Put Your Phone Down and Go Ride (After Reading This)

Americans spend more than four–and-a-half hours on their phones daily, and nearly 60 percent of Americans say they use their phone too much.

At the same time, only a fifth of us get enough exercise and more than half of American adults get fewer than five hours weekly outside in nature.

Our physical and mental health are declining along with our increased screen time, or what the New York Times calls “ultraprocessed time.” Much like the junk food that we eat too much of, ultraprocessed time fails to nourish our brains.

The irony doesn’t escape us that many of you are reading this on your phone while indoors. Sorry about that. There is a simple solution, however.

Put your phone down, get outside and go for a bike ride. Let’s call it: Bicycling Rx.

Think of Cascade as your resource to find inspiration and resources online that you can use to enhance your life offline. For those of you who are already enjoying lots of time biking for mental and physical health, we hope these tips and resources enable you to convince friends, family members, co-workers and others to join us in the saddle, outdoors, to enjoy the beautiful Pacific Northwest. 

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Through the summer, Cascade News will publish stories with tips and inspiration to break free from the digital realm and get outside into big nature on your bike. 

In August we will write about some of our favorite bike trails for people of all abilities in Washington. If you don’t want to wait a month (and by all means please don’t), check out this list of trails on our Resources page. 

In September we will highlight Cascade’s Free Group Rides program and spotlight a few great rides in the Puget Sound region and beyond. October will bring tips on how to transition into fall and the onset of inclement weather. 

Like the New Year’s resolutions we all make, resolving to make time for healthy outdoor activities like bicycling is easy in concept but challenging in reality due to life stresses and algorithms programmed to keep us glued to our screens. 

As we head into the 4th of July holiday weekend, join Cascade in practicing some intentional self-care. Let’s put our phones down, grab our bikes, go outside, and pedal away toward a healthier and happier lifestyle.

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