Cycle to Work Day: Why exercising is good for your wellbeing

Thursday 1^st August is Cycle to Work Day. Whether you are new to cycling or regularly head out for rides on your bike, it’s the perfect opportunity to switch up your usual morning commute and get out on your bicycle.

We spoke to High Intensity therapist Eve, from our TALKWORKS Exeter team, about why she chooses to cycle rather than drive to work: "Cycling is a great way for me to have some time to decompress before and after work. It also means after a busy day, I have managed to fit in some movement and that helps a lot when things get busy."

What are the benefits of exercise?

While cycling is good for your physical health, it can also help improve your wellbeing too. Being active can help us to feel less stressed and can also help us to get a better night’s sleep. Government guidelines advise that adults and older adults should aim to exercise for at least 150 minutes at moderate intensity per week, or at least 75 minutes of vigorous intensity. If you are able to fit exercise into your daily routine, it can really help to boost mood and leave you feeling happier.

If you are less keen on cycling but would like to be more physically active, walking could be a good option for you. You can start off by walking slowly and then gradually build up the distance that you walk, so that it feels manageable. Any form of exercise is better than not exercising at all, so it’s important to find a way that you enjoy getting active. You can learn more about the benefits of exercise and how this can improve your mental and physical wellbeing in our blog.

Exercise helps, but I’m struggling and I need to talk to someone

While exercise can be therapeutic, talking about how you are feeling can help you to make sense of what’s going on and can help you to feel better. This could be reaching out to a friend, a family member, or it could be someone that you don’t know at all, like a therapist.

At TALKWORKS, all of our therapists are fully trained and accredited NHS clinicians who are here to listen to your difficulties. If you have been experiencing low mood, problems with sleep or anxiety, our clinicians can work with you and help get you back on track. We offer one-to-one therapy sessions face-to-face at one of our bases across Devon, over the phone, or by video call, as well as interactive group courses, wellbeing workshops and online self-help. As we are an NHS Talking Therapies service, all of our treatment and support is available free of charge.

You can self-refer to TALKWORKS without needing to see your GP first by filling out our online self-referral form, or by calling 0300 555 3344 (our phone lines are open Monday to Friday from 9am – 4:45pm).