What 112 Hours in Traffic Does to You
If you feel like Chicago traffic owns your life, the numbers back you up. The latest INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard ranks Chicago as the most congested city in the U.S., with drivers losing about 112 hours a year in traffic and more than $2,000 each in wasted time and fuel. That’s nearly five full days of your year spent watching brake lights instead of chasing a PR or a full night’s sleep.
It doesn’t matter if Chicago is your city, or you enjoy gridlock in your city, hose hours land on your body, not just your calendar. A large study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine linked longer commutes to less physical activity, lower cardiorespiratory fitness, higher body weight, and more metabolic risk markers. Add the stress of a packed freeway slowly shredding your arteries and filling your body with belly-building cortisol, and you’re drained before you even hit the gym. It’s not nothing.
Traffic pushes on your cardiovascular system in real time, too. University of Washington researchers found that breathing unfiltered highway air during a typical traffic run caused a spike in blood pressure that lasted up to 24 hours after the drive. One ugly commute keeps your heart working harder long after you’ve parked.
How to Take Some of That Time Back
You can’t clear the Kennedy by yourself, but you can make gridlock hit softer. If your job allows it, sliding your start and finish by even 30 minutes can pull you out of the worst crush and drop your stress before you park. A couple of regular work-from-home days, if you can swing them, stack up fast in saved hours.
Treat your car like training gear, not a rolling penalty box. When you shop, prioritize seats that actually support your back and driver-assist tech that takes some mental load off in slow crawls. Build a commute ritual that serves you: a podcast that feeds your brain, calm breathing at long lights, a quick stretch in the parking lot before you walk in.
None of this makes Chicago traffic fun, but it keeps it from owning your energy or your goals. Every small tweak to schedule, gear, and routine is an hour or two clawed back each week from a jammed-up interstate.
My Verdict
If you live with Chicago traffic, or any big city boondoggle, you’re already paying a tax in time, stress, and missed training. Stop treating it like weather and start treating it like a problem you can train around. Nudge your hours, tune your car for comfort, and turn commute time into something that actually builds you up instead of breaking you down.
