Cycling is a skill that almost everybody has. I intend to practice this sport for long hours and for longer distances. Cycling involves a lot of strength and stamina and that’s exactly what I wish to work upon being an athlete. While cycling you target the glutes, quads,hamstring and calves in other words the whole of legs/lower body. I wanted to do cycling for long distances since a long time ago but couldn’t make it possible until now. CAS has given me this opportunity to practice this sport and strengthen my physically.
LO1: Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth
Before the completion of the CAS project, I had almost no leg strength. I considered this as my weakness and I was willing to work on it for a long time. I looked for a lot of ways to improve my lower body and cycling seemed to be the best option to target the legs. My only advantage was I already played tennis so I did have a lot of leg movement but couldn’t develop my muscle power and that’s what I took cycling for. Another advantage of mine is that being inclined towards sports from a young age gave me the knowledge of what exercises needed to be done to target what part of the leg so I could just as easily do the cooldown and stretching exercises after a long-distance of cycling. The sport has made my legs stronger, supporting my body in a lot of different ways not just in playing but also while walking.
LO2: Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process
As this wasn’t a completely new skill I had to learn, there were a few challenges that I faced. To start with the obvious, cycling for a long distance with no partner could be boring and tiring but I found a way around. Every Time before leaving I used to put in my earphones, turn on the music and then hit the road for a complete hour. Music created a vibe for me to sing to and it took my mind off of the pain that I had in the muscles while cycling. Music made me last longer on the road and I could successfully cycle for 20 km in a single run. Another challenge for me was the beginning, meaning at first my legs used to hurt a lot making it harder for me to even walk but with a proper stretching routine I got away from the pain. New beginnings will not always be great but soon after you get used to it and it’s the end of that journey that brought me happiness and satisfaction for all the hard work I had put in, in the past couple of months.
LO3:Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience
Just like I did for home workout, I planned my whole schedule before I start with the activity. The planning for this experience was largely because I did want it to overlap with home workout as it would be very exhausting for me to do two physical activities at the same time. I tried my best to not let these two activities overlap so I could give my best in both separately. The initial plan was to do cycling 4 times a week and I would substitute for any days that I missed in the next week .
As I had already planned a similar experience earlier the planning part was not difficult. As the planning got easier this time, so did the initiation. My self-management and time-management skills that were developed earlier helped me here as well in keeping a track of my cycling schedule. The planning part not only helped me in keeping myself in check but it also helped me in identifying and evaluating the times at which the roads are empty so I could cycle easily .
LO4: Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences
Practising this experience daily was necessary because taking breaks in between wouldn’t get me the accurate results that I desire. This experience required complete commitment and dedication as I had to make time daily at least an hour for cycling. At first, it was difficult for me to manage it along with my studies but with a proper timetable, I was able to manage my assignments, homework and physical activities. Cycling after a break made it even harder for me to practice it the next day, I would again have sore muscles and then again I would have to reduce the distance and then increase it again after I get used to it. So in simpler words, there was no way around and the only door that was open for me was being persistent and I chose that path for me.
LO7: Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions
A major ethical issue included in the activity was discrimination. Meaning that my parents wouldn’t let me go far away from my house on my bicycle alone because it was unsafe. I don’t blame them for thinking this way, it’s the society I blame. As a girl, I have seen a lot of people on the streets staring at me for no apparent reason. This issue did affect me as I felt unsafe and insecure. I always had to ask a friend or I had to ask my dad to go cycling with me at least when it was early in the morning as there are fewer people on the road. This issue made me realise how hard it is for girls to live in a society that is so narrow-minded and illiterate. Women have to suffer consequences for just the smallest of things like working late in an office or wearing shorts to a gym class.
This activity of mine directly relates to two of the sustainable development goals. Goal 3: good health and wellbeing and goal 13: Climate action. To maintain my good health and keep myself fit was the reason I started playing sports in the first place. This activity also helps in recognizing goal 13 as I started talking my bicycle to places instead of my 2 wheeler. This not only helped me in saving the money that I invested on buying fuel for my vehicle but also made me realise how important it is to lower the amount of pollution and smoke that emits from our vehicles. If I had to do some work of my own or help my mom in getting groceries or any other things I took my bicycle for short distances to avoid the amount of pollution I bring to the environment.
The learner profile attributes depicted were balanced as I tried my level best to make time for physical activity and I balanced it with my studies and endless submissions.
To conclude cycling is fun and it is a great way to make your legs work. This opportunity has helped me in improving myself not only physically but it has made me more productive and efficient when it comes to studies.
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