Exercise on the Road: Staying Healthy as a Truck Driver

Truck drivers travel an average of about 2,000 miles to 3,000 miles a week. Tight schedules and time-sensitive deliveries often leave little room for much else, but your health should always come first. If you’re wondering how to stay healthy as a truck driver, International Used Truck Centers has a few suggestions! From cutting out sugary snacks to doing ab crunches while you drive, making time for your health its easier than you might think. Find out more about stay fit on the road below, and try out exercise as your next hobby!

Snack on Healthy Foods

You may be tempted to fill your semi truck cab with comfort foods, such as chips, cookies, milk chocolate, and candy, but that’ll do you more harm than good. When you spend hours inside a truck cab, you’re going to feel peckish — and when that happens, the last things you need are sugar and empty calories. Instead of junk food, fill your cabin with healthy snacks, such as trail mix, protein bars, string cheese, and dark chocolate. Also, swap the cans of soda for bottled water or unsweetened tea.

Bring Exercise Equipment Along for the Ride

Compact cardio equipment gives you a lot of options and freedom when it comes to working out on the road. Foldable exercise bikes allow you to take the gym with you on your journeys and cost around $150 on Amazon. During downtime, you can set one up at a rest stop and do 15 minutes a day — which adds up quickly. If you’d prefer to keep your workouts simple, you can choose from small weights, dumbells, resistance bands, jump ropes, a pull-up bar, or a suspension trainer.

Exercise While You Drive

One of the best exercises to do while you’re behind the wheel is abdominal crunches. They’re simple and can be done without impeding your concentration. Squeeze your abdominal muscles and hold while you listen to a song on the radio. Once the song is over, relax your abs. To relieve tension while driving, you can also do shoulder shrugs. Simply lift your shoulders up and hold the position for about 10 seconds, then relax. You can do either of these exercises as often as you’d like.

Use Your Environment

Don’t confine yourself to your truck cab; explore the area around you! Look for running and biking trails, parks, or truck-stop gyms. Wherever your destination, there are bound to be plenty of places to exercise along the way.

Download an Exercise App

There’s an abundance of smartphone apps that are designed to help you keep track of your workouts. Free apps include Freelectics Bodyweight, Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout App, and Keelo. You can even download apps specifically for truckers. Iron Trucker, designed by company driver Cleo Hardy, features a selection of exercises you can do using your semi truck, as well as exercise and food logs. It’s currently free for Android devices and in the process of being made available for Apple devices.

Get More Tips from International Used Truck Centers!

Whether you’re looking for tips on how to stay healthy as a truck driver, how to upgrade your audio system for cheap, or how to winterize your semi, International Used Truck Centers has you covered With 15 locations throughout the country, we’re a go-to for information on trucks, truck driving, and truck maintenance. Contact us with any questions!