No time to exercise? Well think again! Ok, so you may be a little sweaty, dirty, or tired at work but what better way to get the day started with some fresh air and get paid to do so? It warms my heart to see the Bikes Commuters Act be introduced to corporate America. Companies are jumping on the bandwagon offering employees monetary and other incentives to bike to work and in turn, the Bikes Commuters Act will give companies a tax credit of up to $20 per month per cycling employee beginning in January.   Employees have been biking to work for centuries in other countries so the idea should not be extremely radical, however slow change is lasting change so let's hope it sticks for good on our own turf!  

In New York City, commuter cycling increased by 35% between 2007 and 2008, according to a 2008 report by the city's Department of Transportation.   In Minneapolis, the number of bike commuters increased by 49% between 2006 and 2007, according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey. Needless to say, this is a great step forward and hats off to companies such as Discovery Communications, Clif Bar, Lockheed Martin, New Resource Bank and others, who are already providing employee incentives.

Every day we are presented with opportunities for change and with today's uncertain times, now may be the moment to say, "What the heck!" and get reacquainted with your trusty old bike.  Your heart will thank you and your boss could too! Most importantly the impact on the environment would be phenomenal. Let's ease our reliance on gasoline. Allow yourself to enjoy the process; you never know how you'll respond when you ask yourself, "what else can I change while I'm at it?"

Be gutsy and go for it!

Source: usatoday.com
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-11-30-bikecommuting_N.htm