the number of people traveling to work by bike increased about 60 percent over the past decade.
There are some obvious benefits to biking, like improving your health and the environment, but recent studies have found that it can also improve your job performance. Bike to Work Day is Wednesday, so now’s the time to give two-wheeled commuting a try.
Here are a few ways biking can make your work day even better:
- Be more productive. When you exercise, your body increases blood flow to the brain, which helps sharpen awareness. Exercise also speeds up your metabolism and increases your energy. Biking to work will give you the energy and mental awareness you need to be focused and efficient.
- Cut down on stress and anxiety. Exercise releases endorphins, which can help reduce stress and symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Learn more. Research has found that regular exercise can increase the size of critical parts in the brain and improve problem-solving skills.
- Improve your memory. Exercise boosts chemicals in the brain that help prevent the degeneration of the Hippocampus, which plays an important role in memory and learning.
- Think it through. A survey by Cyclescheme found that more than half of those polled said cycling gives them more time to think up new ideas and solutions.
Want to bike in to the office on Wednesday but not sure how to get started? Check out these tips from The Denver Post and Bike to Work Day.
Mariel Synder is an intern with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce and studying political science at the University of Colorado Boulder.