Recently, I’ve taken up riding my bike again, and I must say, it’s absolutely exhilarating. Initially, I was hesitant because, let’s face it, it had been a year since I last rode. The reason? I broke my shoulder last April, 2023, during a catamaran trip off the picturesque coast of St. Lucia. The first six months were spent rehabbing, and I struggled with putting pressure on that shoulder. But as for reclaiming my strength, I finally took the chance to ride my bike again.

The first ride covered about 2 miles and by the time I was done, I was consumed with a yearning for more. The very next day, I pushed myself to 10 miles. And once again, I found myself craving further distances. The freedom one feels on a bicycle is best compared to the boundless energy of childhood. When you’re young and frolicking about, you face no limits—movement is effortless. You don’t have the inner injuries and inflammation impacting your every move, so there’s this overwhelming sense of joy, abundance, and boundless reality that you experience and savor without even realizing it.

Now, riding your bike, as crazy as it sounds, brings back that limitless feeling because of the ground you’re covering—something you simply can’t achieve just by walking. And if you’re fortunate enough to run, you’ll understand this sensation, but you get the point. Riding your bike pulls you out of the sedentary environment to which many of us have become accustomed. We sit at our desks, we send emails, and for fun, we watch Netflix. However, when you ride your bike, you’re thrust into a setting that aligns with your natural, human essence.

As you ride, you’re activating your senses: your eyes become sharper, focusing more acutely on objects both on the ground and ahead. Everything requires caution when you’re navigating the road on your bike. Your sense of hearing becomes heightened as you listen for pedestrians and, of course, cars, for safety. As you weave from one side of the road to the other, you’re not just listening—you’re feeling the wind, you’re embracing the air, and you’re inhaling all that oxygen. It’s hard to articulate, but activating your senses creates a radically different environment for your body.

And if you didn’t overexert yourself and managed just the right amount of time—admittedly, a tough call to make—you’ll find yourself missing it until your next ride. That’s the key: you want to exercise enough and ride enough so that you miss it and keep building on those muscles. Before you know it, what started as a 2-mile ride becomes a 10-mile ride, then a 25-mile ride, and maybe even a 50-mile ride. Who knows? If you get really serious, you might even tackle hundreds of miles.

So how does this tie back into everything else? Well, once your ride is done, you have clarity. Your mental health isn’t fixated on just you—you think about other things, you become curious, joyful, and eager to learn. You become less consumed by your own feelings and whatever is bothering you almost takes a backseat. You even become a better problem solver.

So, ride your bike, or do something that activates those senses, especially in honor of Mental Health Month. It’s crucial to get both your mental and physical health in the right place. Peace out.