Not everyone has time to get the gym each day. But nearly everyone must go to work, and how you commute each day could help you lose weight.

That’s the upshot of new research that shows commuters who walk or bike even 15 minutes to get to and from a subway station, bus stop, or workplace may be able to meet federal exercise guidelines and get fitter without setting foot in a gym, the Wall Street Journal reports.

In fact, commuters who switched from driving to walking, cycling, or public transit lost more than two pounds in two years on average, according to a recent study of 4,000 British adults. People with commutes longer than 30 minutes lost more than 15 pounds on average over two years.

A second study of 12,000 Americans in metro areas, published in the Public Library of Science journal PLOS One, also found an association between biking or walking to work and lower body-mass index.

At least half of Americans fall short of meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommended 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity. People with active commutes are likelier to reach that threshold, the new research shows.

“Some people don’t like to go to the gym,” said Adam Martin, an economist at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, and lead author of the British study. Designated workouts are often an add-on activity, he says, “whereas travel to work is something everyone has to do.”