You know everywhere I go I run into drivers who ask me, "man how do you stay in such good shape driving a truck", and I always tell them eating clean, excercising and getting the proper rest on a daily basis. They always reply " man I don't have time or I got to deliver there at xxx and I can't or Im too tired after a days work or some other excuse.

Is it easy, no...Are there days when I just want to skip a workout or eat some junk food? Sure but I don't. Sometimes when I really don't feel like working out, and I do anyway, afterwards I always feel great, and that feeling is priceless. Sometimes I awake in the morning and sit up thinking, "man I really don't feel like it today, hhhhhhmmmm maybe I'll just skip this mornings workout, besides it's cold out or it's raining". And about that time I'll see another driver walk by my truck overweight, smoking a cigerette and looking like he just dreads another day on earth. And then I snap out of my stooper and get too it .

The only thing that seperates me from this other driver how we approach our lives. Now I don't know these drivers personaly and I can't even began too tell you who they are or what they've been through in life, but I can look a man and tell when he's pretty much given up. I learned early on in life that, IF YOU DON"T PROGRAM YOURSELF, LIFE WILL PROGRAM YOU".

I don' t think that I'm any better than or worst then the next man, but we all have to program ourselves for success or failure. For me success starts with good health and me doing everything that I can too maintain this gift and help others. Good health and well being is the greatest gift that God has given to each of us, and most of us never realize how precious it is until it's gone.

When I see drivers doing things to ruin their health(smoking cigerettes,eating fried processed junk food, never getting the proper rest, always angry or stressed about something, never getting any excercise) it motivates me because I see what I don't want too be everyday. It also motivates me when one of these drivers ask me for help with their diet or with excercise, I just love helping others reach their goals and that is a big part of why I love being a Fitness Trainer and a Truckdriver. It's my way of helping my fellow truckers to live better healthier lives.

For one who is about to start driving OTR, this information is priceless. Kind of a re-training, too. I used to be a nut about health and nutrition. It's all about the mind-set. Thank you, hotsauce.

That's EXACTLY the right attitude for anyone wanting to see gains, health, and longevity. I don't feel like hitting the gym about half the time, but I know once I get started, the endorphins will kick in and I'll enjoy the training. As it says under many of my avatars, "I do because I can. I can because I do."

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"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."
~George Orwell

Any serious cyclists reading this thread? I'm trying to figure out a quicklock/quickrelease system for my dream machine titanium frame road bike. So far, I've hung it vertically with bungee cords from the empty Qualcom braket, flat against the back of the sleeper, and safely away from the reefer. I want this luxury vehicle to ride in comfort on the sleeper, not on the catwalk or trailer, but the bungee cord and lock system takes a long time to undo and then rehang after the ride. Also, I have to scale up the wind fairing and load-lock bracket to reach the Qualcomm unit, which is kind of dangerous, and then haul the cycle up to where the bungees are. Given the time demanding aspect of cycling, I'm sometimes forced to forego the ride because of the hassle in removing and replacing the bike. How do you mount the bicycle on the back of the sleeper cab?

And, yes I do also subscribe to the belief that only a fool drives all day and then eats before he simply climbs into the sleeper berth, believing he's "too busy" to exercise. Life is too short for someone that busy. I want to be healthy for international travel when I retire, not getting ready for the grave. The feeling of being "tired" at the end of a long driving day is mostly an illusion fostered by eyes made red by staring at the road for 11 hours. A short hike away from the cab, before eating, proves a quick second wind. I actually believe that aerobic exercise--walking, jogging, cycling, swimming--is healthier than hanging around the gym, although I'll acknowledge that diesel particulates and fumes do compromise good lung function.

My cycling thigh muscles are big, but my upperbody is mostly just toned, not developed. I prefer a road bike with conventional down-turned bars and skinny tires, over popular hybrid or mountain bikes, because I like quiet speed and distance, and because I find mostly asphalt and concrete within a couple hour pedaling range away from my truck. I use my iPhone GPS to navigate toward the urban core, to loop around to a suburban bicycle trail, or along a some scenic route outside of town and away from the noise of the truckstop. In any case, in a 14 hr day, I try to use those extra 3 hours of non-driving time for exploration and health improvement. I don't always get the dream ride done, but a brisk 30 minute walk is always possible and certainly worthwhile.

My New years resolution was to quit smoking and start exercising. Well the secret was to start at the begining of December. That was in 1994 and have been exercising ever since. Like weight lifting, running on the treadmill, swimming, bike riding and of course taking the border collie for a walk/run. Exercise is resistance training not resistance to training

Ha! That's a really good one! Should go on a T-shirt along with mine.

__________________
"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm."
~George Orwell