Farewell Commute – Hello Better Health
The average American’s commute to work is 25.5 minutes each way, according to a report in USA Today. That’s about 51 minutes a day getting to and from work, or about 204 hours a year spent commuting. Perhaps starting a business from home is an option to escape the health risks the commuter faces every day.
Ten Ways Commuting Affects Your Body
1. Blood Sugar Rises
High blood glucose levels can lead to pre-diabetes and diabetes. Driving more than 10 miles each way, to and from work, is associated with higher blood sugar, according to a report written by researchers from the University School of Medicine in Saint Louis.
2. Cholesterol is Higher
The American Journal of Preventive Medicine found that the 10-mile one-way drives were also associated with higher cholesterol levels among commuters. Cholesterol is a warning sign for heart disease.
3. Depression Risk Rises
Researchers from the University School of Medicine in Saint Louis and the Cooper Institute in Dallas also noted in their report that people with commutes of at least 10 miles each way have a higher tendency toward depression, anxiety, and social isolation.
4. Anxiety Increases
A report from the U.K.’s Office of National Statistics finds that people who commute more than half an hour to work each way report higher levels of stress and anxiety than people with shorter commutes or no commutes at all.
5. Happiness and Life Satisfaction Decline
People with commutes of any length experience lower life satisfaction and happiness than people with no commutes at all. Riding a bus for 30 minutes or longer was associated with the lowest levels of life satisfaction and happiness.
6. Blood Pressure Temporarily Spikes
Commuting during rush hour—especially when you’re concerned that you may be late to work or to an important meeting—can result in temporary spikes in stress levels that jack up your blood pressure, even if it’s normally stable.
7. Blood Pressure Rises Over Time, As Well
A study of 4,297 Texans found that the farther the participants lived from where they worked, the longer the commute, the higher their blood pressure was. High blood pressure over time is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
8. Cardiovascular Fitness Drops
The same study out of Texas found that people with longer commutes also had lower levels of cardiovascular fitness and physical activity. Cardiovascular fitness is critical for heart health and maintaining a healthy weight.
9. Sleep Suffers
People who commute for longer than 45 minutes each way reported lower sleep quality and more exhaustion than people with shorter commutes.
10. Back Aches
Spending hours a week slouched over in a car seat (either as a driver or a passenger) has negative consequences on your posture and your back; commuters are more likely to report pains and aches in their backs and necks.
So Why Do We Do It?
Despite all the negative things that commuting is doing to our health, we keep doing it.
This is an increase by 8.5 million compared to 2006. This includes 13.6 million who carpooled. At the other end of the scale, the number of people who made the choice to leave the commute and traffic behind only increased by 1.1 percentage points. This compared to 7.6 million workers who continued to battle gridlock.
The Digital Era is Here to Stay
Transportation is Being Disrupted all Around Us
Technology is disrupting the way we get around every day. With shared transportation we now pay for miles instead of vehicles. This also applies to bikes and scooters. Ride sharing is in overdrive. Smaller vehicles are carrying people from point A to B more efficiently. They are able to deviate from following a set routes like buses are restricted to.
Semi-autonomous cars are arriving before fully autonomous cars. Your car will decide if you are fit to drive. Cameras will soon face the driver and gather all sorts of data just from your expressions and behaviour. Imagine glancing at a road-side billboard only to receive advertising to your inbox moments later, because the expression on your face said you were interested. Privacy in our cars will be gone.
The digital era is here to stay. You can choose to embrace it, or pretend change isn't already upon us. The choice is yours.
The Solution That Kicked Commuting to the Curb
Transportation is an excellent example of how technology is changing our lives. We chose to embrace the digital world and the life affiliate marketing offered.
Commuting takes a piece out of millions of people everyday, yet lots of people believe there is no alternative. We found a solution that allowed us to say farewell to commuting forever. We found Six Figure Mentors (SFM), an educational program and community. SFM taught us how to be successful affiliate marketers. All we needed was our laptop and access to the internet and we can work when we want all over the world. Check out the 7 videos to learn how you can take back the time you spend in traffic and gridlock. Put fun and freedom back in your life.
Earn as You Learn
We ventured into digital world, barely knowing what affiliate marketing was. Now we blog, create videos and have knowledge we didn’t believe possible. It is clear from our research that only a small percentage of people are choosing to work from home. It is our hope working online from home is a growing trend.
It takes courage to try something new, we get it. Change is not for everyone. Sometimes the fear of venturing into the unknown is far less scary than doing the same thing over and over. It's when you do the same thing over and over, expecting different results, that it's time to take a chance and shake things up a bit. Gradual change works, it doesn't have to happen overnight.
Start with gaining valuable skills for the digital era. The knowledge you gain will serve you going forward. Our business now longer owns us, we make the rules. We live life on our terms.
Wishing the same for you.
Adrienne & Bob
We are digital entrepreneurs who took a courageous leap to start our online business. We have owned an executive recruitment company for over twenty years. The industry is being rapidly disrupted by technology. As a result of the skills we have learned our recruitment business is 100% virtual. Both of our businesses allow us flexibility to work when and where we want and do the things we enjoy.