Exercise and healthy eating for the OTR truck driver

I've been extremely busy for the last few days and I have not had a chance too post, but to answer your question sullyman, free weights/dumbells are much better for you and I'm sure they will take up alot less space in the sleeper. The reason free weights are better is because when you use them you have to balance them as well as push and control the weight. In addition to the primary muscle group being worked there are other muscles that are worked in-directly and this makes you work harder and makes you much stronger. Yeah, your right about the blueberries. I've got about 7 blueberry tree's in my back yard and the fresh berries taste much sweeter, only drawback is that they are seasonal and you have to really harvest them almost daily to get'em before the birds do. The health benifits far outweigh the taste. Blueberries are one of the most powerful antioxidants that nature produces. They also have a chemical in them that literaly scrubs the plaque and tarter deposits from your artery walls, priceless.

 

Yoga is fine and is better than not doing anything , but theres no substitute for excercise, esspecially weight training. Because driving a truck over the road most of us are resigned too sitting in a drivers seat for numerous hours everyday and for long stretches of time. Being sedintary and having restricted mobility can and will over time wreak havoc on your muscles and circulation. Couple that with bad eating habits and improper rest(should be getting at least 8 to 10hrs per day of un-interupted sleep) and you have recipe for major health concerns down the line. At least 30min to 1hr a day, it's really important to do some type of excercise that gets your heart pumping and your blood pulsing at a pretty good rate. This keeps your heart strong and healthy and flushes alot of toxins and other fatty deposits from your veins and arteries that will normally settle on the walls of your arteries in the form of plaque and we all know what that leads too. Stretching and contracting your muscles as you do with weight training keeps them strong and healthy and free from injury and contributes to an overall feeling of well being. Out of 24hrs in a day, set aside 1hr for yourself and do some excercise, your body will thank you. If your pushing yourself so hard out there that you can't manage 1 hr out of every 24, somethings wrong. Walking and yoga just does'nt compare to the health benifits of weight training, and as far as getting sweaty, thats what showers are for.

 

As I said , I commend you for doing any form of exercise and doing yoga is a great form of exercise but it, but as far as comparing it to weight training, they are two different forms of exercise and have different health benifits. For a person who works in a fast paced enviroment and is not sedentary most of the day yoga may offer some relaxing stress relieving beifits. Most truck drivers don't get enough if any physical activity and weight training is the perfect exercise for immediatly improving ones health. I always tell people that doing anything is better than doing nothing. If yoga makes you feel good stick with it. It's important that you feel good about what you are doing and get some enjoyment out of it.

 

How many meals do you eat in a day? I've seen on a alot of post here that have to do with eating and I'm really shocked that more drivers do not know how to eat properly. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, I can't emphisize that enough. If you are trying to lose weight its a must, the only meal of the day that you can really pig out on and still lose weight as your body will burn all of those calories by mid morning. When you skip breakfast it send your body into a downward spiral that it never recovers from that day. It sends your body into survival mode and tells your body to hoard fat. Your hormones secrete cortisol and your body begans to breakdown as fratigue and irritability sets in. Always eat a good healthy breakfast in the morning, even if your not hungry. It jump starts your body and will have you firing on all cylinders. Your body will thank you. As I've said before you need to be eating at least 5 or 6 meals a day for optimal health, I'll speak more about that later in my next post. Make it a habit to eat a good healthy breakfast every morning, it will save your life literally.