Blogpost #8: Commuting Makes You Fat

There's nothing wrong with being fat. You might look a few pounds heavier than you should and I'd still treat you like a normal person. What's wrong is being unhealthy, and long commutes cause unhealthiness. Great, another reason to hate long commutes.

I admit, my BMI fluctuates a lot since I started college. I tried to make working out a part of my daily routine to at least make up for my poor choice of food but that only worked for a few months, and it was a real challenge. 

How do long commutes really affect one's eating habit habits?

If you take EDSA on a daily basis, just like I do, you'd know for a fact that the Philippines is jam-packed with restaurants and food ads. In an article by Malcolm Farr, it is explained that advertising influences the type of food we eat and that overseas studies have found that unhealthy foods are most likely to appear in these advertisements.

“This being the case, advertising is likely to have played a role in the current obesity epidemic... Furthermore, targeted advertising of unhealthy foods may entrench and even increase existing socio-economic inequalities in the prevalence of obesity.” says Farr.

So, ads don't only make you fat, they also keep you from having a healthy lifestyle. They have the power to keep those who are already overweight overweight for the rest of their lives. Advertisements play a big role in our community. They make people want something they don't need in the first place, and promise them the good things without mentioning the bad things. 

But commuting isn't always so tiring. Okay, maybe it is, but it's not always what we think it is. After a few months of doing the same routine, and once you get the hang of it, you'll just learn to forget how life-sucking it is. That's when you decide to do something new, like keeping your diet and workout on track.

In the article entitled "How to Keep a Long Commute from Wrecking Your Healthy Habits", Jillian Leo recommends morning workouts because it does not only energize you for the long day ahead, but also guarantees you to fit it into your day.

"Even though sometimes I feel like crying when my alarm goes off at 4:45 AM, I always feel so much better after a workout. Exercising in the morning will give you the energy you need to get through the day. " she adds.

It is stressful to think of the long day ahead, but working out in the morning conditions your body and helps you relieve stress before the day even starts! It's true, I've been there. Don't get discouraged once you hit the snooze button a few times, because once you get the workout you planned for that day, it won't matter! A few minutes of moving around is always better than none.

Of course, you wouldn't be able to do all this is you don't have the will to do so. Make sure the workout you choose is something you're most comfortable with, otherwise it just wouldn't work the way it should. It might cause you to get fit physically, but not emotionally. It's not at all bad to think of your contentment when trying to discipline yourself. 

Blogpost #7: Student Commuter

When you're in college, the first, if not the last decision you're going to make is whether or not you'll be a commuting student- that is if, well, you're home is located fairly close to your school. Which is exactly my case, except the fact that I don't really have a choice because my parents would rather have me home at 1 in the morning than let me spend the night at a friend's house.

Although there are a countless number of good things about being a commuter (not really), there are also challenges that come from having that extra time away from school. In the article entitled, "Being a Commuter: Pros and Cons" by La Vie, it was explained that being away from college life sometimes makes getting into the homework mind harder than it should.  

"I’ve realized with the amount of stuff I have going on there are times when I don’t do the homework as well as I know I could. You also don’t always have the luxury and time to meet up with your professors if you do have a homework question." says La Vie.

Take procrastination for example. When you're at home, you get to free your mind from all the shit that school's making you stress about by wrapping yourself around your favorite comforter that you haven't washed for a month, and end up not doing anything the whole day when instead, you should be, at least, trying to get yourself in the mood of thinking what to blog next.

In the article "Being a Commuting Student", author Rebecca Cotzec stated that although she went to a lot of events and met lots of new friends, she wasn't as close to them at those who opted to live in. 

"It also meant that spontaneity wasn’t easy; you have to think about planning ahead, such as bus or train times." she adds.

It might give you more time with the fam, but it gives you less time with friends. Because your commute causes more time than it usually should, you miss out on special occasions. Having to cancel on a friend because you might not make it to the last trip might be the worst thing ever. You're stressing out on your transportation when you should be spending the night with a friend on her special day. What could be worse than that?

The best thing about not being a dormer is not being a dormer. It might be a bit cooler in there, but there's really no place like home. Getting to go home everyday allows you to have a life outside school, and more time with the family. And take the best shits. 

Blogpost #6: Why am I even blogging

If you ever see my face in person, your initial reaction would be "She looks so tired from commuting." Nah, but I do look tired every time, and I don't even do much. It's a given, and I've pointed it out a few times that commuting is a lot of work. Sometimes, I even think it's the only reason why I'm all stressed out. It pretty much is.

The first thing I do when I get home from school is rest for a few minutes or hours given the fact that I have tons of work to do. Why? Because I need it. But after getting my well-deserved relaxation time, I, most of the time, still find it hard to start working. It's like having jet-lag or something. And when I force myself to start working even when I still don't feel like it, my output ends up looking like crap.

So, the question is: Does commuting have anything to do with our performance at work? The answer is yes. The real question is: How?

In a study by the Office for National Statistics looking at commuting and personal well-being, commuters are more likely to be anxious, and feel that their daily activities lack meaning than those who don’t have to travel to work even if they are paid more. They also found out that each additional minute of commuting makes you feel slighting worse.

"Those making long bus journeys to work of more than 30 minutes had lower life satisfaction, a lower sense that daily activities are worthwhile, lower happiness levels and higher anxiety;" the ONS says.

Each person reacts differently when being pulled down. But as studies show, most people react negatively to this. Having to commute everyday makes you feel like shit. It makes you feel like nothing's ever worth it. It makes things pointless because you're not satisfied, which leads to crap work. 

The biggest effects of long commutes to work tend to be personal relationships, stress-relate health issues, and work performance.

According to an article entitled "Effects of Long Commutes to Work" by Jeff Durham, long hours of commuting is associated with increase in blood pressure, increased anger and resentment at work, and tardiness. 

In the same article, Durham mentioned that although many companies have begun to realize the damage that long commutes can do to their employees and have become more open to accepting more flexible working patterns which allows them to work from home now and again, or even completely, for some jobs, there's no escaping the long commutes. So, how do you cope?

"Many companies are installing gyms or handing out free gym memberships which have been popular with those who face stiffness after a long commute to work and a quick workout not only reduces that but also stimulates and refreshes the brain as well as the body." says Durham. 

Even the littlest things such as being able to prepare breakfast for the family or working out can somehow help in relieving stress.

I find it quite ironic that things such as having a proper diet and working out can relieve stress when it's the most affected when it comes to having long commutes. But truth be told, the only way to avoid stress is to fight it. Or quit your job, no one's stopping you.