Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, all the outdoor sport activities were closed and prohibited by the government including gyms and health clubs. I initially started cycling as a means to get out of the house and inhale some fresh air in the mornings alongside maintaining my fitness. Cycling is an activity which I enjoy alone as well as with my friends.

LO1: Long-distance cycling requires both stamina and endurance. I have always lacked stamina, and the lockdown made it worse. To get into a good shape, and restore good levels of stamina and strength, I started cycling 3-4 times every week. In the beginning, I could not cycle for very long distances, and was limited to 9-12 kms. With regularity and consistency, I brought up my levels to 35-40 kms.

LO2: A potential challenge for me was to wake up early in the morning! Due to the lockdown, my sleep cycle was completely messed up which made it a challenge to wake up early in the morning. However, as I began with cycling, I made it a target to wake up on time which also improved my routine with time. One another challenge was wearing a mask during cycling because it wasn’t comfortable but was a requirement for safety.

LO4: Doing an activity to gain results requires commitment and consistency. In the case of cycling, I really enjoyed it, however, there were times when I couldn’t wake up or I felt lazy to go for cycling alone. So, I started to plan cycling with friends. This would ensure that I would get up and go for cycling on time without delaying it. This was a rather fun alternative as cycling with friends was really good since we hardly saw each other in those unfortunate times. All in all, it assured my regularity towards the activity, and helped me burn calories!

LO6: Health is an important aspect of life, and I feel that it is vital for an individual to stay fit and healthy. This also includes being healthy mentally. Road-cycling really helped me stay in shape as well as clear my mind. Staying indoors for a very long period of time had my mind affected immensely, and cycling in fresh air made me feel very relaxed and refreshed.

To conclude, this experience had really helped me survive through these unfortunate times. It has helped me to stay healthy and keep myself motivated.