Zen habits is one of my favorite blog. I like the short but condense articles fill with Zen wisdom. Such as this one:

the brief guide to life:
less TV, more reading
less shopping, more outdoors
less clutter, more space
less rush, more slowness
less consuming, more creating
less junk, more real food
less busywork, more impact
less driving, more walking
less noise, more solitude
less focus on the future, more on the present
less work, more play
less worry, more smiles
breathe

Make your choice and keep clicking the arrow at the top right corner.

Poodwaddle.com

Have you heard of regular cycling will keep your body ten years younger? I was wondering how? Today, by working through this Real Age clock I discover the effect may be accumulative over a number of factors. Compare my “cycling” lifestyle today and my “driving” years before, I discovered my real age is reduced by many factors:

exercise -1
stress -0.5
sleep -0.5
cholesterol -1
blood pressure -0.5
breakfast -1
happiness -1
depression -0.5
anxiety -0.5
relaxation -1
job satisfaction -1
driving -1

Some of the item may seem unrelated (e.g. job satisfaction), but it’s my subjective feeling. It realling feel that way to me. I think what happen is that being more relax in general help me to cope with work stress better. It’s like a small change in my lifestyle trigger a positive spin and it just keep going that way.

bikeman does not use a foldable bike, but his experience on cycling to work deserve notice here.

Quoted from his page:

”

Benefits of Commuting to Work by Bicycle:

1. Is the best form of exercise to start the morning and arriving at your job refresh and energise the whole day, unlike your sedentary colleagues experience.
2. Able to ride and exercise without having to cut into family time.
3. I never have to stress out about traffic jams on my bike in the early morning and at the same time, clearing cobwebs and blowing away job-related frustrations. When arrived, ready for a brand new day.
4. Riding your bike to work or school and back may be the best way to create time for cycling. When commute by bike, time normally spent sitting in an automobil or waiting for public transport is used productively as part of the training hours. The trip home can be lengthened as much as time, daylight and energy allow.
5. It is very much more economical to ride than to drive, especially in Singapore. It saves one car less on the road.
6. The health benefits: My posting to Taipei 4 years had ballooned me from 63 kg to 72 kg with a 88 cm waistline. My active cycling had helped me get back in shape. I am now back to 62-63 kg with 79 cm waistline. My resting heart rate is below 50 and my BMI is about 22. I hardly fall sick.

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In Singapore, you can commute by bike all year long because of the tropical climate unlike countries with winter snow. For a distance less than 10 km, it make more sense to commute by bike as travelling time is about the same with automobil, considering waiting time for public transport and looking for parking space if you are driving. My advice to all bikers is get in the saddle and commute considering all the benefits. I suggest that everyone try commuting for at least two weeks. Getting up in the pre-dawn hour may be the ultimate test of whether you really want to ride. It would not take that long to get over the initial pain/disgust of riding that early in the morning!

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