How your commute can influence your weight

Throughout April, the Center will feature information on the benefits of active commuting and just how some people do it. New research shoes that people who participate in active commuting have a lower BMI and percent body fat when compared to people who take private transportation. So, just what exactly is active commuting?


Active commuting is any method to get to work or school that involves physical activity, such as walking or bicycling. In this study from the United Kingdom, Flint and colleagues found that people who used an active form of transportation to commute had a lower BMI and percent body fat as compared to people who used a private vehicle mode of transportation, such as a car or taxi. In women, this difference amounted to a 5 ½ lb reduction in weight for those who used an active mode of transportation compared to those who used a private mode of transportation. In men, the difference was nearly a 7 lb reduction in weight.

It is not necessary to solely use active transportation for your commute either. Interestingly, the study also found that taking public transportation was associated with lower BMI and percent body fat when compared to private transportation. There little difference in BMI and percent body fat between the public transportation participants and the active transportation participants, indicating that the important thing might be just getting out of the car.

These findings could be explained by the fact that many people have to walk or cycle to get to their closest bus or metro stop, which adds physical activity to their day. Further bolstering the evidence of the association between commuting mode and body weight, in this study it did not matter how much physical activity participants got while on the job, if they played sports, or what kind of diet they ate. Being active during your commute was independently associated with lower BMI and percent body fat, after controlling for these other potential influences.

What does this information mean for us? Physical activity is an important component in weight management and overall health. Although most people know that they should be getting regular physical activity, it's often difficult to to set aside time to be physically active in an already busy day. If you change something as simple as being slightly more active in your daily commute, this can help to meet your physical activity needs. Something else to consider is if you live too far to do an exclusively active commute, taking public transportation rather than taking your car could improve your overall health.

Written by:
Anna Porter

Anna Porter is a PhD student studying Epidemiology, and a Dell Health Scholar. Anna’s primary research interests are focused on how the built environment influences physical activity.