TAKE ADVANTAGE OF WHAT’S AROUND
Are there trails nearby your stop? Or some other place where you can run? What about truck-stop gyms? If there’s something around you that helps you exercise, take full advantage— Even if it’s just a simple nearby park, run a few laps.
KEEP HEALTHY SNACKS
Don’t fill up your cab with Snickers, Doritos, soda, and candy. Your job is not a permanent road trip. By keeping only healthy snacks within arm’s reach, you’ll only be able to eat healthy things. The last thing you want to do is pour empty calories into your body.
GRAB SOME SMALL EQUIPMENT
There are plenty of types of exercise equipment small enough to travel with you—yet also very effective. Things like suspension cables, a kettlebell, a resistance exercise band, a rebounder, dumbbells, or even a folding bike can do wonders for you to help you exercise on the road. There are also systems that allow you to work out in your cab, such as the FIT system: The Freightliner In-Cab Training (FIT) system is designed to get long haul truck Drivers moving more than just their freight. A series of elastic resistance bands connect to brackets in the truck cab and provide full-body strength and conditioning workouts. Our Freightliners are equipped with these kits. There is also a “How To Use” video on The Herd. Truck Training – Freightliner Evolution” course, in the “Equipment” category under “Training”.
15 MINUTES, NO MATTER WHAT
No matter what, try to exercise vigorously for 15 minutes a day. It could be as simple as push-ups, planks, or crunches on the ground. Those 15 minutes add up to hours per week. Your body will be able to tell the difference.
WORKOUT WHILE DRIVING
You can do a few exercises while driving. One of them is an abdominal crunch. Squeeze your abs and hold it for the length of a song—or at least two minutes. Repeat this move at every red light. Another thing you can do are shoulder shrugs. This is a great relief of tension that can build up around your neck after all that time driving. Shoulder shrugs can also be done at red lights if you want. Lift your shoulders up to your ears (like you’re shrugging), and hold them there for a few seconds, then slowly release. Do this 15 times in a row whenever you feel tension building in that area of your body.
EAT THREE MEALS
Don’t skip a meal. This could cause you to binge-eat later in the day, which makes it harder to keep weight off. By eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you’ll keep hunger cravings down and snacking to a minimum.
LOG YOUR EXERCISE AND NUTRITION
By keeping a daily journal of what you’ve eaten and how you worked out, you’ll be able to easily spot what unhealthy food patterns you may have, or what makes you skip your workout.