i'd move to norway for this

Check out this great story from TreeHugger.com:

Norway's Public Roads Administration (southern region) is giving its own
employees a vacation subsidy if they travel to work on their bicycles. For each
week or five-day period that an employee rides a bike - or walks - to and from
the office, Statens Vegvesen will compensate with four hours of vacation time.
When the cyclist rides an entire year to work, that's equivalent to an extra
week of (paid) vacation. The Administration points to increased health benefits
to cyclists, but also is using the incentive to decrease road congestion.

In Denmark meanwhile, the Socialist Folkparty, one of the country's
larger political groups, is proposing to offer cyclists almost two Danish crowns
per commuting kilometer ($.36). Who knows how far the proposal may get:
cycle-happy Copenhagen is considering banning heavy trucks from the inner city
and is installing sensor-driven lights to alert vehicles to cyclists, but deputy
mayor for environmental issues was criticized (though the Lady Mayor seems
supportive) for his proposal to remove cars from one of the city's major
arteries, Nørrebrogade, to make more room for cyclists and pedestrians...

What would it take to get American companies who are serious about their impact on the environment (not to mention those that care less) to subscribe to a similar methodology?

I work for a sizeable financial brokerage firm and they have a "Trip-Reduction Program" which is merely a drawing each month for a $15 Target gift card. To qualify, you must use alternative transportation (carpool, vanpool, bus, bike) once a week for the entire month. They mainly "push" the carpooling thing, and by that I mean they have a poster in the break room. To my knowledge, there is one other person in my office (out of 200+) who does a multi-modal bike-bus commute...and yet I have never won the TRP drawing.

I am glad that my company at least makes some effort to encourage alternative transportation, but they certainly have a long ways to go. I also know that not all companies in Norway are offering a program like the one described in the TreeHugger article, but still, I cannot help but feel that America is years behind something like that.

mr. bicycle, i'm calling in sick today

I have been fighting some crud for the past few days, but until today I have been able to ride. This morning, I woke up with a stuffy head and sore throat, and I just felt that the benefits of biking just would not outweigh the drawbacks, and so I caved in and drove. I usually feel pretty pathetic when I drive, and I think the guilt (albeit self-imposed) is a healthy way to not allow myself to settle for driving as regularly. In addition to mentally feeling pathetic, my body feels more sluggish on the days that I drive. I’m not as awake when I get to work, and I am generally more tired throughout the day due to the lack of early morning pedaling. The fresh air and exercise are also great “stress-busters” - and yes I know this will not be news to any reader of this website.

There are basic principals of health/anatomy/immunology that govern how the body responds to physical stress when fighting illness. The Mayo clinic online covered this topic and gave the general statement that if your symptoms are above the neck - stuffy nose, sore throat - then it is safe to proceed with exercise. If symptoms are below the neck - congested chest, hacking cough or fever - it is wise to refrain from exercise. At this point, the health-boosting effects of exercise will cease to apply.

Some of us (myself included at times) think that we can “sweat out” a sickness by engaging in intense exercise when fighting a cold. While this may help relieve simple symptoms like stuffiness, in the end you are most likely going to hurt your body’s ability to fight the sickness. “Your immune system fights best when it isn’t stressed,” says MedicineNet.

Your immune system fights most effectively when it isn’t stressed. Research studies show that a moderate fitness program helps boost the immune system, lessening the chances you’ll fall ill with a cold or flu. But scientists also note that a single rigorous exercise session or race can actually make you more susceptible to bacterial or viral infection.

So listen to your body when you feel sick and need to rest — a hard workout could impair your immune system for several hours, allowing unwelcome guests to make your illness worse.

And make sure you give your body enough time to recover before you return to exercise after a serious illness like the flu. Come back too soon and you may actually send yourself into a relapse of the illness, which further slows your return to everyday activities.

I will say that bike commuting has seemed to help my body prevent illness these past months. I have historically gotten sick twice a year for as long as I can remember: in the fall and then again as winter gets close to spring. This is the first time that I have felt sick in over a year, and it has certainly been less intense than experiences past.

So as I go heat up some chicken noodle soup and down a gallon of water, at what point do you, the reader, say “enough is enough?”