If you drive for a living, you know how difficult it can be to stay healthy. You may have nowhere to get healthy food, your schedule may be completely different from day to day, and it may be extremely difficult for you to exercise. These tips and tricks can help you to maintain a healthy lifestyle even when you’re on the road.
Sleep
Getting enough rest at night is absolutely essential to your health. If you have difficulties sleeping on the road, pack a bag of tools to help you sleep. An eye mask can block unwanted light, while earplugs can block out unwanted noises.
If at all possible, pack your own pillow from home and use it instead of the generic pillows at the hotel. If you’re a truck driver, you can put your pillow in the back of your cab.
Eat Right
A healthy diet is one that consists of plenty of fruits and vegetables, water, and lean proteins, but it can sometimes be difficult to find someplace healthy to eat when you’re on the road all the time.
Truck drivers especially know the problems that they often face when they need to make a delivery as quickly as possible, and the only thing they have time for is a quick fast food meal. Fortunately, there are some options for eating right when you drive for a living.
The easiest way to control what you eat is to pack your own lunch. Get a large cooler and fill it with reusable ice packs to keep your food cold, and then pack yourself something healthy.
Fruits and vegetables for snacking, nuts for energy, bottled water, and salads with a side of protein such as hard-boiled eggs, ham, chicken, turkey, tuna, or tofu are all good choices. You can also bring your own protein shakes for a little energy boost on the go.
Of course, sometimes you don’t even have the time or the option of packing a lunch. On days like that, your best bet is to stop at a grocery store that has a salad bar and purchase something off it. If you can’t even find a grocery store and fast food is your only option, stick with salads and grilled meats.
Most fast food salads aren’t unhealthy unless you get them topped with fried foods and use too much dressing, so steer clear of fried meats and make sure to be careful about how much dressing you pour on top.
Take Periodic Breaks and Exercise
If you make your living on the road, getting to your destination is your number one priority; so stopping to get in some exercise may seem like a ludicrous idea. Fortunately, it’s not. There are plenty of ways you can get some exercise, lose weight, and stay in shape on the road.
The first step is making sure you have some exercise equipment with you at all times. Dumbbells, a jump rope, and a resistance band are all inexpensive and take up very little space. Then, anytime you take a break, whether it’s to use the bathroom or get something to eat, lift weights, jump rope, use the resistance band, and do some stretching.