Riding your bike makes you happier

May is my favorite month for a number of reasons. First of all, it kicks off with my dad’s birthday. He typically does some crazy adventure (ride his age in miles, climb a mountain) that acts as a preview of what my life will continue to promise in years to come.

Then of course it is my birthday, which means much gratuitous shopping for things I pretend are justified by my aging.

“I should buy myself this new bike because I’ll be a year older.” Of course, it’s a bike so really any justification would validate such a purchase. (It’s blue. The sun is shining. The sun might shine. It’s a bike. It’s Wednesday.)

Followed by my birthday is my daughter’s birthday, for which we have been preparing since about 14 minutes after her previous birthday party finished. In particular, her creative cake ideas and ceaseless list of present wishes consume many of our evening conversations. Because when you’re going to be 9, the greatest decision you’ll make is whether you want a rainbow kitty cake or a vampire pony cake.

What I love most about May, though, is that it is National Bike Month. That’s right — an entire month during which our entire nation celebrates, promotes, and rides bikes.

Those of you less fanatical about bikes may not be aware of the bike joy potential the month offers. Regardless of your level of bike affection, Bike Month is a prime opportunity to explore the benefits of biking more.

Bike Month is not just about trying to get us out of our cars. (Benefits: save on gas money, increase cardio activity, burn more calories, feel the breeze in your hair, increase joy.)

It is also about promoting cycling awareness so that those who do not ride bikes can learn how to safely negotiate the roadways with those who do. Even if you don’t ride a bike, this helps keep your insurance rates low and your car clean. If you do ride a bike, this helps you be less inclined to get clipped by mirrors.

In my experience, riding my bike as a means of commuting brings a basic kind of peace and happiness into my every day experience.

In the morning, my daughter and I ride to her school together. We stuff our packs with our daily needs, lunches, rain coats because it’s Idaho, and then we roll through the charming streets of Sandpoint.

Our bike conversations are entirely different from our driving conversations. There is acknowledgment for her remembering to check for cars (‘Nice left-right-left kiddo!’) and observations about the world around us. We talk about the flowers in yards, the choppiness of the lake, whether or not we’ll see an osprey. It’s a meandering sort of transition from home to workplace that is perfumed with fresh air and love.

In the evening, it is the same sweet journey. Riding my bike rather than driving my car means an entirely different head space, and even more time to wind down from my day. By the time I get the few blocks from my office to the school, I’ve processed enough work to settle into my afternoon with my family.

Riding my bike is, simply put, a perfect mindful practice. It places me in the moment and allows me to be more present in my other moments.

For all of these reasons and so many more, I encourage you to embrace Bike Month. Pull your bike out and dust it off. Hide your car keys. Make sure your kids’ helmets are fit right and they know how to signal. And then ride your bike.

Ride it to work. Ride it to the store. Ride it to pick up kids, visit friends, see the view from the bridge. Ride it home. Ride it around the block. Ride it far. Ride it near. However, wherever, and for whatever reason, just ride it.

You might just find that May becomes your favorite month too. And maybe every other month after that as well.

Ammi Midstokke owns two birds nutrition and can be reached at ammi@twobirdsnutrition.com or online at www.twobirdsnutrition.com.