Daily exercise is important for everyone but can be hard for truckers to fit into their busy schedule. Here are a few tips for fitting in workouts on long hauls.
We all know that frequent exercise is important for our health, but truckers know that fitting in workouts on a long haul is not always easy. With days consisting of early mornings, late nights, and hours of driving in between, there’s no easy way to fit in exercise in the day. Continue reading for some tips on how to optimize your workouts and maintain a healthy lifestyle as a trucker.
Time Of Workout
As Todd McCann of AboutTruckingDriving.com says, the best time to get in a solid workout is either before or after your driving shift. Many people prefer working out in the middle of the day when they have more energy, but truckers have a 14-hour-workday, meaning they can’t drive after 14 hours. While you can drive for 11 of these hours, the other three are taken up by inspections, getting fuel, picking up and loading deliveries, and other stops along the drive. Working out for an hour in the middle of the day can sometimes result in losing money since truckers end up taking time from their driving hours.
Working out before the day starts may not seem like the most enticing option, but for those committed to getting some exercise into their day, it’s often the best time. Working out after a long day of driving is probably the last thing truckers want to do, so working out in the morning allows them to feel better knowing they’ve already completed their exercise for the day.
Make Short Workouts Count
Even if you have an extremely busy day, take at least 15 minutes each day to exercise, as any exercise is better than nothing! If you do have some extra time during your day for very quick workouts, make them count. Implementing short, vigorous workouts by maintaining a high heart rate maximizes fat burning and your time. Also, find total-body workouts that hit multiple muscle groups at once to maximize your results.
Healthy Eating
As we know, exercising doesn’t affect too much if we aren’t eating healthy as well. Keep a food journal with you on the road to track everything you eat, to hold yourself accountable for eating healthier options. Since truckers are in the same space all day, they will eat whatever they have available to them. Make the decisions easier for yourself by packing healthy snacks that will give you energy, rather than making you feel tired and sluggish. Also, be sure to always eat after working out, and eat a snack every three hours to keep your stomach satisfied and prevent overeating at night.
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Evan Transportation provides trucking and transportation services for clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. All of our drivers and staff are offered competitive salaries, benefits, and are guaranteed to be home every day. Interested in finding out more? Visit us online or give us a call at 443-673-3365. For even more information, visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Google+.