Staying healthy on the road is important for career and lifetime longevity. Healthy truck drivers can continue driving after their unhealthier colleagues are forced to retire. Consciously making good choices is the key to developing healthy habits. Truck drivers, in particular, need to worry more about their overall health than people in more traditional professions.
Healthy Eating
Eating healthy foods on the road is often much more difficult than eating junk. It is so easy to eat at McDonalds a few times a day. Packing lunches is really the best way to eat healthy on the road. Unfortunately, packing lunches is not always possible or practical. Truck drivers should consider healthier fast food options. It costs about the same to get a meal from a healthy sandwich shop as it does from a greasy burger joint. Even some fast food restaurants have healthy options like salads. It is all about making good decisions. Thedailymeal.com has some great suggestions for eating healthy on the road.
Getting Enough Rest
Getting enough rest remains one of the most important things truck drivers can do to stay healthy. This is as important for overall health as it is for road safety. Well rested bodies are better at fighting off viruses and possible infections. Getting adequate sleep leads to less fatigue as well. Schedules can be hectic sometimes, but sleep must be a top priority.
Quitting Smoking
Smoking is a habit that plagues the truck driving industry. Smoking leads to multiple types of cancer and an increased rate of heart disease. Quitting smoking is the single most effective way to boost one’s health. This remains one of the most difficult habits to break. Smokers can quit using a variety of helpful resources. There are patches, gum and support groups to help people successfully quit smoking. An industry like truck driving easily enables the habit of smoking. Replacing cigarettes with sunflower seeds makes the transition a little bit easier.
Getting Exercise
Getting exercise is difficult for drivers that spend all day behind the wheel. It is often unrealistic for drivers to attend gyms or train for marathon running. Brisk walks are a great way to add a little bit of exercise to one’s daily schedule. Refueling breaks are great places to take walks. If walking is hard on aching joints, swimming is a good option. Joining an organization like the YMCA is a great way to find available pools all over the country. Swimming is a fantastic, low-impact exercise that could really benefit a lot of truck drivers.
Finding an Outlet for Stress
Finding an outlet for stress is incredibly important for truck drivers. Although many truck drivers love what they do and enjoy the open road, they are not immune from the harmful effects of stress. Having a hobby is a great stress reliever. Hobby choices may be limited due to the nature of the career. Some ideas are: photography, sewing, fantasy sports, walking, biking, writing, on line gaming, bird watching, storm spotting , blogging, Pinterest(other online social media). Sometimes good friends help to relieve stress as well. Being able to talk to somebody who has similar interests can greatly help to reduce stress.
Truck drivers need to make good decisions in order to maintain good health. Being on the road may not always be conducive to healthy lifestyles. Truck drivers will need to work harder than people in more traditional careers to stay healthy.