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No daily commute means Britons are missing out on burning 635 calories PER WEEK

With no daily commute, Britons are missing out on easily burning over 100 calories per day

Lockdown is so bizarre. We were once incredibly busy, active people who lived at 100 miles per hour. We’ve now slowed down completely and barely leaving the house. I look forward to my weekly food shopping trip. My regular walks around the nearby hills. Just because I can get out of the house, get some fresh hour and feel slightly normal.

My day used to start anywhere between 6am and 7am. I’d sort out the cats, get ready for work and drive to the office. I still have to sort the cats out, but most days I don’t get out of bed until 8am. And even then I only have to walk downstairs to the office we have at home.

A study was recently undertaken by the team over at www.odhealth.com, an on-demand health and fitness app, where a survey of more than 2,100 Britons found we’re missing out on burning 635 calories per week by not commuting! That’s the same amount of calories as McDonald’s Spicy gourmet burger in The Signature Collection.

odhealth research found the lack of commuting means we're not losing 635 calories a week

I’m quite fortunate that my commute to the office is usually between 10 and 15 minutes (traffic dependent). But for the average worker the commute each day is roughly one and a half hours (45 minutes each way). On top of that, most of us rack up and extra 35 minutes of walking per day.

By removing the daily commute and opportunity to get some steps in each day, the team found that men are missing out on burning roughly 127 calories per day, with women missing out on burning 112 calories per day.

Not everyone has a desk and a semi-comfortable chair at home though. Many are having to work from home on their sofas, at the kitchen or dining table or on the floor. So it’s no surprise to hear that 39% of us working from home have experienced back pain and/or discomfort. Btw, the cold therapy experts at www.Biofreeze.co.uk offer some fantastic products to help with this!).

This is my favourite part of the study though…

19% of Britons working from home admit they DON’T get dressed before starting the working day.

Interestingly 10% admit that they only change out of their pyjamas to workout or exercise from home. Honestly, most days I live in athleisure wear because I have the best intentions to get up and take part in Joe Wicks’ live P.E. session at 9am (when my neighbours see me, they must think I’m the most energetic, motivated person stuck indoors).

And you know I said earlier that I don’t get out of bed anywhere near as early? I’m not the only one – two thirds of us use the time we’re saving by not commuting to stay in bed longer.

Of those who don’t, they’re either exercising (15%) or doing some additional work (13%).

What do Odhealth say about this?

Tom Sheppey, co-founder of Odhealth, made the following comments in relation to the findings of the study:

“We can use the time we have gained by not commuting to do things such as exercise, meal planning and self-care. We should be taking this time to prioritise our health, and settling into good habits now will set you up for the long term. We believe that the health & fitness industry has a key role to play in helping the general public through this crisis.”

Odhealth are giving Britons are free of charge 25-minute consultation from an accredited Personal Trainer throughout lockdown. The health and fitness expert will tailor the session to the individual taking into account their experience, and help develop a plan for workouts and nutrition.

Visit the website www.odhealth.com or download the Odhealth app and use the code ‘STRONGERTOGETHER’ to redeem your free consultation.

Sam Walker
the authorSam Walker
SENIOR EDITOR
Sam is a regular gym goer who loves a strong spin or step class. Her main fitness goal is to tone up and be a healthier / fitter version of herself.

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