Here ’s how your commute can help you

This is an open letter to everyone everywhere, especially people who live in small communities such as mine: If you drive to work, you are missing out. If someone offered you an opportunity to improve your health, enhance your happiness and creativity, boost your self-esteem and even make you richer, what would you say? Many might think it would be an offer that was too good to be true — a scam; what’s the catch? There is no catch; I want to share how commuting to work on foot or by bicycle can do all these things. It can be a bit addicting, but this addiction is a good thing. First the obvious: a self-propelled commute is exercise, and regular exercise has tremendous benefits for health. Physicians typically recommend exercise in the range of 30 minutes five days per week because research supports the notion that this amount of exercise reduces the chance of developing chronic diseases (heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, as well as many cancers, for example). For many people who live in small communities, work is within the range of a 30-minute walk or bicycle ride. Another clear benefit of walking or biking to work has to do with money; everything costs much less than driving. Compare a new pair of shoes or a bicycle with the cost of maintaining a car and paying for fuel, and there is no contest. Cars as a means of getting to and from work in America have become an expensive habit, and sometimes a good way to break a habit is to realize how expensive it is. Continu...
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Physician Primary care Source Type: blogs