A high level of morale, unfailing motivation, an Olympic shape, unparalleled productivity ... all with little or no effort. Who hasn't dreamed of this?
Cycling to and from the office every day has a number of physical and mental health benefits.
Most obviously, cycling to work allows us to incorporate a dose of daily exercise into our busy days.
The result is a sculpted body, as well as improved endurance and tone, which many new cyclists praise.
Perhaps most notably, cycling helps protect against cardiovascular disease and reduces the risk of diabetes. The WHO recommends a minimum of 2.5 hours of sport or physical activity per week to avoid health problems.
Of course, if you cycle very often, you need to eat a healthy and balanced diet to avoid collapsing in the middle of the road.
But for everyday cyclists, those known as "vélotaffeurs" (meaning "those who commute by bike"), it is especially interesting to note the psychological benefits of cycling.
Seeing the sun, the light of day, has a very direct influence on our morale. The underground corridors of the metro or the confined spaces of vehicles do not have this advantage. However, it has been proven that exposure to natural light is great for the brain. So goodbye to the gloom!
We might even add: goodbye to monotony, because while a journey by public transport may seem repetitive, cycling to work ensures a different journey every time.
And this coupled with the famous release of endorphins thanks to the physical effort: we are in high spirits!
But more surprisingly, practising physical and sporting activities (PSA) increases our productivity at work by 6 to 9%(1) as well as our ability to concentrate.
Productivity, a good mood, a shapely body, iron health. A good prospect which adds to the pride of knowing that we are helping to reduce CO2 emissions and make our cities ever greener and more habitable.
(1) In 2015, in order to concretely measure the economic impact of what was anticipated (i.e. employee benefits at work), the MEDEF conducted a study of 200 companies. One of the interesting conclusions was that a sedentary person who starts practising physical activity improves productivity by 6% to 9%.