5 Keys For Staying Healthy On The Road

Staying healthy on the road can seem like a constant struggle because of many obstacles. For example, it’s easy to eat truck-stop food and then sit stagnant in your driver’s seat for hours.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to keep your mind, body, and soul running at full capacity.

Here are five keys to staying healthy on the road:

Eat Right

Here’s the thing with eating right: If you don’t plan, it won’t happen. Is it easier not to worry about it and then grab fast food at the last minute? Sure. Not only is that food likely to pack pounds onto your stomach, but it also won’t give you the sustainable energy you need to do your job and do it well.

Instead, plan out a bunch of crockpot meals in advance. Figure out what ingredients you’ll need and how much it will take to get you through your next trip. There’s no shortage of straightforward crockpot recipes on the internet, and if you have a mini fridge, you can count on leftovers to cut down on the number of meals you’ll need to prepare.

A little thought and a quick trip to the grocery store can help keep you away from the pitfall of unhealthy eating on the road.

Work Out

Working out is essential, but exercising on the road can seem complicated. After all, how are you supposed to fit an entire gym into the cab of your truck? WRONG!

There are several exercises that don’t require free weights, such as push-ups, sit-ups, and lunges. If you get creative with your rig, you may be able to add pull-ups, dips, and other exercises to the mix.

At the very least, why not take a jump rope with you? The main thing to focus on is your cardio, anyway, because that will help you keep weight off, and it also will help keep your insides healthy.

So, next time you’re waiting for your trailer to get loaded or unloaded, don’t just stand there like there’s nothing you can do. Get a quick workout in!

Break A Mental Sweat

It’s essential to keep your brain in shape because, let’s face it, it’s not just a part of your body — it’s the control center of it. Your mind affects everything you do, so it might be the most important type of health to maintain. Fortunately, there are a bunch of things you can do to keep your brain in shape.

To start, try to read whenever you can. No one likes downtime, but if you still have time to wait after you finish your workout, why not read a chapter of something that interests you? You can keep it simple by grabbing a book, or if you want to store many books without taking up much space, you could always invest in an e-reader like a Kindle or a Nook.

If you’re not big into reading, another option is to work on brain teasers, crosswords, or other mentally stimulating puzzles. Not only can these activities help keep your mind at the top of its game, but they also are something you can work on here or there, set down for a while, and then pick up again later when you have time. Only have a couple of minutes to pass? Use that time to improve your mental agility and stay sharp!

Keep In Touch

Mood and attitude can also affect your health. One way to keep a positive attitude and stay in a good mood is to call home whenever possible. Better yet, many apps and services make it easy to video chat with your family or friends back home.

Keeping in touch with the people you care about can keep you motivated, focused, and happy, so before you hit the road, try to schedule times to chat. Just be sure to factor in possible time-zone differences.

Get Enough Sleep

This is the most enjoyable way to maintain your health. After all, who doesn’t love to get a good night’s sleep?

The problem is that getting enough sleep takes time, and there’s no way around that. But by sticking to a consistent schedule whenever possible, your body will get into the habit of a regular sleep cycle, and you’ll be able to fall asleep more easily instead of lying there, wasting time by waiting to nod off.

Another trick for getting a good night’s sleep is to cut down on the amount of light that makes it into your sleeper area. Even if you get the total amount of sleep you need, light can affect the quality of your sleep. Investing in a good blackout curtain can ensure you feel well-rested and refreshed.

Now that you know the five key areas to improve your overall health, start slow. Making small changes over time can help you change your lifestyle habits more permanently than making a bunch of drastic changes all at once. That’s why New Year’s resolutions often fail. Pay attention to your health consistently throughout the year and try to make minor, easy-to-implement “course corrections” to your daily habits.

Need more information on how to be a healthier trucker? Check back with us on Roadmaster Drivers School’s blog throughout the year. We’ll discuss each of these topics in more depth to give you even more ideas for maintaining your health!

Are you still looking to be a truck driver? Roadmaster Drivers School can help with that, too.