Life And Health OTR

I've been doing A LOT of research on this industry and I am 100% sure I am going to do this when my youngest graduates High School this coming June (2019). I am curious as to how to eat healthy and workout...

Is it possible to eat healthy and workout??

I "meal prep" all of my meals the day before work and I go to the gym 3-4 days per week.

Are there refrigerators in the trucks? If not, can one be installed?

My health is VERY important to me. I had let myself go at one point, going up to 260 lbs. (I'm only 5' 8") I am now back down to 180 lbs and I do not want to gain the weight back or lose any muscle.

Is this unrealistic?

Thank you...

Not unrealistic at all. You do have to be disciplined. Re: exercise, you can work out during your 10 hour break; also, if you’re going to be driving all day, you have 14 hours to drive 11. This gives you roughly 2-2.5 hours to exercise & shower. Re: eating healthy... again, you have to be disciplined. It’s cheaper and easier to buy junk food at the truck stops, so you have to make up your mind to just not buy it. Yes you’ll be able to install a refrigerator in your truck; doubtful that your company will provide one. I shop mostly at Walmart, but will use any grocery store that is nearby and convenient when I run out of food. Most of my daily calories can be found in my morning coffee, which I enjoy very sweet, while throughout the day I snack on apples, bananas, and occasionally dry cereal, eating a large salad at night. I also have a small crockpot that I use during the winter time, for the occasional warm meal.

If you’re eating healthy now at home, it shouldn’t be a difficult transition eating healthy out of your truck. Working out/exercising 3 to 5 times per week is completely doable. Good luck with your training, and see you on the roads soon!

Many companies now have fridges in them.. But ones that do not, you can still get installed and such.. When I started driving at age 21 I was a skinny kid that was barely 120 lbs soaking wet.. Over 20 years later, kids and an ex wife, I have seen up and downs.. at 5'10 my highest weight in my career was 250lbs, and had just quit smoking.. In past few years, as I get older, I decided to eat better.. I was never one for exercise but just eat better.. Stay away from potatoes, and greasy burgers.. I ate lots of protein like steaks and eggs.. Have dropped to about 190 lbs and feel pretty good in my 40s.. I run Reefer.. My Brother also drives.. He was about same size as me.. He went to flat bed trucking for a few years.. Lost a lot of weight and gained muscle.. Slinging chains and tarps did him good.. That might be an option for you..

In this industry many drivers let themselves go.. In some cases I have always felt it was caused by depression.. Away from family, friends, etc etc.. This career is not for everyone.. But if you have good motivation to work, and also be healthy then you will succeed at both trucking and being healthy.. I know a driver that makes a point to park near a gym as much as possible.. I forget the name of the gym.. But they are national, they have showers, and he is a member, so he can go to any of them 24\7.. There are many things possible in the realm of trucking if you are willing to figure out the time frames and make a regular routine.. Laying in bunk every night, watching tv and eating chips not the only options..

Trucking and working out and eating healthy is definitely possible.

There are lots of videos on YouTube for this exact topic of truckers working out and eating healthy. I just saw one from TMC transportation: https://youtu.be/uHDehLTfZR8

Your options for working out includes using body weight, portable equipments, gyms at truck stops or ubering to a gym, jogging around, etc.

There are plenty of trucking companies that provide refrigerators, 1500w inverters, microwaves in their trucks. So healthy eating means stocking up on veggies and healthy protein at Wal-Mart or a grocery store. Then preparing it in your truck.

I'm looking into trucking as a career path myself. I've been eyeing Jim Palmer because their trucks are fully decked out for creature comforts so that I can stay healthy working out and eating right.

I walk...constantly. Walking while I type this response...

I walk on my 30 minute break; usually a couple of laps at one of the Walmart’s I am delivering to. I walk in and out of the trailers pulling pallet tabs, raising & lowering reefer bulkheads. Always moving when out of the chair.

I am very careful with what I eat and the portion size. It takes discipline, but you can manage to stay fit out here. Just “think” before you grab a sausage-hotlink off the wheel-of-death at the truck stop. Better choices...better choices.

"sausage hotlink off the wheel of death" ain't that the truth probably the worst thing in there you can eat. Especially when they've been sitting there for hours and drivers STILL load up on them. G-Town is right discipline is all you need really. And walking is a big help too. Whenever i stop for fuel I try and park in the lane as far away as possible just to try and get some extra steps in.

Something else to remember as well is if you choose the otr path. you are going to be exhausted in the beginning. You're body is going to have to get used to those 11 to 14 hour days. You're going to pull into a truck stop like a zombie and now you're gotta figure out what to prep and eat. I was dedicated so I was never longer than a day or two at a time. I usually packed non perishable snacks and bought one of those pre packed sandwichs. Some of those may of still been considered packed but better than the heart attack special from Hardee's.

To touch on the working out part real quick... Looking at me you would think I would be the last person to be giving workout advice lol. But I work with a lot of people who do have access to a gym and they have some pretty inventive ways to workout without professional gym equipment.

If prison is anything like it is in the movies, I am sure in real life some of these guys are locked up 23hrs a day are pretty muscular, I bet the have some inventive ways also with no access to any kind of equipment.

Try looking stuff up on YouTube, try searching things like " work out with no equipment" or something like that. I bet there are a bunch of videos of people in the same boat we are away from home and a gym all the time.

Maybe every 2-3 hours you see a rest stop, pull over for 10 minutes. Put on your gloves, grab a peice of cardboard and do some pushups, Jumping jacks, pull ups on you trailer, sit ups, lunges, buy some resistance bands. Between watching some videos and maybe advice from a trainer, I bet you could make a pretty sick and intense, no stop 10-15 minute workout routein on the side of the highway. Don't convince yourself you need a gym and equipment. Maybe also a pair of adjustable weight dumbells to make it real easy on you. Good luck!

4 or 5 years ago I was on my way to work and I passed a couple of trucks parked beside a convience store and I saw a truck driver working out. He had a fold-up wight bench and barbells/dumbbells set up beside his truck. When he got done he folded his bench up and loaded everything up into his truck. Presto, easy way to take your workout with you and workout when you have time without having to find a gym.

Eating healthy and getting exercise is not entirely impossible. The big thing that many truckers get into is a developing bad habits. What I do is this; When I get my 30 minute break I make sure I walk around location where I am parked at. I make it a point to not shop in truck stops, but instead whenever possible load up supplies if you go near a walmart. I stock up on canned chicken breasts, soup stock, and mixed vegetables and lots of assorted fruits. A Crock Pot is literally my go to for cooking in my truck. I make a basic low carb meal and let it cook as I go about my driving for the day, when I m done I have at least 2-4 meals that I can store in my fridge. I keep the things I need to be able to cook in my microwave also. If you flatbed, then you will get some exercise over and above what the vans and reefers guys get cause you have to strap, chain and tarp a load.

Hope this helps