Profile For T-Fit1

I just thought of this... you might try putting the word "exercise" in the search bar at the top of this page, or maybe "work out," and see what kind of results you get. You probably will find a good many conversations that you can read through that will provide you with a good bit of information that might be helpful in your research. That search engine only searches this sight, so everything you see will be discussions among truck drivers or new persons interested in the career.

Also check out these threads that are tagged for Eating On The Road.

Thank you for the suggestions Old School! I will do some more looking around.

T Fit1, this is actually a subject that comes up often in here. Guys and gals who are just getting started in their new career often want to know how they can eat right and make an attempt at staying fit. We have a lot of conversations in here on these very subjects.

It is a challenge for drivers to stay fit, and you are right about the medical regulations, they are just getting more and more strict with each year. We work long hours, but much of our actual working time is spent in a sedentary fashion. There is a good deal of stress at times, but it is mostly mental. There is very little physical demands as far as the kind of stuff that would boost ones metabolism, or improve muscle tone. I enjoy walking, and I will often times walk several miles each day. I try to time it so that I walk vigorously for a good 45 minutes to an hour, and I will usually try to do that about twenty or thirty minutes after having a meal. For me that seems to help keep my metabolism stoked up a little.

I enjoy cooking on the road, and I sometimes use a crock-pot to cook with as I'm rolling down the road. Truck drivers have several different ways that they cook. Some use the popular 12 volt lunch box cookers, and some folks who have APU's (Auxiliary Power Unit) in their trucks will have a microwave oven on board. Some drivers just use the microwave that is available inside the truck stop. Of course many of us go for the cheap food at the truck stops. They are always having a bargain on two Hot Dogs! I heard one driver refer to the hot dogs sitting in there rotating on those warm rollers as "death on a roller." Of course they offer pizza, and corn dogs, fried chicken wings and just about anything else they can get you to buy along with a 44 oz. soda! None of it is very healthy stuff.

Here's a link to a former conversation we had once where I explained how I cooked some Cornish Hens in my slow cooker. You may find the conversation interesting and informative concerning some of the things you are interested in.

Thank you very much for the information! That is exactly the kind of stuff I was wanting to know. It's great to hear that you have been able to find a way to get some exercise in on a regular basis. The sedentary nature of the job makes losing weight that much harder. I think the key will be finding a way to get moving that works for each individual. I know it won't be a one size fits all exercise program, which is why I'm working on many different avenues of working out.

Thank you for the link I will check that out!

Geez. Tough crowd. I like the idea of having a fitness program made specifically for truckers. I do random exercises here or there and try to eat healthy, but I think I would benefit from a more structured approach to fitness if I could find something that was conducive to life on the road.

Can you think of a way to encourage healthy habits in drivers to fight obesity? What would you/ have you paid for online training or nutrition programs?

Yes, offer something that utilizes the limited resources we have available out here and isn't a huge time zapper.

blockquotee>Where will you be getting the majority of your food from? Will you pack food? Eat out? Go to Walmart occasionally? This will obviously very person to person I just like to hear different plans.

Most of us could make the time to go to Walmart on a regular basis--as in, every couple of days or so. Heck, some of us even run Walmart dedicated and deliver to the stores every day. I live on the truck, so I try to go to Walmart and get food for my cooler every few days. I've got alot of canned food on board along with other non-perishables like cereal. I like to get fruit sometimes but it doesn't keep very long. To give you an idea of schedule, some of us work 12-14 hours a day for about six days and take a day off, and others work around 8-9 hrs a day 7 days a week. The rest of us (probably most long-haul truckers) have really no regular schedule at all. I've got a couple 25 lb dumbbells and I know some people keep resistance bands too.

Hope that helps give you some ideas.

Thank you very much for your well thought out feedback! I really appreciate your open mind on this topic! The others will follow your attitude at some point as they will not have a choice as government regulations tighten.

Easy. The "hidden" agenda and you STILL HAVE NOT explained exactly what it is that your peddling.

Im out of this convo.

Refer to the top of page 2 where I clearly explain my "hidden agenda". It isn't hidden at all, I just wanted to have an open discussion on the topic to get people's thoughts. Is that not the whole point of a forum? I am not peddling anything as I clearly stated previously.

Ok.. Team driving is just that.. 2 drivers running on the same truck but in shifts. We stop for loading/unloading, dropnhooks, fueling, maintenance, showers (when we have time.. Gotta love baby wipes) 30 min. breaks and driver change. We usually try to change drivers during our fuel stop or loading/unloading when possible. We run in excess of 20k miles a month. All miles are paid "to the truck" and split between both drivers. As long as the truck is rolling you are both making money. A lazy codriver or one who doesnt know how to keep the drivers door closed, is a very bad thing. We do not do post trip inspections. A pretrip is done at every driver change. I drive, he sleeps, he drives and i sleep.

Thank you for the information.

Could you expand on how my approach wasn't well thought out?

That is what we are all about. Fast training programs and quick food options if that is what you need. We use a variety of food types: pre cooked foods, fresh foods, and fast food options. Could you tell me more about this driving team concept? I am unfamiliar with it.

Alright team drivers are basically two drivers who take turns driving the same truck in shifts. That means I'll my 11 hours* then my wife will take over and drive her 11 hours. Unless of course we have to stop for some reason, such as we're at our drop off location and waiting to unload or during unload, or bad traffic truck in the shop, ect. For the most part in team drivers the truck is almost always moving. From the way I understand it I'm still learning and haven't started driving yet hopefully a team driver will reply and they will have a better idea of how it works in the real world.

Another thing to keep in mind is OTR (aka long haul drivers) are rarely home. So ordering food like you have described might be out of the question, I know my wife and I for example are only planning to go home every three months. Speaking of home, there are some "homeless" truck drivers that don't live anywhere but in their trucks so shipping to them months worth of feed isn't likely to fit in a P.O Box.

Again I'm still in training and haven't taken to on the road driving yet so I could be completely wrong with all this, and the idea seems good I'm just not sure how piratical it will be.

*During the 14 consecutive hour on duty period, you are only allowed to drive your truck for up to 11 total hours. Once you have driven a total of 11 hours, you have reached the driving limit and must be off duty for another 10 consecutive hours before driving your truck again.

Thank you for all that information! That is very helpful for us. Our program doesn't provide any food and you don't have to go home to eat it. The beauty of it is that you can do it anywhere. If you never go home that is perfectly fine, you don't need to go home.

Where will you be getting the majority of your food from? Will you pack food? Eat out? Go to Walmart occasionally? This will obviously very person to person I just like to hear different plans.

Honestly I dont think you are going to "change other people".

While its true there are some... Drivers out here who need the help, chances are those who need it most, Im guessing, probably wouldnt be interested. Incidentally many health insurance plans ALREADY offer wellness and fitness programs. Some truckstops have fitness centers and my company offers gym memberships.

Those who care are doing things like parking farther away, making laps around a truckstop, bicycling, and stocking or preparing healthier snacks and meals.

Small weights are easily doable in a truck too.

Ill listen to what you have to say, but the way you went about this wasnt well thought out.

I totally understand that the people who need it may not want it until they see how beneficial it would be. Things such as saving thousands of dollars a year might attract them. I realize there are alternative options out there for health, but nothing like we are offering. It isn't a matter of wanting to change, but needing to change to keep your job.

The way I went about what wasn't thought out?

Any trucker concerned about health is going to have a cooler and a way to cook food in the truck. Personally I think 90 percent of the problem is diet. Every single truck stop has fast food and all the processed garbage. Don't get me wrong the processed garbage tastes really good but it's not very healthy. I recently started a diet and I've lost 10 lbs in the past 3 weeks.

I agree with you fully! Diet is also going to be the change that the majority of people will be willing to implement first. The training stuff is just an addition to the diet program. What diet are you doing?

Keto. Basically I have up all my carbs. I take in less than 20g of carbs a day and I'll be honest it really sucks most of the time but considering the amount of appetite control it gave me I can deal with it. I literally eat 1 meal a day. I used to eat 3 meals plus snacks and I gained 25 lbs in my first year.

That is great to hear! Keto is my bread and butter so I am glad you have adopted it and had good results. Best of luck to you!

Any trucker concerned about health is going to have a cooler and a way to cook food in the truck. Personally I think 90 percent of the problem is diet. Every single truck stop has fast food and all the processed garbage. Don't get me wrong the processed garbage tastes really good but it's not very healthy. I recently started a diet and I've lost 10 lbs in the past 3 weeks.

I agree with you fully! Diet is also going to be the change that the majority of people will be willing to implement first. The training stuff is just an addition to the diet program. What diet are you doing?

Honestly that is something I've wondered about as I study for my CDL. As you can see from my picture I'm already heavier than I really care to be. I'll be driving teams with my wife which I think will limit any time to try to exercise. I know we'll still be required the stops during the different time clocks that I might be able to get out and do some jogging or maybe some push ups but the goal is to drive as much as we can. I know a slow cooker is a must to cut down on fast food, my wife and I are already trying different cans soups to see what we like to try to cut down on eating out to much on the road. At one point I was thinking about getting a few weights and working out with them while driving but the more I learn the more I see how that would be a really dangerously stupid thing to do. If you get a program for truck drivers set you, make sure you do one for teams too and keep in mind how little time you'll have to work out and how limited food choices will be. Most trucks don't have a lot of choices on how you cook your food and a lot of them don't have a fridge either.

That is what we are all about. Fast training programs and quick food options if that is what you need. We use a variety of food types: pre cooked foods, fresh foods, and fast food options. Could you tell me more about this driving team concept? I am unfamiliar with it.