When I discovered the theme for Mental Health Awareness Week 2024 was movement, I knew I had to create my 52nd heart-route for it in Milton Keynes. What better way to raise awareness than to Cycle Your Heart Out! Between 13 - 19th May, I'd like to invite you to move for your mental health... Ride the route anytime you want, completely at your own pace! Studies consistently show that cycling and conscious breathing helps to reduce anxiety, depression and stress. It also encourages deep belly breathing, enabling you to feel calmer, clearer, and more able to trust your intuition. Get creative, bond and motivate friends or colleagues by cycling the heart-shaped route together, or solo. Location: The route starts from Unity Place in Milton Keynes, and takes you behind the train station to the peaceful ancient village of Loughton. Bike hire: If you don't have your own bike you can simply download and use the Santander cycle app. Heart Route: View the 3km heart-route on Strava, and watch the video below to preview the route! Cycle Your Heart Out: If you like, you can ride the route mindfully and awaken your 5 senses. Noticing all the things you can see, hear, feel, smell and touch. Loughton is full of green space, along this quiet route you'll ride past a beautiful old church and a horse park. You can listen to my 5 minute ride meditation before or after your route to help you to connect to your breath and relax even more. The route also joins onto part of the 12km Millennium cycle route around Milton Keynes, a quiet picturesque ride that takes you past the river Ouzel, the Grand Union Canal, ancient villages and the famous concrete cows! Spread the love: Heartful cycling saved me from a life of anxiety, and led me down a path of peace I once only dreamed of. In this podcast episode I share my own personal story on how heartful cycling helped me to improve my own mental health, and how it can help you too. Inspire others with your story by tagging your photos at @cycleyourheartout and @mentalhealthawarenessweek and using the hashtags below. #cyhoworld #mentalhealthawarenessweek #momentsformovement Thank you... I’m so grateful for you being here, if today’s post has inspired you to create your own heart route, click below to find out how to become a Heartful Cyclist too! My wish for you is love, so much love that it spins out from under you, on to all of those around you. Your wheels are your paint, and the world is your canvas
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Follow Your Heart
Trying to convince people of my worth was ingrained into me since my teens. Insecure and unaware, I'd often get into relationships where I'd constantly be trying to please them, and forget my needs entirely. I thought the more I showed my love, the more it would be reciprocated.
It wasn't. For my 51st Heart-route in Battersea park, I share my new poem 'Half-hearted' plus my tips on how to break this cycle, and set yourself free!...
Follow your heart
There’s a beautiful quote by bicycle author & designer Grant Petersen that says; “Think of bicycles as rideable art that can just about save the world”. I first heard it in Rio, Brazil when I was creating my 27th heart-route back in 2018. In this post I’ll be sharing a pretty crazy story about how that quote sort of comes true... Heart-route number 50 is rather different from my other routes, as the idea for it actually came from my future 100 yr old self! Apparently I ended up in the 23rd century, and was a guest on a podcast called ‘Tests from the Future’. Simon and Dirk started their unique show when they discovered they were able to actually send episodes back in time! It was incredible to hear that the Cycle Your Heart Out movement still exists in the year 2223! An annual event called the ‘World Heart Relay’ ended up creating millions of heartful cyclists over the centuries, which amazingly led to a more peaceful, loving world! Keep reading to find out what the ‘World Heart Relay’ is all about, and how heartful cycling may be able to help save the world...
Heart-route 49 is all about letting go, and finding joy again. Letting go of someone, whilst also letting go and moving your body to the rhythm of your own soul.
I decided to celebrate Cycle Your Heart Out's 12th Birthday in London, after dancing my heart out with Ecstatic Dance UK at the Hackney Wick Sauna Baths... Meet Colette, we met back in 2013 working as British Cycling Breeze ride leaders. Ten years later I invited her on a heart-shaped route to help her ride inwards and get clarity on her 2023 intentions...
The Reunion Scrabble Night Time Golden milk by my side Loved ones competing to win Reminiscing, laughing Silence outside Just the odd passing car Content, cosy, happy Surrounded by family Soaked in love Follow your heart: A heart route to celebrate my long awaited family reunion! Location: Loughton, a cute ancient village in Milton Keynes England, and the city where I first gave birth to Cycle Your Heart Out over a decade ago! It's also one of my favourite areas in the city to find some peace and walk the dog. Heart Route: It was thanks to my amazing sister's that we managed to come up with this short but beautiful 4.78km ride in Loughton! The route is also part of the 12km Millennium cycle route around Milton Keynes, a quiet picturesque ride that takes you past the river Ouzel, the Grand Union Canal, ancient villages and the famous concrete cows! Cycle Your Heart Out: Meet my mum, she hadn't rode a bike in ages, and had pretty much lost all confidence. She would stop and walk the bike to cross a small road, avoid adjusting the seat to the correct height in case she fell off, and rode the same speed as someone walking. But little by little with the help of me and my sister, her confidence bloomed as we rode along peaceful paths, canals and lakes. No rush, nowhere to be, just us and our bikes. We stopped to pick freshly fallen plums, pick juicy blackberries, and to simply admire the horses. The more we rode, the more her fear faded and her smile grew! We celebrated our ride with some delicious Victoria sponge cake and tea at the Grumpy Cook. If you have someone you love who is a little hesitant to get back on their bike, here are 2 tips from my mum that helped her get over her fear of cycling: 1. Walk and cycle... Like when you start running, you walk/jog/build up a few mins at a time... 2. Avoid cycling on hills or in bad weather until more confident Spread the love: To help spread the love around Milton Keynes I gifted a copy of my new book to the wonderful Alchemise Yoga Studio in Newport Pagnell. Ran by the lovely Wendy, it was thanks to her amazing classes that I first fell in love with yoga over a decade ago. Thanks Nicole for reading my poems in your relaxing cello classes. "Building community, bringing art from the heart, a perfect offering. Thank you so much for bringing your wonderful poetry into the world and sharing your book with us!" - Wendy Loughlan - Founder of Alchemise Yoga Studio |
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