On a bike in a suit? Why not? During this year's holiday this is a common sight in many Polish cities. Millions of people around the world cannot be wrong. Riding a bicycle is pure benefit: slim body, greater disease resistance, longer life, saving time and money.
Here are six reasons why you should commute to work by bike:
Reason 1: To be beautiful.
Already after 30 minutes of cycling the brain produces endorphins, known as hormones of happiness, which improve the mood. And as you know, anger harms beauty. Moreover, one hour of intense cycling can burn about 500 calories, so after a few weeks of commuting by bicycle to and from work you will have a slim body to show off.
Reason 2: To be healthy.
“Riding a bike improves our immunity and shape. Physical activity has a positive effect on our immunological system which can effectively protect us against infections, germs, and pathogens, including dangerous tumour cells. Regular cycling also reduces the risk of heart disease – more or less by half. It is enough to cycle 32 km per week, about 6 km per day, advises Joanna Zmokła, a fitness coach at Benefit Systems. It is also worth noting that the morning ride will be stimulating to us – it will give us an energy boost before work and one that is much better than coffee to start the day. On the other hand, going back home by bike will be a pleasant and relaxing rest.
Reason 3: To live longer.
This is a fact – cycling can also prolong your life. Studies conducted in Denmark and the UK show that moderate and regular physical activity can extend a person's life from 3 to 5 years. Choosing a city bike is thus a wise and healthy decision.
Reason 4: To work more efficiently.
A city bike instead of a car can be a good choice mainly for office workers. As shown by research conducted by the Centre for Opinion Research – OBOAK, as many as 51% Poles believe that commuting to work by car reduces our efficiency. “Therefore, a bike is a good choice – thanks to the daily, several minutes long rides we will be more focused and creative” – adds Joanna Zmokła, a coach at Benefit Systems. And this means being just a small step away from a pay rise.
Reason 5: To save time.
And what if we could make a day longer? You can try to do this by switching from a car to a bike and thus avoiding traffic jams. According to a Deloitte study, traffic jams in Warsaw make us lose more than 8 hours monthly, and almost 9 hours in Wrocław. Therefore, by choosing a bicycle as a means of transport, we have about 2 hours per week more for ourselves. In Warsaw, there are more than 200 stations with city bikes, located throughout the city. According to USA Today, Warsaw has the tenth best cycling system in the world in terms of its ease of use.
Reason 6: To save money.
As you know, time is money. Not surprisingly that we can save a lot by limiting being stuck in traffic jams. For an average inhabitant/driver traffic jams are a cost of PLN 3,350 per year. A Deloitte study shows that they consume on average up to 70% of the monthly salary of drivers. By switching to a bike we can save, for example, for a holiday abroad. And the savings can be even greater due to the MultiSport “Endorphins for the Summer” program which allows cycling by a city bike in the 12 largest Polish cities every day for 60 minutes without incurring additional charges.
Detailed information on holiday attractions can be found at www.wakacjezmultisport.pl. Registration in the city bikes system – www.multisportbike.pl. The list of facilities available within a particular type of card is available at benefitsystems.pl.
About Benefit Systems Benefit Systems is the creator of the MultiSport sports and recreation program, which supports an active and healthy lifestyle of its users. Our sports cards provide access to nearly 4,000 sports and recreation facilities in more than 650 towns and cities throughout Poland. Moreover, starting from 25 June, MultiSport cardholders can use city bike systems in 12 cities. Within the framework of the holiday program, the offer for MultiSport cardholders also includes outdoor swimming pools, rope courses, and other outdoor activities. At the end of the second quarter of this year, the sports cards offered by the Benefit Systems Group were used by more than 736,000 people in Poland and abroad. The sports offer is successfully developed by the company also in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Bulgaria, where the number of sports cards users is steadily increasing.