Why You Should Ride2Work (or wherever)

On October 21st, Australia celebrates National Ride2Work Day. This Wednesday take that rusty old bike out of your shed and put it to good use! With the current Covid-19 pandemic, many people including The Top Coins team are working from home online. However, we can still celebrate this fun day! Why? Because National Ride2Work Day was created to encourage Aussies to get outside and be active while positively lowering our carbon footprint. The destination isn’t important, it’s the activity that matters. That's why on the 21st you’ll find The Top Coins team riding to the grocery store, riding to visit a friend, riding for the sake of getting off our computers and into the sunshine on our lunch break. Here’s 5 reasons you should cycle to work: 

1. Move your body: Riding to work is the most effective way to incorporate exercise in your busy day. Did you know exercising has a multitude of benefits for our health with physical, emotional and mental benefits. 2/3 of Australian’s don’t get enough exercise to maintain their health. A regular ride to work or anywhere else can drastically help boost your energy, help your mental health and prevent heath conditions such as obesity, heart condition, diabetes, etc. 

2. Speed through peak hour: We all hate peak hour traffic. Running late to work, being stuck in traffic, moving slower than we could walk doesn’t sound appealing to anyone! Have you ever noticed how quickly cyclers ride passed you when you’re trapped bumper to bumper in traffic? I know I’ve been jealous watching them overtake hundreds of cars at once while it takes me 10 minutes to drive 1 km through the city. It turns out there’s a method to this madness! A 5-10 km distance to work takes between 15 - 30 mins depending on your pace if you cycle. On average, it takes more than that to drive to work and or take public transport. Save time for doing the things you love by cycling to work. 

3. Sustainability: Ride to work for the environment! Cycling is a ZERO emission transport, meaning it is ridiculously better for the environment than other form of transportation. The world is being choked by pollution and riding to work is an incredibly effective way to make a big difference as an individual. You could save literal TONES of greenhouse gas emissions annually by choosing a bike over a ride. If commute to work for 10 km, you could save an average of 1.3 tones. Of course, if the distance you travel is more, the tones you can save go up and up! 

4. Become employee of the year: Riding to work increases your productivity by 15% as it promotes mental health and fitness. Physical activity improves brain function and cognition which are closely related to performance. Reports from the University of East Anglia’s Norwich Medical School and the Centre for Health Economics at the University of York showed employees that rode to work were able to cope with a heavier work load, were less stressed, had improved relationships with co-workers and overall felt happier while being inside and outside the workplace. 

5. Save money: Covid-19 and the recession has sadly forced the majority of Aussie’s to be mindful of every dollar. Opting for a bike over a car on your commute can save between $6,000 — $15,000 every year which would other wise be spent on petrol and paid parking. That's enough for a holiday! Get that beach body through cycling just in for your next holiday with all the savings from petrol. Sounds like a perfect plan to me! 

Register your now and participate in National Ride2Work Day on October 21!