Your Daily Commute Might Actually Help You Lose Weight

There is no denying it, commutes suck. It is daunting to think of the number of hours you actually spend getting to and from work over the course of a lifetime. Wasted time. Or is it?

A 15 minute walk to the train station doesn’t seem like a lot but when you consider it is done twice a day, every work day, it could be enough to help millions of people actually meet their daily exercise guidelines.

A recent study in the U.K. found that those who switched from driving to walking, cycling or taking public transit lost, on average, more than 2 pounds over 2 years. The longer the commute, the greater the weight loss. Those with one way, active commutes longer than 30 minutes lost 15 pounds on average over 2 years.

A study done in the U.S. of 12,000 people in metro areas found a strong association between biking or walking to work and a lower body-mass index. The researchers believe that an active commute is a promising way to help people keep off weight once they have lost it.

Okay, so the numbers aren’t huge. It isn’t like walking from the train to the office will help you drop massive weight but it is certainly something to think about. We know sitting all day is bad for us and the more active we are, the better our bodies work so this makes sense.

Obviously you can’t replace the gym with your active commute nor is this something that is possible for every person but it likely shouldn’t be ignored either. Every little bit of activity counts!

Are these findings enough to make you give up your daily drive?

Source: Fox News

 

 

 

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