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Entry bubble Bike to Work Day

By: Colleen | May 13, 2009 | Category: Health

Tomorrow is bike to work day. The idea is to promote exercise and physical fitness as well as being easy on the environment.

I think biking to work would be a great idea. I'd love to have some additional exercise built into my day, and I wouldn't really miss riding on the petri dish that is the METRO.

What's stopping me is logistics. I don't know how people manage to bike to work and still be a properly attired professional—especially the ladies.

To be honest, I'm not one of those gals who "glistens" when she works out. There is *ahem* some sweat involved, which requires a full shower to make right. That much I can handle—we're lucky enough to have a locker room at our office. But getting myself presentable takes some work (and a hairdryer, big round brush, styling mousse, etc...etc).

Then there's the whole challenge of clothes. I can't bike to work in my office duds. And I can't just throw them in a bag to change into at the office (hell-o wrinkles!). So, does that mean I have to haul an iron in with me along with everything else? This is getting awfully complicated.

How do you manage to bike to work? Maybe it's something I can do just on casual Fridays, when I don't have to worry as much about my clothes. HELP!

| View Comments [14] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: bike_to_work_day   colleen   environment   fitness  

Comments (14):

blue comment bubble Posted by Alan Wild on May 13, 2009 at 08:22 AM EDT

I live 27 miles from work (one way) and that's using google maps "walking" directions.

Not going to happen.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Carol on May 13, 2009 at 11:04 AM EDT

I bike to work every day and commute in skirts, suits, etc. Allow yourself plenty of time so that you're not working up a sweat. The breeze from riding will help to keep you cool. Keep a pair of nice shoes at work, for those days when you need to wear winter boots or want to wear sandals. Dress in layers and have a bag or basket on your bike to store your work clothes, lunch, etc, so you're not wearing a bag (which will make you warmer). Make sure your bike has fenders, to keep street grime off of you.

Biking to work doesn't need to be an everyday commitment...but it is possible!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Jess on May 13, 2009 at 11:31 AM EDT

I wonder those same things. I live a bike-able distance. I've got to imagine it would be much much quicker than doing the Metro thing, but the logistics seem nightmarish. Sweat, wrinkly clothes, etc. It's the same reason I only successfully ran once at lunch I guess.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Dawn Undurraga on May 13, 2009 at 04:23 PM EDT

I used to think the same thing about biking to work. Then I tried it. If you give yourself enough time to bike safely (not rushed) you won't need to take a shower.

I sweat a healthy amount when I work out, but when I biked safely I didn't really even much break a sweat. I would then go to the restroom and wash my face, tidy my helmet hair and be off. Talk about refreshing! Hotter days, I would roll (no wrinkles!) my work shirt up and wear a t-shirt to bike in.

Biking to work made the biggest improvement in my quality of life that I have experienced yet. Talk about a stress reliever! It also allowed me to show up to work more awake, alert and eager to get started (more so than coffee!).

I highly recommending just forcing yourself to try it once (on a casual Friday for instance). Then you can see just how big your barriers are and make an educated decision about whether or not it is "worth it" to you personally.

Best!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Lynn on May 13, 2009 at 05:09 PM EDT

About biking to work, in response to Colleen -- We're lucky to be allowed use of lockers for bike commuting. I keep a pair of work shoes in my locker, wear jeans for biking and carry easy-care work clothes in a bike bag. There's a hairdryer in the locker room. Mousse, etc., stay in the locker. Works out well.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Rhonna on May 13, 2009 at 06:23 PM EDT

I have found that even on the hottest days, I don't sweat any more biking than I do getting into a hot car. I have a bike that accomodates skirts and bring a pair of shoes in my basket if I need to change.
I also made some adjustments in my appearance. I have my hair cut so my style won't be crushed by a helmet. I wear longer skirts, so I don't have to worry about what can be seen when I'm riding. I feel that spewing less carbon into the environment is a higher priority than fashion.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Biker Fiend on May 14, 2009 at 06:54 AM EDT

I used to bike 12 miles each way to and from work, on 2nd shift (4:30 pm- 1am). I have 2 headlights and a taillight on my bike for visibility. I have a camelbak hydration backpack which is the sweetest invention ever. I bought an exceptionally nice 24 speed bike for about $500, put a rack behind the saddle to hold my luggage (books, laptop, change of clothes). i rode to College and to Work. At 30 years old i'm still young enough to enjoy a good ride and the workout feels great. i try to give myself an extra hour to let my sweat dry, keep a box of babywipes and a bar of deoderant in my desk. Maybe someday i will get up the motivation to get back to riding in, but it is hard to get up early enough to get in on time, but i have a hard enough time driving in on time now :) It's hard to work days after years on nights. You can do, just plan ahead and improvise. You'll feel great!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Karen S. on May 14, 2009 at 07:43 PM EDT

Biking to work is a phenomenal idea when you live/work in a town with impossible parking. I worked in my college town for five, yes five years, and basically built the new municipal building with all the tickets I collected. While you're working hard, the meter maid is waiting for your minutes to hit 0. So given the choice, I would prefer to huffy uptown rather than fight the meter maid on a weekly basis.

But on the other hand, my current job requires a lot of commuting and I don't think the morning rush hour would appreciate me merging on the highway on a 10-speed. Plus, there's always that risk of having your bike stolen at work ;) True story.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Stuart Drossner on May 14, 2009 at 07:47 PM EDT

So I Read this article yesterday May 13th and thought wow what a good idea this is, ride my bike to work. I figured that other's would be doing the same. So this morning I rode my bike to work and to my surprise I saw one other person riding his bike to work as well. I asked him if he knew today was bike to work day. He said no, however I ride my bike to work everyday since I live only 2 blocks from work. We both agreed that if more people do this it would be so much better for the enviroment. I didn't see anyone else riding there bike to work that day, but I did and felt proud of myself. - Stuart Drossner

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blue comment bubble Posted by Yun-Mei Lin on May 14, 2009 at 08:39 PM EDT

At the Forest Service, we are very lucky to have a fitness room as well as temporary lockers (it's considered rude to leave our things in there indefinitely - just locked while we're working out/showering).

The idea of duplicate items is not as stupid as it sounds. If you are allowed to keep personal items in your work area, it's not ridiculous to keep a hair-dryer or curling iron there. Most of my work-clothes are permanent press/synthetic fibers. I don't bike regularly (I should), but the couple of times I did were after I started using the fitness room - so my tidying up things were already on site.

Keep us posted on your progress!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Bobbie on May 16, 2009 at 10:03 AM EDT

Bev, all great points on the challenge of professional women biking to work. While in St. Paul this week I learned one of my colleagues bikes 19 miles one way every day. While I don't think I could manage that daily, what about keeping 2 or 3 changes of clothes in the office in a hanging bag and switch them out on the days you drive?

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blue comment bubble Posted by Pat on June 02, 2009 at 09:29 PM EDT

I bike to work all the time (whenever it doesn't rain). I have a rack in the back and a bag, called a pannier that kind of looks like a brief case to put my clothes in. I fold them neatly and put them in. I actually have two in case I need to bring books or a computer. Over the years I have found that there are wrinkle free shirts that work and look fine. Even non-wrinkle free things don't really hang on to the wrinkles for more than a few minutes in the morning.

Most government buildings have a shower/gym although it sometimes takes some exploring to find them. I usually walk in and grab a cup of coffee and then go take my shower once I get in.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Mark on June 06, 2009 at 10:51 PM EDT

I agree, it can be a real hassle to bike to work and still look professional. Especially if it is raining...
http:/www.get-six-pack-abs.org

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blue comment bubble Posted by FatLossBlogger.com on July 08, 2009 at 10:07 AM EDT

I agree with you Colleen. On the surface it sounds good, but if you work in an environment where you need to look (and smell) your best -- riding a bike to work might not be a good fit.

If you fall into that category, I would just focus on biking to other spots that you frequent instead such as the grocery store, coffee shop, etc.

J.P.
http://www.FatLossBlogger.com

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