Exercise While Commuting
Commuters are likely to spend 30 minutes to 2 hours per day on their way to work. Many people drive or sit on a bus, after sitting for hours in an office chair. It may be hard to find the time to exercise the recommended 30 minutes per day. If you have the ability, the best thing to do is change your commute and walk or ride your bike every other day. If you are required to sit in a car or on a bus, you can do a 10-minute isometric routine to help strengthen muscles and lower back and neck pain. If you drive a car, these exercises should be done when you are stopped in traffic or at a red light. You may want to try adopting both approaches, to make the most out of a commuter's workout. Read more to find out how to exercise while commuting.
Contents
Steps
Healthy Commuting Changes
- Buy a bike, and bike to work every day. This is best if your commute is 30 minutes or less and you have somewhere to store the bike at work. Judge if this is a good change for you based on how safe the route would be.
- Remember that you don't need an expensive bike, but you should invest in a helmet and reflective tape. Buy a cyclist's hand-signal guide and follow these directions carefully. You may want to buy a backpack or messenger bag that is easy to carry, and bring a change of shoes for work.
- Walk to work 2 to 3 days a week. Map out your route to work, and if it is {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} or less, experiment with walking to work in shoes with good arch supports. You may find this is a great stress reliever after work, giving you time to breathe and exercise after a stressful day.
- Make sure you have sidewalks or parks along the way that you can use. Never walk on highways, lawns or unsafe roads.
- Park farther away from the building. Although this is usually seen as a bad thing, if you park a half a mile away from your office, you will get an extra mile of walking into your schedule each day.
- Stand for half or all of your bus or train commute. If you sit all day in a chair, choose to stand on the bus, even if there are seats. Hold on to a handrail and flex your deep stomach muscles to gain stability through braking or turning.
- Take the stairs when possible. Never ride the elevator for one floor. If you suffer from knee pain, always take the stairs up but take the elevator down.
- Implement exercises while you wait for your ride or bus. Do calf raises, where you lift yourself onto your toes and hold the position for 10 seconds. You can also balance on {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} or the other for 30 seconds, and raise yourself up on your toes for the last 10 seconds.
- An alternate exercise is marching. Instead of walking in place, engage your lower abdominal (ab) muscles and march, raising each thigh until it is parallel with the ground. Do this for 1 minute sets or until you feel muscle fatigue.
Sitting Commuter Workout
- Begin with deep breathing exercises for 2 minutes. Inhale as big as you can so that your chest and diaphragm get very large. Exhale slowly letting out all the air in your lungs. Repeat for 2 minutes or the duration of 1 song on the radio.
- The goal of this exercise is stress-reduction. It is important to exaggerate the breath and stop before you get too relaxed. Deep breathing for a long period of time can lead to deep relaxation and sleepiness.
- Exercise your eyes for 1 minute. Allow your eyes to dart back and forth between your mirrors, or from side to side and up and down if you are on a bus. This will help you to be alert and avoid eye strain.
- Do the "commuter crunch." Tuck in your pelvis and engage your lower abdominal muscles. Then, engage your upper abs and move your ribcage slightly toward your hips.
- Hold for 10 seconds and rest for 3 seconds, but breathe through the entire exercise. Repeat 8 to 12 times or until your muscles start to become tired. Car commuters can do this when they are stopped in traffic or at a long light, while train, bus or airplane commuters can do this whenever it is comfortable.
- Rock your oblique stomach muscles. Flex your lower and upper abdominal muscles and then raise your right hip as high as it will go. Hold for 3 seconds and then lower and repeat on the left side.
- Repeat 10 times on each side or until you feel muscle fatigue.
- Reach your hands upward toward the roof of the car or bus. Meanwhile, engage your abs and back muscles. Hold for 10 seconds while stopped at a long light.
- Repeat 3 to 10 times, or throughout your commute. Do not do this exercise while driving and in motion.
- Do isometric exercises. Imagine you need to flex every single muscle in your body. Begin by wiggling your toes and then flex each muscle 1 at a time for 3 seconds, until you reach your arms, neck and top of your head.
- Do steering wheel isometrics, while stopped at a red light. Grip the wheel at opposite ends, and try to push your hands toward each other for 3 seconds, as if you are crushing the wheel. Rest and then grip the wheel and try to pull your hands away from each other for 3 seconds.
- Repeat 10 times, or until you are no longer stopped. You can repeat the exercise at each stoplight, or until your muscles are tired.
- Do steering wheel push ups. Place your hands at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock on the steering wheel. Flex the entire length of your arms. Pull yourself toward the wheel for 3 seconds, and push yourself away from the wheel for 3 seconds.
- Rest after 1 repetition and then repeat 10 times, till the light changes or until you have muscle fatigue.
Tips
- You may need to adjust the amount of time you spend flexing your muscles or the number of repetitions you do based on your fitness level. If you do these exercises 5 days per week, you should be able to do more repetitions each week, and you may see a reduction in your waistline.
- Another way to try to hit your fitness goals for the week is to join a gym near your work, rather than near your home. Go there before or after work and you may miss peak commuting times and get home faster. You can also go on your lunch break, if you need stress-relief or a break from work.
Warnings
- Beware that car exercises should only be attempted when stopped at a light or when in park during stop-and-go traffic. Some exercises, like deep breathing, checking mirrors and light ab squeezes may be attempted while driving, only if they are not distracting.
Things You'll Need
- Bike
- Walking shoes
- Flexible work clothing
- Stop-and-go traffic
