Could Your Commute Help You Lose Weight?

You know that your a.m. eating habits and post-work gym routine could set you up for weight-loss success, but the way you get to and from work could also impact the number on the scale. A new study from the journal BMJ finds that people who walk, bike, and even take public transportation to work have a lower body mass index (BMI) and body-fat percentage than those who drive to work.

For the study, researchers from University College London recorded the BMIs and body-fat percentages of more than 7,000 people. Then, those participants (who were a nationally representative sample) were surveyed about how they typically commuted to work.

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Both the men and women who said they used public transportation or active transportation (like biking or walking) had lower body-fat percentages and BMIs than those who drove themselves to work. On average, the women who walked, biked, or took public transportation had a BMI that was 0.7 less than those who drove. That translates to about a 5.5-pound difference, write the study authors. 

While it might be a bit obvious that people who actively commute to work would have less body fat and lower BMIs, the researchers note in the study that participants who took public transportation had similar measurements. They write that the reason behind this finding could be that people using public transportation have to walk to the train station or bus stop, which could be similar to the activity level required to walk or bike to work.

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According to the study, these findings show that, "greater levels of physical activity into the daily commute predicts lower bodyweight and healthier body composition." Granted, this doesn't mean that driving to work automatically sets you up for weight gain. If a car is the most realistic means of transportation for you, you'll just have to be extra-vigilant about getting in your workouts and looking for other ways to add more activity to your day.

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