How Active Is Your Daily Commute?

For people who can’t find time in their day for exercise, the solution may be rethinking how they commute to work. The latest Global Athlete column explores the benefits of “active” commuting by walking or riding a bike to the office.

Brian Hagan, who works at NATO in Brunssum, the Netherlands, said he found that biking and running to and from work was the best way to train for an Ironman race in Regensburg, Germany, in August.

After a five-mile run, he swims about half a mile at a pool at the NATO compound. He keeps spare clothing in a locker at work. “When running that distance, the last thing you want to find out is that you have forgotten your underwear,” he said. He’s at his desk at 8:30 a.m. He often lifts weights for an hour at lunch and bikes home.

Even after completing the Ironman race, Mr. Hagan has kept up his active commutes. “It has become a routine,” he said. “It’s become the norm.”

An active commute can also help people whose jobs take a physical toll. Daz Milam is based south of London with the Royal Air Force. He is a physical-training instructor who ensures that soldiers are prepared for the field. “But that doesn’t mean I can get involved as if I were a participant,” he said. So he cycles: an intense 13.5-mile ride to and from work. “The good thing about where we are now is that it’s not flat,” he said. “It does become a competitive urge to keep taking the hills a little stronger.” When he started about a year ago he needed about an hour to bike the route. Now he’s down to 41 minutes.

To learn more, read the full article, “Hitting the Road to Get to Work and Back,” and then please join the discussion below. Are you an active commuter? Tell us about it.