Biking is a perfect opportunity to practice mindfulness and meditation. It's a chance to be away from the hustle and bustle of a busy life(and mind) and exist in the present; just you, your bike and a designated bike lane.

Focus on your breathing. Instead of taking quick and short breaths, try to breathe slowly and deeply. Pay attention to your surroundings, and try to keep your mind from wandering. Be where you are, and stay focused on the present.

Take a bike ride for at least 20 minutes. Breath deeply and focus on your breathing and your surroundings.

For 20 minutes, forget about any problems in your life at work or at school. Forget about the text you might be waiting for, or the dinner you're going to make one you get home. Take 20 minutes and clear your mind of anything that has your focus, and just enjoy the ride.

FOR THE INSTRUCTOR:

Take students on a 20 minute bike ride. Practice ahead of time to make sure you know a safe route.

Being fit has a lot of benefits:

• Feel great
• Sleep better
• Fewer headaches
• Healthy weight
• Get sick less
• Lessen depression
• Strengthen bones
• Improve brain function

It basically rocks.

Biking is a terrific cardio workout. Cardio works your heart and lungs to make you a stamina powerhouse. You’ll notice the improvement in other sports as well as in your everyday energy level. You’ll burn about 400 calories an hour.

Biking is low impact but powerful. It strengthens your lower body, including your calves, thighs, and glutes. Off-road biking also engages your upper body and core which makes it a total body exercise.

FOR THE INSTRUCTOR:

Get a group together and host an outdoor mobile spin class.

That means, get a hype playlist together and loud speakers. When the beat speeds up in the song, you pedal faster. When the song slows down, you pedal slower and enjoy the break until the beat drops again!

Choose someone to be the instructor, or take turns instructing. Yell phrases like "activate your glutes!" to keep your group motivated.

For many people, biking is the best form of transportation, and is how they are able to get to school, work, and to hang out with friends. But did you know you can get pulled over on a bike? It's important to know the bike laws in your city.

Counties make their own bicycle laws in addition to any state laws. In this XP, you will learn about the laws in Orange County, FL.

Click on these links to explore bike laws:

• bike orlando
• bike laws for young people

FOR THE INSTRUCTOR:

Come up with a list of bike laws as a group.

In this XP, you'll consider how biking can be a form of empowerment, in your own neighborhood and beyond.

Get into groups of 5-10 people and discuss the following:

• How do you currently get around? (foot, bus, car, bike, scooter, 4-wheeler, pocket bike)
• What are the pros and cons of each? (someone in the group make a list)
• If you could invent a new mode of transportation what would it be? (dive deep into the hypothetical details of it! Would it cost money? Would it impact the environment? etc.)

FOR THE INSTRUCTOR:

During the discussion, someone in the group created a list of pros and cons to the different modes of transportation that people in the group use. After creating the list, have students' opinion of bicycling changed at all?

Ever heard the saying "two heads are better than one?" It means that when you don't know something your friend might, and together you can probably figure most things out.

This XP is simple; talk with a group of friends about what you already know about bikes. Take notes during the conversation.

Some questions to get you started:

• When did you learn how to bike?
• What are the best places to bike in your area?
• Have you ever fixed a bike?
• How did you know what was wrong?

FOR THE INSTRUCTOR:

Facilitate a discussion about what students already know about bikes and what they want to learn; try to incorporate this into future classes.

If you're tinkering with old bikes and bits with the Cycles and Sprouts program, you may find that there are some parts that just can't be used anymore. But don't throw them in the trash! Bicycle parts can be used in countless different ways (just check out some of the examples in the "resources" section)!

While you're riding your bike from place to place, you'll find you have extra time to let your mind wander without any distractions. So with your wheels rolling firmly on the ground, let your imagination soar!

FOR THE INSTRUCTOR:

Get old bikes or bike parts that aren't being used anymore. Let the students make something! Is that wheel an instrument? Are those frames a new seat?

Hop on your bike with a camera (can be a phone camera) and ride out to locations in your neighborhood that you think will make good backdrops for photos. Think bright colors, nature, graffiti, interesting architectural features.

Using your favorite social media, capture photos of you, your bike, or both that are insta-worthy.

Post them and use the hashtag #respecttheride

FOR THE INSTRUCTOR:

Get students inspired them by showing these pro insta-cyclers.