Driving a car is massively convenient for a lot of you. It saves time, and you don’t have to worry about public transport. However, is it wise to drive your car every single day? You should know about the environmental impact that cars have, but what about the health implications on your body?
Let’s be honest, the healthcare sector is under a lot of stress, largely down to people with avoidable health problems. If you can work on ways of improving your health, it will end up benefiting the wider society. With that in mind, here are some reasons you should stop driving all the time:
Driving makes you inactive
Sitting in a car for an hour or so every day makes you wildly inactive. Especially if you go from the car to an office, where you basically just sit the whole time. If you substituted your driving for walking, cycling – or even getting public transport, it would drastically improve your health.
Inactivity leads to weight gain, which can lead to obesity and various health problems. You should aspire to be active every day – aim for 10,000 steps! This helps you burn more calories and improve your cardiovascular fitness. Don’t drive to work every single day – walk to the train station or ride a bike, it will do you a world of good.
Driving ruins your posture
Sitting in a car will be awful for your posture. Again, this is made worse when you consider how much time is spent sitting in a chair during the day. You’re forced to do it for work, but nobody forces you to sit in a car. Postural problems are bad as they can lead to chronic back pain and muscle imbalances. This may cause inflammation, which can raise blood pressure and put you at risk of heart problems.
So, get out of your car and walk around more often. As well as making you active, it prevents you from getting into a fixed position that’s bad for your posture.
Driving increases the risk of severe injuries
Did you know that driving puts you at risk of getting injured? You may think this is a silly problem as it implies you get into car accidents all the time. Well, more than 120 crashes happen each day in some parts of the country. So, there’s more chance of it happening than you think! Obviously, an accident and injury will harm your health. It might cause long-term health implications that you never recover from.
Of course, you can minimize these risks by driving safely. Or, you can get rid of them by not driving as often. Think about it, if everyone stopped driving as frequently as we do, far fewer people would end up in a hospital with serious injuries.
It’s easy to think I’m advocating a life with no cars at all! That’s not the case, I simply think you should decrease your driving frequency. Instead of driving to the shops, walk there. Get a bike and commute to work that way a few times per week – you don’t have to sell your car and walk everywhere, just be more conscious of your health.
Categories: Tips And Advice Stuff
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