twistedkeys

Kinda a funny question, but I was wondering about it. It seems every time I got mad about something I would go for a bike ride, and by the time I got back I was ready to face it and take on whatever it was.

I haven't ridden in a year, and I've lost almost all my motivation, and I get frustrated about little things a lot more now. So I don't know if it's because my lack of riding.

What do you think?

GentlemanGeorge

I hear ya. For me its a combination of cold weather and lack of ride time that contributes to my lack of motivation and crappy attitude. Fortunately, once the weather breaks and things start to warm up my disposition improves for the better.

ChrisO

Yes, cycling is good for the soul.
Excersise in general, and the "me time" that I get when I'm peddaling down the road
have a significant positive effect on my attitude.
In the winter months when my milage drops off a lot, I notice that I'm not as relaxed about the little things as I should be. This routinely leads to neck pain that I don't feel in during the "riding season". Of course I'm not a doctor, and it may be totally unrelated.

DX-MAN

Cycling is ESSENTIAL for the soul.

Without the bike, my self-control would have deserted me years ago, and I'd be in prison now for leaving a bloody path of destruction through my side of town. (No, I'm not kidding.....)

JayButros

I know you're not kidding... I fought off a nasty addiction with exercise in general and bikes in particular.

...must. ...keep. ...riding.

twistedkeys

Wow, I thought I might have been the only one! Guess not! :-)

krazygluon

I cycle commuted for almost a year, 5mi each way, made a huge difference in how I felt about things after I got home every day.

CNY James

100% good for the soul.

If I get home from work with stress or frustration, 15 angry miles will clear me up.
If I ride to work, I am energized for the day.
If I ride on my lunch break, my afternoon flies by.
If I get up early (6 am) on a Sat/Sun and get some miles in, I feel great.
If I don't get to ride for an extended period of time (read: Winter in Syracuse, NY) I get cranky and lethargic

dnmhc

I know what you mean. Instead of going out and indulging in more than is healthy (or safe in general) I'll stay in now so that I can get up and get some miles in early in the morning. It has made me so much more productive, so I guess that's a good thing.

no motor?

I don't think you're going to find anyone here who disagrees with you. I use the winter time for maintenance, and am already anxious to get out for the first time.

Chongyoung

So this is your hobby or you do this purposely well when you are tensed please don't drive your bike it is not good always ,everyday is not a sunday why take risk for your life so try to quit is habit ,but if this is where you really get relief then you can think of what to be done after all it is the way you want to live.

ChrisO

What the mother-of-all-run-on-abominations is that^^^^?

corkscrew

Cycling is good for my body and mind. If I had a soul, I'm sure it would be good for it too.

Bob Ross

I think that if we have a soul then cycling is good for it, but if we don't then the question is moot. In either case how could cycling possibly be bad for the soul?

...unless "soul" is a euphemism for "ass" and you're talking about mild discomfort?

ColinJ

It was early November, 2003. My dad had been ill for some time, but it still came as a shock when my younger sister telephoned me and told me that he'd died. She said not to rush down - she was with my older sister and they were looking after our mother. They knew I had things to sort out here before I went down for the funeral a week later.

I couldn't think straight. I needed to clear my head so I got on my mountain bike and rode up onto the local hills.

It was a beautiful sunny day and the trees were looking magnificent in their golden-reddish autumn finery. I thought to myself how much my father would have loved it up here in Yorkshire but he'd never been well enough to make the journey. I'd had to make do with showing him photographs of this area and describing my rides and walks to him.

I stopped at the top of one steep climb and looked across the fields beyond the dry stone wall and suddenly - I saw a movement - deer! I'd heard that there were some in the area, but they were extremely nervous of humans and in 20 years of cycling here, it was the first time I'd seen them! I watched a while, but then made the slightest of movements and the deer were gone.

I rode on for another hour and found a beautiful private spot where I sat for a while and wept for my dad. Eventually, I got back on my bike and rode hard over the toughest climbs I could string together.

When at last I got home, I felt at peace. I rang my mother and we spoke for a long time. Life must go on ...

Yes, I reckon that riding is good for the soul!

IR Baboon

Do we have a soul?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3D1WS8-rDM

Northwestrider

Be it running , walking , swimming, or even better, bicycling, exercise is good for mind and body.

capejohn

I don't have a soul or any soul, but biking makes me feel good.

twistedkeys

Thanks for sharing Colin, that was a very good read.

Artkansas 

Here's a little rule of thumb. If you have a problem in life, you are not the only one. In fact you can go back even before history and people were having the very same or very similar problem.

Artkansas 

I believe that we do not have one, but that we borrow a bit of universal consciousness for the duration.

ColinJ

Writing that brought it all back; particularly poignant because I lost my mother over the Christmas holiday and I've been out on the hills thinking of her too!