One in three employees with a commute longer than 90 minutes say they have had recurring neck or back pain within in the past 12 months. Just about the same amount say they have been diagnosed with high cholesterol. Only 20% of employees with a commute shorter than 20 minutes report high cholesterol or back/neck pain.
One of the most startling findings of the study shows a strong correlation between obesity and the length of your commute. Roughly 30% of employees who commute for more than 90 minutes each day have a Body Mass Index that classifies them as obese. Less than 25% of employees with a commute shorter than 10 minutes classify as obese.
Sadly, a long commute threatens your emotional wellbeing just as much as your physical wellbeing. Employees with long commutes experienced lower levels of enjoyment and higher levels of fatigue and worry than employees with short commutes. For example, 40% of employees with a commute over 90 minutes experienced worry for much of the previous day. Only 29% of those with a 20 minute commute said the same.
The average U.S. employee spends 23 minutes getting to work each day, and one in five commutes more than 30 minutes each way. Only 3% of employees spend more than an hour commuting each way, but these numbers increase in the country's largest metro areas.
Your commute plays a major factor in your physical and emotional wellbeing, and it could be the difference between loving and hating your job. Spending the extra money to move closer to your job and shorten your commute may very well be worth it.
Comments
What is the source for this study / report? Was any distinction made between driving and commuting via train or subway?
It's a Gallup Study. Follow the first hyperlink for the source.
Quite informative and interesting.
visit interesting websites
OH wow, that actualyl does make a lot of sense.
www.anonymity.th.tc
I can definitely agree with these results, just from personal experience. No matter how efficient you try to be using your commuting time (e.g., listening to Books On CD if you're driving or reading/responding to e-mail if you're on the train), just the thought of the long commute represents a considerable mental strain . . . resulting in the extra donut in the morning or other indulgence once you get home (i.e., eating out instead of cooking-in) . . . as well as reducing your time/energy for exercise. Is that all an "excuse"? Yes -- but it is real nevertheless.
Anecdote: Years ago, I had a daily 2-hour (each way) train commute from Long Island to Brooklyn. I knew it was time to change jobs (and commutes) one day when we hit and killed a pedestrian on the tracks . . . and the other long-time commuters on the train were actually mad at the person we hit for delaying the train -- talk about losing perspective!
This is very useful information,I agree.
A person to speak sweet & minimum .
Such that others are not hurt.
As internet is share-spread the word -as it is free= Here is link for many interesting articles very useful in daily happy living:
http//:123-on-line.blogspot.com
Commuting can be enormously stressful to people, particularly as there is a tendency for people to put their lives 'on hold' in terms of waiting to get to work or get home rather than being present and focused on what they are doing. Absorbing the stress of others also adds to the load, making the journey tedious and challenging. Work life balance is often reduced as commuters extend their day in an attempt to avoid travelling in rush hour. I see many clients who desperately try to create work life balance - and yet it is a myth that our work and life are separate. We only have one life - work life integration is a better way to ensure we choose the work we love, imbued with the values important to us as human beings. Then work-life integration results and we don't feel stretched across the disparate areas of our lives.
Clare Mann
Sydney Psychologist
We can move closer to our jobs, or just move to medium-sized cities, where everything is easier, greener, more peaceful and pleasant...
I'm about to start a 90 minute commute to center city Philly in a month. I'm taking all public transportation and I think I'm going to despise it after the first week. But after three years of experience at this job I can transfer to any part of the country, so all in all, I think it's worth it!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!