Ask the average person to describe the average truck driver and you hear things like overweight, fat, obese, dirty, and unkempt. It is a bad adjective for the professionals who are the economic heart of the nation.
Trade and business are often possible as truckers and other drivers move goods from one location to another. Truck drivers are often the unrecognized street heroes. Unfortunately, they also tend to be overweight and obese due to their sedentary jobs.
Whatever the problem, something can be done to prevent and stop it. You can literally stop packing on the extra pounds and lose weight while on the road and be on track to a leaner, fitter you. To achieve this goal, here’s what you should do:
Stop Eating Garbage on the Road
And start eating lots of healthy food. Admittedly, most truck stops do not provide the necessary healthy eating options. This is why we recommend that you look for places with healthy food on their menu wherever you stop.
Fortunately, the internet is there for you to find anything you want. A quick search will give you a list of restaurants with healthy food. In fact, McDonalds offers several healthy food options – yes, not just junk – such as a McDonald’s Southwest Salad, grilled chicken, and water.
Eat more fish and less red meat. Avoid dairy products – even though they should be low in fat – chocolate drinks and other drinks that will increase your calorie intake. Eat more lean meat, more protein and less carbohydrates.
Get Out and Exercise Every Day
For truck drivers, this has become a necessity. There’s a reason so many truck drivers are obese and overweight: they sit all day without moving to exercise.
In fact, it’s common to see truckers, park their trucks, walk to the nearest cafe or restaurant, sit down, order a large plate of fried food, eat and walk back to the taxi to sit down and maybe talk to fellow truckers. Basically, they get little to no exercise in between.
You need to change that habit from now on. If you’re going to be at a truck stop for 30 minutes, spend that time eating and exercising. If you have to walk 20-30 minutes at every truck stop, you’ll find that at the end of the day, you’ll be walking for an hour – a surefire way to shed some pounds.
Get jump ropes, running shoes, or even a stationary bike that you can ride during your breaks. Do this daily and you will soon find yourself losing weight and becoming slimmer.
Stay Hydrated
Hydration is your friend. It’s better than consistently drinking tons of coffee or alcohol. Instead, drink more water or healthy drinks. You should also avoid soda – even diet coke – and drinks with a high sugar content. Fruit juices, unless freshly squeezed, should also be avoided.
Eat More Fruits and Vegetables
When you’re cooped up in a cab for hours each day, boredom can soon cause you to adopt unhealthy eating habits. Therefore, it’s no wonder that many truck drivers often indulge in high-calorie snacks that end up in their solar plexus, hips, and face.
Here’s what we suggest: pack a jug of fruit and vegetables that you can munch on when you get bored or feel like snacking. No one has ever gotten fat from eating vegetables and fruits. If anything, they help boost your immune system, lower your cholesterol levels – thereby reducing your chances of developing heart disease – improve your circulation, keep you healthy and reduce your weight.
Basically, fruit and vegetables are your friends on the road. Get apples, celery, cabbage, carrots, cucumbers and any other fruit you can think of and put them in the cooler. Eat it and you will see how quickly you lose weight or at least, stop gaining it.
This article was written by Oscar Stan, a former truck driver and health expert. Oscar is now a professional writer who enjoys helping others lead healthier and happier lifestyles. For truckers who need regular DOT physicals, he recommends visiting DriverPhysicals.com.
