Truck Driver Appreciation Week 2022 Free Truck Driver Health Challenge

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With Truck Driver Appreciation Week 2022, September 11th through the 17th, 2022, we want to celebrate.

Trucker Appreciation Week 2022 Free Challenge!

Mother Trucker Yoga has teamed up with St. Christopher’s Trucker Relief Fund for a FREE Health Challenge again this year!

Driver mental health is at an all-time high for truck drivers’ health issues and needs more attention.

Because drivers spend 90% of their day alone and often coupled with erratic work and sleep schedules, a focus on mental wellness is much needed.

Hope Zvara from Mother Trucker Yoga and Julie Dillon from St. Christopher’s Trucker Relief Fund have teamed up again to bring drivers a 5-Day FREE Challenge called Brain Breaks.

Brain Breaks 5-Day Challenge Brings You 5 Ways to Feel Great!

Do you feel like your brain never shuts off? Do you struggle to get to sleep?

Feel stuck in “fight or flight” mode?

We will discuss ways to reduce those stress levels and give the brain a daily reset.

What is Brain Breaks?

Brain Breaks is a FREE 5-day Challenge to help drivers learn simple, easy-to-implement strategies to feel their best no matter what the day brings.

What this means is every driver can feel good no matter what.

HOW TO GET SIGNED UP TO JOIN THE FREE TRUCK DRIVER APPRECIATION WEEK 2022 CHALLENGE:

Please register below to participate in this FREE week-long program in honor of you, the professional driver!

After registering, be sure to join the Facebook group.

This is where the live sessions will be at 9:00 am CT each day, Monday-Friday, September 12-16th.

 

Our Trucker Appreciation Week Brain Breaks Focus Will Be:

September 12th-#MondayMovement how to use movement to give your brain a much-needed break.

September 13th-#TuneInTuesday how the power of sound and music can curb any mood.

September 14th-#WisdomWednesday using the ancient practices of breathwork and meditation to improve mood, clarity, and focus.

September 15th-#ThinkAboutItThursday see how using simple visualization techniques can help you see life more positively and help you feel more confident in all you do.

September 16th-#FoodieFriday find out how food plays a role in how you feel and what foods to eat to give your brain the fuel it needs to be at its best.

How to Sign Up:

 

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Driver Fitness: Building Up Strength without Push-Ups

In our twenties, we typically feel invincible, like we can do anything and are unbreakable. Then in our thirties, we may feel minor wear and tear, but we are at the peak of our lives for the most part. But by age forty, fifty, and sixty, the ability to carry loads of life the way we used to start shows signs of weakness both mentally and physically.

Yet for many when it comes to the idea of strength and truckers, the idea of a trucker workout or driver fitness is often push-ups, cardio, and extreme fitness. Building strength woman or man does not have to be this and in my opinion, is an outdated way of taking back your health.  

Life can often get busier; we have more responsibilities and more things pulling at our focus. Being assertive is an inner game just as it is an outer game, and the two often play off each other. They sacrifice exercise, movement, and mental wellness to meet many of the additional needs’ demands. 

If you feel exhausted, mentally spent, short-tempered, distracted, lacking excitement for life, even showing signs of depression, you don’t need more rest; what you need is to feel strong again. 

Whether you are a truck driver, someone who sits at a computer all day, or on your feet doing every task known to man, when you don’t physically feel strong, it impacts how you feel mentally. Which in turn affects how you live your life.

Many think yoga is just stretching or meditating. Still, yoga is a total body experience that many do not fully understand until they participate in the first, second, and even tenth time. 

The Importance of Building Up Strength? 

Why focus on exercises and movements that build muscle? As we age, we lose three to five percent of our muscle mass each decade after age thirty. But if you aren’t doing anything to maintain what you have, that number only grows, and your body loses muscle, that is. It’s a misconception to build muscles. It would help if you lifted heavyweights. Research has proven that after age thirty, switching to lighter weights or focusing on resistance training has a more powerful impact on your physical body and decreases the chances of getting injured. And building up strength without push-ups doesn’t have to be complicated and can be easy and fun. There are more ways than heavyweights to build your strength back up. 

Don’t forget the impact of feeling physically strong has back on your mental state. Even if t weight feels heavy or the Plank feels shaky, the effect it has on your brain, thoughts, feelings, and outlook on life is nothing short of transformative. Working out regularly for just 20 minutes can boost long-term memory by 10%. It also improves cognitive function by increasing blood flow to the brain and slowing down dementia.

What is Strength Training/Exercise?

Strength training, typically known as weight or resistance training, is an anaerobic exercise that includes the breakdown of glucose (sugar) for energy without oxygen to consider free-loads, weight machines, or resistance training. Weight training can be utilized to reinforce and build up significant muscles, like the legs, back, glutes, chest, shoulders, arms, and midsection. These muscles are all needed in daily tasks and help reduce pain. Stretching allows our body to release tightness, pulling, and snags in our tissues that could be causing pain and discomfort. But building strength also allows us to reduce pain and discomfort by ensuring the muscles in our body supporting us are at peak performance and up for the job. 

Benefits

I believe taking care of your body is about balance. Not that fancy balance where life is a walk in the park talk. But balance where you give your body a little bit of everything. A few stretches, a dash of cardio-like walking, or even stepping up and down off your step while you are parked all count. But let’s not forget the need to build and maintain your strength. 

When we focus on building up strength and toning our muscles we:

  • Make the muscles of the whole body more substantial.
  • Stimulate bone growth.
  • Lower blood sugar level
  • Help in maintaining weight.
  • Improve posture and balance.
  • Reduce mental fatigue.
  • Improve memory.
  • Improve oxygen to the brain through more regular breathing.

 Driver Fitness: Building Up Strength without Push-Ups

There are many ways to build up strength no matter your age, and when you live over the road as a truck driver, you often have to use what you ha e. Not every driver has to time, means, or ability to pull over and park near Planet Fitness or have a total weight or gym set up in their truck. Many carrying around dumbbells or fancy equipment is not first on their necessity list when packing their vehicle for their next trip.

1.Planks on the step of your truck  

Throw on a pair of gloves and use your truck steps or your frame steps on your trailer to set your body up for these quick moves. Driver fitness doesn’t have to be complicated or take a lot of time.

Your body weight is an excellent way to maintain strength and it up as well  Plus moves like this require no extra equipment to travel with, but if you did have the equipment, make sure you have a secure toolbox to store it in on your truck. Try adding in a side plank, leg lifts, and arm lifts while in a plank- you’ll feel it. 

Driver Fitness: Building Up Strength without Push-Ups mother Trucker yoga blog plank

2.Bicep Curls, Tricep Extensions, and Shoulder Overhead Press

You don’t need a zillion moves for a healthy dose of driver fitness, just a few good ones to keep you moving powerfully. If you are traveling and tight on space, swap out an actual hand-weight for two wrenches or something heavy inside your truck. No one said fancy is necessary and when it comes to building up strength without push-ups, don’t stress, there are more ways to skin a cat.

Try to do ten reps of each move one to three times a day. With all that sitting at the wheel, posture and upper body strength and tone can begin to fade. Ensure you have a supportive seat and your steering wheel at the proper height not to cause shoulder or neck pain, But when you aren’t driving, you snuck in a few quick strength-building moves that you can do anywhere in under five minutes. 

Driver Fitness: Building Up Strength without Push-Ups overhead extension mother trucker yoga blog

3.Resistance Band Training 

resistance band training mother trucker yoga blog hope zvara

 

There are all sorts of fancy resistance band kits available for purchase, but you don’t need them. For best success, purchase a six to eight-foot physical therapy grade resistance band, a door loop, and a loop band to get the job done. 

Try incorporating moves with a loop band for great leg toning and resistance training. The great thing about resistance training when it comes to driver fitness is that you can easily travel with this equipment and practice the driver fitness moves anywhere.

resistance bands workout mother trucker yoga blog hope zvara

PURCHASE OUR BAND TRAVEL KIT

Next time you are at the track, stop threading your resistance band through the door loop, close the door, grab each side, and pull down. Get creative, try using one arm and pull, or create a combo and as you pull on the resistance band, add a squat. You can quickly build hip and leg strength with a loop band by placing it around your ankles and walking ten paces forward and back or doing a lap around your truck.

Adding in resistance band work a few times a week, even just five minutes, you will notice a difference in posture, strength, and a reduction in joint pain. And remember it’s easy to build up strength without push-ups and resistance bands can help you with that. Now that you have a few strategies to build up strength without push-ups I can’t wait to hear how your next truck driver workout goes. 

 

No matter what type of strength training you choose to incorporate into your day as a driver, the most important thing is that you add it in. Paying attention to your physical strength and feeding your physical body what it needs will also benefit how you feel mentally. If you want to improve your mental wellness and mental strength, consider adding a few moves to build up your physical strength first. Before you know it, your mind and body will feel like they are twenty again but with the wisdom of a forty, fifty, or sixty years old. 

Happy Moving!

 

It’s time to take care of yourself. Here at Mother Trucker Yoga, we believe in the small simple changes that lead to the big results, so that you can feel good again. Join our family and enroll in our Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Membership Platform & APP use the code: MTY30 for a FREE 30 DAYS!

 

Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART App and platform image

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4 Skills Every Trucker Should Have To Improve Truck Driver Health

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The trucking industry is often more competitive than people think. There can be a lot of individuals applying for the same preposition. Knowing the skills you need is essential beyond standard driving qualifications. And when it comes to skills, drivers should have skills to take care of truck drivers’ health is critical.

 

Hope Zvara truck drivers Mother Trucker Yoga Home Page Truck Stop Healthy Food

4 Skills Every Trucker Should Have To Improve Truck Driver Health

First Aid

 

At this point, you might think, wait, I’m going to be alone for most of the trip. While this is true, it is worth considering what might happen if you end up in an accident. If you have a first aid qualification, you could provide vital support to anyone injured. First aid could be a critical skill for a truck driver.

Don’t forget; this does include yourself. It’s easy to forget that skills in first aid will ensure that you can provide primary care for yourself if you are injured too. You’ll know the proper steps to take. You can learn more about this on sites that offer first aid qualifications. Regarding truck driver health, first aid is essential; being certified could save a life or even yours. 

 

Customer Service

 

You might also want to consider your customer or client service skills. If you are new to the trucking industry, it’s easy to assume that there are virtually no interactions with other people. While true, you will spend most of your time on the road. You’ll still interact and engage with clients, customers, or colleagues. These interactions will impact how people judge and view your service. As such, you need to know how to interact with people at your final destination and on the road. Remember, your behavior will alter the perception of the business you’re working for. How people perceive you create an energy of how you are treated and when you are treated poorly or negatively, which can alter our mood, state of being, and overall truck driver health status. 

Consider taking a breath before you speak and ask yourself, is what I am about to say necessary and kind? You can be honest and kind at the same time.

 

Patience 

 

You must have patience when you’re a truck driver. There will be many times when you are stuck in traffic or when there are countless factors beyond your control. In times like this, mistakes can and will happen if you are not patient. It would help if you were willing to wait it out and have the mindset that some things can not be changed or fixed by you. This will also help you improve the quality of your driving. 

Consider practicing deep breathing like the 3 and 6 Count Breath to improve your truck driver’s health:

  • Inhale for three counts through the nose. 
  • Exhale for six counts through the mouth. 
  • Repeat this for one minute. 
  • Then observe how you feel. 

Do this whenever you feel stressed, annoyed, or low on patience. Mother Trucker Yoga has audio meditations for drivers to help you with patience! This is just one skill to have to improve truck driver health.

Mechanical Knowledge

 

Like first aid, you don’t need this skill as a trucker. But it can be helpful to have. Your employer won’t expect you to have mechanical knowledge, but it’s great if you know a little about how your vehicle works for a few reasons. First, it will ensure that you know the signs there’s a problem with the vehicle, which may mean it’s not safe to drive. Catching these signs early will help you avoid an accident. Second, it can ensure that you know what to do if your truck breaks down at the side of the road and may provide you can get it up and running again without waiting for support. 

 

We hope this helps you understand some of the skills you should have as a truck driver. By learning these skills, you can ensure that you are more likely to be hired for a position. You will also be more effective in any trucking job that you are chosen for.

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How to Avoid Injury When Working Out: Safety Tips

It’s no secret that working out can be great for your health. But if you’re not careful, you can easily injure yourself. This blog post will discuss some safety tips to help you avoid injury when working out. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced athlete, these tips will help keep you safe and healthy.

Via Pexels

Warm Up and Cool Down

One of the most important things you can do to avoid injury is to warm up and cool down properly. A good warm-up will increase your heart rate and body temperature, which will help prepare your muscles for activity. A cool-down, on the other hand, will help your body recover from the workout and prevent excessive soreness.

 

Stretch

Stretching is another important way to reduce your risk of injury. Before working out, take a few minutes to stretch all of the major muscle groups that you’ll be using. This will help improve your range of motion and flexibility, reducing your risk of injury.

 

Choose the Right Exercise

Not all exercises are suitable for everyone. Choosing an activity appropriate for your fitness level and health condition is essential. If you have any injuries or medical conditions, be sure to consult with your doctor before starting a new workout routine.

 

Use Good Form

Using good form is essential for preventing injury. When lifting weights, for example, be sure to use a controlled motion and avoid jerking the weights. If you’re unsure how to do an exercise correctly, ask a certified personal trainer from a reputable organization for help. You can click here for different fitness certifications available.

Know The Difference Between Good and Bad Pain

There’s a difference between the excellent pain of a challenging workout and the bad pain of an injury. It’s essential to be able to distinguish between the two. Good pain is usually muscle soreness after a day or two. This is called delayed onset muscle soreness, and it’s nothing to worry about. Bad pain, however, is sharp or persistent pain that doesn’t go away. This could be a sign of an injury. If you’re ever in doubt, it’s always best to consult with a medical professional.

 

Listen to Your Body

It’s essential to listen to your body and pay attention to any pain or discomfort you may feel. If something doesn’t feel right, stop doing the exercise and consult with a medical professional. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

 

Rest and Recovery

After a workout, you must rest your body so your muscles can recover. Avoid working out too often or intensely, as this can lead to overtraining and injury. Make sure to get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy diet to support your recovery.

 

Nutrition

Eating a healthy diet is vital for overall health, but it’s also crucial for preventing injury. Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will help improve your joint and bone health. Getting enough protein is also essential, as it helps repair muscle tissue.

 

Following these safety tips will help you avoid injury when working out. Remember to warm up and cool down properly, choose the proper exercise, use good form, and listen to your body. And don’t forget to rest and recover after your workout. By following these tips, you’ll be able to stay safe and healthy while achieving your fitness goals.

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Rules To Follow To Stay Healthy While Traveling in 2022

This is a tale as old as time. You’re on the road to an excellent destination, but the flu you caught is bringing you down. Before you know it, you’re halfway into misery, and that’s because traveling disrupts your diet and exercise routine. Travel fitness is essential, especially with the way our world has been warped into a pandemic. But we have curated this blog to help you gain better driver fitness, so you don’t have to feel down when you’re behind that wheel! Our rules to follow to stay healthy while traveling is worth knowing!

Seven best rules to follow to stay healthy while traveling

Sleep soundly

Keeping a good sleep schedule during your travels can be the biggest favor you can do to your body. Driving to places is a physically exhausting role that can leave you susceptible to many diseases. Listen to your body and rest whenever you can. (Read more about sleep from Hope Zvara over at RoadPro Blog https://www.roadprobrands.com/lifestyle/articles?itemId=Article:258)

Walk around as Easy Travel Fitness

Exercise is good for your body, whether you are home, but they’re even better when you’re scheduled to drive 12 hours without a break. You should find the time to walk around or take the stairs and get the circulation in your entire body going. It is the key to good driver fitness. 

Join Mother Trucker Yoga’s Walking Challenge. Get motivated, get strategies, get results! PLUS IT’S FREE!

mother trucker yoga walking challenge blog

Eat healthy meals

Food is the fuel to the body; hence whatever you consume will have a lasting effect. A healthily fueled body is less likely to get sick during travels than others. Never skip breakfast as it is the most important meal of the entire day. 

Enrich your meals with a balanced diet. Have a low-fat diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Limit sweets and alcohol as they are harmful intakes. 

Always stay hydrated

No travel fitness guide can be complete without emphasizing how vital drinking water is. Water enables agility and wakefulness, which are core essentials to any driver’s fitness. Travelling can quickly dehydrate you, so always carry a big bottle of water with you to sip from.

Wash your hands

In the age of a pandemic, germs are on everyone’s mind, which is why you need to wash your hands often during your travels. We come across all types of infected surfaces in our travels, and keeping yourself sanitized is a wise man’s move. But be mindful that there are good and bad bacteria. When regularly using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, it can strip your body of the good bacteria while removing the bad, and that can leave you more prone to sickness. Look for products with essential oils and natural anti-bacterial properties in them.

 

Meditate for Travel Fitness

Keeping the mind healthy can keep the body fit, and what good is meditation if not for bringing you inner peace? Taking time to meditate for just 10 minutes can have a prolonged impact on your mental health, and we suggest you do so! Meditation doesn’t have to be scary. It can be simple, relaxing, and take just minutes a day. 

Carry a first aid kit

Things don’t always go according to plan. You get cuts and scratches during your travels, so there’s a good chance of infection unless you’ve brought a wisely-packed first aid kit along with you. Keep over-the-counter painkillers, bandages, and other medicines of importance. Apply sunscreen to your skin to avoid sunburn or UV damage as well!

In the End

If you’ve read all these tips on staying fit during your travels, we hope you implement these to get the best travel fitness and driver fitness for those behind the wheel. Always wear seatbelts while driving and travel safely! Remember these rules to follow to say healthy while traveling.

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7 Essential Stretches for Truck Drivers

7 Essential stretches as a truck driver.

You are expected to sit in uncomfortable durations as a truck driver. On the surface, comfort is what you seem to be sacrificing, but it runs deeper than that. Constant sitting with minimal mt or exercise can be quite detrimental to your health. You must include a trucker workout in your daily routine to fix eight. This article tells you 8 essential stretches for a truck driver workout regime!

Essential Stretches to Practice

1. Shoulder Pull

Shoulder pulls are effective for the tension in your shoulders. When you feel stress gathering in your shoulders from sitting upright while driving, place one arm straight across your chest and pull it with your other arm.

7 essential stretches for truck drivers blog shoulder pull image

2. Neck Rotation

Before your neck is so stiff you can barely move it, try including neck rotations in your trucker workout. You can start by taking your hand over your head and holding the opposite ear gently, pulling it towards the shoulder. This releases tension in your upper shoulder and neck, regions that quickly strain due to extended driving hours. 

7 essential stretches for truck drivers neck release image mother trucker yoga blog

3. Wrist Bend

Wrist bend is the most accessible form of stretching you can do right in your driving seat and enjoy its effectiveness. It can help you relax your forearms and your wrists. Wrap your fingers on the steering wheel and move your wrists forward and backward. And if you are outside your rig, try placing your palm on the side of the truck with your fingers pointing down and stretch your wrist while you fill up with fuel.

7 essential stretches for truck drivers wrist bend image mother trucker yoga blog

4. Classic Lunges

Lunges are known for being a great exercise option regardless of the goal. If your goal is to stretch, lunges can be your best friend. Take a giant step with one leg and bend that knee as long as you are comfortable. You must maintain a symmetrical position and not extend the knee from the toe. Repeat this slowly with the other leg. Doing so will show you drastic improvements in your overall flexibility and muscle retention.

Try this on the step of your truck, and don’t forget you can use support like a chair or even the side of your truck for better balance.

PRO TIP: If you have sore knees and lunging is hard, try knee lifts instead. Standing tall, use support as needed, and try to lift one leg in front of you to belly height. As you lift, do not round your torso; feel your glutes contract.

7 essential stretches for truck drivers lunge image mother trucker yoga blog

5. Chest Pull Neck Stretch

Press both hands on your chest and move your head away from your wardrobe. This exercise feels like a relaxant as you enjoy a stretch in your neck and chest regions. Chest pulls are great for unwinding before bed after a long day of driving. And work amazingly well for keeping the elasticity in your neck as you age. Plus, if you have upper back pain, you need to do this stretch. 

7 essential stretches for truck drivers chest and neck stretch image mother trucker yoga blog

6. Arm Rotation

Arm rotations should be part of a truck driver workout regime that can be done whenever you step out of your vehicle. Placing one palm straight on your truck side, rotate yourself away from the truck with a slightly bent arm. Repeat this with the other arm. 

If you are inside the truck, sit on your bed and reach up overhead and as you lean to the right and reach to the right, press into your left hip to create a deep stretch in the underarm to help improve shoulder mobility. And don’t forget to focus on rotating your arm inward towards your face from the shoulder socket to enhance the stretch.

7 essential stretches for truck drivers arm rotation image mother trucker yoga blog

7. Quad Stretch

Stand straight for a quad stretch and watch it erase any muscular tension in your body. Raise one leg behind yourself and reach to grab that leg right above the ankle, and pull it towards your middle body. Hold yourself in that position and repeat with the other leg.

PRO TIP: If it is difficult to clasp the ankle behind you, try looping a belt or a towel around the ankle and pull up. Or place the top of the foot onto a chair and stand tall.

7 essential stretches for truck drivers quad stretch image mother trucker yoga blog

Conclusion

Taking time off the road to provide your body with its necessary movement is essential for your wellbeing. Take the time to practice these stretches as a truck driver workout regime when you spend time away from the driver’s seat. With this trucker workout, you can engage your entire body in exercise and stay far from life-altering medical conditions.

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A Truck Drivers Guide to Avoiding Injury When Working Out

Truck driving is a job that is full of relative motions like changing gear, and requires drivers to spend the majority of their working day sitting down. Unfortunately, that leaves us more vulnerable to inactivity, but then also injury when working out than those working in other careers. It really is a bit of a catch-22 situation. 

 

The good news is that by exercising regularly we can improve our health, and by following the steps below we can make working out as safe and injury-free as possible. Read on to find out more. 

A Truck Drivers Guide to Avoiding Injury When Working Out Mother Trucker Yoga BLog

Picture located at Pexels – Licence CC0 

 

The dangers of inactivity for truck drivers

 

Before we look at the ways to minimize injury from working out as a truck driver, it’s important to state just how important regular exercise is. This is because those of us that drive trucks are at much greater risk for developing diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. After all our job is all about sitting down in pretty much the same position for 10-12 hours at a stretch. 

 

Of course, there are several factors that contribute to the increased risk of diseases, such as diet, but challenging ourselves to be more active and exercise is one way that we can effectively reduce our health risks.  

 

Unfortunately, as you may already know, while working out is great for your health, getting an injury from working out is not. In fact, an injury can not only spoil your chances of keeping up with regular exercise but can have an impact on your mental health and ability to drive as well. That is why it’s so important to learn how to minimize the risk of injury when working out. A topic that is explored in detail, in the post below. 

A Truck Drivers Guide to Avoiding Injury When Working Out mother trucker yoga blog image

How to Avoid Injury When Working Out: 

 

Begin with a warm-up 

 

There are many ways to reduce the risk of injury to truck drivers as they work out. The first of these is to do a warm-up before you begin. Warming up is crucial because it helps to prep your body for the workout to come, warming and lengthening the muscle fibers so they are not only less likely to strain, but also will be in prime condition to be effective as well. 

 

The good news is that warm-ups don’t have to be complicated or use a whole heap of expensive equipment that is hard to carry in your cab. Instead, one of the most simple warm-ups you can do is a brisk walk or jog – perhaps around a truck stop or car park? The amin here is to raise your heart rate and get your muscles warm so you can begin the next phase of your workout safely. 

 

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Alternatively, another opera warm-up that is ideal for truck drivers is dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching differs from static stretching because you’re not just moving your muscles but your whole body as well. Thereby getting a more thorough warm-up. 

 

Some simple dynamic stretching that you can try and can be done anywhere including standing side crunches or walking lunges with a twist are perfect trucking fitness exercises. Remember to go gently at first, especially if you have been stuck in your cab for hours, as your body will take a little time to loosen up. 

 

Use proper form when it comes to trucking fitness for drivers

 

Another way that truck drivers can help minimize the risk of injury when they exercise is to make sure they use proper form. Proper form is all about doing the exercises in the correct way and positing your body right. 

 

Of course, this means you need to learn the specific technique of any exercise that you are doing so you know whether your joints should be bent, or locked, and what position each part of your body should be in. 

 

If you are unsure check out the form guides on youtube or find a certified personal trainer or fitness instructor to help you when you begin. 

 

Make sure you listen to your body 

 

You can also help reduce the risk of injury when exercising by getting in tune with your body. This doesn’t mean you have to spend hours meditating though. Instead, just be sure to listen for signs that your body is being pushed beyond its limits. Remember feeling a little discomfort during a stretch is normal, a sharp pain is not, and it’s a signal from your body that you need to stop right away. Trucking fitness can be simple, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

 

Support any weak areas with a compression sleeve

 

Making sure that any weaker areas in your body are properly supported will also help you to avoid injury. For this purpose, many people use a standard compression sleeve. Although, investing in a product like these GO kinesiology sleeves can be a better choice. The reason is that they are targeted support for muscles, tendons, and ligaments, helping you to maintain proper form, and reducing the risk of injury while working out. 

 

Cool Down Afterward

 

It’s important to cool down properly after a workout, especially if you’ve been sweating a lot. This helps your body recover and avoid injuries. A good cool-down includes light stretching and/or walking for a few minutes. You can also drink plenty of fluids to replenish any lost during your workout.

 

Simple cool-down activities you can do anywhere include: 

 

When it comes to avoiding injuries while working out as a truck driver, you really have to remember to do a proper cool down. Cools-downs will help transition your body from high activity to normality and will ensure that the lactic acid in your muscles won’t build up too much and cause you pain the next day. 

 

Simple warm-down exercises that you can do next to your cab include a gentle walk or some static stretching of your muscles. It’s also important to make sure you replace any fluids during your cool down so ensure you have a bottle of water or sports drink to sip from too. 

 

Get enough rest

 

Lastly, if you want to avoid injury is vital that you get enough rest in between workouts, so your body can effectively build muscles and repair itself. Of course, getting a good night’s sleep in the back of your cab can be a bit of a challenge, so be sure you create the most comfortable environment possible and avoid caffeinated drinks up to 5 hours before you are due to go to sleep. 

And don’t forget that trucking fitness for drivers just like you can be simple. Don’t forget to join Mother Trucker Yoga’s LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Membership & APP for more great content, moves, and fun!

Trucking Yoga Fitness Mother Trucker Yoga

 

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4 Core Strengthening Strategies for a Stronger Body

Sitting all day can be hard on anyone’s body, but for a truck driver when the driver’s seat is your office, if you aren’t paying attention, your physical body can suffer. Trucking fitness should be an essential focus for any driver or company because without truck driver fitness, who do you have to drive those trucks?

After nearly 20 years of teaching yoga, functional fitness, and core health I have learned a thing or two when it comes to taking care of our physical bodies. And our core is essential in that. Many still think that sit-ups are a way to strengthen, slim down, and tone up the core. And it saddens me when I see other fitness leaders out there STILL RECOMMENDING THEM. If anything you learn from this blog, it’s to STOP doing sit-ups today.

And before you start to work out or add core strengthening exercises understanding where your core is and what it does is necessary for life fitness goals like reducing pain, improving mobility, and feeling good again.

Here are four of my core strengthening strategies for better trucking fitness.

Your core starts at the floor.

Cueing your core is simple once you know where it is and what it should feel like when it’s idling and in full swing. I used to ride on the coined cue “navel to spine” but as I have described in past videos and posts talking about the core, that cue is detrimental to the spine and creates a downward spiral of instability. Take a moment to think about and imagine that your body is a balloon. Take one hand and squeeze the balloon in the middle. Whether or not you have a balloon in your hand I bet you can imagine what happens. The two ends get pushed out and forced away from the center and the middle is small and pinched (weak). When you suck your navel to your spine you are a balloon squeezed in the middle walking about trying to be stable. Now throw some of your extreme exercise or poor posture into the mix and you have yourself some back issues (and probably digestive ones too).

So where exactly does our core start? I’ll give you a hint; look lower than your belly button. If you guessed your feet you are right! Our feet are the bottom of the core, and where it all begins. Having healthy feet is essential in order to cultivate a healthy core and a healthy framework for your body to stand, squat, reach and bend better.

 

And if our core begins at our feet, we have to treat our feet as an important tool for healthy, functional, and effective core work. One of the reasons I teach barefooted is because, How can you work your feet (core) if they are stuffed in shoes? It’s like trying to strengthen your arm in your cast, and even after it is all healed you still continue to wear the cast and expect those muscles to wake up and start working. For many of us our feet have spent most of our lives in casts: fluffy, padded, high heeled (and I’m not just talking women’s heels) shoes. I get it, good marketing and advertisements play a huge role in this myth that fancy shoes are the cure-all, but sadly this is far from the truth.

It’s time to take a closer look at our core structure and learn to move with greater efficiency and less pain. Apply my 4 house building cues below and start rebuilding your body from the foundation up and have better trucking fitness.

#1: THE FOUNDATION

If your feet have issues, there is a good chance that other parts of your body (including your core!) will have problems in the future or already do. Like a house, this is the rebar and footings in your foundation.

So considering our core starts at the feet, it only makes sense to start our work there. On your journey to your core, consider waking up your feet each day; try taking off your shoes for starters, and start to use your atrophied muscles. Think about possibly rolling out your feet with an acuball or tennis ball, stretching your calves, and moving your toes. Think of this stimulation as rebooting the circuit board in your physical body for effective amp usage. (Here’s a few BOSU Elite foot strengthening exercises to check out as well) Building a solid foundation is essential for better trucking fitness no matter what your age is.

#2: THE WALLS

The trail between your feet and pelvis determines whether or not your body has to take the highway or country road to get where it’s going and let’s hope there isn’t a fallen tree in the way. Like a house, this is the vertical rebar and poured walls that keep the house above the sound.

What starts at your feet travels up your inner leg line into your pelvic floor. Understanding neutral is vital to the health and harmony of your core. When standing, scan the following checkpoints as a basic rule of thumb for healthy foot and leg neutral.

  • Outer edges of your feet parallel with outer edges of your mat (or in line with the sides of the room)
  • Vertical fold lines on the backs of the knees point straight back (be ready for things to feel really weird)
  • Pelvis in neutral, this means pubis and ASIS (anterior superior iliac spine), the bony front hip points stack and run parallel with the front wall

This may feel really awkward, especially if you have spent most of your life twisted and misaligned, your muscles have created memory and I’m pretty sure your shoes have either masked or helped this cause. Take a breath and see this realignment as core training and an exercise in itself.

#3: THE FLOORING

Your pelvic floor needs to be acknowledged and accessed for healthy core stability above. Your pelvic floor is the bottom floor of your house above, if it’s faulty or overlooked, it doesn’t matter what color you paint it, that house is no good.

Imagine if the floor of your house had a hole in it, after a while that hole in the floor would get annoying, and ultimately things would start to fall through, get stuck, or start to crumble. I encourage all my students to get to know this area first. It’s not that we just squeeze and hope for the best, but rather create an awareness of our actual pelvic floor and what it feels like. For many, truck driver or not, this area is dead, turned off as if the wires to the ground floor of your house have been cut or installed incorrectly. The good news is you can rewire them with work. I’ve seen it done on a vast number of individuals, ones who thought it was a lost cause, ones with extreme pelvic floor dysfunction and even pain.

Let’s start with the basics, draw awareness to the bony landmarks: pubis bone, sits bones, and tailbone, within these markings is your pelvic floor. Consider working to contract this area in various positions to see what works best and what needs work, and to see how effective are you from back to front contracting (anal sphincter, vaginal passageway, or soft tissue behind the scrotum, and urethra -controlling the bladder). Which area contracts, which area is miswired? What areas are you compensating for by squeezing the glutes instead? Think pelvic floor engages first, then glutes engage for better stability and function. As you become more effective here, that contraction upwards turns into stability inwards, meaning you should feel a contraction in your font lower belly, and that contraction is stimulated from within, not by drawing your navel to your spine.

#4: THE ROOFING

Your rib cage is like the roof for your house, if it’s crooked or off-centered you can expect your shingles, chimney, or dormers (meaning upper back, shoulders, and neck) to have issues eventually too.

In brief, when the rib cage is not stacked properly above your pelvis, your core is thrown off. For many, splaying of the front rib cage is a huge problem. Not only does it lead to the rectus abdominis (our 6 pack muscle as we know it) being overstretched and our back muscles being shortened, but this can also result in or lead to issues with a tightening of the psoas, which can cause problems when it comes to working the pelvic floor.

So the next time you go to work your core, start with the floor and work your way up. The reality is to properly work our core muscles there is some realigning we have to do, and several new roads that need paving in order to move and breathe pain-free and effectively. When our bodies are put in proper alignment we not only have reduced pain, we also recruit the right muscles to do their designated jobs and function more efficiently both on and off the mat, in all we do.

My husband may build and remodel houses for a living, but I get to help build up and rebuild people’s bodies that go to live in those houses. And these are just a few strategies to help you build better trucking fitness and a stronger core.

If you are ready to take the next steps to build a stronger, more stable, and sleek core with no sit-ups, join me in my 5 Minutes to Fit™ Program that will take you from where you are to where you want to be in just minutes a day!

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3 Driver Exercises To Do Anywhere As An OTR Trucker

Living as an OTR trucker is not easy. I am not a driver, but do find myself quite a bit over the road and in the air. And living out of a suitcase has its pros and cons and finding time for fitness is definitely one of the cons. 

When it comes to driver exercises, scheduling a trucker workout does not have to be a time suck. And it indeed doesn’t have to be approached as that dreaded after-work activity. It can be fun. And it does play a very positive role in how we feel and even how we sleep.

Figuring out when and how to work out doesn’t have to be complicated, and the first step is to have an open mind. 

As someone who has spent more than half her life in the fitness and wellness arena, it has crossed my mind on more than one occasion: why the number one reason I hear from people as to why they don’t exercise more is that they seem to think “they don’t have time.” 

And it appears that roughly 75% of the American population seems to have trouble finding time to work out.

So to all my truck drivers, I assure you, most of America struggles to find the time, at home or on the road. And I do believe from my own experience working with thousands of students over the last fifteen plus years that making a mind shift is step one in building any new skill.

When it comes to driver exercises, STEP ONE simply opens yourself up to the idea that “yes,” this can be done.

And what if adding in a bit of exercise every day could be as simple as just moving more during the day?

No, not “exercise,” but the intention of moving in those small pockets of time where you are doing nothing.

Because here is the thing, exercise will not change your current outcome. Adding more overall movement to your day will.

So instead of making “exercise” a goal for you. How about we start small.

One simple step at a time and consider our daily schedule and where we can insert a move or extra squat here and there throughout the day. So that by the end of the day, we have increased our overall quota of movement for the body.

3 Simple Driver Exercises You Can Do Today:

Truck Driver Workout #1: Reach High and Squat Low 

Reaching and squatting are two of the three basic movements we all must be able to do to age healthily. These just so happen to be two basic movements that we begin to stop doing after the period of 18 (totally my opinion here).

It just so happens this is about the same time we become an adult and adulting begins to take over our lives. We play less and sit more. We choose convenience over functionality. And quite possibly become a little less mindful of how and why we are doing things.

Dropped something. Squat down to get it. You are standing in line, squat to break up long-standing time, looking under your truck or trailer? Squat to look underneath. There are dozens of ways to add to this movement. You have to choose it.

And as for reaching a bit more. Why not consider a quick stretch in traffic. Or both hands on the truck door and step back a bit to stretch your underarm like a Downward Facing Dog. Chatting with a fellow driver. Reach up overhead, clasp your hand and push your palms to the sky. There are dozens of ways to insert this type of movement where you would otherwise be just “sitting or standing around.” 

mother trucker yoga blog hope zvara squatting

Truck Driver Workout #2: Core Marching 

There are plenty of times you are seated that you are not driving. Waiting to load or unload? Team driving, sitting as co-pilot? Is break time scrolling Facebook?

How is it you can get your heart rate up? Get your cardio in? Get your core muscles revving? This is the second move of our 3 driver exercises any trucker can do.

Based on the facts, truck drivers are among the highest at risk for cardiovascular risks due to their work environment (long-haul trucking) than their neighboring professions.

So the next time, you find yourself just sitting around. Sit up tall. Try not to lean back or round forward. Take your back off the support of the chair behind you and begin to march your legs up and down off the ground. And slowly start to increase the speed of your marching until you are up to a pace you are challenged to hold a conversation at.

Try to do this for one minute, and then notice your heart rate. Try to do these three times with a one-minute rest in-between. The faster you go, the more it’s cardio! But at any pace, you are giving your body a much-needed tune-up!

Core Marching Mother Trucker Yoga BLog

Truck Driver Workout #3: Pumping Iron

Well, how about, for starters, you take a look in your truck and find anything that has some weight to it, and you can grip hold of it. I would suggest a water jug (doubles for hydration and as a workout tool), a duffel bag filled with clothes, or even a hand-weight with easy storing. Here are 3 driver exercises you can do, pumping iron can be easy and fun and doesn’t require weights at all!

 

While filling up with fuel or on your 30-minute break, consider adding in a few rounds of some bicep curls. Standing tall, try to do 10-20 with each arm. And then get creative and try to move your weight around your body: to the side, high, low, and backward, even add a lunge into the mix—notice which directions are more comfortable and more complicated. More than likely, the easier ones mimic basic movement patterns you are already doing during the day. So challenge yourself to work on those that may require you to focus a bit more. And then ask yourself: “how can I incorporate moves like these into my daily life”?

Mother Trucker Yoga Water Jug Exercises Blog

Every movement matters, and every step counts. These 3 driver exercises are simple, fitness doesn’t have to be complicated and it can be fun. But remember, those movements mean nothing until you put them into action. Forget the gym. And let go of the idea that exercising is you carving a designated 30 minutes out of your day. When you add more movement into your day, it all adds up!

 

Looking for more moves tailored to the lifestyle of a trucker? 

Check out our Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Membership Platform & APP

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Truck Driver Fitness: Know the 4 Different Types of Exercise & Benefits

Different Types of Exercises and Its Benefits

Before knowing the types of exercises, the first and significant question here is “What is an Exercise?”

An exercise is the intentional, habitual, and structural movement of the body or a part of the body to maintain or restore the body’s healthy functioning.

Talking about its benefits, we cannot estimate enough of them because they are vast. On a brief note, Exercise improves one’s mental, physical, emotional, and even spiritual well-being.

Whether people participate in light exercises, like taking a walk, or focused energy exercises, for instance, challenging cycling or weight lifting, customary Exercise gives a colossal scope of advantages for the body and brain. And as a truck driver, it is essential that you find time to fit in trucking fitness and get a wide variety of movement styles throughout the day and week. As a trucking fitness company, and more than 20 years of teaching fitness and wellness to people in pain, I get it, long drawn out workouts are difficult to keep up with and leave people quitting before they even begin to see results. That doesn’t have to be your story. 

Truck Driver Fitness: Know the 4 Different Types of Exercise & Benefits mother trucker yoga blog exercise image

Partaking in Exercise of any intensity each day is fundamental for forestalling many illnesses and other health problems.

Here I will explain four different & necessary exercises and their benefits for a healthy functioning body.

 

  1.   Aerobic Exercise
  2.   Strength Exercise
  3.   Stretching Exercise
  4.   Balance Exercise

 

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic Exercise speeds up your heart rate and breathing rate. These exercises help keep you fit, improve your wellness, and assist you with playing out the physical and mental tasks you need to do each day. Aerobic Exercise intends to improve how the body utilizes oxygen. Most aerobic Exercise happens at a sustainable level of power over long periods.

Aerobic Exercise is the sort that causes you to breathe more deeply or heavily and develops a healthy body. We will generally consider this sort of activity when we hear the word work-out.

It is exceptionally advantageous and will improve your well-being even at a moderate pace or intensity. You can get the advantages of high-impact Exercise from a lively walk or a consistent cycle ride.

Walking, swimming, hiking, biking, dancing, running, jogging, etc. All types of aerobic exercises will boost your heart rate and let the energy flow in your whole body.

 

Benefits

  • Aerobic exercises improve the functioning of your heart and lungs.
  • It boosts up your whole circulatory system function.
  • Stimulate erythropoiesis (red blood cell) formation.
  • Enhances oxygen transportation in tissues
  • Stimulates bone growth
  • Helps in Insomnia
  • Increases one’s stamina

 

Strength Exercise

Strength training, additionally usually alluded to as weight or resistance training, is a type of anaerobic exercise, a kind of actual work that includes the breakdown of glucose (sugar) for energy without oxygen. Strength training plans to assemble and keep up muscle tissue using bodyweight or external obstruction, for example, freeloads or weight machines. Weight training can reinforce significant muscles, like the legs, back, glutes, chest, shoulders, arms, and midsection.

Keep in mind it’s imperative to feel some muscle weariness toward the end of the training to ensure you are working or preparing the muscles viably.

It will probably incorporate bodyweight practices like squats, push-ups, jumps, and activities including resistance from the weight, a band, or a weight machine.

 

Benefits

  • It makes the muscles of the whole body stronger
  • Stimulates Bone Growth
  • Lowers blood sugar level
  • Helps in maintaining weight
  • Improves your posture and balance

 

Stretching Exercise

Stretching characterizes the scope of movement of your joints and the portability of your muscles. Sufficient flexibility is significant for athletic execution, day-to-day function capacity, and injury counteraction.

Stretching is genuinely significant and much neglected when individuals consider working out.

Aging prompts a deficiency of adaptability in the muscles and ligaments. Muscles abbreviate and don’t work as expected. That expands the danger for muscle spasms and torment, muscle harm, strains, joint pain, and injury, and it additionally makes it intense to traverse day-by-day exercises, like bowing down to tie your shoes.

It involves tai chi, yoga, pilates, trucking yoga, fascial training, plyometrics, etc.

 

Benefits

  •  It makes your muscles longer
  •  It makes your muscles stronger
  • Reduces pain intensity from an injury
  • Reduces risk of an injury

 

Balance Exercise

Some activities improve your balance by causing you to develop center fortitude.

To reinforce core muscles and improve strength, consistently remember your regimen’s practices that connect with various muscles. Balance and equilibrium practices frequently include moderate, controlled developments that connect with and fortify center or core muscles, which remember the muscles for your mid-region, back and pelvis. Feeble core muscles may prompt unsteadiness, helpless stance, and diminished athletic execution.

Planks, mini ball exercises, glute bridges, yoga, tai-chi, squats, leg lifts, walking, jogging, etc., are included in balance training exercises.

 

Benefits

  • It makes you feel steadier
  • It helps in preventing falls
  • Help with your visionary and auditory function
  • Good posture
  • Helps in effortlessly carrying out daily activities

 

Here at Mother Trucker Yoga, we believe that it’s the small simple changes that lead to the big results in your life so that you can feel good again. And as your go-to trucking fitness company, we believe that in just minutes a day you can live a great and healthy life.

If you are looking to incorporate more driver fitness into your daily life and are not interested in gym-style workouts that just aren’t sustainable as a driver. If you have tried other programs out there and they just aren’t working for you.

Check out our NEW Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Membership Platform and APP.

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