Today is Sunday, so please conduct yourself accordingly. Sleep in, sip tea or coffee, lay around in your pajamas, listen to good music, and indulge yourself in an afternoon nap.
Or... like me go out and enjoy that wonderful breakfast at your favorite cafe/restaurant. Ride the motorcycle and feel the natural high.
The reason we feel so happy is pretty simple; every twist of the wrist releases adrenaline which, in turn, releases endorphins. These 'feel good' hormones improve our mood, increase pleasure and minimize pain.
So, endorphins give us that joyous feeling but, after a ride, there's also that sense of relief, like a weight has been lifted.
This is similar to mindfulness meditation: Body position, speed, road position - on a motorcycle you're constantly analyzing and adjusting depending on the situation. This ties us into the present moment, and means our minds have no room for worries about money, jobs or any other day-to-day problems.
You're fully engaged while riding. This is why your mind is like a blank slate when you throw your leg off after a long ride.
Well speaking of blank slate... Cognitive Function
If someone had told me I could increase my cognitive function while grinning from ear to ear with joy, I'd probably have told them to go sell crazy somewhere else.
But a scientific study, conducted by Ryuta Kawashima, who partnered with Yamaha Japan and Tohoku University, found exactly that. Riding a motorcycle improves your cognitive function, by as much as 50%.
This is down to the fact that riding a motorcycle requires a high level of alertness and rapid problem-solving. According to Kawashima, "the driver's brain gets activated by riding motorcycles" So I am off to go be happy followed by rest and a nap... maybe not a nap but at least a lot of laying around.
Nana
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