Cycling, bootcamp and exercise

I've been asked to write a story relating to how exercise relates to wellbeing. I put this down to people immediately thinking 'athlete' when they meet me (she says whilst eating a chocolate bar and planning out the cheese board she'll eat later). I've decided to focus on a couple of aspects exercise has benefitted me - how it lifts your mood and the social side.

Pozzoni has a cycle-to-work scheme and a Thursday bootcamp. I decided to start cycling to work a couple of years ago. Initially, partway through my first cycle into work I thought I wouldn’t make it. My legs hurts, I was constantly out of breath and that I thought I’d be extremely late to work. However, I found that I enjoyed cycling, and I persevered - saving on driving costs or catching the tram. During the summer I can cycle longer routes via the water park or the Trans-Pennine. Sure, sometimes you have a bad day (get bitten by a goose, mobbed by hoard of pigeons or you fall in the canal – yes these have all happened to me) but I've found since I started including cycling into my commute my mood has been better.

Bootcamp on the other hand, gives me something to look forward to on a Thursday. Sometimes you feel lethargic at the end of the day, but having a group of people encouraging you makes you attend. We have a PT (James) who takes a class in our side car park. I feel the use of the term 'car park' makes it sound dreary and grey. It's not. The social side, encouragement and general sarcasm always makes you feel better and you feel a sense of achievement that you’ve done some exercise. By the end of the class you're always in a better mood.

Overall, I've found that exercise lifts my mood and helps me be more social. The cycle to work scheme introduced me a hobby I love. Bootcamp on the other hand has made me more social.

I feel I should add some words of motivation to the end so, the moral of the story is, do exercise or you'll turn into a grumpy person with no social skills.