Healthy Trucking Tips III

  

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Truckers work long, hard hours performing a job upon which the nation depends. Unfortunately, half of today’s truckers, faced with 11 hours behind the wheel and limited food choices, deal with health problems. Fortunately, you can break through the job’s obstacles to take charge of your physical condition and succeed in a healthy trucking career.

Eating Healthy on the Job

When you drive a truck, you cannot simply pull off the paved track and cruise around for the nearest salad bar. You likely rely upon the many truck stops that now offer a variety of nutritious food choices. Healthy trucking begins with eating wisely.

Begin the day with fruit, oatmeal, yogurt, or whole grain cereal or toast. Even if you nibble on something small, eat before you hit the road to avoid the risk of hunger pangs that lead to reaching for convenient but unhealthy snacks.

When you dine at truck stops, choose wisely. Opt for lean meat, particularly chicken or fish, steamed vegetables and rice. Choose baked potatoes rather than fried, and use toppings low in fat. Decide on whole grain bread products and pasta.

Salads remain an excellent food choice if you choose a healthy dressing. Select dressings made with oil and avoid mayonnaise dressings because of the high fat content.

Because you spend so much time sitting behind the wheel, you need to limit all fat consumption. This includes seemingly innocent foods such as dressings, cheese and garlic bread. Driving burns very few fat calories, and these calories alone can increase your weight by almost two pounds each week. 

Boost your health further by keeping a supply of fresh fruit, prepared vegetables, packaged salads and other healthy snacks in a cooler. Plain, unsalted nuts are good for your heart and provide a satisfying crunch factor that keeps some drivers alert. Cut back on coffee and keep water, fruit juice and vegetable cocktail drinks in your cooler. Not only are these drinks healthier, they provide the same perk as caffeine.

Exercising on the Road

With ingenuity, you can keep fit when you drive a truck. Perform isometric exercises to tone your muscles during the long haul: Simply tighten and release one muscle group at a time. To exercise abdominals, for example, tighten your abs for ¼ mile and relax; tighten for another ¼ mile and relax. Gradually, increase the distance for tightening.

Keep a rubber ball nearby to squeeze. Squeezing works out your hands, wrists, arms and shoulders and reduces the development of conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

When you hit a rest area, move your body. Walk or jog around the parking lot or along available paths. For a cardio boost, keep a folding bicycle in the sleeper compartment, and ride it around the parking lot for 15 to 20 minutes.

Work your muscles with resistance bands each time you leave the cab. Resistance band workouts equal weight workouts, but bands are easier – and safer – to stow in moving trucks.

You can also find printable workouts and online fitness classes at wellness companies like Rolling Strong. This company was created by truckers and is dedicated to improving the health of truckers.

Healthy trucking means learning how to eat nutritionally on the job and how to exercise despite 10 hour halts at a rest area or a truck stop situated in the boondocks. Easy-to-follow food guidelines and portable equipment that takes little room to stow can boost the health of any truck driver.