On Your Left

Do you sometimes get confused between left and right?

Cycling has been one of my favorite ways to get out in the fresh air and get some exercise for quite a few years. There is a great camaraderie between cyclists, runners and walkers as we all know how good it feels to be out there having fun. We all recognize the great feelings we get from taking part in our favorite outdoor activities.

But one of the things I’ve noticed over the years is that we don’t always pay as much attention as we should to what’s happening behind us when we’re out and about. I’m as guilty of this as anyone but I always try to give as much warning as I can to those in front of me that I’m catching up to.

During one such event recently, I noticed something that I’ve often seen and I’m sure you have too!

I was cycling on a trail and was catching up quite quickly to a man and woman running along side by side and being deep in a conversation about something or other. As I got within about twenty feet of them I called out my usual warning ‘On your left’. To which there was no response and they carried on chatting. I called out again and this time they heard me, the woman moved to the right but, as sometimes happens, the guy moved to the left!

I’ve experienced this kind of confusion before and I’d anticipated this possibility and luckily, I was able to pass between them without any danger of collision and we all went happily on our way.

 “Twenty percent of the population has right and left confusion, meaning that they can’t immediately tell their right from their left without having to think about it first. That means if I say, “Raise your right hand” to a group of people, 20% might raise their left or have to take a few moments to think about it” – according to Professor John Clarke from Drexel University, Philadelphia.

Discriminating between left and right is actually quite a complex process in human’s brain. Writing in The Conversation, Gerard Gormley from Queen’s University, Belfast, says it involves “several higher neurological functions such as the ability to integrate sensory and visual information, language function and memory”.

This kind of near miss also is one of the reasons that made me want to develop Itsabell, the App that gives you an early warning when another runner, cyclist or vehicle is catching you up from behind.

Itsabell will emit a warning signal according to the profile chosen by each on both phones of users. Whether it’s a bicycle bell, a whistle from a jogger, or even a car horn, you’ll always know in real time what to expect in traffic and never be surprised by the unknown.

Cycling and its great benefits

I was reading an article the other day that made me think about why I first took to two wheels.

I started cycling to save money. A business I owned at that time wasn’t doing very well, so instead of driving to the office each day I decided I’d fix up and use an old bike that someone had left at our house some time before. It was about three miles to where I worked, and I soon discovered I enjoyed this more physical start to the day much more than sitting in traffic. I found that I arrived at work better prepared to deal with the stresses of the day, and I would look forward to the ride home after work as a way to wind down.

Researchers from the University of Illinois found that a five percent improvement in cardio-respiratory fitness from cycling led to an improvement of up to 15 percent in mental tests. That’s because cycling helps build new brain cells in the hippocampus — the region responsible for memory, which deteriorates from the age of 30.

As my daily exercise made me fitter I began to take less direct routes to and from my destination, and soon my three-mile journey became an enjoyable five. One or two friends at that time followed my example and soon we were cycling together on much longer distances at weekend and other time off work. I have to say that cycling helped me through some difficult times back then, and a bike ride these days still helps makes me feel much better when I have problems to think through, or difficult decisions to take.
“Any mild-to-moderate exercise releases natural feel-good endorphins that help counter stress and make you happy,” explains Andrew McCulloch, chief executive of the Mental Health Foundation.

Too lazy or need more inspiration of why to start riding a bike? There are a lot of pretty interesting articles that can re-state the reasons you maybe already know.