Is your daily commute hurting your health?

Is your daily commute hurting your health?

The daily commute to and from work can be incredibly exhausting and frustrating, not to mention time-consuming. But could it also be damaging your health?

Well, research from numerous scientists and health experts around the world certainly suggests so. From hours of inactivity to passive inhalation of vehicle exhaust, your daily commute to and from work could be the most damaging aspect of your life when it comes to your health.

How is my daily commute damaging my health?

Millions of people commute to work every day. It can be a stressful experience, as the average total commute to work is 56 minutes across the country. However, in London we spend 1.5 hours commuting to and from work every day.

These are these transportation habits that can harm your health:

Diet: If you leave the house early ready for your long commute and return late, you are probably cutting time from somewhere. Often times, it is your diet that suffers. Evidence has shown that many people use their commute as a time for snacking, from unhealthy coffees and bacon sandwiches in the morning to chocolate, chips, and sugar-laden sodas in the evening.

Mental health: An often underestimated effect of a daily commute is the damage it can cause to a person’s mental health. Prolonged tiredness can make you feel stressed and irritable, and the stress of travel can also affect your mental health.

Exhaust fumes: There is evidence to suggest that you will inhale more pollution sitting in a car during heavy traffic than you would if you were outside. Dirty exhaust gases enter the car through the air filters and get trapped in the car. The Royal College of Physicians claims that pollution is responsible for 40,000 premature deaths a year in the UK.

Lost time: Finally, with so much time traveling to and from the workplace, exercise is often reduced to allow time for the daily routine. Research has shown that commuters are likely to have a less active lifestyle outside of the office.

Can I make my commute healthy?

We now know that our daily commute can be incredibly damaging to our body and mind, but what can we do about it?

Biking or Walking to Work – This may not be an option for everyone, but if possible, why not explore the option of walking or cycling to work, certainly during the warmer months of the year. Many employers now offer a bike-to-work scheme that can help cover some of the cost of buying a bike, for example, while many modern office blocks also have showers and changing rooms for staff who need them. So if you are within a reasonable distance from your workplace, leave the car at home and start your day in a healthy way.

Even if you’re out of shape, or too far from the office to bike or walk, see if you can get off the bus a few stops earlier or park a little further from the office so you can start getting some exercise. to your daily routine.

Flexible work: An increasing number of employers now offer staff flexible work. At the very least, this should allow you to vary the hours you work a bit, which can reduce your travel time (traveling off-peak) and vitally give you more time at night or in the morning to be more active. . You could run, swim, or join a gym. You might even be able to work from home for a day or two a week, giving you less time to commute and more time to explore getting out and doing some extra activity.

Talk to Employers – Here in the UK, over the last decade, companies have started implementing occupational health policies. In addition to plans to cycle to work, fruit in the office and showers, they can have benefits in the form of reduced memberships in gyms or the like. At the very least, ask your employers what they can do to help counter your unhealthy commute to work.

Improve Your Diet – For some people, there will be no alternative options when it comes to commuting, so it’s all about doing what you can. If you drive, make sure you don’t have unhealthy snacks available to you. Try getting up a few minutes earlier and eating a proper breakfast, or if you need a snack, fill your car with healthier options like fruits, nuts, and seeds.

Other actions to take

You can also try these simple measures when you arrive at work to try to counteract the damaging effects of your daily commute:

Always use the stairs: If you work a couple of floors higher in a building, try to reduce your use of the elevator and take the stairs. Even if you are on the 30th floor, start off on the 28th and go up two levels by stairs. These small changes are a good start and you can increase the floors you cover with stairs as you get in shape.

Don’t go up the escalator, walk on it: If you take the train to work and use the escalators every day, try going up and down them instead of just riding them.

Go talk to someone; Instead of calling a colleague on the phone, get into the habit of talking to him at his desk. Not only can this small change help your fitness and health, it could also help your work relationships and communication!

With our increasingly long commutes, it is important to be aware of the possible adverse effects that our health can suffer and how to try to mitigate some of these harmful effects.