Up until now, some aspects of my challenge have been in line with how I expected it to go. Some of the positives include improved wellbeing and fitness due to adding that extra physical element to my daily routine. The negative aspects have included some safety issues when it comes to cycling around Dublin. As mentioned above, I expected these coming into the challenge but now I have a heightened awareness when on the roads.
One thing I’ve noticed when cycling is the poor air quality, especially in comparison to the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic when most people left their cars at home. Diesel and petrol fumes are an acquired taste, and I can’t see myself ever becoming accustomed to them.
I’ve had a few opportunities over the last week to talk to some family and friends about my challenge and why I’ve chosen it. I don’t think I’ve managed to convince anyone to leave their cars at home and hop on a bike just yet. I don’t exactly blame them at the same time as it can be quite the challenge to get from A to B on a bike without bumping into some obstacles on your journey. Pardon the pun.
With that in mind, I tried to tell them about some of the other challenges my colleagues have taken on. For example, going vegetarian/vegan and reducing plastic waste. This has been a success! When talking to my Mam over the weekend, she told me about some of her shopping trips where she has refused plastic bags and consciously made an effort to buy fruit and vegetables without plastic packaging. Even the dog has joined in with his biodegradable poo bags.
I too have been influenced by some of the other blog posts. Now, on Sundays, I batch cook a big vegetarian dish, portion it out, and store them in the fridge. This does me for the week and it has saved me a few bob on the food shop at the same time.
Lastly, as I’m writing this post, a friend of mine text me looking for some recipes for the veggie dishes I’ve been cooking. What a success story this has been so far. Thanks to everyone for the inspiration!
Change really is social!
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Darren Clarke commented on Day 11: Change is Social! 4 years agoHi Aaron. It's great to see other positives to your challenge such as improved fitness. Introducing change can have ripple effects in other aspects of your life too it seems so that's fantastic. Dublin's roads are an acquired taste for cycling and it seems you've embraced the highs and lows with ease over the last few weeks. I'm not a fan of the fumes either. One thing I've tried to do is to hold my breath as I drive past larger vehicles to avoid inhaling fumes. I'm not sure that it's scientifically robust but I'd rather not inhale any more fumes than necessary on my journeys around Dublin! It's great that you've found time to talk to your friends and family too. This can bring up challenging conversations sometimes and the fact that you have even planted a seed might encourage them in the near future to take the bike out more often! Your mam (and dog!) are already evidence of that in terms of changing her habits during the challenge. I wonder would your mam have changed her habits before you started your challenge and had these conversations with her? The fact that others have been an inspiration to you is also unsurprising. Often the hardest part of change is having a community around us who understand what we're going through. It's fantastic that you've decided to try vegetarian foods a little more too. Again, the ripple effects of one change can magnify outwards in your own life and in others too as your friend who is now looking for recipes has shown! Well done on embracing change and for recognising the importance of the social aspect of change as essential. Looking forward to continuing reading your posts. Stay safe on the bike! P.S. If you're looking for vegan recipes I've posted some on my blog page. I'll post more if they are useful. Darren Respond
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