Sitting in traffic for more than 15 mins could make you gain weight!

It takes me just over an hour to get to studio on a good traffic morning, but if the traffic is crazy, I can sit in that same traffic for up to two hours. On weekends, coming into work takes me around 30 to 35 minutes. Research now shows that being in a car for more than 15 minutes may mean weight gain. Darn!

New research conducted by the Australian Catholic University’s Institute of Health and Ageing revealed that those who drive for an hour or more a day are 2.3kg’s heavier and 1,5cm wider around the waist than those who spend 15 minutes or less a day in their cars. The study was conducted on 2,800 adults taking part in the Australian Diabetes, Obesity, and Lifestyle study.

Now, considering I spend a lot of time in the car, maybe my extra flesh is all due to this? I guess when you are in the car all the time you tend to do things like, eat and drive – and I am yet to see a drive thru that specialises in healthy food. #JustSaying.

Also, when you spend such long periods in the car that means you possibly spend less time walking around – okay that might just be me...

The majority of South Africans use public transport and that often means walking to spots where you would catch that transport, unlike those who own private cars. I think if we had a more efficient and reliable transport system I would opt to use it, and maybe that would mean less kilos piling up for me… but until then, I guess extra time in the gym is required.