According to the first large U.S. Study of health and commuting, very few of us really do it – actually just under 17% of working adults surveyed biked or walked for any bit of their journey to work.
Previous research has found that countries with the greatest levels of walking or biking have reduced obesity levels as well .
But studies on how these activities might affect north Americans has been pretty limited, until this cross-sectional study. This latest work appears in the July thirteen, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Of the study partakers, 192 ( 18% ) of the men, 203 ( 16% ) of the women were considered active commuters. The average length of the physical part of their daily commute for both the bikers and walkers was 5 miles. Almost all of the subjects walked, instead of biked, to work.
The research found that active commuters did better on treadmill tests of fitness, even when they took into account any other physical activities subjects did in their leisure time.
The findings here suggest that the activity of going to work can impact on overall fitness.
The participators, more than 2,300 city-dwellers in their middle years were taking part in a federally funded study known as Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults ( CARDIA ).
For men, but not ladies, researchers revealed that the commuters who walked or biked had better BMI numbers, blood pressure, insulin and triglycerides.
The analysts explain these by making the recommendation the ladies in the study walked or biked lesser distances to the office, or were less vigorous in their workouts.
Naturally there’s also the issue of which came 1st, are already active folks more certain to be active commuters as well , or is the walk ( or bike ) to work planting the seed for being more active in other areas of life as well?
Being an active commuter might not be straightforward.
Beyond the challenge of getting to work sweat-covered and gasping, an active commute is commonly checked by crumbling sidewalks, few bike trails and real worries about safety.
Zoning in several U.S. Towns keeps commercial and home areas separate, and this makes commutes longer and being active on the way almost impossible.
Cities that build bike paths have a higher rate of biking, as do places of employment that have on-site showers, areas to change and a safe place to keep your cycle during the day.
The advantages of active commuting go beyond your health and the pluses to the environment to include :
- reliable, predictable means to get to and from work, or a point along the way
- works for companies by inspiring workplace health as well as corporate responsibility
- reduces stress and improves productivity of the commuters
More research is needed to find the amount of active commuting that may benefit your fitness, but this earth and health friendly way to get from home to work is undeniably going to get more attention over the coming years as it appears to be better for fitness levels overall.
Next – just head on over to the Daily Health Bulletin for information why you should ride your bike to work. Click here for more details on study and more reasons to ride your bike to work.
