Cycling was a memory of my childhood , but as I started to grow old and the difficulty level of study increased, I left cycling and doing any activity in general which caused me to be severely overweight and obese. After the first lockdown ended I realized how much weight I had gained in all these past years. Doctors suggested me to regularly to do some form of physical exercise, and I chose cycling. As cycling is an exercise that requires constant excersion I made a goal that for 2 continuous weeks and will complete 200 km in total. To monitor my progress I will use an app called Strava that is used to measure the distance travelled and time taken. I used various LO’s :-
LO 1 :- Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
I understood the problem with my obesity and the adverse effects it could have on my health in future and how my cardiovascular health is important and which activity is not very vigorous, still could help me build my health gradually.
LO 2 :- Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken developing new skills
At first cycling was very hard as due to disability in my hand controlling the cycle itself was a very big challenge, also bringing the cycle immediately to stop was a challenge as it requires the breaks from both sides to be pressed but as I got regular these challenges started to fade away. I was cycling after a really long time meaning I had to regain the balance on the cycle and perfect the hand-eye coordination so I avoid falls.
LO 3 and LO 4 :- initiate and plan a CAS experience, commitment to and perseverance
It was made very clear from my first day of cycling that my endurance was pretty low and cycling 10km would make me sweaty and extremely exhausted , so instead of dividing 200km equally among 14 days , I made a day wise plan of how many kilometers to cycle and increased the number of kilometers gradually so the final day could also be a test of endurance. I did not skip a day and cycled regularly with full commitment to complete the challenge and achieve my goal.
LO 5 :- Demonstrate skills and benefits of working collaboratively
After the 7th day when I started to gain endurance and confidence I joined a random cycling group with my friend and would go for cycling with them everyday. It was difficult at first as they cycled at high and constant speeds which was different from my style which I had to adopt but it made me a better cyclist, also they cycle at a distance very close to each other and even a little loss of attention and balance could lead to an accident. Also I had to be very punctual and reach the starting location of the group on time otherwise they would leave and not wait so I had to cycle alone.
LO 6 :- engagement with issues of global significance
Cycling is a method of transport that does not require fossil fuels or any external energy that could harm the environment and pollute it like cars ,trucks ,etc do and additionally increase your physical and mental health. Cycling to shorter distances is a better alternative than using two-wheelers or cars as it does not require any fuels. Also cycle makes it easier to travel as it is small and could go through any traffic.
