Do you consider your commute to be exercise?
 

If someone asked you if you exercise, would you include commuting as an answer? I'm not sure if I do...

Why not? The lowest intensity at which I commute still classifies as 'recovery riding'. And that is an essential part of every training--i.e. work-out, excercise--schedule.

In general, yes, insamuch as even short bursts of physical activity provides a bit of exercise. My own commute provides me with more anaerobic exercise than aerobic (a hilly fast 3.5 mile ride to downtown Atlanta). But the stop and go nature means it isn't giving me a sustained aerobic workout, so I schedule my weekend recreational rides and long brisk walks during lunch on weekdays to take care of that need.

My commute involves some pretty good climbs..That alone should constitute exercise...Plus for most part traffic is not that bad..It is pretty much go.. When taken my HRM seems beats get pretty fast.. Beats eating twinkies in the car while driving to work...

YES!!
When I started commuting (14+ miles each way) I managed to drop 20 pounds in 4 months.
Once on a ride home I even passed a guy (who was wearing postal jersey and shorts) who was doing his afternoon training ride. And I had a rear rack, panniers, and lights on my road bike.

I guess commuting does count as exercise. :D

Well, it's the only excercise I get, so it better be!
:)
I think it particularly qualifies on the days I pick up my daughter from school.

There is no other way I could imagine getting any excercise.

Paul

You bet! Since when is riding a bike not considered exercise?

This year I rode about 8000 miles preparing for Paris-Brest-Paris and about 3000 of those were commuting. I know I would have been in much worse shape had I not ridden those commuting miles.

At 18.5 miles each way with hills on a 65 pound loaded bike I would say so.

Yes, at least when I told my Doctor what I do, he accepted it and did not suggest any lifestyle changes in that area. It certainly raises my heart rate more than even a brisk walk, which is one of the most widely recommended excersize methods.

My commute is really the only chance I get to exercise and if I'm being honest, it's the main reason I commute. I like saving money, being environmentally friendly, etc., but the main reason I commute is for the exercise.

Absolutely.

A study I read indicated that even bicycling only 2 miles per day produced measurable physical improvements and health benefits.

From a more personal standpoint, bicycle commuting has changed me greatly from the person I once was. I am leaner, stronger, and can climb a tall set of stairs or run a few blocks without any problems. Just by cycling to work, I achieved a level of fitness I never knew when I was just walking for exercise.

I became a new man!

It is my ONLY exercise. I "exercise" during the time I would otherwise spend in that long commute by bus or car, then have evenings (and mornings) to spend w/ family. 25-30 minutes each way, working as hard as I can (no stop and go).

Huh? Of course it is.

I use my three-day-per-week commute as my base cardiovascular training for marathoning and ultrarunning. I run ultradistance races (30, 50, and 100 miles) while training half as much as my ultrarunning friends who do not bike.

I could not do it without the exercise I get from commuting.

Does the Pope ... in the woods?
 

Is a bear Catholic? Wait...I think I'm mixing things up here. Still, yeah, I include commuting as excercise...I ride every day (almost) about 22 miles at an average speed of 30 kmh in, and 35-40 kmh out. Considering I've beat my wife home on the bike (she was in a car) I'd consider that excercise... :)

speaking of which, it is time to hop on the bike! yea!
Tom

P.S. I also got asked to lead an indoor cycling class due to the commute. Beats being in the gym and having to pay!

I just pootle along the 4 miles to work, pacing myself so I never break into a sweat. Its pretty gentle excercise, but still, much better than none at all.
I do a pool session once a week, to remind my upper body muscle that they have not been abandoned completely.

Sometimes a co-worker will spot me in the elevator and say, "Oh, getting your exercise before work?"

If I'm feeling snotty, I'll say something like "Nah, just getting to work. You don't consider driving to work exercise, do you?"

But actually, I do consider it exercise. I've got a route that can be a 5 mile or 10 mile TT or I can go directly home and spin easy for a 20 minute recovery workout. It's all good!

I spend about 8 hours of my commuting week in my HR "training zone" -- 70-80%. If that's not exercise, I don't know what the word means.

RichC

9 miles to work + 13 to 20 home every day. I'm pretty sure it qualifies as exercise.

Is It Exercise?
 

That is sort of like asking if George Dubya Bush is a Texan. :p

Of Course It is Exercise.

Exercise is any activity beyond the norm that results in burning calories. Click the link to learn more.

IMO: The Norm is what the average normal human is doing in a given day. (esp. American)

45 min there (school) and 45 min home - 90 min. for the day - its all the time I have for exercise. Yes I consider it exercise

I turned to commuting as a means to get in "soft miles".

Often I find myself and other riders not taking those "easy" or "recover" rides.

I find that my commute provides this for me as I don't try to RACE to work because I don't want to be too trashed to need a full shower and change of clothes.

Sometimes I meet my wife on the commute home and occasioanlly we kick it up, esp when we get to our street... Sprint for the drive way babe!... Zooooommmmm....

Oh... So the answer is yes ... it is exercise or training or both... but not the rigorous type...

I also consider commuting to be my "soft" miles - mind you, that's probably only because my commute is a totally flat 26km round trip. Having said that, I think there are quite a few people in this office who would struggle to complete it.

Well, duh, or would you rather drive to the gym to work out on a stationary bicycle? Why ISN'T commuting by bike exercise? I can't think of a better way to get your exercise as part of your daily routine.

Yes.

:beer:

--J