It might be tough for truckers to get enough exercise and stay fit since they spend so much time on the road.
Experienced drivers, on the other hand, realize that exercise may be achieved by learning the correct exercises and organizing them intelligently. Truck-stop gyms and in-cab fitness devices are also become more popular in recent years to assist truckers to to stay fit.
Despite spending 300 days a year on the road, truck drivers may stay fit with these workouts and steps.
Truckers’ Health Concerns
A trucker’s workweek involves a lot of time on the road and in a seat. This inactive job is hazardous to the health and fitness of truck drivers. To begin with, you are unable to get up and move whenever you like. Instead, the demands of your delivery routes have you seated for hours at a time. Add in a shortage of nutritious food alternatives for truck drivers, and you have a recipe for disaster.
It’s easy to get something from a convenience shop or fast food joint when you’re short on time for a meal. A lack of physical activity combined with a bad diet can lead to a number of serious health issues. Being overweight, having diabetes, increased blood pressure, having sleep problems, and heart disease are among the chronic health issues that plague truck drivers.
More than half of the drivers had two or more chronic health problems, such as hypertension, high blood cholesterol, overweight, and sleep deprivation. So, how can you stay fit? Focus on two key aspects of truck driver fitness: your nutrition and amount of activity.
Make the most of the resources within your reach
Are there any trails around where you’re stopping? Or is there another location where you can run? What about gyms in truck stops? If there’s something around that can help you exercise and stay fit, take advantage of it—especially gyms! Run a few laps at a local park, even if it’s only a little one.
Bring healthy snacks
Filling your vehicle with chocolate bars, chips, soda, and sweets is not a good idea if you want to stay fit. Your work isn’t a continuous adventure. You’ll only be able to consume nutritious stuff if you have only healthy snacks within close reach. The last thing you want to do is put empty calories into your body.
Bring small equipment
There are many different forms of workout equipment that are small enough to carry with you while yet being quite effective. Suspension ropes, a kettlebell, a resistance workout band, dumbells, or even a foldable bike can help you stay fit while on the go. You may even work out in your cab using certain systems.
A minimum of 15 minutes
Try to exercise intensely for 15 minutes every day, no matter what. It might be as easy as push-ups, crunches, or squats. Those 15 minutes every week add up to hours. Your body will begin to feel the difference.
Exercise while driving
When driving, you may practice a few workouts. Abdominal crunches are one of them. Contract your abs and hold for two minutes. Repeat this action at each red light. Shoulder shrugs are an additional option. This is a fantastic way to relieve stress on your neck and shoulders after a long day of driving. If you like, you may also do shoulder shrugs during red lights. Raise your shoulders to your ears, hold for a few moments, and then gently lower them. When you feel tension developing in that part of your body, repeat this exercise 15 times in a row to stay fit.
Three meals a day
Don’t forget to eat your meals. If you skip a meal it may lead to binge eating later in the day, making it more difficult to lose weight. You’ll keep food cravings at bay and snacking to a minimum if you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Keep a food and exercise diary
You’ll be able to immediately notice unhealthy eating trends or what causes you to miss your exercise if you keep a daily notebook of what you’ve consumed and how you exercised.
The life of a truck driver might be demanding, but it can also be quite rewarding. Contact us if you are considering a career in trucking.