For a couple of months, I was staying in our house in Dubai awaiting the opportunity to come back to Sri Lanka. Our house is located in a compound where several houses share a cycling track through and around the compound. It was such a great opportunity for me to try cycling as there was ample space and the availability of bicycles at home. My siblings and I went cycling every two to three days enjoying spending time with each other. Every time we tried cycling, we could cover a distance of around 7km. Some of us cycled for even longer while some siblings returned back home after a few rounds.

It was a much needed experience for us to relax both physically and mentally by cycling outdoors after having been restricted to our homes for a long time. It was also good alternative to workout to make it up to the missed workout plans on certain days. Apart from the fitness benefits of cycling, it was also extremely beneficial to mental health. Furthermore, cycling became personally useful for me as well especially when I wanted to purchase some goods from the supermarket nearby. It was just a matter of grabbing the bicycle and riding it to and from the supermarket.

Closer to the compound, there was another cycling track for the professional cyclists, it was a common and a motivating sight to notice the professionals engaging in their daily practices at any time of the day.

 

 

Overall, by engaging in cycling, a number of benefits were gained, most of which were related to physical fitness. One of them was increased muscle strength and flexibility which I personally experienced especially when doing the workouts. Another noteworthy benefit of cycling was decreased stress levels.