What Can Truck Drivers Do To Stay Fit and Healthy?
Willie Nelson had nothing on short- or long-haul trucking. The country music star’s 1980 song “On the Road Again” seems to ring out as an emblem of life on the open road – but the song wasn’t about the experience of truck drivers, who handle rigs for hours on end along their routes, in real jobs.
While the trucking industry for drivers can be relatively comfortable financially, the long hours can take a toll on their health and well being.
Federal law restricts truck drivers from spending more than 11 hours on the road a day. But for most of those working hours, truck drivers are sitting behind a wheel or eating at truck stops or at small restaurants.
In those circumstances, opportunities to exercise or to make other healthy decisions are difficult to find.
So, what can drivers do to keep their hearts and lungs healthy and their muscles strong?
We at iGlobal LLC help companies with fleet management through the latest technology. But we also care about the drivers in those fleets. In today’s blog post we’re sharing some simple and easy health and exercise steps for drivers to follow.
Truck Drivers Need to Make Healthy Choices
Statistics indicate truck drivers should make improving the quality of their health a top priority. A 2014 National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health survey found that less than a third of long-haul truckers were in good shape. To help curtail possible onset of serious chronic health problems, truck drivers can incorporate a few healthy habits into their work schedules.
Getting Fit and Trim Takes Persistence
Men’s Health offers seven tips to help truck drivers get fit and healthy:
- Do at 15 minutes of serious exercising. No excuses. And you don’t need to go to a gym. Anywhere will do.
- Be a man (or a woman). Don’t be a wimp. Exercise routines have to be vigorous – maintain 75 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate.
- Work different muscle groups at the same time. That means do a variety of exercises.
- Always eat after working out. Protein is good for building muscles.
- Eat breakfast and eat something healthy and light every three hours.
- Have healthy snacks handy; it helps curtail the temptation for big, greasy meals.
- Record your exercise and food selections in a journal. This way you can monitor problem areas or weak spots.
Here are four simple exercises from thehealthytrucker.net:
- Push Ups: Put yourself into a plank position with your hands slightly beyond shoulder width. Lower your body until your chest nearly touches the ground or mat. Do several sets of pushups.
- Crunches: Lie on the ground on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat. Put your hands behind your neck or cross your arms on your chest. Lift your upper body about 6 inches from the ground, hold for a few seconds and go back down. Do several sets.
- Mountain Climbers: Put your hands on the ground or on a mat at slightly wider than shoulder width. Put one leg under your chest and the other extended behind you. Rotate your two legs simultaneously as if you were running – like in old-time football practice.
- Burpees: Stand straight. Drop into a squat position placing your hands on the ground. Quickly extend your feet so that you’re in a pushup position. Jump back into the squat position with your hands still on the ground. Then jump back up and into the air.
We hope you found these tips helpful. In next week’s article, we will discuss health tips truck drivers can use during their travels and in their cabs.
iGlobal LLC is a technology company which specializes in providing solutions for transportation, logistics and distribution industries. We build hardware and develop software that resolves critical business dilemmas, especially those involving fleet management and communication technologies.
