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Travel Fitness: How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep As A Trucker

Expert truck drivers must master the skill of sleeping in the cab of their rig. Finding a way to sleep while your teammate is behind the wheel or in a parking lot full of loud, idling semi-trucks might be challenging.

 

Check out these truck driver sleeping strategies if you’re having trouble getting the recommended seven or more hours of sleep every night while on the road.

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 Travel Fitness: How To Get A Good Night’s Sleep As A Trucker

Eat Smaller Meals 

Having worked hard all day, driving for many hours, you may feel like indulging in a substantial dinner as a reward. While this sounds like a great idea, and this kind of food will be easy to find at a truck stop, for example, it’s not the best if you want to get to sleep, stay asleep, and sleep for as long as you need. That’s because greasy, fatty foods take longer to digest; therefore, if your body is still working hard, it will be more challenging to sleep. 

 

If you desperately want a more unhealthy meal, make it your lunchtime. For dinner, it’s better to have vegetables and protein instead. Not only will you sleep better, but it will also help you be generally healthier. 

Have A Comfortable Place To Sleep

One of our best truck driver sleeping recommendations is to ensure that your bed is a relaxing sanctuary where you can unwind after a long day on the road. The double or single bunk in your sleeper cab can seem more like home with the addition of a high-quality mattress topper, a warm sleeping bag or sheets, a familiar blanket, and a comfortable pillow.

 

The more comfortable you can make the bed you’re sleeping in, the better you’ll sleep. So although you might not consider it a real bed or think too much about it when you’re not in it, investing in some good bedding and as much comfort as possible is a good idea. It really will make a difference. Be it at home or on the road. A mattress seems like an expense you don’t need right now. But so are medical bills for aches and pains that could have been avoided. Travel fitness and how to get a good night’s sleep as a trucker isn’t a joke sleep is critical to our overall health and is one of the top issues affecting the overall health that ages us. 

Have Time To Unwind 

One of the issues for truck drivers is their schedules. There isn’t much time to get enough rest sometimes, depending on where they have to go and when they need to be there. However, even if your timings are pretty tight, you must still get enough sleep and, on top of that, schedule some relaxation before you sleep. This could be just an extra 30 minutes, but it is necessary for good sleep. 

 

If you go straight from the road to dinner to bed, your mind won’t have time to settle, and you’ll find it hard to sleep because your thoughts will still be whirling. This is why you need a little time to do something to relax you. This might be reading, listening to music, going for a walk, or enjoying Delta 9 Gummies, for example (although remember, you must not drive and have gummies simultaneously, and every driver should have a conversation with their employer before ingesting CBD regardless). 

Listen To Something Soothing

You can do anything that relaxes you, but it’s best to stay away from screens. The blue light they emit can make it even harder to fall asleep. 

Sleep is essential for all drivers to put their best foot forward as professional drivers when it comes to travel fitness how to get a good night’s sleep as a driver, don’t forget to check out Mother Trucker Yoga’s meditations to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer so you can get that REM Zzzzz.

5-5-5 Breath Simple Meditation for travel fitness how to get a good night’s sleep as a trucker AUDIO SLEEP TRACK!

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Rules To Follow To Stay Healthy While Traveling in 2022

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

Seven best rules to follow to stay healthy while traveling

Sleep soundly

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

Walk around as Easy Travel Fitness

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

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

mother trucker yoga walking challenge blog

Eat healthy meals

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

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

Always stay hydrated

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

Wash your hands

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

 

Meditate for Travel Fitness

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

Carry a first aid kit

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

In the End

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

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11 Strategies for Truck Drivers To Start Following A Healthy Lifestyle

There are many benefits associated with following a healthy lifestyle. It can increase your confidence and self-worth, improve your overall health and fitness, and even positively affect your mood and happiness. However, making the switch to a healthy lifestyle can often seem like an impossible task, whether you’ve come to rely on unhealthy habits and coping mechanisms or are simply unsure of where to start.

 

Nevertheless, it’s important to remember that a healthy lifestyle is always within reach – and making a few small changes at a time can have a huge difference, helping you achieve your goals in no time at all.

 

With that in mind, here are some tips and strategies that you can use to start following a healthier lifestyle. 

11 Strategies for Truck Drivers To Start Following A Healthy Lifestyle

1.Identify unhealthy habits.

The first step towards living a healthier, happier life is acknowledging areas where you might have a problem. After all, you may have picked up on unhealthy habits without really realizing it. For example, going to bed late every night can affect your sleep schedule, meaning that you are never as rested as you need to be. Alternatively, you could rely on processed foods as they are often quicker and easier to prepare than fresh meals. Identifying these issues means that you know exactly what changes need to be made. 

 

2.Cook Yourself.

Healthy eating does not mean that you have to eat salad after salad; in fact, you can enjoy thousands of delicious recipes when focusing on healthy living. Therefore, one way to focus on transitioning into a healthy lifestyle is by spending more time in the kitchen, experimenting with new foods and ingredients instead of reaching for the takeout menu or a microwave meal. This is also a great way to develop new skills. And since cooking on the road can be challenging for some, make sure you check out Road Pro’s cookware helping you make eating healthy a little bit easier.  Our two favorites are Road Pro Portable Stove (AKA Lunchbox) and the 12 volt Saucepan. 

Roadpro sauce pan Road Pro portable stove lunchbox

 

4.3.3    3.Practice Preventative Health.

The majority of us have all grown up with the mentality of “sick care,” meaning don’t do anything about your health until you are sick. I’m telling you that mentality is wrong. Don’t wait for your body to show signs of sickness or stress before deciding to do something about your health as a truck driver. Being aware of any health issues you could face, especially as a truck driver, can equip you to find ways to prevent them or minimize their impact. Truck driver health issues like heart disease, sleep apnea, dehydration, diabetes, fatigue, and obesity can all become a concern for a truck driver’s health. We want you to know there are things you can do to help reduce the chances of impacting your health. 

 

4. Keep on walking.

There are many benefits associated with walking more often; it can improve your cardiovascular fitness, balance, dexterity, and endurance. Furthermore, walking also encourages you to spend more time outdoors, which is excellent for your health and happiness. As a general rule, you should try to take around 10,000 steps a day. And as a truck driver, that can be tricky sometimes. Consider laps around your truck, using your truck step as a mini stair stepper to start. If this is not possible for you, don’t worry – give yourself a smaller, more manageable target and work on increasing it over time. 

 

5.Discover what trucker fitness exercises work for you.

Incorporating exercise into your routine is a great way to transition into a healthier lifestyle, but you must focus on activities that work for you and your needs.  Finding a workout routine that works for you protects you from overexertion or injury and helps you see positive results sooner rather than later. It also makes it easier to put together a killer fitness regime.  

mother trucker yoga blog movment

6.Add to your exercise routine over time.

When you haven’t participated in any exercise for a little while, reintroducing it to your routine could seem incredibly daunting, especially if you feel your fitness and endurance levels are not up to scratch.  Therefore, you must start small – focusing on small bursts of exercise instead of throwing yourself straight into a complex and lengthy routine. As your fitness levels increase, you can always build up the intensity of your workout to match. 

 

7.Reduce daily stress.

While stress can be unavoidable, you mustn’t put yourself under stress unnecessarily, as this can have an incredibly negative effect on your overall health and happiness. For example, prolonged stress can lead to a lack of sleep and poor motivation. Therefore, one way you can begin to live a healthier lifestyle is by being honest about what stresses you and then noticing the conversation and action steps you take after you become aware. Much just default to complaining and actually attach to the stress as an identity. Ask yourself, what can I do that I enjoy? What makes me happy? What helps me reduce stress? This could include asking for additional support at work or letting go of friends who drag you down instead of lifting you. 

Life Is About Choices

The great American philosopher, Ralph Waldo Emerson, wrote a letter to his daughter, who was worried over a mistake she’d made. This is what it said:

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders, losses, and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can.

 

8.Schedule in some self-care.

While it may not essentially seem that way, self-care should be considered an essential part of your routine and help you live a healthier, happier life. Therefore, you must add self-care to your schedule in as many different forms as possible. Remember, self-care could include curating a skincare routine or something simpler like giving yourself a break when you need one. 

 

9.Put together a sleep schedule.

Your sleep affects your health in more ways than you may initially realize, meaning that it’s vital you work on improving your sleep schedule. Thankfully, there are various steps you can take to achieve this goal. For example, you can avoid using your phone or staring at a screen before bed, which often makes it harder for your brain to shut off. Furthermore, you could start to go to bed at the same time each evening, as a routine can help you drift off to sleep much easier as your brain and body will begin to feel tired around this time. And when you can’t fall asleep because your back or hips hurt, it might be time for a quick stretch or a readjustment of how you sleep. 

10.Set yourself manageable goals.

Setting yourself new goals is an important part of following a healthy routine, whether they pertain to healthy weight loss or increased ability to do specific tasks. However, the goals you set for yourself must be realistic and attainable – as this is the easiest way to remain on track and avoid feeling disheartened. For example, instead of setting yourself to lose X amount of weight or fat, focus on the health benefits you can aspire towards instead. This could include goals such as feeling more energized, sleeping better, or increasing the amount of distance you can walk/run. (Check out Mother Trucker Yoga’s blog on how to set GOALS)

 

11.Remain positive.

This is perhaps the most important step on the list, as to revamp your lifestyle, you need to be able to maintain a positive outlook. While your friends and family will likely support your journey, you also have to provide yourself with the motivation needed to make fundamental changes. Otherwise, you may find that you give up at the smallest of hurdles. 

 

 

 

It’s important to remember that healthy living is a change of lifestyle, not something you do for a few weeks and then abandon. However, this shift will not feel as dramatic or hard to conquer by incorporating change gradually over time. Therefore, it’s equally important that you do not rush the process and try to change everything about your habits and lifestyle overnight. Instead, try to introduce a few minor changes a month – knowing that big results will follow. You’ve got this!

 

   STIFF Mother Trucker Pain Relief Cream

 

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Common Issues From Sitting In A Truck All Day And How To Fix Them

Common Issues From Sitting In A Truck All Day And How To Fix Them

When you are on the road all the time, you are at increased risk for certain medical conditions. Of course, not every trucker is going to experience the same things, but there are some common themes running through the industry when it comes to health due to all the sitting that has to be done. In this article, we are going to be talking about some of the common issues that truckers face from sitting in their trucks all day, and some of the things that you can do to fix them. If you would like to find out more about this topic, keep reading down below.

 

Sore Back And Neck

 

The first thing that you are more likely to experience is a sore neck and back. Seeing as you are not using the muscles in your back and you are holding your neck up all the time, it’s no wonder that it begins to hurt. This is a problem because there’s not much you can do to avoid this other than to stop every so often and take a short walk, or lay down in your seats for ten minutes. Give your neck a break, and let your back muscles stretch in order to keep them in good condition.

 

If the issue persists, then you should see a chiropractor. They might be able to do something to help you, such as give you small exercises to complete, or you never know what!

 

Obesity

 

Another huge problem is obesity. When you are on the road a lot, you’re not getting the exercise that you need, you’re probably eating fast food more often than not, so really obesity is to be expected. Even though this is the case, it doesn’t make it okay and you need to avoid this at all costs. We recommend that you try taking some food with you for your meal while you are out. If you are going to be on a long trip and you can’t take that much food with you, then at least try to pick some of the healthier options when you take a break.

 

Swelling In Your Legs

 

When you sit down for so long, your legs become more likely to swell. If you’re not using your legs other than the slight movements, you are at risk of deep vein thrombosis as well which is not a pleasant condition. There are a few things that we can suggest here such as drinking enough water while you are on your drive, managing the amount of salt that you eat on the drive and before, as well as doing feet and ankle exercises while you are stopped in traffic for example. When you can, get up and have a walk around outside to get your blood pumping and your legs moving, and this should help you avoid the issue.

 

We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the common issues that you can get when you sit in a truck all day. Not only that though, but hopefully now you see how you can fix these issues as well. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that this has helped you!

 

Want more help when it comes to your fitness and health? Join the movement!

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A Truckers Workout: Resistance Bands Exercises

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It can be hard to get moving, stay fit, and be active whether you are a truck driver, a traveler, or a commuter. Being in the driver’s seat all day long sucks. And when we can’t be active, that can also wear on our mental state. Resistance bands are an excellent way to get in a truck driver workout anytime, anywhere.

Our Resistance Band Travel Set Is the Best Truck Driver Workout On The Go.

Exercise comes in all forms, and using resistance bands is one quick and simple way to stay fit, healthy, and mobile.

Movement is partly what saved me from a life strangling addiction. And when I’m not moving, long story short, it is often a slippery slope to the land of sorrows, depression, and anxiety. When you don’t feel good, you tend not to make the best choices, which is why getting in a trucker workout can make all the difference.

And there is something so unique about feeling strong, feeling alive, feeling in my body.

I love exploring movements. I love being creative and pushing myself in a way that can best serve my body.

But too much of anything can be an insufficient thing-even exercise. As I get older, I’m more conscious of my joint bones and trying to stay pain-free, not just trim and fit.

And about two years ago, I took a terrible fall, and it landed me a slow recovery and a body that felt like it was well into its 70s or 80s. Muscles wouldn’t let go of the trauma, and I started to develop imbalances that were wreaking havoc on the body I fought so hard to keep living in.

Resistance Bands Make an Easy Truck Driver Workout

Rediscovering resistance bands was one thing that jump-started my body’s recovery and began to heal my injuries and imbalances without pushing it too hard (and I had no intention of being as big as the Incredible Hulk).

My eye’s resistance bands are a very unappreciated piece of trucker workout equipment. So many get sucked into believing that the more expensive, the better, and then never use it. But truth be told, bands are great, think of them as one step up from bodyweight exercises and super nurturing to your joints!

And when implemented correctly into truck driver workout and daily life, you will see a big difference in your strength, pain level, and mobility because resistance bands strengthen the attachments where the muscle and bone meet. In contrast, free weights bulk the belly of the muscle making this an excellent trucker workout. And to make sure you are moving towards your healthiest self, don’t forget to download our free Healthiest Self Check-List

resistance bands easy workout guide blog post mother trucker yoga

10 Benefits to a Resistance Bands Workout:

  • 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

Variety is the spice of life. Stop thinking you have to do the same old thing every day.

You can easily add in a resistance bands workout that lasts 5 minutes, and you can get a fantastic activity in no time!

How do Resistance Bands Work?

Unlike weights, resistance bands don’t rely on gravity. The more you stretch the bands, the more they resist your movement, want to work harder, and increase the band’s stretch. That means that if you work with a free weight, you can only go as far as your joint will allow, but with a band, create more resistance, and you have just increased your workout. And I love resistance bands because you can get creative, way more creative than you can with weights.

Here are some of my current favorites for working with resistance bands.

Resistance Band Travel Set Workouts

Foot and Leg Exercises with Resistance Bands: Great Trucker Workout

Because a truck driver spends a lot of time sitting, their legs can become weak and tired, and we need our legs to be mobile and strong to help support our back.

Place a tied or loop resistance band about the length of your forearm and place it over the balls of your feet. Stretch the band just enough so there is no slack. Keeping a tall body (no rib thrusting or booty pushing), start to march in place. Work to lift your knee without leaning back or tipping forward. March in place 30 times.

Next, ground into one leg and keep a solid neutral rotation on the leg (pit of the back of the knee pointing back and on dumping into the hip), engage your glute, and press out with the opposite leg for a lateral lift. Think about kicking out with the heel, not the toes (almost like internal rotation).

Do this 10-20 times on each side.

Trucker Workout: Resistance Band Arm Exercises

Standing firm in neutral, feet grounded, and no rib thrusting. First, anchor your elbows at your sides and press out with both fists (the movement comes from the elbow) on an exhalation. Place your fists inside the tied-off or loop resistance band.

Try this 10-20 times. Next to keeping your upper body strong and stable, pull one fist up, and one fist down, like your arms are marching in place. Do this 10-20 times. Finally, pull your fists diagonally and then back to the center 10-20 times. Notice which arm is stronger and tune into making sure you don’t dominate the movements with that more muscular arm.

Resistance Band Exercises for Hips and Glutes

This was a lifesaver because my left hip and hamstring weren’t cooperating, and my right glute was weak (a very unstable pulley system). Place the tied off resistance band around your ankles (shoes optional) and walk 30 paces forward and back in the following ways:

  1. Wide Monster Strides (pull the band as wide as you can comfortably and walk forward and back)
  2. Regular Walk (Walk-in an average hips distance and stretch the band with enough resistance when you walk)
  3. Diagonal Walk (Step to the right one foot at a time, then to the left, alternating forward and back)
  4. Sideways Walker (Create a slight squat and step foot to foot to the right, then to the left)

Leg Strength with resistance bands Mother Trucker Yoga blog

So many think their workout has to be at the gym in workout clothes and X minutes long to be “worth it.” But here’s the thing, I carry my bands with me in my car. Yes, I do a three-minute workout here or there, and it all adds up! To step out of the box, you have to start to think out of the box!

And you might as well add resistance bands into that thinking too!

Don’t have our Resistance Band Travel Set? Grab this kit and join me! I got you covered!

resistance band training mother trucker yoga blog hope zvara 

Want more great moves like these? When you buy our mini travel resistance bands kit, you get: 

  • One Large Physical Therapy Grade Resistance Band (Medium or Heavy Resistance)
  • Two loop bands with varied resistance
  • Door Loop to attach your bands to your truck cab door or door at home for an easy portable workout
  • 25 Page Resistance Bands Guide for easy go-to workout ideas! Making a truck driver workout even easier no matter where you are.
  • Resistance Band Travel Set Mother Trucker Yoga BLog

And after a great day of movement with your newfound love of resistance bands. Don’t forget to help your muscles recover with our exclusive pain relief cream made for drivers… STIFF Mother Trucker. After an excellent trucker workout, your muscles may feel a bit sore or even stiff because you are now using them, and there is a window of time where your body has to readjust. STIFF Mother Trucker pain relief cream is a perfect remedy for your trucker driver’s workout to help you feel better wherever you are.

STIFF Mother Trucker Pain Relief Cream for Travel

 

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