Add Public Transport To Your Weight Loss Plans

Add Public Transport To Your Weight Loss Plans

Finding time to exercise is tough. You can squeeze in some extra calorie burning by skipping the car and taking public transport instead. It isn’t the same as going for a run, but a recent study suggests taking the bus or train could still make a difference.

Photo by Dylan

Walking or biking to work is obvious, exercise while sitting in a car isn’t. You might think that taking the bus or a train isn’t physical activity, but it requires some:

“Public transport use involves a greater level of incidental physical activity than we commonly assume,” says lead author Ellen Flint, a research fellow at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. “Walking from your home to the bus stop, standing in a busy train carriage, sprinting up the station stairs to change platforms; a public transport journey usually involves more exertion than travelling by car.”

The study concluded that men and women who used other modes of transport had significantly lower BMI and body fat percentage than those who drove. This won’t replace going on the elliptical or treadmill, but you’ll be able to get in some extra steps during the day.

Associations between active commuting, body fat, and body mass index: population based, cross sectional study in the United Kingdom [The BMJ via Fast Company]


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