*This is a sponsored post for Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care

Bikers in NYC have it rough. No one thinks about them! Have you ever biked in the city? You seriously have to stay on top of it or else someone is going to smack you with an open car door, or jaywalk in your path.

Nonetheless, biking is an amazing way to get around the city. For one, it’s reliable. Uber cost too much? Subways too slow? Grab your bike, or unlock a Citi Bike and head down the street on one of the bike lanes. I had a Citi Bike membership for a while, and the app they provide is amazing – they show you all the bike lanes in NYC, and which way they go. It definitely made me less TERRIFIED of biking around here.

Now, *Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care is partnering with Citi Bike this month, and they’ve asked me to share some bike safety tips to help spread the word. Have you been to a Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care center? They have five locations in Manhattan – I go to the one in my ‘hood at 69th street on the west side. So convenient, especially for a quick fix – a good solution to the “I can’t wait ‘till next week for a doctor’s appointment, but I also don’t need to go to the ER” predicament. Plus, all the doctors are super nice, AND they provide you with the costs right on their website.

Ok, I know riding a bike seems as easy as… riding a bike… but sometimes it’s nice to have a reminder. Here are a few safety tips from Dr. Robert Korn of Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care:

• Helmets are made to be snug, but not tight. A properly fitted helmet should move about an inch when tugged. (P.S. – keep a lookout for Free Helmet Day, every Spring)
• Dusk and dawn are high risk times for drivers not being able to see you. It is a good idea to use a high-quality rear red flasher at all times to increase your visibility.
• Wear athletic shoes, not heels or sandals.
• Carrying a very heavy pack high on your back raises your center of gravity, making you and your bike more unstable, and less likely to stay upright if you swerve, or bump something.
• Know where to go if you do get injured – Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care can handle all minor, non-life-threatening bumps, scrapes and fractures. Our providers can x-ray possible sprains and strains, diagnose and treat these injuries – or recommend you to a more specialized practice or physician within the Northwell Health network.
• Bonus! Biking is an aerobic activity, which means that your heart, blood vessels and lungs all get a workout.

So, be sure to pay attention while biking in New York City. It’s a lot to manage, so I would recommend taking those headphones off too. Super distracting no matter how amazing you are at biking.

That being said, you’ll mostly find me biking in Central Park. In the designated bike lanes. Going slowly with all the tourists, and stopping to smell the horse poop.

Have you biked in NYC? Where? *I received compensation for this post from Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care.