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Work travel by public transport or bicycle lowers our weight
Many people today weigh too much on weight. Those affected often try to lose weight through dieting and exercise. Researchers now find that middle-aged adults can easily lose a few pounds if they get to work by foot, bike or public transport. So we easily reduce our body fat and weight on the way to work.
If you're looking for ways to lose some weight, you can just start riding to work by bike or public transport. Scientists found in a recent study that such measures are sufficient to reduce body fat and weight. The physicians published their findings in the journal "The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology".
An active way to work, for example by bike or public transport, helps us lose weight and lowers our BMI. (Image: bernardbodo / fotolia.com) Two-thirds of adults move too little
Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of many illnesses and premature mortality, says study author Dr. med. Ellen Flint of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. According to the expert, about two-thirds of adults in England do not move enough and do not reach the recommended level of physical activity. It is necessary to promote people who make their way to work by public transport, by bicycle or on foot, adds the doctor. Especially if the affected are middle-aged. At this time, obesity is slowly becoming an increasing problem, say the scientists.
Working with a bike brings the biggest benefits
The study evaluated the information of more than 150,000 people between the ages of 40 and 69 years. All subjects lived in the UK. Two-thirds of them drive to work every day, researchers say. The physicians found in their study that driving to work by bike brings the biggest benefits. For example, if a 53-year-old man always cycled to work on the bike, it brought with it a weight loss of almost 5 kilos. Cycling also led to a 1.7-point lower body mass index (BMI), the experts explain. A 52-year-old woman who cycled to work weighed almost 4.5 pounds less than a woman who drove to work by car. The bicycling woman also had a 1.64-point lower BMI, say the authors. A BMI value below 25 is considered normal weight. Twenty-five and more is considered overweight. If the BMI is over thirty, you are already suffering from obesity. For men and women who went to work instead of driving, the BMI fell 0.98 points lower. The further the work path, the more the BMI dropped. Even if people use public transport, the BMI dropped by 0.7 points, add the physicians.
Active commute helps to increase physical activity
The link between the type of work path and the BMI was independent of other factors such as income, education, urban or rural location, drinking and smoking and general physical activity, say the researchers. However, many people live too far from their jobs to walk or cycle. The results of the study are important because the way to work is an everyday activity for most people. Flint. Many people do not engage in recreational sports or other physical activities in their free time. Our health benefits demonstrably from an active work path. Therefore, an active commute is an important and easy way to increase physical activity. This will allow more people to reach the recommended level of physical activity, the researchers emphasize. (As)