How to start an active commute to work
Starting your day with a bit of physical activity has enormous health benefits. There are so many reasons why you should commute by bike, walking, or running instead of driving.
Exercising in the morning will make you feel great, and gets you outdoors. Getting your blood flowing first thing in the morning does wonders for your productivity. Even if you’re workplace doesn’t have shower facilities, you can still ride or run to work, just follow our guidelines.
1. Measure the distance
First of all, you should measure how long you think it would take you to get to the office, especially if you’re used to driving. After you measure the distance, figure out how long it will take you.
Here are some good general rules:
Walking A normal walking pace is 5-6 km/hour (3.1 – 3.7 mph). This means that each kilometer should take you about 10-12 minutes. For example, a 4 km (or 2.5 mile) walk will take you about 40-45 minutes.
Running Normal running speed varies, but is usually around 6.5-8 km/ hour (4-5 mph). This means one kilometer will take you about 8-10 minutes. This depends on the distance, so if it’s quite a bit further, you may be a little slower especially if you mix it up with a few walking breaks.
Biking The fastest method, biking, will have you ripping it up. The average speed on a bike can vary widely, and depends on traffic. While commuting, it can vary from 16 km/h to 25 km/h (10-15 mph). On the most conservative estimate, you can expect to cover a kilometer every 4 minutes.
Of course all of these estimates depend on traffic, weather and how hard you want to push yourself. Try out the trip a few times and see how long it takes. For your first few times leave early, and give yourself plenty of extra time.
The aftermath will be quite sweaty, so be prepared. Give yourself lots of time to cool down and stop sweating.
2. Choose your mode
Once you’ve figured out how far you live from the office, and approximately how long it will take, decide how you’re going to get there. A few kilometers will be simple to walk or run, but if you live further than that, consider taking a bike. It will get you there fast and you’ll get your heart rate up a bit more.
Before you decide to ride, make sure you have a place to store your bike. I like having my nice bike in sight at all times, so I need to store my next to my desk. My office now has high security underground parking and a special area for bikes, so I park my commuter bike there. I do like to go down every few hours to check on in though. I am a bit more cautious than most people, I like to keep an eye out on my bike.
Ask at your office if it’s okay to put your bike inside, and if not, make sure you have a good quality bike lock. Our favourite is the New York bike lock, virtually bullet proof security.
3. Shower before you leave
Did you know that sweat doesn’t actually smell, but it’s the bacteria? The smell is the product of your sweat mixing with the natural bacteria on your skin. If you shower before your exercise, and put on a fresh set of clothes, your clothes won’t smell so bad when you get in to work. Try an antibacterial soap if you have one.
4. Rest and change
After your commute, make sure to decompress and stretch a little bit to cool down.
Give yourself plenty of time to cool off and change. The first thing you should do is get out of your sweaty commute clothes. After you stop, the cooling effect of the wind (especially if you’re biking) will be gone and your body will begin to heat up. Sweaty clothes become cold on your skin after you cool off, making you feel clammy. The best thing you can do is get out of those sweaty commuting clothes and you’ll start to feel better. Make sure to give your face a nice splash of water.
5. Wet wipes
Wet wipes are important to have. Try these wet wipes from Sea to Summit, available from REI for $4.95.
You can use these to wash up after sweating. Keep these at work in a toiletry bag, along with other items that you may need like dry shampoo (explained below) and a quick dry towel. Other useful items are deodorant and a comb.
6. Dry shampoo
Baby powder works great as a dry shampoo. Image by Holiday.Taxis on Flickr.
Dry shampoo is awesome to have around. Throw a dash of this powder on your scalp and roots, and work it through your hair. You can either use a spray dry shampoo, a powder, or for simplicity, baby powder works just as well, and is much cheaper. Keep this at your desk at work so you’ll always have it available. Try this no-rinse shampoo or just go with regular drug store baby powder.
6. A bike rack and panniers
Consider panniers and a rack to load up your stuff. Image from MuddyBill on Flickr.
If you’re going to be riding in the summer, even the best ventilated backpack will give you a sweaty back, especially on those hot summer days. Consider getting a bike rack and panniers to transport your work essentials.
7. Extra snack stash
Have some snacks stashed at your desk for when you get hungry.
During an active commute, you’ll burn more calories, raising your metabolism. If you get hungry often you’ll have an even bigger appetite with this commute, so make sure to stash snacks like nuts, bars or whatever your favourite snack is just in case your energy levels dip.
8. Extra sock and underwear stash
Bring some extra socks and keep them at your desk.
Ideally, you should leave a few backup outfits at your office, but this might not be possible. Stuffing your clothes in your commuting bag means they can sometimes get quite wrinkled.
If you need to bring fresh clothes with you every day, try rolling them to keep them from wrinkling. If you can’t store extra clothes at your office, at least try to keep extra pairs of underwear and socks at your desk. You’ll get sweaty on your active commute, and having a fresh pair of undergarments to change into will make a huge difference. It’s good to have a backup in case you forget one day.
How do you commute to work? Tell us in the comments below.
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