Today I made the mistake of having some spicy noodly thingamies from the local food court. There are a diminishing number of stalls at the food court from which I will buy food, and the noodle bar has just hit my black list. By the end of the day my guts were decidedly gurgly and I wasn't feeling at all well. So it was a toss-up as to whether I should ride home or leave the bike and take a train.
I stalled for awhile then decided that riding with rotten guts couldn't be worse than standing in a crowded train with rotten guts. I was prepared to take it easy and trundle slowly.
But before I knew it, I was zooming along—riding smoothly and only mildly cursing the headwind. OK, I was burping and farting a bit but I was generally pretty comfortable. Yeah, and before long I was pretty well cured—and arrived home with an appetite (albeit for "plain" food only).
This seems to happen every time I'm feeling crook when I'm due to take a ride—from headache to general lethargy, colds to just not feeling like it today—I always feel better for taking the ride. And if I don't, I always regret it later.
So when it comes to day-to-day ailments, there ain't much that a good long ride can't fix!
I'll just try to remember that next time I look out at a grey sky and start to think that I don't feel like it today...
Ah yes, I was forgetting about that. I just love being coughed and sneezed all over in a crowded train or tram. The Co-Pilot brings enough snot home from his periodic detention at the day centre without having that extra exposure to other people's bugs, thanks all the same.
Mind you, train travellers are the most insulated from exposure to air pollutants so that's a plus. But while people who drive are protected from sharing germs with strangers (at least during their commute) they suffer the most exposure to exhaust pollution. (There's something neatly symmetrical about that, isn't there?)
So I think it's wise to take the middle path: walking or riding = minimal exposure to other people's germs + "significantly lower levels of exposure" to exhaust pollutants. And that's all good, isn't it?
Not to mention the additional exercise you get from "active transport" options. Although I suppose road rage can also lead to physical exercise can't it?
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Good points! I find that whenever I ride in crowded buses or trains I invariably catch a cold. I'd much rather ride my bike.