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.

July 5, 2022/0 Comments/by pbeue

A Truck Drivers Guide to Avoiding Injury When Working Out

Trucker Fitness

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.

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!

June 30, 2022/0 Comments/by pbeue

4 Core Strengthening Strategies for a Stronger Body

Trucker Fitness

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!

June 27, 2022/0 Comments/by pbeue

3 Driver Exercises To Do Anywhere As An OTR Trucker

Trucker Fitness

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

April 18, 2022/0 Comments/by pbeue

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

Trucker Fitness

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.

Aerobic Exercise
Strength Exercise
Stretching Exercise
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.

Use our code: MTY30 for a FREE 30 days!

April 4, 2022/0 Comments/by pbeue

The Best Resistance Band Travel Guide Set for Fitness On The Go

Trucker Fitness

Resistance Band Travel Set for Fitness On the Go

Many of us know that strength training is essential. Not only can it help us build strength, it can slow muscle deterioration as we get older while increasing muscle mass can also increase metabolism. While you can make some strength through bodyweight-only exercises like squats or lunges, often the key to building a more significant amount of strength is by creating resistance. And as a truck driver gaining access to bulky equipment is not possible. The more items you pack in your truck, the less space you have.

The best resistance bands can give you a serious workout without needing access to a gym or yoga studio. These travel-friendly, simple elastic sleeves can help you build lean muscle and increase overall mobility. They are the perfect fitness package for someone who travels a lot and wants to improve fitness no matter what age.

But many sold are not of high quality and end up tearing or cracking after multiple uses. Make sure you invest in therapeutic grade high-quality bands that can withstand high volume use like the ones in the Mother Trucker Yoga Resistance Band Travel Set.

resistance band travel set mother trucker yoga blog

The Science Behind Resistance Band Travel Set

Let’s look at the science — a study in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine found that just five weeks of resistance band training significantly improved hamstring and inner thigh flexibility. Resistance bands are also way easier on the joints than dumbbells or kettlebells for those recovering from injury or looking for a lower-impact workout. For truck driver fitness and travelers who are always on the move, obtaining optimal wellness within reach.

Research shows that strength gains from using elastic resistance bands are similar to training with dumbbells or weight machines, benefiting truck drivers, to desk personnel to athletes.

What Can Resistance Bands Do?

Resistance-band training can even increase the stabilizer muscles, often better than free weights.

Getting injured is something a truck driver cannot afford to do because if they aren’t driving, they aren’t making money. The stabilizers are intrinsic muscles that help us reduce the rate of injury. With resistance bands, it’s much more challenging to move quickly through a movement which can also reduce the chance of injury.

Resistance bands can also be used in rehabilitation to help improve a joint, injuries tendon, or muscle and increase mobility in different body areas.

Resistance Band Travel Set Exercise Mother Trucker Yoga Blog

Resistance Band Travel Workout On The Go Benefits

There are many benefits to incorporating resistance band travel set into your day. And the best part is you don’t need a lot of time, and you don’t need to change your outfit. All you need is 5 minutes at a time throughout the day to fit their impressive moves in to begin to see the benefits show up in your life and your body.

1) They improve the quality of your exercises.
2) They help to focus your control, form, and function.
3) They recruit your stabilizing muscles.
4) They’re fundamental for functional training.
5) A great alternative to machines.
6) they’re lightweight and easy to use for travel fitness.
7) they’re designed for compound exercises.
8) You have control over the angle.
9) They help you feel your muscles working or not working
10) They work your muscles differently than the use of free-weights

Try a workout and see for yourself:

Try Hope Zvara, CEO of Mother Trucker Yoga’s Resistance Band Workouts:

Grab Your Resistance Band Kit and Go!

Please make sure you get your Resistance Band Travel Set from Mother Trucker Yoga, and our truck driver fitness kit is the only one made just for truck drivers, just like you. With high-quality therapeutic grade rubber, you can work out knowing that the band won’t snap back at you. (Click the image below to purchase)

Meet Hope Zvara, CEO & Creator of the 25 pages: Trucker & Traveler Resistance Band E-Guide Book

March 7, 2022/0 Comments/by pbeue

Driver Exercises: Best 3 Cardio Moves On the Go

Trucker Fitness

As a yoga teacher of nearly 20 years, I understand the importance of balance, and the need for cardio is essential.

As a truck driver finding time to exercise can be challenging, but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. When it comes to trucking yoga stretching is essential, especially as we age, but we also need to find time to get our heart rate up. Cardio is a great way to take care of your heart health and get your driver fitness on. And with February being Heart Health Awareness Month it is a great time to tune up your driver fitness.

Cardio is a shortened word for cardiovascular (exercise), something most truck drivers don’t get enough of when it comes to truck driver health and driver fitness. There are many benefits to getting your heart rate up and a slight movement in. The below are certainly some of the concerns truck drivers have regarding truck driver health. AHA Journals shared…

Benefits of Regular Exercise on Cardiovascular Risk Factors

Increase in exercise tolerance.
Reduction in body weight.
Reduction in blood pressure.
Reduction in bad (LDL and total) cholesterol.
Increase in good (HDL) cholesterol.
Increase in insulin sensitivity.

I stress to drivers and my Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Platform members to find pockets within their day to add fitness rather than continually separating it from your day.

Research is now showing that you don’t need 60 minutes of straight-up cardio exercise to benefit your heart. You may not even need 30 minutes at a time. But you do need something. Mother Trucker Yoga focuses on a variety of fitness and health areas: trucking yoga, driver fitness like resistance, strengthening, toning, core health, and cardio.

My three favorite cardio exercises to do at home and on the go are:

1. Chair Power Run

Place your hands on the mouth of a chair and step back into a plank. Keeping a brisk pace for one minute (or 50 strides) run in place. Work to bring your knees into your chest as best as possible for bonus core work.

Chair Running Hope Zvara Mother Trucker Yoga Easy Cardio Blog

2. Pretend Jump Rope

Stand upright and pretend to hold a jump rope. Begin to gently bounce in a place like you were briskly jumping rope at a level that works for you (your feet don’t even have to lift off the ground if you don’t want them to). Move the pretend rope as quickly as possible. Try to do this for one minute.

Driver Exercises: Best 3 Cardio Moves On the Go walking and jump rope mother trucker yoga blog image

3. A 5 Minute Walk and Talk

We all make and take phone calls, start walking every time you have a phone call.

Do stairs as quickly as you can, almost to the point of being out of breath. Walk outside, walk backward, lunge walk. Get creative. But get up and walk and talk.

February 28, 2022/0 Comments/by pbeue

4 Signs You Are Overexerting Yourself Physically

Trucker Fitness

It is not a good idea to overexert the body, no matter how fit and healthy you might be in general. When you use the body too much or in too strenuous a manner, it can lead to injuries and pain, which can often be severe and last a long time. If you are keen to avoid that, you’ll want to know what the signs are that you might be overexerting yourself physically. Driver fitness is you paying attention to how you move and how you exercise. In this post, we’ll take a look at some of the clearest of these that you might want to be aware of right now.

Inflammation

Sometimes when you are working out too hard, you will end up with some serious inflammation in your joints or muscles. This is very much your muscles telling you that you need to relax a little more and not take it quite so hard. For instance, you might find that you get shin splints after running, and you have to make use of posterior shin splints taping with KT Tape. It is clearly best to avoid that altogether by just taking it a little easier when you are running in the first place.

Weak Muscles

If you are feeling a lot of sudden weakness in your muscles after you have been exercising, then this can be a sign that you are doing too much during the workout session. Driver fitness can be challenging given your schedule and space, but when you do have time make sure you exercise smart. Of course, you might often feel tired after working out, and if you didn’t then you probably wouldn’t be doing it right. But having incredibly weak-feeling muscles is a sure sign that you are doing too much. So rein it in a little and try to do a little less next time around when this happens.

4 Signs You Are Overexerting Yourself Physically Image Mother Trucker Yoga Blog

Dark Urine

It sounds unpleasant, but it is worth taking a look at what your urine looks like after you have been exercising. If it is particularly dark, that might mean that your body has gone through a lot of dehydration during the process, which is itself a clear sign that you are probably overdoing it. It might mean you need to relax a little, and also that you could probably do with a little more water. Remember when it comes to driver fitness and truck driver health you want to be getting in at least eight cups of water. Many health issues can be resolved by improving hydration. Ideally, your urine should be clear or very close to being clear.

Confusion & Agitation

Bear in mind that there are also some clear psychological signs that you should look out for too, and if any of these present themselves it is time to stop exercising and relax a little and look after yourself as best as you can. For instance, you might find that you feel confused or agitated after you have overexerted yourself, or even while you are in the middle of the workout session itself. This is a sign that you are doing too much, and it’s something you should pay close attention to.

As you can see, there are a few signs that you might want to pay attention to, and change what you are doing accordingly. You’ll find that these are important to bear in mind.

November 24, 2021/0 Comments/by pbeue

How To Stay Fit Without A Trucker Workout

Trucker Fitness

Sitting is the new smoking. And for a truck driver, sitting eight to ten hours a day behind the wheel is taxing on the body. It’s mentally exhausting, and when it comes to the physical body, we feel tired and want to get out of the driver’s seat and sit some more, but we need movement.

It doesn’t have to be a trucker workout when you consider adding movement into your everyday life. It doesn’t have to be a choreographed routine someone created for you to do outside your truck. It doesn’t have to be in a gym or fitness center. When adding movement to your day, the only thing that is required is you move your body, move your body in as many ways as possible. A truck driver workout is where you are working to move as much as possible. Don’t get caught up in fancy equipment or routines. It’s about using your body the way it was designed.

A sedentary lifestyle isn’t just a truck driver concern; 33.6% of American’s are obese (alongside 86% of truck drivers). Solving a sedentary lifestyle issue, exercise is not the solution. It’s filling the gap between the driver’s seat and the idea of exercise. This is why so many drivers aren’t doing a trucker workout. It’s too big of a leap from where they are to where everyone else tells them to go.

So let’s refocus the idea of a truck driver workout and focus on how to “fit” more movement into your day and maximize the time you have with more movement.

But to do that, we first have to know “how” to move. Technology and convenience have robbed us of basic human movement. And although we may be saving our back from lifting heavy things, we are killing our back by sitting around all day.

Here are five ways you can easily add more movement into your day with your truck driver’s time. And the goal, start small, focus on adding 15 minutes of on-purpose movement into your day, and then when that becomes automatic, focus on the next step, like increasing the time or concentrating on actual exercise.

Squatting. Squatting is a basic human movement we have been doing since the beginning of humans. Yet few humans, few American’s, few truck drivers are doing them. Many say that their body doesn’t move that way, but I assure you that your body did move. You just trained your body this way by not doing them daily. So, where can I add more squatting into my day?
- While on your bed, bring your knees (one or both) in towards your chest, grab your shins or underneath your thighs and hug your leg(s) in.
- Come onto your hands and knees on your sleeper and lean back as far as you can towards your heels, you might not go far, but that is because you haven’t been doing this type of movement for some time. Squat down an extra five or ten times to “look under your truck and trailer” during the day.
- Or squat from standing and go as far as you can. Every little bit counts!

Mother Trucker Yoga Squatting

Reaching. Reaching is a basic human movement few do. You can increase your heart rate by reaching overhead, taking a deeper breath, and even stretching your back. Where can you add more movement to your day?
- In the driver’s seat, reach your arms forward, upward, backward, sideways throughout the day.
- Outside your truck, place your hands on the truck, step back and then lean your hips back and drop your chest.
- While in bed, stretch your arms overhead and your legs out as best you can.
- Reach sitting, standing, anywhere you can.

Mother Trucker Yoga Blog Reaching

Bending. Bending is a function we do daily, but few do it well. Tight legs, stiff back and shoulders, we rounding more than bending. A truck driver workout should start with you moving more throughout the day.
- While in bed, loop a belt around the sole(s) of your feet and bring your leg(sup to the ceiling to stretch your back body.
- Standing outside your truck, focus on hinging forward from your hips rather than rounding at your waist.
- Try bending using the side of your rig for a Half Down Dog style bend.

Mother Trucker yoga blog bending

Twisting. Twisting is an essential way to nourish our spine. When we rotate, we hydrate the disc in our spine and keep our tissues limber. Much of what we do throughout the day doesn’t require us to twist anymore, and it shows. Before you think you need an intense truck driver workout, consider how well you twist in your everyday life.
- Twist in the driver’s seat when putting on your seat belt.
- Twist in bed by bringing one leg up and over your body to rotate the hips and spine.
- While standing, swing your arms side to side to hit your back and allow your body to rotate in the process.

Mother Trucker Yoga Blog Twisting

Walking. We were designed to walk, yet you are probably not getting anywhere near the steps you need daily. After a long day, don’t sit down again. Get up and walk. In the beginning, don’t worry if it’s not far, or fancy, or fast. Just get out and walk.
- Walk on purpose for 15 minutes every day.
- Walk an extra lap around your truck and trailer every time you are out of the truck. 32 laps are one mile.
- Don’t forget to check out what walking paths are near or around the truck stops. Many trucks stop post the designated walking trails like TA Petro.

Suppose you are still feeling overwhelmed with figuring out how to fit in a trucker workout. Don’t stress, first focus on everyday life movements, and when you are moving more in life, consider exercise as a great addition.

November 22, 2021/0 Comments/by pbeue

3 Valid Reasons To Take Your Driving Posture Seriously

Trucker Fitness

Posture plays a significant role in driving, and unless done right, you risk adding on to the 59% of truckers living with lower back pains. According to research, two out of every three truck drivers will experience spinal injuries at some point. This makes it critical to learn why good posture is necessary. In response to the rising cases of lower back pains among drivers in the US, hospitals and alternative care centers make it a priority to help persons living with this problem get relief. Below are some ways your driving posture affects your road fitness and truck driver workout.

To Maintain Normal Spine Curvature.

3 Valid Reasons To Take Your Driving Posture Seriously Blog MotherTruckerYoga.com

The human spine has three natural curves, with each playing a vital function in the body. Sitting upright without feeling any tension or pressure in any of the three normal spine curvatures behind the wheel is crucial. Unfortunately, it is an occupational risk that most drivers tend to deal with quite too often. After long hours of sitting to drive, your back automatically endures compression. However, knowing this information is critical to help you remain mindful of your back.

Usually, when an unnatural curvature gradually sets in, truckers may find it challenging to maintain their regular driving hours. So, persons who attempt it can experience almost debilitating pain that may require the attention of chiropractors. Therefore, to avoid acute or chronic lower back pain, you can consider investing in a good seat with ample back support to enhance your driving posture.

2. Oxygen Increase

When you slouch to drive, the lungs and diaphragm cannot receive enough oxygen. Medical research has also proven that you could be risking a 30% reduction in your oxygen intake. This means that your blood cells need to contend with the minimal supply, consequently causing premature fatigue. Furthermore, your brain may also be at risk, and you may experience a sudden blackout. This happens because it lacks adequate oxygen to maintain cognitive functions and processes on the road. You may also experience blurry vision, increased heart rate, and confusion. However, in sharp contradiction, keeping a good driving posture on the road helps your lungs expand to their total capacity. You breathe more accessible, with enough room for the diaphragm to function as it should. In essence, adequate oxygen gives more energy and increases mental focus as you drive.

3. Efficient Movement of Upper and Lower Limbs

3 valid reasons to take your driving posture seriously mother trucker ygoa blog drivers seat

A healthy spine aids the body to move freely without pain or restrictions to the limbs, and this is not just about your truck driver workout; this is about you moving more in your everyday life. When you’re behind the wheel, your arms and legs coordinate to keep the vehicle going. With a good driving posture, you tend to feel flexibility in both shoulders and arms which can help you drive farther longer with less pain. That enables you to negotiate curves on the road without muscle restriction or tension.

On the other hand, a bad posture limits movement and increases friction between the natural spaces in the spine. Consequently, you may feel sharp pains when attempting to flex your arms or legs while driving. This happens because of the several nerves jutting out of the spine and connecting to the limbs.

It is worth noting that your joints, bones, and muscles tend to perform better when you adopt good posture. That has a roll-on effect on your breathing, vision, and cognitive functions. You don’t need to implement a typical truck driver workout to improve your fitness and health. Our suggestion first is to get moving more in your day-to-day life. Move your body- any way you can, you can’t go wrong. There is no wrong way. The only wrong way to move initially is choosing not to move at all.

November 1, 2021/0 Comments/by pbeue

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