I wasn't quite sure where to put this, but this forum seems to get a lot of action so I thought I'd try it here.

I'm facing the potential of a LONG commute. As in about 90 minutes each way. The job would 100% be worth it. I would have a room or a studio apartment in my work city for late night/early mornings or inclement weather, but I would be driving approximately 90 minutes in each direction at least 3-4 times a week. I would have to do this for two years or so.

So I have a few questions, and not all of them are related to weight loss.

1) Anyone have a long commute?

2) For those of you who DO commute, what do you do to keep yourself happy in the car?

3) Stupid question maybe, but are there any "exercise" sorts of things that could be done while driving?

4) Any other comments, weight-loss related or not?

Would it be possible to make the city room/studio permanent for now?

I used to have a fairly long commute and I listened to audio books. Is part of your commute sitting in traffic or is it all driving? You could do random things like crunches, punches or even some isometrics if you are sitting in traffic but I wouldn't recommend doing anything while driving except maybe some breathing exercises.

I commute 1:15 in the morning and anywhere from 0:44-1:00 on the way home, if I leave after rush hour. If I leave during rush hour (which I rarely do), it's 1:30.

I am paid well and enjoy working in the city, so I do it.

What do I do in the car? I listen to talk radio/news, since I have no time to watch network or cable news. I also have an extensive music collection in my car, which is Bluetooth enabled for hands-free phone calls. I also sometimes take a break on my way in because I drink coffee at home and then a bottle of water in the car, so I need a pee break.

What I don't do is eat in the car. If I can't fit in breakfast at home, I wait until I get to work. I think eating should be thoughtful and done sitting at a table, but that's just me.

The husband would probably like it if I came back home every so often

Between the two cities it is smooth sailing at 70 mph. But when I get closer in town it's pretty stop-and-go. I was thinking punches, but what exactly is "isometrics?"

And please, nobody say "Kegels..."

My commute to and from school is usually about an hour, possibly more if people are ridiculously slow or if it's a particularly bad time during rush hour.

I am a CD addict, and I never leave the house without half of my collection. Mostly I car dance and sing, because I am obviously awesome and do not care what the person at the red light next to me thinks.
I wear big sunglasses though to attempt at protecting my identity.

I find that I drink a ton of water when I'm driving. I always take a giant bottle of water with me, and for whatever reason, I take a lot of sips as I drive. In between the singing of course.

I think just sitting up straight and aligned (not shifted to one side) for an hour twice a day would be work at least for a while.

I've had my share of time in the car, and I strongly recommend audiobooks. They're all over the place, on every topic you can imagine. You could learn a language, or delve into any topic that interests you, or just float away on some good fiction. The industry is booming - I forget the name of it, but there's even a site on the Web somewhere that's the audiobook equivalent of Netflix. Exercises ... I don't have much to recommend - sorry!

Yeah ^^ books on tape! They are the bestest!!

And butt clenches. Just tighten & release.

Oh, I feel for you.
My commute has always been 45min/1hr, but on the train, door to door).
A few yrs ago, I took a job that had me driving 1.5 hrs each way.
Driving commute vs train commute are completely different animals.
The job paid crazy good, which is why I took it. I ended up being so miserable I couldn't continue on after 3mos.

The part that got me was the lack of wind down time. On the train, I could zone out, read, etc. And was relaxed when I got home. There is no relaxing on a drive commute, I found I came home tense and agravated.
I really recommend staying in the city 1-2 nights a week to take the edge off.
That kind of commute can really wear you down.

You've got good suggestions for the in the car part, just pay attention to your quality of life vs money/job.

Well I didn't know if you were married or otherwise attached so

Isometrics are resistance exercises in which you hold a position rather than do reps. Like hold a certain stance while pressing your arms against a wall. Or even pressing one of your arms away while your arm tries to press in the direction that your other arm is stopping it from going. (I'm not sure if that makes sense). I can't find any really good websites showing examples though. But for example, the plank is an isometric exercise for your abs. Of course you can't do a plank in the car but you can do various arm exercises.

I drive one hour and fifteen to one hour and twenty each way.

I can't stand it, and wouldn't do it if I didn't have to, but the good thing is that I only have to do it twice a week. My long work day coupled with the two long drives sometimes makes my lower legs swell, although that's getting better now that I'm lighther.

I mostly listen to podcasts, public radio, or music. Sometimes, I just enjoy the silence.

what about getting some of those language Cd's and practice up on a new foreign language...or self-help tapes like Deepak Chopra

I used to commute 45 mins-1 hr each way for about 3 years. I found it easy to plug in my iPod and zone out with my own thoughts. I was still aware of my driving - no accidents during that time, hehe - not that I could, it was usually bumper to bumper. I liked listening to music, lots of pop-rock that I couldn't blast at work so it was nice to have that in the car. I never ate in the car though. I always thought it was too dangerous to peel a banana and steer (could be cause I was in Jersey though). I remember being SO hungry once cause I didn't have time to eat my banana and I waited for the first red light before peeling it and gorging on it. Usually, I eat it before leaving. I don't think this helped at all.

I used to have a long commute. One thing I found very important was to take advantage of rest stop areas, because I often get sleepy at the wheel. Plus they are an opportunity to get out of the car, stretch, walk around, hit the bathroom.

I carried foods that were easy to deal with, and I always had plenty of water with me.

I second the idea of books-on-tape or CD. I wouldn't recommend the cellphone--unless you have a headset that lets you talk hands-free. Obviously, texting while driving could really limit your career fast...

Jay

I like a long commute, but I'm really glad to NOT drive it. I used to bus/train for 90 min. Now it takes me an hour even though I live in the same city. On bus/subway/train you can read, catch up on sleep, listen to music... Less traffic stress.

A warning - books on tape may make you fall asleep at the wheel, but learning languages sounds awesome!

If you're in traffic, you could get a headset and have a nice phonecall with family or fiends you haven't seen ina while.