Staying home for almost 4-5 months as a result of a global pandemic was a very new experience for me. During this time, I had gained weight and lost my ability to do any sort of extensive physical activity. After the end of the lockdown, I had a very small and limited range of options which I could utilize to get back in shape and refresh my mind. The most viable of these options was cycling. It is an activity that allows you to do cardio outside of the house without contacting or coming in close proximity to anything else. Thus,  the target for this activity was to finish about 300-400 km of cycling in a span of 2 months.

Learning objective 1:

Here, I had to identify my physical and mental weakness caused by me staying home for this extremely long period of time. It took me a while to actually acknowledge the impact staying home had on mind and body but once these weaknesses were identified, I could understand myself better and reflect upon ways to overcome these weaknesses. This was evident when on the first day I went cycling, I could only go a very short distance and I felt very tired after it. My body got sore and all of it was because I had avoided any sort of exercise for months. Once I got regular, I felt more energetic and happier at home doing my daily chores.  

Learning objective 2:

There were several challenges I had to overcome in order to execute this activity effectively. The biggest challenge was time management. I had online school from 9am to 2pm so the possible times I could go cycling was either before school or after dinner because in the middle of the day the sun is scorching and the streets are suffocating with traffic. I settled on before school because it seems more practical than going cycling after dinner in the dark. The challenge with before school was that I had to wake up early in the morning and plan my cycling routes such that I get back home with sufficient time to bathe and relax before school starts. An hour of cycling in the morning and 6 hours of online school really drained me by the end of the day.

Learning objective 4:

This is where my commitment towards this activity was tested. Waking up every morning seemed very hectic and would tire me out before sunset making it difficult to proactively finish my other tasks. Thus, I decided to go on alternate days and made several routes, each about 18-25 km long so as to achieve my goal target in 2 months.

In summary, cycling early in the morning had a significant impact on both my physical and mental health. It took a lot of effort and perseverance but It was a new and surreal experience. The feeling of the cool morning breeze and the soft warm sunlight mixed with the adrenaline I get from going fast just felt relieving. When cycling, I could forget about all the pending assignments or tasks and just relax for a bit. The energy and activeness I get after cycling also made a huge difference in my lockdown lifestyle. This was an activity that I will continue irrespective of CAS, because I enjoy doing it.