working out and eating while on the road

[cattle_feed_maker]

Does anyone out there have a workout program that they follow while driving? Where do you go to work out? DO any of the big truck stops have gyms or do you find a national gym like YMCA, 24 hr fitness something lof the like.

What do most of you eat while driving? I know eatting fast food all the time is really unhealthy? DO you carry some of your food with you and make it up as you go or what?


Thanks for the info.

[JBenson2]

If you have Internet access while on the road, I would recommend using a website which has basic exercise videos.

It is http://www.sparkpeople.com
There is no charge to join. It will also suggest and track your meals and your weight. I think it is just as good as the paid web sites.

[TomB985]

I have never driven a truck, but I'm going to be getting into it when I get back from Afghanistan. Someone in my unit uses a system called Lifeline. Supposedly it's pretty good, it's small, uses elastic bands for resistance, and I think it offers over 100 lbs of resistance. He uses it for all sorts of muscle groups, and I think that's what I'm gonna try when I start driving.

www.lifelineusa.com

[Aligator]

My workout ain't no bigee..
I carry 1 25 pound dumbbell, and a short 2X4.

I use the dumbell in the obvious manner, and use the 2X4 to place under the heels of my feet or under the toes to do leg exercises.....and then I stretch and stretch and streeeeeeetch! using the grab handles on the truck and the steps of the truck.

But I'm lookin' good. I still get checked out once in a while!

[geomon]

TomB985....

Stay safe over there....and on the behalf of us all.....THANKS!!

[TomB985]

Thanks, all of us over here sincerely appreciate all the support!

[terrylamar]

There are many different answers on how to stay in shape. Basically you have to elevate your heart rate to 80% of your max and keep it there for 20 to 30 minutes at least three times per week. You need to eat a healthy balanced diet and avoid certain foods. Considering there is limited storage space on your truck, it seem like a good pair of running shoes, a jump rope or bungee type resistance devices would be your best bet. I would advise mixing up your workouts. Your body will adjust to the same routine day in and day out. If you have been in the military the daily dozen will work, if you have no idea what I am talking about go enlist . They are some videos that will give you some good ideas. The idea is to make it fun and different.

[gsherm]

TomB985....

Stay safe over there....and on the behalf of us all.....THANKS!!

God Bless all of you in the Military!!! My wife just returned in January from Operation Enduring Freedom...Was gone for 2 years. She was home for a week and Her Twin Brother got deployed to Iraq! So I pray for all of you every night and your safe return home!!!

[GoldiesPlating]

Driving flatbeds can prove to be a workout everydy hahaha. In the beginning, I dreaded the work involved in securing and unsecuring loads but now I've actually turned the work, into a workout. Using the winch bar I press downwards on the bar like an upsidedown bench press. Facing the front of the truck on BOTH sides of the load allows me to to 6 sets per side stressing my right side when on the passenger side of the truck, and my left side when doing the drivers side of the truck (those "sides" being the ones on the outer most portion of the winch bar and thus using the most downward force). This is done in 12 sets (12 straps and winches 6 per side). If it is a tarp load, I typically use around 100 bungies and so the strap/winch process STYLE is repeated but using different muscle groups for the bungees. I use my left arm on the passenger side bungies and my right arm on the driver's side bungies.

The strap winch routine builds my triceps, forearms, back (lats), shoulders and neck (deltoid) muscles. It also tones my midsection and strengthens my grip and wrist muscles.

The bungie routine builds my biceps, forearms, lats, grip and shoulders while toning my waistline as I rotate my upper body for each "pull" of the bungie.

Climbing up and down onto and off of the load takes care of all my leg muscles without even trying!

These "exercises" are done DAILY and if repeated in the same manner with proper form, are a GREAT workout!

[cattle_feed_maker]

on the eatting part of the question i was wondering more so what you guys eat all day long for the 3 meals each day. its doesnt seem to feasable to stop 3 times a day to eat lunless your getting fuel etc and also financially that would be expensive. do you eat in the morning then snack all day till dinner, do you carry food in the truck with you.....seems like eatting all day on the road and not much exercise would be alot of fat people around and i know that thats not the case.

thanks guys

[ghost_ryder]

Does anyone out there have a workout program that they follow while driving? Where do you go to work out? DO any of the big truck stops have gyms or do you find a national gym like YMCA, 24 hr fitness something lof the like.

What do most of you eat while driving? I know eatting fast food all the time is really unhealthy? DO you carry some of your food with you and make it up as you go or what?


Thanks for the info.

I carried a weight set in my truck while on the road. I had to get my workout on every once in a while, I used to be a fitness instructor a long while back. Anyway, I came up with my own little routine I done while inside the truck and it actually worked. I think all the big truck stops should have some sort of small area with a few machines and treadmills or stairmasters. Although I have not seen many, not even the Iowa 80 truck stop had workout areas.

[movinit]

on the eatting part of the question i was wondering more so what you guys eat all day long for the 3 meals each day. its doesnt seem to feasable to stop 3 times a day to eat lunless your getting fuel etc and also financially that would be expensive. do you eat in the morning then snack all day till dinner, do you carry food in the truck with you.....seems like eatting all day on the road and not much exercise would be alot of fat people around and i know that thats not the case.

The truck stops are loaded with high carb/high fat definitely going to kill you food. You can pick out things on the buffet that are not killer foods or some of the sit down restaurants offer grilled items (which may be filled with sodium). The fast food salads are a rip off, not much there for your $6-7 so I recommend you steer clear of them also. What a lot of drivers do is get a refrigerator (a cooler only works good under 80 degrees or so), an inverter that will allow a microwave and maybe an electric frying pan or crock pot. Cook your own meals, they will save you hundreds of dollars and lots of pounds. In order to reduce the mess (since water is limited and a sink isn't installed on the truck) use cooking bags or tin foil to line with and paper plates/plastic utensils to throw away. You can purchase a few days worth of food at Wal Marts and it will be much healthier.

Don't know how to cook? Pick up a slow-cooker/crock pot easy to read recipe book. One pot, add the ingredients and let it cook.

[Aligator]

I miss a lot of meals...and when I do order a meal, it'll usually be breakfast - any time of the day.

I like 2% milk, which is nearly always available.
An Egg Mcmuffin is actually a balanced meal.
Wendy's makes the best hamburger.....don't eat fries - ever!
Bananas are always at truckstops.

Going to bed without supper is probably good for you..

[tweety bird]

The trucking lifestyle can be very unhealthy and I'm glad to hear you want to put some effort into being the exception to the rule... I do aerobics in the truck and some weight training using resistance bands (I don't know what the real name is). If you go to Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target and go into the exercise section you may find a lot more "small space" items than you think. I would LOVE to walk more- but I don't think it's too terribly smart for a woman to walk around some truck stops alone. I drive team, but that usually means we have different waking hours- so it's not like he can escort me. I have a dog and I try to take him out for a good walk twice a day- but truck stop lots can be nasty so we usually pick a spot and stay there running around playing chase.

This article has some decent info in it:
Trucking Lifestyle Tips

This article isn't about eating healthy but it has some good restaurant reviews that sure beat Thad's and the Country Pride!:
Truck-friendly Restaurants

[GRB53]

Well I'm as green as they come (got my CDL this morning in fact) but here's my plan:
I usually do most of the cooking anyway (not my wife's forte) so I'm going to make lots of stuff I usually make for supper anyway (vegetable lasagna, enchiladas, stews, etc) and freeze in containers, foil, etc., keep them (should be okay for at least the 1st week or so as long as I don't let the cab get too hot don't you reckon) in a Coleman 40 quart DC cooler (now $75 at Wal-Mart BTW).
I'll heat them up in the Burton lunchbox I just bought (on sale at TA for $25).
TA also has a 12 cup (regular size) coffee maker on sale for $20 which should also help keep my costs down (I like a lot of coffee).
Excercise...I'm just going to have to continue to do (okay start back up) my 30 minute morning jog regardless of how busy I may get.
It all looks good on paper to me at least...I guess we'll see.

Randy

[Aligator]

Well I'm as green as they come (got my CDL this morning in fact)

Uh, yeah...that's green. :mrgreen:
Congratulations!

[JBenson2]

GRB53 said:

and freeze in containers, foil, etc., keep them (should be okay for at least the 1st week or so as long as I don't let the cab get too hot don't you reckon) in a Coleman 40 quart DC cooler (now $75 at Wal-Mart BTW)

I found a review of this on-line from a 4-wheeler. He offered the following comments:

How well does it cool
Not very well in my opinion. If I have a choice between getting a cool beverage out of this or an ice chest with ice, then I am going to choose the ice chest. It will only get your drinks down to 40-45 degrees and an ice chest will be a little above 33 degrees.

This cooler even becomes more useless if the outside temperature is above 90 degrees. Unlike an ice chest, this cooler?s temperature depends greatly on the outside temperature. So if it is 115 degrees in the car (typical for a car in Southern California.) then this cooler will only cool a drink down to 60-70 degrees. This is typical for all electrical coolers because of the lack of insulation.

How well does it heat
Heating is fine, just do not expect to cook with this. It will keep food warm for short distances/times. You can expect the temperature to be around 135 degrees but this also varies depending on the outside temperature. This is not a long term storage center for food since most foods will spoil in a matter of hours at the temperature. That is unless you want to make your whole family sick for Thanksgiving.

Noise level
For me the noise is obnoxious. I could never sleep in a dorm room with this going on. It even irritates me when I am driving the car.

[rayisay]

I was very active in my previous job before getting my CDL. So when I started rolling my diet, money, and exercise went down the drain. I talked to this lady and she told me about Advocare. I was very sceptical at first but after doing some research I found that many pro athlets use the products to get and stay in shape. I have been using the product for one month and I lost 25 pounds and feel great(As great as one can without being to exercise daily). Without boring everyone to death I use a meal replacement shake(just add water), vitamin, Spark energy drink (tastes like kool-aid), and thats it. Pretty cheap also. Around $210 a month. Hope this helps. You can go online to order or research for yourself at https://www.advocare.com/06093715/

Take it easy!!!

[tweety bird]

Well I'm as green as they come (got my CDL this morning in fact) but here's my plan:
I usually do most of the cooking anyway (not my wife's forte) so I'm going to make lots of stuff I usually make for supper anyway (vegetable lasagna, enchiladas, stews, etc) and freeze in containers, foil, etc., keep them (should be okay for at least the 1st week or so as long as I don't let the cab get too hot don't you reckon) in a Coleman 40 quart DC cooler (now $75 at Wal-Mart BTW).
I'll heat them up in the Burton lunchbox I just bought (on sale at TA for $25).
TA also has a 12 cup (regular size) coffee maker on sale for $20 which should also help keep my costs down (I like a lot of coffee).
Excercise...I'm just going to have to continue to do (okay start back up) my 30 minute morning jog regardless of how busy I may get.
It all looks good on paper to me at least...I guess we'll see.

Randy

Sounds like a good plan. I think you'll find that the electric cooler does a decent job. Just keep an eye on it.

My experience with the 12-volt coffee makers wasn't such a good one. Of course, this was about 10 years ago. I bought a 4-cup one and it took FOREVER to heat the water. I took it back. I would suggest that you try it out before you run out of time to return it just in case. You can look into a small inverter and using a regular coffee maker. Coffee makers take a lot of juice, though, so make sure the inverter is big enough (and if you have a really big one, you want to make sure it's properly installed- some folks have caused fires with improperly installed inverters- and the companies tend to be wary of them).

[marcel27208]

TA hot dogs and tornados for everyone!!!!!!!!!!!