For many of us in Ghana’s bustling cities—from the trotro queues at Circle to the snail-paced traffic on the Tema Motorway—the daily commute is often viewed as “dead time.” We sit, we sweat, and we stress.
But what if we told you that this mandatory chunk of your day could be transformed into a secret weapon for your fitness goals? Whether you are heading to the office in Accra or catching a train in London, your commute holds hidden potential to incinerate calories. You just need to know how to tap into it.
Here are four reasons to rethink your ride and practical tips to turn your travel into a training session.
1. The “Trotro Drop-Off” Cardio Blast
The most significant calorie burner isn’t in the gym; it’s in the distance between your transport and your destination. If you take a trotro (shared taxi) or bus, don’t aim to get dropped off directly at your gate. Get off one or two stops earlier than usual. If you drive, park at the far end of the parking lot. This forces you into a brisk 10-to-15-minute walk. This is effectively low-intensity steady-state (LISS) cardio. It targets fat burning without exhausting you before work. Over a week, those 20 extra minutes of walking add up to burning roughly 600 to 1,000 extra calories. It’s a great way to clear your head and arrive alert rather than agitated.
2. Stairmaster Stadium (The PWD Bridge Method)
In Ghana, we are no strangers to pedestrian bridges, especially at places like the Kwame Nkrumah Circle or the bustling Madina Zongo Junction. Most people dread climbing them, but a fitness enthusiast sees them as a Stairmaster machine.
Instead of waiting for a gap in the traffic to jaywalk (which is dangerous), always take the bridge. Better yet, if you are early, go up and down the bridge once or twice before crossing.
Stair climbing is a high-calorie burner that engages your glutes, quads, and hamstrings. It requires more energy than walking on flat ground. This explosive movement boosts your metabolism early in the morning, keeping it elevated for hours after you sit at your desk.
3. The “Standing Core” Burn
We know the struggle of finding a seat in a bus during rush hour. While standing in a moving vehicle can be annoying, look at it as a free core workout.
If you are standing, do not grip the handrail with a death grip using both hands. Challenge yourself to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and hold onto the rail with just one hand (or balance without holding on when the vehicle is steady).
Balancing on a moving vehicle forces your deep core muscles (transverse abdominis) to engage constantly to keep you upright. This is called proprioception. You are essentially doing a 20-minute plank session while listening to your favourite podcast. You’ll burn more calories standing and balancing than you would sitting passively.
4. Ditch the “Obroni” Suit (Strategic Walking)
In the humid Ghanaian climate, we often default to driving or taking taxis simply because we don’t want to arrive at work drenched in sweat. However, you can strategically dress for calorie burn.
If your workplace is within 2 to 3 kilometers, consider walking one way and taking transport the other. Wear a breathable “fit” (sportswear) and pack your work clothes in a backpack. Walk to work, shower at the office (if available), or change and use a towel.
Brisk walking in humid conditions forces your cardiovascular system to work harder to cool you down. This increases your metabolic output. By walking just 3 kilometers to work, a person weighing 70kg can burn between 150 and 200 calories.
The Bottom Line
Time is the one asset we can’t buy more of. By merging your commute with your fitness routine, you aren’t just saving time; you are investing in your health. Next time you are stuck in traffic on the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange or squeezed in a bus, remember: the pavement is your gym. Lace up and make the road work for you