Well-Being

Ride a Bike to Brighten Your Day

Riding your bike not only improves your health, but also your outlook on life.  

By Carellin Brooks /

Credit: hipposrunsuperfast.com

Get a little exercise, and save time to boot, by cycling around town

If you can’t find time for exercise, try switching to two wheels.

I just rode the new Dunsmuir Street bike lane in downtown Vancouver for the first time. The lane is so new, it isn’t even officially open: they’re still installing racks and planting flowers. (Aw.)

The new bike lane is divided from traffic and runs both ways, so that you can link to bike lanes running north-south or go over the viaduct. It also means you can now traverse all of downtown Vancouver in your own dedicated lane.

As I was pedalling toward East Vancouver, a woman approached with her fluffy dog in her basket. “Is this great or what?” she shouted. I couldn’t agree more.

No Need to Find Time to Exercise

We all know the three basic building blocks for the good life: eating right, sleeping enough and daily exercise. But for the time-crunched — that is, most of us — it’s often impossible to carve out the room in our days for a workout. Bicycling is a way to get where you’re going and get that workout at the same time.

Thanks to Vancouver’s cycle-friendly mayor — who won my vote when he showed up at Critical Mass to campaign — cycling through town just got a whole lot easier. If you’re in downtown Vancouver, check out the lane — dressing up optional.