Staying Toned And Ripped In Trucking

I just want to let people know that I go to the gym 4 to 5 days a week and do a lot of outdoor hiking and activities. I eat very healthy food that consists mainly of fruits and vegetables nuts seeds and fish. I have two and a half months experience behind the wheel and I exercise regularly when I have breaks at shippers receivers or have periods of time for instance a 10-hour reset.

Driving long hours and not doing any exercise what's the weather can have serious implications and consequences to the body. Eating truck stop food high in fat and drinkIng half gallon mountain is suicide. Avoid truck stop food and ship at Walmart, Kroger, or any large grocery store. I always fill 1/2 of my cart with fresh fruits and vegetables. I then guy bulk nuts and seed. 2/3 of my cart is filled. After I go to the canned food isle and stock up on beans, tuna, rice. My last items I get are oatmeal, cereal and some diet cola, energy drinks. Don't eat fast food on a daily basis. The typical trucker is overweight and obese.

There are numerous ways you can stay fitter in a truck than holding a day job. You will have a lot of time on your hands at shippers, receivers, repair garages and truck stops during rest periods to work out. What I do GPS movie theaters and places of interest 3 to 5 miles away during a 10 hour rest. I will walk there, check it out, and walk back. At shippers and receivers I get my running shoes on a plan a 2 to 6 mile run along the road going into neighborhoods etc. I always tell the receiver that I'm going for a run and II'm back within an hour typically. I stretch when I get back then do push ups, squats, and crunches to fill more time. If I have a long holdover at a place I will add in lifting with a resistance cable to work all muscle groups. It you have a 34 hour reset get a gym membership with national chains or pay the $20.00 for two days and stay there 3 to 4 hours.

There is no excuse for getting fat on the road. It's giving drivers a bad image. Truck stops want you to get a food addiction and be obese. At how many truck stops do you see tables of fresh fruit? It's all soda, energy drinks (I drink them as a cheat staple), and greasy garbage. Enough is enough.

TA had started putting gyms in places. That's a start but I doubt it will become universal. Some companies are promoting fitness and healthy eating. A few place have gyms in there terminals.

As a first year driver I have not gained one pound over the road. I lost a few pounds and some days it was hwe'd because I would get hungry.

I don't dislike fat people. I have had a few friends that didn't give a damn about exercise and eating. I never hung out with them outside of work. I disliked there lifestyle choices. They would give opinions or put down the fact that I get more attention from girls. I do not tolerate getting put down provokingly or used a punching bag for frustration and dramas. If your an uptight and angry individual who wants to get healthier please feel free to contact me. I don't charge for my services.

If I was to steer away from my daily nutrititous meals, exercise, and hydration, which does happen sometimes each month , I wold start to loose my cool and before agitated. I've always been in good shape. When in my mid 20s i experienced a lot of anxiety and I was eating normal. After changing my diet to raw foods I saw a huge change. I have to constantly remind myself on a daily basis "produce section," or "local farmers market" to stock up on this medicine. Try it out truckers. Buy 10 pounds of bannas, 2 pounds of fresh broccoli, green peppers, frozen blueberries, strawberries, fresh kale. Eat up! See how you feel in a week then substitute that food for the twinkes, deli salads, chips, ice cream and beer.

You had me up until the very end when you mentioned "beer". What's wrong with Deli Salads?

Unless you have a really high metabolism drinking beer everyday is terrible for musle gains. If you drink one standard (PBR) everyday for one year on top of 2000 calories you will gain 15 pounds by the end of the year. I used to drink a lot of beer and only put on a small beer gut until i got uplenty to 210 pounds and said "enough is enough". I go out maybe once every other month now a binge. If you a guy who likes to party on the weekends and throw back a 30pk that's 4,000 calories. I didn't mention that amount of food (1,500 you will consume when binge drinking). You will get fat and obese.

Deli salads are not the best meals. Most contain processed ingredients and added chemicals. If you want a healthier choice make your salads from scratch using fresh potatoes and meat. I would use soy mayonnaise from the produce section.

Just to let you know the guys you see in fitness magazines stick to a extremely rigorous diet plan. You won't see these people ordering Domino's or fried chicken. If you do its after a contest or photoshoot.

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Some good advice and staying healthy on the road is definitely a challenge. What I would like to see is a healthy shopping list on a budget. Many new drivers won't be rolling in cash that first year and still have the normal bills associated with life. While I commend you on healthy eating habits, your choices that you've listed are a pretty expensive way to eat and some can't justify it in their personal budget.

I like the information shared -- thank you, Charles C -- but I'm curious to know your opinion on this article which seems to say that lack of sleep is the single greatest contributor to trucker obesity.

For reference, I'm 12k miles into my 30k team training with Prime & putting on a bit ... mostly due to a lack of refrigerator space, partially due to highly-sugared & highly-salted foods. I'm buying a 12v cooler at my first opportunity.

Interesting and important points here...I am new to trucking, and want to avoid the bad food choices as well. Since I am routinely at a grocery store in my travels, popping in to pick up some fresh fruit/ nuts or veggies are all part of my plan. I tend to stay away from meat, so beans and other non-meat protein are a requirement.

I find that lack of time for regular meals and shorter sleep periods have started to be a BIG part of my new lifestyle on the road...I need to include exercise in my daily routine, along the lines of your pattern, Charles (not as rigorous, though).

I am 57, and in pretty good shape. I want to keep getting better, not slide into disrepair due to my new work!