How a Bicycle Changed My Life

Hello,

I want to share with you something that, little by little, has been changing my routines.

Since May 2022, I started strengthening my body with physical and muscle exercises, alongside my Qigong practice. And this May, I decided to add one more change: trading the car for a bicycle for my trips to Portimão for my workouts, about 25 km in total.

It wasn’t a heroic decision. It was a simple choice, born from several needs at once: movement, fresh air, and also the practical reality of rising fuel prices.

The numbers just started happening on their own:

• In May, 7 hours and 112 km.

• In June, 7 hours and 89 km.

• In July, 16 hours and 152 km in total, plus two 5 km walks with my dog.

I don’t share these numbers to impress. I share them because they surprised me. Because they show what happens when a habit takes root slowly, without pressure, without perfection.

August has arrived. The heat is picking up. This month I should log fewer kilometers, and I am fine with that. Cycles exist to be honored, not forced.

What remains is this: I feel in better shape. My heart and lung condition has improved. And something changes inside us when we move through the world using our own effort.

We only stand to gain. More health. More life. More presence.

With serenity,

Filipe