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Driver Exercises: Best 3 Cardio Moves On the Go

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.
Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART App and platform image

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.

 

Truck Driver Health: February Heart Health Awareness Month

This month is Heart Health Awareness Month, and we want every driver out there to be healthy. And to help with that, here are some strategies to consider to improve your truck driver’s health for life!

The human heart is a powerful thing. It’s a vital organ we cannot see but can feel. And unlike other organs in the body, our heart is one of our body’s most central parts. It is the mecca center for our emotional well-being and is often associated with social, mental, and emotional “heartache” or “happy heart” experiences in life. Our heart is central to all we do, feel, and experience. What you eat, how you behave, what you drink, how well you sleep, genetics (but let’s not just go and blame them), and how much you move all play into heart health. There are a wide variety of truck driver health issues and heart disease is one of them. 

Today we will discuss the signs of heart issues and preventive measures you can start taking today to take back your health.

 

But our heart is more than that; our heart is a vital organ responsible for keeping us alive. It pumps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout your body to sustain life. An organ no more significant than our fist beats (expands and contracts) 100,000 times per day, pumping five or six quarts of blood each minute, or about 2,000 gallons per day. THAT’S CRAZY! 

 

Did you know about 2,200 Americans die each day from cardiovascular diseases? That’s about one every 40 seconds. And when not taken care of properly, we are putting our bodies at risk for a slew of complications. 

 

When it comes to truck driver health issues, drivers are especially at risk for heart disease. In a study posted by the CDC, 26% of truck drivers said they had hypertension versus the 24% totaling the rest of the US working population. It is not uncommon to read about a story of a truck driver who went to bed in his truck and didn’t wake up the following day and climb out. Heart attacks are often the primary cause of this all too familiar scenario.

 

There are many reasons why being a driver is so hard on the heart, the stress of driving, the long hours, lack of (cardiovascular) activity, unhealthy diet, and a high sodium diet. But other factors may include diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, chronic dehydration, and bad cholesterol, which impact heart health. Truck driver health is not just you go going to the doctor to get your card, it’s about what you do each day you are out on the road. We need you and we need you to be a health driver.

 

Self-care on any level can often be the difference between living a healthy life and not. But even more importantly, waking up the following day or not. Do not be ignorant of this growing health concern. If you choose to live an unhealthy lifestyle, you choose health complications to be in your future you may not have truck driver health issues now, but many times, those issues are only waiting to rise to the surface.

Being a truck driver does not give you a free pass to extended care about your health. I have had the honor of working with thousands of truck drivers over the last four years, and most of them have come to realize that they can have both: a healthy lifestyle and trucking. It’s a choice, and you, my friend, get to choose. 

 

Know the Signs to improve truck driver health: 

When it comes to truck driver health, you are alone much of the time, which means self-responsibility is critical when you are at risk of a heart attack. You need to know the signs. Just like you need to know how to change a tire on your truck, replace a windshield wiper, or back up. You may be able to ask for help 99% of the time, and maybe you never have yet to rely on those “what if” skills. But for the time you do, why not be ready. 

5 Signs to Pay Attention to for Truck Driver Health and Heart Health Awareness

  • Dull ache chest pains are not to be confused with indigestion, which is often more abrupt and acidic.
  • Rapid heartbeat, it’s essential to know your situation, are there other reasons that could be causing this right now)
  • Pain in the arm and heart sends signals to surrounding nerves to alarm the body owner that something isn’t right. 
  • Jaw and or neck pain, which blood clots can often cause. It’s important to rule out things like clenching oral issues like cavities.
  • Others include irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, tiredness, even depression or anxiety due to the sudden hormonal changes in your body. 

 

Trucking can be a lonely profession; the next time you are at a truck stop and strike up a conversation, be kind, ask how their day is going and how they have been feeling, encourage them to take care of themselves. You never know when a kind word of encouragement from a stranger is just what the doctor ordered. By understanding the signs, you could save your life or even the life of a fellow driver. 

 

February is Heart Health Awareness Month, and it’s the perfect time for you to lace up your shoes, grab hold of the steering wheel, and change lanes towards better health. It’s never too late. 

Trucking Health: February Heart Association Awareness Month mother trucker yoga blog

Tips for Preventative Heart Health Care During Heart Health Awareness Month 

 

  1. Quit smoking. Yes, easier said than done, but as a recovering addict, I suggest starting slow. How about one less cigarette per day? Or how about swapping out a cigarette for a hemp one? There are dozens of programs and nicotine replacements to try out. The most important thing is is “try,” you won’t know until you try.
  2. Exercise. Yes, get up and get moving do a little trucking yoga, or get in a truck driver workout. Simple practices like walking build up heart health and help you burn more calories, get you breathing more profound, and as a truck driver, you have the advantage of getting outside and walking. Sure it might be a parking lot, but at least you are walking! A 200-pound man can burn right around 90 calories from just 30 minutes of a moderate to brisk-paced walk.
  3. Get more sleep. Quality sleep is crucial for our entire body to function optimally. Things like a quality mattress, a sleep mask, making sure you are warm enough and have the right amount of blankets on hand, even headphones to listen to relaxing music can make a mobile environment parked in a truck idling parking lot a bit more tranquil, and your heart will say thank you.
  4. Manage your stress. What can you do starting today to de-stress your life? Now don’t say quit your job, although that might help. What else can you take care of in your life to help curb your stress level? When you stop and take a step back, you can often see the accumulation of little things that create that stress bubble lingering in your life. How about limiting social media? When you feel down, depressed, lonely, or angry, call a friend who will listen and help steer you back to a healthy mindset. Drink a glass of water, smile; it’s hard to be angry or unhappy when you smile (it’s true our brain wants to be happy when we smile). 
  5. Eat healthily. You are surrounded by fast-food restaurants and limited healthy food options. But that doesn’t mean you can’t eat healthily; it just means you have to put in a little extra effort. Try stocking up on nuts, seeds, fruit, and veggies like carrot sticks or celery; they travel well and give you that crunch you crave without the added calories and heart-threatening ingredients. Could you buy a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a fried one? Can you skip the fries and as for a side salad rather? Many fast-food restaurants will customize an order, but they won’t offer it; you have to ask first. No one is asking you to be perfect, and no one is requesting you never eat fast food again, but is there a healthier option available-pick that. 

Truck Driver Health: February Heart Association Awareness Month Mother Trucker Yoga Blog - signs

What you can do today to improve truck driver health issues like heart health:

Your health is in your hands—one of the most empowering things we can do as humans to take back our health. You may have been making poor heart health choices up to this point, and it’s time to make a shift. You can do this, here at Mother Trucker Yoga® we believe that it’s the small simple changes that lead to the big results so you can feel good again™. Don’t wait until it’s too late, take action, and what better time than during heart health awareness month. 

Join the movement and join other drivers just like you who want to improve their health one step at a time.

Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART App and platform image

CLICK HERE TO learn more about our NEW Membership Platform and APP – Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART
Use the code: MTY30 for a FREE 30 days!

Mother Trucker Yoga Driver Spotlight Dean Key

We are continuing our Truck Driver Appreciation Spotlight. And we are so excited to feature another fantastic driver!

Each of the drivers we feature has been interviewed about their lives to help others see how unique and hard trucking is. And today is another significant share!

It’s our truck drivers who keep our great country running strong. Many of these men and women go unnoticed, not because they aren’t important, but because what they do doesn’t live in a fancy building or doesn’t require a cap and gown.

Our driver being spotlighted today started as in our Your Wellness Pitstop Program over a  year ago because he wanted to improve his life, and now he has become a personal friend and is one hell of a driver!

 

Meet Dean Key!

On Facebook & Insta, you can find him as Dean.key.67

And on Snapchat, Dean is known as lazerdino67

Dean Key

QUESTION 1: How long have you been driving?

Answer: Dean has been driving for 37 years! That’s a lot! WOW!

 

QUESTION 2: What do you love most about being a truck driver?

Answer: Driving those trucks and seeing the country!

 

DID YOU KNOW?

ATA Names 36 Professional Drivers as Finalists for 2022-23 America’s Road Team

American Trucking Associations released the list of 36 professional truck drivers named as finalists for the 2022-2023 term of America’s Road Team.

“These men and women were selected as finalists for America’s Road Team because they have outstanding safe driving records, share a passion for the trucking industry, and are role models among their peers,” said ATA President and CEO Chris Spear. “We owe these professional drivers our gratitude. Without them the American economy would come to a halt.”

America’s Road Team, a group of professional truck drivers with superior safety records, was created in 1986 to represent the trucking industry and is sponsored by Volvo Trucks. With support from their companies, captains dedicate a few days each month to attend industry events, speak at schools, or meet policymakers on behalf of the trucking industry.

AND DEAN KEY IS ONE OF THOSE FINALISTS!

For a list of all the finalists, you can visit ATA’s website for more information on America’s Road Team.

 

But Dean is a family man. He loves his wife Lori and spending time with his grandkids! We love that about you, Dean!

Dean Key Mother Trucker Yoga Driver Spotlight

 

QUESTION 3: Trucking is hard. Why do you keep on trucking?

Answer: Love them trucks! And, it’s pretty hard to replace the money.

QUESTION 4: What do you want to say to new upcoming drivers in the industry?

Always be a professional. Make good decisions and keep yourself and everyone around you safe. Sometimes you need to step away from a situation and let it go.
And knowing Dean personally, that is one thing I love about him, always professional, always nicely dressed, and ready for anything!

QUESTION: What is your favorite truck stop?

Answer: Dean is a fan of the Kwik Trip/Kwik Stars. They are nice and clean, and they carry a nice variety of grocery store items.

Dean, as a gal from Wisconsin, I couldn’t agree more! #kwiktripforlife

 

Find a Kwik Trip HERE

QUESTION 7: What would make trucking easier for you and other drivers?

ANSWER: If ALL drivers would respect and be kind to each other.

Kindness is such an excellent tool for overall happiness in our lives! Dean, great advice!

Dean Key and Hope Zvara Mother Trucker Yoga

That is excellent advice, and did you know Mother Trucker Yoga is teaming up with various players in the trucking industry to help streamline health and wellness for drivers! Make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter to get up-to-date information. 

 

QUESTION 8: What do you do, if anything, to try to stay healthy on the road?

ANSWER: I park in the back of the truck stop, and right now, I’m trying to cook in my truck, walk more and stretch more. I’m also trying to quit drinking soda and eating processed foods that are my biggest weakness.

 

Driver Tip:

Bringing food with you can seem daunting. But start small. What snacks and non-perishable foods can you travel with? Unsalted, raw nuts, seeds mixed with a small handful of dried fruits is a delicious way to stay complete with limited space on your truck. Are you worried about overeating? Prepackaged those nuts and seeds in snack-size bags or containers, so you don’t overeat out of boredom or stress.

Dean had a final thought he wanted everyone to know.

There is tons of negativity in our world today and in the trucking industry. You have to shake it off, make up your mind, and roll with it. Trucking has been good to me and many others. As with anything, it is what you make of it!

Please share with us!

What do you like most about the trucking industry?

Have a comment to share with Idella or our readers?

Please share it in the comments below!

 

Mother Trucker Yoga® wants to help 1 million drivers change lanes in their health and fitness by 2031.

To get involved with Mother Trucker Yoga’s mission and help drivers just like you incorporate driver fitness into their lives. Contact us!

Read our other Driver Spotlights:

VW Lady Trucker https://www.mothertruckeryoga.com/2021/09/14/mother-trucker-driver-spotlight-vw-lady-trucker/

Flatbed Foodie https://www.mothertruckeryoga.com/2021/10/10/mother-trucker-yoga-driver-spotlight-flatbed-foodie/

Marc Iverson https://www.mothertruckeryoga.com/2021/10/06/mother-trucker-yoga-driver-spotlight-mark-iverson/ 

Idella Hansen  https://www.mothertruckeryoga.com/2021/10/17/mother-trucker-yoga-driver-spotlight-idella-hansen/

Jame “Sweet Pea” https://www.mothertruckeryoga.com/2021/11/17/mother-trucker-yoga-driver-spotli-sweet-peaght/

Healthy Habits to Start the New Year off the Right Way

Working as a truck driver has many benefits, but there is no doubt it is a career choice that can impact your health. Truck driving is a high-pressure role that brings a fair amount of stress to deal with during your working day. The pressure to deliver on time when dealing with circumstances outside of your control can pile on the stress, yet the stress truck drivers face often overlooked. Aside from the mental pressure that truck drivers are exposed to, physical health concerns can damage your health. As driving is a sedentary job, the risk factors for certain diseases are elevated, and truck driver health can be a challenge to put first. Diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure are all associated with a sedentary lifestyle, so being aware of this and taking action to lower your risk factors is vital. 

Healthy Habits to Start the New Year off the Right Way Mother Trucker Yoga Blog 1

Developing healthy habits to improve truck driver health and then maintaining them is crucial to staying at your best when you are a truck driver. Working as a truck driver does not always make it easy to be healthy, but it can support your physical health and wellbeing. So, if you are keen to make this year your healthiest one yet, and to get it off to a great start, here are some of the ways you can make this happen:

 

Deal With Unhealthy Habits First

 

Developing new positive habits is crucial to ensure you get your health on track in the new year. However, it is also essential to address existing habits that may be harming your health. Being stuck in a cycle of negative behavior can sabotage your attempts at being healthier. This can leave you trapped in a negative cycle of behavior, which makes it more challenging to stick with your new positive habits. So, it is a wise idea to take action and deal with these unhealthy habits from the start of the new year so you can move forward more healthily. Seeking professional help from a center such as Sunshine Behavioral Health is an excellent way to get the help and support needed to break free from negative behavior patterns. With the right help, you should soon enjoy all the benefits of a healthier body and mind.

 

Try Mindfulness and Meditation to Lower Your Stress Levels

 

One of the most frustrating parts of being a truck driver is being stuck in tailbacks. Delivering your job late and being sat in a tailback can send your stress levels rising and put you under intense pressure. These feelings of stress not only feel unpleasant, but they could also be damaging your physical health. People who experience chronic stress may be at an increased risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke and are also more likely to experience feelings of irritability and have trouble sleeping. To reduce the risk of these issues, it is vital to take a proactive approach to managing your stress levels. 

 

Mindfulness and meditation can be a great help if you are trying to reduce your stress levels and are among the most effective methods when focusing on truck driver health. Mindfulness and meditation are beneficial, as they are helpful ways to focus your mind on the present moment and stop your thoughts from running away with you. The great thing about using these methods is that you do not need special equipment. Guided meditations and relaxation can be carried out comfortably in your cab, making them an ideal opportunity to reduce your stress levels and improve your wellbeing.

 

Make Physical Exercise Part of Your Routine

 

Working a sedentary job can be considered bad for your health, and you may become tired of all the advice telling you to make time to exercise during your workday. Getting up to move around every once in a while is not possible when you are sitting behind your truck’s wheel. However, learning how to stretch and move when you are in your cab can help you feel so much better and increase your activity levels. Research shows that being active outside of a sedentary job can help reduce the risks associated with long periods of sitting. So, learning how to exercise when you are in the cab, being active outside of work hours, and using guided meditation to reduce your stress levels could provide many benefits for your physical and mental health. Combining each of these methods will help you begin your journey to better health and get your year off to the very best start.

 

5 Ways to Feel More Confident When Doing Yoga

5 Ways to Feel More Confident When Doing Yoga MTY Blog Image 1

Many people, particularly men, would love to try yoga to calm the mind while strengthening the body. Still, they are too afraid to do so because they worry that they will feel uncomfortable in a room full of what they imagine to be svelte twentysomethings who can bend into the most mind-boggling shapes.

This is such a shame because yoga is for everybody, and it is possible to feel completely confident when doing it.

With that in mind, if you want to try yoga but you’re worried about not feeling comfortable, here are a few things you can do to feel completely confident while you’re doing it:

Try an app

These days, there are many excellent yoga apps (check out Mother Trucker Yoga’s app being released soon) that will teach the basics at home. You won’t get the same hands-on instruction you get at the local studio, but you will learn the basic asanas (poses) and some great routines that you can practice until you gain confidence. And as a driver, trucking yoga isn’t scary, it’s easy and can be done from your truck.

Dress comfortably

One thing that can make people feel uncomfortable about yoga is the perceived requirement to dress in figure-hugging lycra. This is something you do not need to worry about because you can wear whatever you’re most comfortable into your yoga class, whether that be yoga shorts for men or a pair of sweat pants and a comfy -shirt. No one will judge you, and you can wear what makes you feel most comfortable and confident for your workout. And when it comes to trucking yoga every movement counts.

Star slow

The great thing about yoga is that it poses to suit all levels and abilities. If you lack confidence, you can start slow with a few o the more accessible asanas and work your way up as and when you feel able to do so, gaining masses of confidence along the way.

Practice mindfulness

One of the great things about yoga is that although it can be a purely physical exercise to build lean muscle and flexibility, it can also be a mental practice. L If you concentrate on your breathing and the movement you are flowing through, mindfulness meditation.

If you lack confidence, focusing on the breath and flow intensely will help to keep you focused on what you are doing in the present moment so you will be less likely to worry about whether others are watching you or if you’re doing it wrong, which means you will naturally be more confident.

Remember, it takes time.

Yoga is a lifelong practice. You should not expect to be immediately good at all aspects of your practice; If you bear this in mind and start with a beginner’s mind and a willingness to learn, you will not feel like a failure if you can’t quite get into that challenging poses. Still, you will embrace the chance to learn and try again, and that is where true confidence lies.

Yoga is an excellent workout for the mind and body, so don’t let a lack of confidence put you off giving it a go!

Resting & Relaxing Is An Essential Part Of Getting Fit As A Driver

It might seem as though relaxing and sleeping well are totally opposed to getting fit as a driver. After all, you’re not building muscle, flexibility, or endurance when laying down and resting, and certainly not when you’re snoozing.

Actually, you are. Lifting weights, for example, doesn’t build muscle. It tears your muscles down incrementally so that you can then recover with a higher protein diet. It provides a stress response t that builds then said muscle in your rest and relaxation periods.

For this reason, then, any excellent fitness habit, be that yoga, running, cycling, rowing, swimming, or lifting weights, is simply incomplete and will burn you out quickly if you find you’re unable to get the rest you need.

How should we regard this truth, then? Well, it’s important to make a worthwhile schedule regarding your fitness habits. This should include rest days. In this post, we’ll discuss the value of that, some advice to help you along, and suggestions for what to do on your rest days to aid your future workouts.

Without further ado, let’s consider:

A Worthwhile Diet

Many people think getting fit means limiting your diet and basically only ever eating rabbit food, but that’s not true. Sure, eating is often indulgent, but a proper diet helps you balance some of those issues. For instance, eating a high protein, relatively low carb diet with plenty of green vegetables, both fibrous and leafy, can help you feel more satiated. And when it comes to truck driver health, you must monitor what you eat because you aren’t moving much during the day.

That lack of movement can add weight when you consume more than you are burning. Switching up your morning breakfast for steel-cut oats can help you feel fuller for longer. And truck driver health foods that are travel friendly and can be made with little effort like steel-cut oats make eating healthy for a driver easy. Foods like this can be the start of a fantastic relationship with food,, learning to cook wholesome meals, and feeling amazing as a result.

With the holidays around the corner, it can be stressful to figure out what to eat. Check out our blog – Healthy Holiday Survival Guide: 5 Simple Strategies.

Light Walking & Stretching

Of course, avoiding all physical activity on your rest days isn’t necessarily what we’re going for here. A nice light walk with the dog, some light stretching, and using equipment like foam rollers can be a big helper here. Perhaps you could even use this time to practice your discipline and learn more about it. For instance, understanding the best yoga phrases to use can help you understand this discipline more intimately. That kind of approach can work wonders for all those reasons and more.

If you are looking for ways to motivate yourself to get out and away and aren’t sure how to structure your activities check out Mother Trucker Yoga’s Walking Challenge. THIS IS a FREE 30 Day guide to getting out and walking more. This is the perfect way to start your new path towards trucking fitness.

Perfect Your Sleep Habits

Sleep is one of the best things you can get right for staying healthy and fit, but it depends on your schedule. Eight hours is generally recommended for most adult people. Ensure quality sleep by ensuring your bedroom has good ventilation, that you keep a consistent bedtime, and that you give yourself time to wind down before bed. If you can do that, then you’ll be much more able to drift away comfortably. Some people use herbal sleeping tablets to help them get into a good schedule, but what works for you is often more than appropriate. What matters here is consistency.

With this approach, you’re sure to find rest and relaxation are the perfect supplements to your workouts.

Getting fit as a driver doesn’t have to be complicated. Whether you are focused on truck driver health or trucking fitness, all the above can help you take that next step so you can feel good again.

4 Signs You Are Overexerting Yourself Physically

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.

5 Reasons You Should Take Regular Driving Breaks & Move More!

If you drive for a living, you’ll spend multiple hours a day behind the steering wheel. Needless to say, this isn’t great for your health and wellbeing. One of the essential things to do when it comes to truck driver fitness is to take regular driving breaks whenever you can. There are many benefits to doing this, and here are five reasons you need to avoid driving for long hours:

5 Reasons You Should Take Regular Driving Breaks & Move More! mother trucker yoga blog

Image Link (CC0 License)

You ruin your posture

It’s well documented how much damage you do to your posture by sitting down and driving for hours on end. It messes up your hips, spine, shoulders, and neck, leading to a life of chronic pain. The problem is that your body becomes fixed in the seated position, meaning lots of muscles become overly tight, shutting off the muscles that need to be active. 

 

So, taking breaks will help you unglue yourself from this poor posture. Yoga is such an effective way of preventing postural problems and avoiding chronic pain and you know at Mother Trucker Yoga we love trucking yoga. A five-minute stretching break every hour or so will work wonders for your body and stop you from ruining your posture. 

Being inactive lowers your testosterone

That’s right, sitting around every single day could actually lower your testosterone levels. This hormone is so important for men as it’s responsible for a lot of crucial processes throughout the body. If you want to have children, you need decent T levels to get someone pregnant. If you want to build muscle and be strong, you need testosterone in your body. Unfortunately, studies show that being inactive can mean you have lower T levels than active people. Truck driver fitness is not about being the biggest and baddest driver, but it is about taking care of your body and you need to move to do that.

 

For someone that spends hours a day driving around, this is bad news. Thankfully, your testosterone levels don’t stay fixed – you can control if they go up or down. If you think your levels have already decreased due to constant inactivity, visiting a TRT clinic could help you boost your T levels back up. For those of you that want to avoid treatment, preventing your T levels from dropping is the best approach. So, take as many breaks as you can throughout the day, getting up and walking around or doing some yoga to stay active. 

 

Sitting down makes you gain weight

The longer you drive, the less active you will be every day. Even the simple act of walking around a service station will contribute to your daily activity levels. A lack of activity will mean that you burn very few calories all day. Your body is basically at rest while you drive, so it requires very little energy. This means that, at the end of every day, you’ve barely burnt any calories. It doesn’t take much to consume more than you burned, meaning you gain weight. Everyday life movements get you burning more calories and yes, you can do that from the driver’s seat, it’s called truck driver fitness and you are “fitting in” movement.

 

Taking breaks prevents this by racking up your steps, burning calories, and helping you maintain a healthy weight. Even if you stop and walk around for 10-15 minutes during your breaks, you’ll rack up a few thousand steps each time!

 

Driving for long periods makes you tired

Despite the fact that you’re inactive, driving actually tires you out quite considerably. Sure, there’s no physical effort required, but it’s mentally very draining. You need to keep your eyes open and alert at all times, meaning you can quickly start yawning and feel the urge to sleep. 

 

Obviously, tiredness on the roads is a massive problem. A lot of accidents are caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel. If you’re behind the wheel of a truck or van, the risks associated with auto accidents increase. Thus, stopping for regular breaks helps you give your eyes a rest and recharges your batteries. 

 

You can avoid the worst traffic

Yes, believe it or not, but you could actually reach your destination in less time by taking breaks. If you drive all day, you can easily get caught in the terrible traffic on the highway. But, by taking a well-timed break, you can be parked up while all the traffic trundles along. 

 

When your break is over, you’ll have clearer roads with less traffic, meaning you can drive to your destination with minimal disruptions. As a bonus, you use up less fuel, making your trip less expensive for both you and the environment. 

 

If possible, try to park up and have a little break every hour or so. Yes, you might be working to a schedule, but you should still meet your daily targets with these breaks. Even if you stop for five minutes, it can make a world of difference to your health. 

 

How To Stay Fit Without A Trucker Workout

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. 

 

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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

  1. 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.

Healthy Holiday Survival Guide: 5 Simple Strategies

Between Friendsgiving, Thanksgiving, and the upcoming holidays, the next six weeks might be challenging to stay on track. I know some of you will be home for the holidays, and others will not. But the pressure to “dig in” during this time is everywhere. And I want to share with you some of the best holiday survival tips & tricks so you can all indulge just enough without sacrificing your health.

Here are a few of the tried and true tips you can find in our Holiday Survival Guide: 5 Simple Strategies

 

  • Avoid Skipping Meals To “Save Room For Later”.

 
Its mentality to “make room” often leaves you eating more than what you have room for. It also sets you up for thinking you can “eat more” than what you typically do. Even with healthy snacks for truck drivers, you can overeat. And when it comes to meals, skipping meal time to “eat more later” is not a healthy approach. If you have a dinner party, still eat breakfast and lunch if that is what you do. Not only will you stop the mind games around the holidays this way, but you will keep your blood sugar stable, and you won’t find yourself overheating due to a blood sugar crash. 

 

  • Sit Down And Slow Down When You Eat.

 
For drivers, eating on the go is the norm, so it can be hard for some to shut that approach to food off when you don’t have to. The holidays can be good for a formal dining approach, where you sit down, eat, and have conversations. This can be great to help you slow down and chew your food. Put your fork down between bites and add dialogue throughout the meal. It’s not just about healthy snacks for truck drivers. It’s also about how to approach food more healthily. In most Asian countries, dinner can be up to seven hours long. Because it’s more about conversation and not just about filling up our plates. By chewing and chatting, you can help your body digest what you are eating and allow your mind to catch up with your belly to prevent overeating. 

 

  • Bring Healthy Dishes To Share, So You Know There Is A Mindful Option To Choose From. 

 
As someone who has dietary restrictions (not by choice) and tends to lean more on the Pescatarian side, I have had to train myself always to bring a dish to pass, even when I’m not asked. That way, I always have something I can eat. This reduces the eating things that leave me sick for days and helps me avoid binge eating when I get home because I am so hungry. 

 

  • Build Movement Into Your Day Every Day Throughout The Holidays. 

 
Traveling may take you out of your daily routine (you know that as a driver), but it doesn’t have to make you sedentary. For drivers and those who often travel, the mindset that comes with it is one you don’t have time for. Or that what you are doing takes up all your time. But in all reality, it doesn’t. Where can you fit more movement into your day? Where can you sneak a quick walk in, even if it’s just 10 minutes? Where can you take the stairs instead of the elevator? Where can you squat, reach, bend and twist? Stop categorizing movement as exercise because they are not the same. 

 

  • Set Aside 15 Minutes Every Day. 

 
New habits are created by making it a point to develop new habits. I am not a big believer in elaborate workouts. And as a driver, who has time for that? But everyone has 15 minutes. At Mother Trucker Yoga, I call it The 15 Minute Wellness Method™. How can you move on purpose for 15 minutes? Go for a walk each day, call someone you love, and wish them happy holidays. Stretch and move for 15 Minutes using Mother Trucker Yoga’s Jump Start Video’s inside our app. Bicep curls water jugs until you can’t anymore. Whatever it is, set a timer for 15 minutes and move. Chances are you will exceed that time because you will feel so good. 

 

And move the new tradition and bring others along, you’ll be surprised how many of your friends and family want to move too after all that sitting and eating. 

 

We get it! Sometimes our plans don’t allow for the time or space to get a workout in. If that happens, do your best to keep moving. Inviting family or friends to join in can help you get more active and may even start a new healthy tradition. Some of our favorite “just move” tips are:

 

 
See our latest blog for these and more of our favorite ‘go-to’ holiday party tips, where I talk more about each of these healthy holiday ideas.
Don’t forget to watch us on STARTUP on PBS this Sunday, November 28th at 12:30 pm CST, where Hope’s entrepreneurial journey and how she is helping truck drivers with health and wellness debuts!

Check your local listing for your area’s exact time HERE