A new study published in the June issue of American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that longer commutes may be hazardous to your health.
The study evaluated commuting distances for 4,297 Texans, and then compared the distances to various health factors. Researchers found that longer commutes were associated with decreased physical activity, poorer heart health, greater body fat percentages, higher waist circumferences and elevated blood pressure.
The theory is that increased commuting time means less time to spend exercising or engaged in other physical activities. However, even after adjusting for the variable of exercise, commuters still had larger waists and higher percentages of body fat. In other words, commuting may lead to a lowering of one’s overall energy expenditure.
Researchers also speculate that longer commutes may be associated with higher blood pressure due to the stress of driving in traffic.
Commuting is just one of the many contributing factors to a sedentary lifestyle – and this new study reiterates the importance of time management and the prioritization of physical activity, personal wellness and exercise. Perhaps this study can be a great way to start a conversation with your boss about the possibility of working from home a few days per week?
About Davey Wavey
I totally agree on that. I commute about 80 miles a day during my work week. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour to Getty to work and about an hour and a half to get ready. there’s never angry time to squeeze in a workout. I basically loose 3 hours in a day just for work… Thankfully I just got a new job closer to home (15 minutes away).
It may very well be due to the fact that when your in a car, your being exposed to high electric magnetic fields (EMF’s) that stress the nervous system, hence altering immune, metabolism, and known to cause cardiovascular issues events and definitely blood pressure, and even diabetes…etc. less exposure to those electric fields of radiation the better !! I’ve actually held a meter in my hand to measure while driving and wow – High!!!
…oh and now you can see why this statement can be true:
“However, even after adjusting for the variable of exercise, commuters still had larger waists and higher percentages of body fat. In other words, commuting may lead to a lowering of one’s overall energy expenditure.”
Reason being, the factor is the exposure to radiation that stresses body, not the fact that driving replaces exercise. It’s just those that are exposed irrelevant of exercise. How much is EMF’s thickening blood – (red blood cell is made of iron and can be magnetized) relative to exercise doing opposite and creating good circulation… It’s all balance !!
I have definately noticed my fitness level drop since my commute got longer
I think this is why we are so fatigued when we take long road trips or even an airplane – it’s the electrical, magnetic and static charges that overwhelm are nerves/ nervous system = it’s the EMF’s
it’s in our own homes too… if anyone wants me to help them minimize it in their own home environment i can do that for you – consults… easy. Don’t let it affect your health long-term.
im lucky.i work 20 minutes from work and a 25 minute commute in the evening back home.i truly believe that longer commutes bring on the before mentioned maladies.the commuting public puts up with our modern society.and our well being suffers.
and lest we forget the common sense footnote, driving is inherently dangerous, so the longer you do it each day…
that explains why every truck driver and bus driver i ever met eventually turned into jabba the hut.. ralph kramden wasnt fat because it looked good on tv..
Exercising more than one hour a day may not be good for your health or your heart. My suggestion is to do cross training and that is running mixed with biking, weight lifting, and even an occasional day of rest with no exercise. People those who are doing surplus Exercise ,who are weak will may result in Heart Problem and diabetes but they are not suggesting to stop the exercise, what their proposal is adults can do exercise for at least 75 or 150 minutes in a week.