IMPACT OF EXERCISING OUTSIDE

I wanted to find out why cycling does have such an impact on my emotions and why it helped put me in a better place.

A research team from the Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry did 11 trials with 800 plus adults, to compare the effects of outdoor exercise vs indoor exercise to discover the outcome for physical and mental wellbeing.

From doing this study they found that exercising outside did have a greater effect on wellbeing than exercising indoors and exercising in natural environments gave an even greater feeling of revitalisation, increased energy and positive engagement, together with decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression. The people doing the trial also said how they found exercising more enjoyable outside and this would therefore encourage them to want to exercise further.

Now holistic approaches are beginning to be being used for people suffering from depression and other such psychological ailments. I also saw a documentary on this on BBC One in 2016, The Doctor who gave up Drugs, where a girl with severe depression and anxiety was encouraged to go outdoor swimming everyday. It went onto show how this had a huge impact on her recovery out of depression, so that she could function again and get on with her life happily.

I think this is why cycling is important to me, because it gives me a sense of freedom and control and in contrast to the pain of being in cold water, my cycling pain is pushing myself to the extreme by not stopping and getting off the bike but pushing myself to go further and steeper.

Voigt set the first record of that new era, at the age of 42 in September 2014, before immediately retiring from the sport.

I also went on to read about Jens Voigt a .....cyclist and found his quotes below quite revealing:

'Now I am OK, but for some time I was actually happy to have the pain because I could release my demons in the right way,"

"Often people asked me what I would do without cycling, and I would say I'd be like the main character in Grand Theft Auto. Too much anger and too much energy.

I can relate to this because cycling is painful, I ride up a lot of hills in Highgate; Swains Lane, Highgate West Hill and Holly Lodge- and push myself to the point of feeling sick. The pain I get from cycling seems to take away my feelings of negativity, confusion, anger, frustration and as well as a distraction to these negative emotions, it in return gives me increased energy, positivity and general happiness.

PART THREE (unit 7)- 2019

PART THREE (unit 7)- 2019

RESEARCH

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