Healthy Schools LAB
The Healthy Schools LAB will heighten awareness and understanding of issues and opportunities surrounding health and wellness in the K to PhD education system and contribute to the collective development of a healthy, active society.
Move Yourself to Work
I like walking to work. Or riding my bike. Rollerblading. Running. Gonna try kayaking (just need a kayak),long-boarding and XC skiing one of these days too. My current commute is 5-8 km depending on my chosen route, mode of transport and season. At one point, when I was teaching junior high I rode my bike 23 km each way. Yes, I do this in the winter as well (my record is -36 C w/o wind chill – not doing that again…). You may rightly ask, “why”? Let me explain with a few pictures and fewer words.
I happen to live less than 5 minutes from the largest urban parkland in North America (7,400 hectares or almost 20,000 acres). That means for much of the year I can access trails and paths on my way to work. This was not always the case. One of the reasons we moved to our current house was to be closer to this jewel.
This is my Spring / Summer / Fall (Fall is my favourite!) ride home – sweet single-track to chase all my worries away, experience some eustress and leave the distress in my dust. Most days I put in a few extra kms just because – I mean, have you LOOKED at this picture?
Walking in the winter can lead to unexpected vistas like this one. When I biked this way in the morning the stairs were bare. In the afternoon you could taste the silence brought on by the new snow.
It is good to challenge Old Man Winter. Especially on my winter-bike taking on big Alberta trucks and bigger egos. Nuff said.
One more shot of a favourite trail. You might say, “But I don’t live by all these nice trails like you do – it wouldn’t work for me.” Phooey. Everyone has options. Get off the bus a few kms early or walk to a stop a few klicks away. Park your car somewhere further away. Ask others at work if they use active transport and get some tips. Absolutely can’t make it work? Take a lap around the office building at lunch! Try moving yourself to work just once a week – guarantee you’ll get hooked. Your body, mind and soul will thank you.
4 Comments on “Move Yourself to Work”
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Great post! I love riding to work from spring to fall. I can’t wait to getup to hop on my bike to hit the High-level bridge and Ledg. Grounds. And when the day gets a liitle stressful, I just remind myself that in a few hours the ride home via Millcreek will make it all better. In winter, taking the bus allows me some exercise but I long to get back on my aluminium horse. I have a kayak you can borrow.
We are indeed blessed to be able to hit the trails! I’ll be calling about that kayak…
nice commute. mine’s all sidestreets except for one 200m stretch through the forest. i still love it. biking to work makes you smarter and happier. glad to say goodbye to the edmonton winters though.
Agreed – smarter and happier we will be!