24 Sep What to Eat and Do to Help Avoid Illness at Work and When Commuting

Is Commuting to Work Making You Sick?  Tips to Help Avoid Illness

The UK Health and Safety Executive reported that in 2015 over 21 million days of work were lost due to illness. In addition,  in the past decade, the number of workers commuting a total of two or more hours a day has increased 72 per cent from 1.7 million to three million, and this, according to the Royal Society for Public Health, is associated with ‘increased stress, higher blood pressure and BMI; as well as reduced time available for health-promoting activities such as cooking, exercising and sleeping’1. Even if you don’t commute quite as long, traveling to and from work can still take a toll.

The average commuter apparently eats an extra 767 calories a week as a result of snacking on the way and having less time to prepare healthy meals1. Poor dietary habits, coupled with stressful  journeys, can lead to raised cortisol levels, which can adversely affect the immune system. A healthy immune system is the best defence one has to help avoid illness.

The RSPH has called on Network Rail to restrict the proliferation of junk food outlets in stations, which is a start, but here are some health tips to combat such physiological effects of commuting and to help you avoid illness:

1. Read a relaxing book or meditate on your journey, to ensure the nervous system is relaxed and not in ‘fight and flight’ mode. This also helps to digest the food you do eat, but keeping it as healthy as possible gives further benefits.
2. Prepare healthy meals to take with you on your commute to avoid grabbing unhealthy snacks at the station – for example, nuts, seeds, a piece of fruit, sugar free bars etc.
3. Drink fresh lemon in water first thing, which not only boosts the immune system (due to its high Vitamin C content), but it also supports the adrenals helping to combat the stress of commuting.
4. Supplement with good immune boosters which contain plenty of antioxidants such as bee propolis, olive leaf extract and elderberry. These ingredients can be all found in Bee Prepared daily defence immune formula.  It is suitable for most ages and you can open the capsule contents into smoothies and yogurts for those who cannot swallow capsules.
5. Supplement with a probiotic. 70% of our immune system is in the gut so it is important to have healthy gut flora to help us defend against any viruses. Optibac is a good choice.

We love these other feel good tips as well, from Adzuna, here.

Bee Prepared immune support can be purchased globally from Bodykind. Click HERE.

Here’s to happy, healthy commuting!

Susan Alexander BA (Hons), ND, dipNT, RYT(R), mBANT, mCNHC Nutritional consultant for Unbeelievable Health

References:

1Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) Health in a Hurry:  The impact of rush hour on our health and wellbeing (2016) Available at: https://www.rsph.org.uk/our-work/policy/championing-the-publics-health/health-in-a-hurry.html

Image via Adzuna