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Eating Healthy On the Road: (4 Healthy Snacks for truck Drivers)

Healthy Snacks for Truck Drivers: (New Guide)

A balanced diet is a foreign concept to many truck drivers- and it’s not their fault. When you’re on the road, the options to eat healthily are rarely available, especially when your breaks are a few minutes long. Eating an unbalanced diet has many complications that follow soon, including obesity, high blood pressure, clogged arteries, and many more heart diseases. This blog is to give you ideas for healthy snacks for truck drivers!

Eating Healthy On the Road: (4 Healthy Snacks for truck Drivers)

1. Flavored yogurt

yogurt can quickly become your best friend, high in protein and packed with fruity flavors. If you’re looking for a snack that’s readily available no matter where you go, flavored yogurt is the end of your hunt. Yogurt is also enriched with calcium, which can help you fight against bad knees, backaches, and wrist pains.

This snack is highly nutritious and will leave your hunger satiated!

Just watch for added sugar and yogurt with “added fruit” which usually means a lot more sugar. Greek yogurt is a great choice that will keep you full and healthy.

2. Salad

The salad makes for an excellent healthy snack for truck drivers. Salads can provide you with carbohydrates, protein, vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber. This means you can avoid tummy troubles, acid reflux, and obesity while enjoying a delicious snack every time you’re hungry!

By salads, we mean the tasteful variations you can easily find in restaurant chains or carry with you from home! Chicken salad, turkey salad, Russian salad, and fruit salads are some easily prepared and available combinations you can enjoy.

Some of you say, “but Hope, I don’t like salad.” And the truth is, I don’t like many things, but I know it’s good for me. And I want to live the best life possible. Plus, the more you eat REAL food, your taste buds will change and like it too.

3. Fruits and berries

Fruits and berries are filled with antioxidants, natural sugar, and essential vitamins that our body needs to stay highly functioning and cognitive. Fruits like mangoes have high glucose levels and can energize you for long hours.

Berries such as strawberries and blueberries are filled with antioxidants that keep you agile, whereas bananas have anti-stress properties. You can easily enjoy a fruit snack on the road, whether you store it in Tupperware or buy one from the local grocery stores!

Berries are also low in sugar and are so yummy as a quick snack. So eat up; no one ever gained weight by eating berries.

4. Smoothies

Smoothies are one of the most widely available options that are also the healthiest to choose from! With smoothies, you can be as creative as you want and enjoy an endless list of flavors, making it enjoyable every time you complete one.

Smoothies hold the benefits of fruits and berries that we mentioned earlier and those of milk and yogurt. Rich in calcium, vitamins, protein, and carbohydrates, these drinks will be your best friend if you want flavor and health to go hand in hand.

Some of the most common places to get smoothies are close to highways and other transporting routes, so make sure to stop there the next time you’re on the road!

Conclusion

In this blog, we wanted to explore some healthy options that truck drivers can enjoy as snacks without worrying about their impact on their health. The four healthy snacks for truck drivers mentioned in this blog have been curated with a balanced diet in mind, and with that, we wish you happy traveling!

December 5, 2022/0 Comments/by pbeue

Four Ways To Cope When The Cost Of Living Skyrockets

Lifestyle

One of the scariest things happening right now, is the cost of living going up. It doesn’t matter whether you work full time, you work part-time, or you are burning yourself out and working seven days a week. Every single person is dealing with the cost of living crisis right now. It is normal for prices to gradually increase over time, but right now we are all watching in horror as energy prices, gas prices, food prices, car cost prices – everything – is going up. It’s all happening at once, and you need to know how to mentally cope with the changes that are happening right now. The worst part? The wages are not going up to match the new cost of living.

You need to be able to deal with the cost of living going up, and that is not an easy thing to do. Your mental health is likely to take a nosedive if you already worry about your income and your outgoings. The chances are that you are already stretched. You are already working hard to try to make ends meet. While we can’t fix the way you’re going to feel about the cost of living crisis, we can offer four ways for you to financially cope when the cost of living starts to skyrocket. Let’s take a look.

Start working on a new budget. If you’ve been getting letters telling you that your energy prices are rising, and you have noticed that the food prices in the supermarkets are going up, you need to start working on your new budget now. Create a spreadsheet or even just a handwritten list of all of the things that you pay for every month. A new budget now will help you to plan better later.

Make some swaps. As you go through your monthly expenses, you may notice that you could be making some swaps for cheaper items – non-branded food instead of branded, for example. You could look at getting an appraisal for your current car with Edmunds, and see whether or not you could afford a new car that’s secondhand and sell your old one. If you can understand the car prices better, you’ll be able to save money on how much you spend on your monthly car repayment. This may sound like a drastic idea, but with the cost of living going up the best thing to do is to free up a few hundred dollars every month. But of course, you don’t want to get rid of your Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Membership Platform and APP as it can replace a gym membership, DVDs, and training all from the comfort of your own truck!

Check your subscriptions. There is every chance that you are subscribing to services that you very rarely or no longer use. If that’s the case it’s time to stop spending money on them. Go through your bank accounts and see your regular repayments and then cut back. If you pay for the five different streaming services, then cut it down to one.
Add more income. If you’re good at baking, writing, sewing – really, any hobby – then you should monetize it when you can. Yes, you will be working harder than ever, but if it’s going to protect you from losing your home, then it’s one of the best things you can do.

No matter what the economy will do what it does and it is critical that you take time for yourself and also practice self-care so when tough decisions come around you are of sound mind and calm sports to do the next right thing!

March 22, 2022/0 Comments/by pbeue

Mobile Meals Made Healthy: Shrimp and Grits

Welcome to Mobile Meals Made Healthy!

Healthy trucker food doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or a figment of your imagination. Many drivers feel married to the truckstop food options, leaving them little to no wiggle room when it comes to variety and healthy eating. There are eight foods here at Mother Trucker Yoga that we think every driver should be carrying with them, and you can read about what they are inside Truckers Gear Guide.

But today is all about healthy trucker food you can make on the go. Cheryl Vickers is our featured foodie. She is a team driver with her husband and started working with Mother Trucker Yoga a year ago to help continue her health journey as a truck driver, and after looking for guidance on how to make that happen found Mother Trucker Yoga through the Driven to Be Healthy Challenge (You can join our second annual that starts August 30, 2021, HERE).

Cheryl has grown to love cooking on the truck, and after figuring out a little prep work and preparing before she leaves for the week making healthy meals from the truck has only gotten easier and more fun. And when she’s done cooking and enjoying delicious food, she is getting her Mother Trucker Yoga-approved moves in each day, she and her husband are down nearly 100 pounds combine and feeling better than they have in a long time.

Healthy Trucker Food: Shrimp and Grits

How to Make Trucker Approved Rice Grits

1 cup of Rice Grits
2 cups of Water
Pinch of Sea Salt
Garlic Powder

Healthy Trucker Food Shrimp and Grits Mother Trucker Yoga Blog

Directions for Shrimp and Grits

STEP 1: Rince the rice is possible

STEP 2: Combine the above ingredients

STEP 3: Let cook for 30 minutes or let simmer during your driving for a couple of hours

Healthy Trucker Food Shrimp and Grits Mother Trucker Yoga Blog 3

There are several different ways you can get your meal prepped while driving. One is to prep in the morning and lets your food simmer all day. The second is to make your meal for tomorrow the night before, let it simmer or cook in your crockpot or RoadPro Lunch Box, and then all you have to do is heat it for dinner the next day. And third is to prepare the morning of and let it simmer for a couple of hours while driving.

How to Make The Healthy Trucker Shrimp

STEP 1: Thaw shrimp

STEP 2: Peel and deveined (another option is to buy peeled, deveined, and precooked shrimp (I love ALDI’s).

STEP 3: Cut up onion, tomatoes, and bell peppers

STEP 4: Spray shrimp with either avocado or olive oil

STEP 5: Mix a pinch of sea salt, black pepper, garlic salt (or just garlic powder), paprika, and Italian seasoning

STEP 6: Mix shrimp, onion, tomatoes, bell peppers, and seasoning mixture together

STEP 7: Cook in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes (or use RoadPro LunchBox or other means for cooking)

STEP 8: After rice grits are cooked, add cheddar cheese and stir until cheese is melted

Healthy Trucker Food Shrimp and Grits Mother Trucker Yoga blog 2

How to Make Healthy Trucker Salad

STEP 1: Use your favorite greens

STEP 2: Shredded carrots, chop cucumbers, and grape tomatoes

STEP 3: Toss with raspberry vinaigrette dressing

Now eat Shrimp and Grits and Salad and ENJOY!

Healthy Trucker Food Shrimp and Grits Mother Trucker Yoga Blog 4

Healthy Trucker Food Cost

The total investment for this delicious dinner for 2:

Shrimp 1/2 pound $6.62

Rice grits $1.00

Cheese $ .50

Salad $5.00

Veggies $1.00

Total Cost $14.12 ÷ 2 = $7.06 each prep-time 10 minutes, cook time 30 minutes, clean-up 10 minutes. total 50 minutes

You can eat healthy as a truck driver. This recipe may seem a bit intimidating, but try this: make one component of this meal at a time, to get more comfortable and then make them as a meal. The biggest reason we think we can’t do things in life is not because of resources. It is because we have already told ourselves we can’t. I believe you can be healthy as a truck driver. You are just one meal away from realizing you can do this! To join Cheryl and others for more great recipes and healthy trucker food ideas, join our FREE community- Accelerate Your Health with Mother Trucker Yoga.

Check out other Mobile Meals Made Healthy:

Mobile Meals Made Healthy: Easy Truckers Roasted Veggies & Country-Style Ribs

August 12, 2021/0 Comments/by pbeue

Truck Driver Health: Vitamin C What You Need to Know

Healthy Eating for Truckers

Truck Driver Health is an Important Aspect of Healthy Living.

Out on the road, healthy foods can be hard to find, and that means that you may not be getting all the vital nutrients you need to stay healthy as a truck driver. Remember that old saying, “An orange a day keeps the doctor away”? OK, maybe it was an apple, but oranges are often a fruit that is readily available at most truck stops, which means you can get your Vitamin C anytime, anywhere. And your body will indeed thank you!

Attention Truck Drivers to Avoid Truck Driver Health Issues… Get your Vitamin C!

Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and is something our body does not store. Vitamin C is also known as Ascorbic acid and is found in fruits, vegetables, and animal products.

I can’t stress enough over how important it is for our health! It would be best if you had it daily to manage the physiological functions of your body. Yet so many people, truck drivers included just aren’t getting enough Vitamin C. Education plays a big role in making healthy choices. If you don’t know what foods contain certain vitamins, then how can you work to consume them. And furthermore, how can you prepare for your trip ahead if you don’t know what you should be buying, preparing, and packing? Don’t worry, Mother Trucker Yoga’s got your back!

Truck Driver Health Issues, What You Need to Know

Why do we need Vitamin C?

Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant and immunity booster that promotes cardiovascular health, growth of bones, wound healing, development and repair of body tissues, and skin rejuvenation. When we are stressed we lower our immune response, so make sure you are also practicing healthy stress relief habits and truck driver health issues may arise. Check out Mother Trucker Yoga’s 10 Ways to Reduce Stress. And don’t forget to breathe, your body depends on it.

But Vitamin C is also critical in the production of collagen, L-carnitine, and some neurotransmitters. It helps metabolize proteins, and its antioxidant activity may reduce the risk of some cancers. There are so many benefits to Vitamin C, and boy oh boy, does it taste good! If you are worried about the looks of fine lines and wrinkles, age spots, or losing that youthful vibe, then fear not; Vitamin C should be on your list of must have’s to keep your whole body healthy and in check. But this vital vitamin isn’t just for our youthful appearance; it also helps with muscle function, tone, and vitality. Our tissues feed on protein, water, and Vitamin C, and you need all three to keep your physical tone, strength, and elasticity healthy.

Did you know that Vitamin C helps produce collagen? That super important component to anti-aging and skin elasticity and is the main component of connective tissue and the most abundant protein in mammals. And when it comes to truck driver health, collagen is great to be getting as it is wonderful for our skin. Roughly 1 to 2% of muscle tissue is collagen. And it is an important component in fibrous tissues such as:

tendons
ligaments
skin
cornea
cartilage
bones
the gut
blood vessels

Getting your daily dose of Vitamin C will leave your tissues happy and healthy but don’t forget about the importance of stretching! When your tissues get the vital nutrition they need those aches and pains will start to fade away with a few good Mother Trucker Yoga stretches.

Types of Vitamin C

Other than natural Vitamin C found in fruits and vegetables, ascorbic acid is frequently used in supplements. Other Vitamin C types include:

Mineral ascorbates (Calcium ascorbate, sodium ascorbate, etc.)
Ascorbic acid with bioflavonoids
Other blended different forms (Ester-C containing ascorbate, dehydroascorbate, calcium threonate, xylonite, and lyxonate)

Don’t stress if you can’t get it fresh, as a truck driver you may need to supplement often and that is OK.

Truck Driver Health: Required Daily Amount of Vitamin C

Age	RDA
Infants (1-3 years)	15 mg
Children (4-9 years)	25 mg
Adolescents (9-13 years)	45 mg
Teens (14-18 years)	65-75 mg
Women (>19 years)	75 mg
Men (>19 years)	90 mg
Pregnant women	85 mg
Breastfeeding women	120 mg

“5 Vitamin C.” Institute of Medicine. 2000. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Selenium, and Carotenoids. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9810.

Health Benefits

If you are going to eat, you might as well eat something that packs a powerful punch with it. And foods that contain Vitamin C are nothing short of a POWERFUL PUNCH for your entire body’s health. Knowledge is power and when you know what your food can do for you, then you can make those healthier choices!

Boosts Immune System

Vitamin C is the core member of the fighting team against microbes. WBCs (Leucocytes) include a group of cells (Neutrophils, innate lymphoid cells, monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, and natural killer cells) whose function is to attack or engulf (phagocytosis) and then kill the pathogen.

But the actions of these warriors require the help of Vitamin C as its key function there is Phagocytosis (engulfment of a pathogen) and cellular mobility.

Heart Sweetheart

Vitamin C loves our heart and supports its health unconditionally. Research shows that adequate intake of Vitamin C lowers the LDL (bad cholesterol) levels and its antioxidant properties fight off the free radical damage.

Research shows that it can control blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels. As it carries the enzymatic reaction that synthesizes norepinephrine (from dopamine) which controls all these functions.

Boosts Energy Levels

Vitamin C levels in the body are directly linked to that of L-carnitine (amino-acid), which plays a huge role in energy production in the body.

Vision Patron

Research shows that Vitamin C promotes the health of retinal blood vessels. Vitamin C helps in maintaining connective tissue and collagen in the cornea of the eye.

Its daily adequate consumption (300mg) prevents cataracts and shows promising results in reducing the progression of macular degeneration into later stages.

Radiant Skin

Vitamin C has a crucial role in collagen production present in our skin. It hydrates the skin, fights wrinkles and aging factors, and makes your skin healthy and blossomy.

Truck Driver Health Mother Trucker Yoga Blog Trucker Health Vitamin C what you need

Sources of Vitamin C

You can find this critical vitamin in lots of different foods and my advice, try to eat a variety of healthy foods. As a truck driver access to certain foods may be challenging at times so don’t stress if you cannot get guava or kiwi fruit into your daily diet. My approach is to reach for the lowest hanging fruit (hehehehe) so you don’t end up stressing yourself out over not getting a large enough variety. What is available to you right now? What foods can travel well? What can I bring from home?

Fruits	Serving	Milligrams per serving
Lemon	1 fruit	44.5
Orange	1 large fruit	97.5
Kiwi fruit	1 fruit	64
Papaya	1 small fruit	97.6
Guava	1 cup, raw	377
Grapefruit juice	1 cup	93.9
Pineapple	1 cup chunks, raw	78.9
Mango	1 cup	60.1
Strawberries	1 cup, sliced	97.6
Tomato juice	1 cup, canned	170

Vegetables & spices	Serving	Milligrams per serving
Red Bell Pepper	Per 100 gm	80mg
Kale	1 cup	180mg
Broccoli	1 cup, raw	81.2
Potato	1 large	72.7
Brussels sprouts	1 cup, raw	74.8
Cauliflower	1 cup, raw	51.6
Cabbage	1 cup, raw	44 mg
Thyme	Per 100 gm	160 mg
Green chilli	1 green chilli	109 mg

Animal sources	Amount (mg/100 gm)
Lamb liver (fried)	12
Lamb heart (roasted)	11
Lamb tongue (stewed)	6
Calf adrenals (raw)	11
Human milk	4
Cow milk	2
Goat milk	2

Your health is your responsibility and that doesn’t need to be a scary thing. That can be a sweet opportunity for you to improve your health and turn lemons into lemonade!

January 18, 2021/0 Comments/by pbeue

Benefits of a Chiropractor for Travel

Lifestyle

Benefits of a Chiropractor for Travel

Natural and holistic therapies have taken the whole medical field on a roller coaster. There are many therapies under natural healing, which is commonly known as Chiropractic.

The seekers for back pain treatment are mending their way to chiropractic manipulation. 35 % of about 22 million Americans are visiting a Chiropractic practitioner with a complaint of backache. The reason for this can be any injury or long hours sitting jobs like truck drivers, office workers, etc. Going on a vacation can become such a painful nightmare is not good at all.

There are ways you can prevent this problem like exercising, adjusting posture, using Backshield, etc. But the effective treatment for back pain lies in a chiropractic practitioner’s hands.

I first experienced chiropractic care 15 years ago at the suggestion of a naturopath. I had hip issues and chronic back pain and I was only 19. After my first visit, I had no idea what was all twisted up and it all made sense. I had twelve vertebrae out of alignment for what appeared to be some time (because they did not go back willingly) and a twisted pelvis which explained my mysterious hip alignment issues. Coupled with specific yoga stretches and strengthening exercises over time I have been able to resolve the majority of my body’s alignment issues. Chiropractic care is not a fix-all, but when implemented, with a credible and knowledgeable doctor of chiropractics correctly and coupled with more specific lifestyle changes you can feel better, wherever you are.

What is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is an alternative or complementary medical practice that manages or treats the musculoskeletal system problems with the primary concern being the spine.

People generally refer to it as “Chiropractor Adjustment.” This adjustment is a quick yet gentle thrusting action or movement performed at spine areas in spasm, painful, or can’t move properly.

Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor Before Travel

Spinal manipulation is no-joke. It is a fantastic trick to prepare the back for the activity beforehand.

Imagine preventing or fixing a problem before its onset. How thrilling and enticing it would be? Chiropractic treatment works the same way.

Chiropractors search for the red zone areas to remove any obstruction in the way which manipulates the spine into a different exercise.

Starting the visit beforehand will make your trip more relaxing and luxurious.

And I understand that some may feel different about chiropractic care and to that, I will say that there are good and bad to everything. And I suggest you research who you go to see prior to your first appointment.

Benefits of Chiropractic Care After Travel

Chiropractor spine care mother trucker yoga blog post

Traveling leaves us feeling lethargic, muscle soreness, bearing backache, and unenergized. It takes days to get back to the norms while our body is readjusting itself into its old shape while not completely adjusting in the travel mode.

Vacations are fun only when we are healthy. It is no fun to return from the vacations with a burden of pains and soreness. And for truck drivers, when everyday travel, every day you are at the wheel, and every day you are sleeping on the road, pain, and soreness seems to be a regular part of life.

Here comes the Chiropractic therapy for your rescue. If you didn’t visit a chiropractic practitioner before going on vacation, you could do it after returning home. It is better late than never. If getting in to see the chiropractor isn’t on your list of things to do prior to going back out on the road, you may want to consider that tune-up before leaving.

If you didn’t know, TA Petro has chiropractors on duty at several travel centers. For a list of truck stops with these amenities, they have that available on their site! Take advantage of these amenities when you can. It can be tricky trying to do things like what appears everyone else is. But when you live over the road, that isn’t possible. Take refuge in the services others are doing their best to provide for you. A chiropractor, while you fill up with fuel, sounds like a win to me.

Dissolving the Knots

With prolonged sitting, muscles of the neck or back tend to get kinky and painful. A chiropractor can help dissolve those knot-like structures and reduce the pain. Think of those knots as a ball of rubber bands that has been a ball for so long that the rubber bands are not sticking together. A good chiropractor will not only put your bones back in place but also access the muscles and tissues that surround those misaligned bones and work to release and reduce those boulders in the roadways of our tissues. This is one reason why I love techniques coupled with a chiropractor like a massage, or self-massage and stretching.

Unwind the sore muscles

Traveling for some people means the restriction of their mobility. Continuous sitting for an extended period puts much pressure and strain on your muscles to adapt, which leaves them sore after all the hard work. The average person sits for 12 hours a day, and the fourth leading risk factor to mortality is physical inactivity or being sedentary. That’s 3.2 billion people each year dying from physical inactivity.

A chiropractor can effortlessly remove the restrictions hindering the body’s mobility. The manipulation will make you feel like you can move freely and have no muscle tension while stretching them. And in addition, seeking out chiropractic care can help reduce symptoms, pain, discomfort, and even eliminate issues like sciatica, piriformis syndrome, cramping, plantar fasciitis, neck or back pain, sleep issues, and more.

Sound sleep

We know the backache has got no chill, no matter in the day or night time. Overstock here is that it gets worse at night when the body starts to relax and rewind. Even if you are feeling fine in the day, it will catch up to you at night.

A chiropractor can help with your sleeping problems by relieving the strain and pressure on your body. The adjustment makes you feel relaxed and pain-free. And those adjustments can help with blood flow, the release of pinched nerves which all control different aspects of the body. So your sleep issues may not be just because you are an over the road traveler.

I want to encourage you to do your research, educate yourself, and talk to people who have experienced chiropractor visits. Listen to their experience. Like anything in life, there are good and bad. People that have the touch of an angel and those that should not be doing what they are doing. I am certain there are truck drivers out there that should not be behind the wheel, yoga teachers that should never step foot on a mat again at the risk of hurting someone. But your health is really in your hands, and when given the opportunity to let someone else’s hands assist down that path to health and happiness, I want to encourage you to give it a try.

Have you read…

Can yoga help with back pain for travelers? – Blog

Have you tried it?…

STIFF Mother Trucker Pain Relief Cream!

October 13, 2020/0 Comments/by pbeue

What is Plantar Fasciitis & What to Do About It

Trucker Fitness, Yoga for Truckers

What is Plantar Fasciitis & What to Do About It

I never had ANY issues with my feet until I was pregnant. Plantar Fasci.. Who? And it was right about that time that I began my journey of diving into the body. Not yoga poses. Not fancy exercises, but how the body moves and why it moves the way it does. How we are an adaptation of our environment over time and things don’t necessarily happen to us, they accumulate within us.

To be honest, you don’t catch plantar fasciitis like you do an airborne virus. Your body moves or doesn’t move, it adapts to the environment you put it in and it responds. When your muscles scream, cramp, tighten, clench, sag, freeze they are responding. The question is, are you listening?

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

But what IS plantar fasciitis? Plantar fasciitis means the inflammation in the muscular band around the sole, which supports the arch. It is the main reason for pain at the bottom of the heel. And that plantar tendon is then connected to your achilles tendon, which then connects in with your calf muscles, to your hamstrings to then your sacrotuberous ligament and so on (that was a mouth full). My point…everything is connected. Our bodies are not separate parts, we are not parts, we are whole. And when we are in pain, like foot pain, we cannot just look at the area screaming. We must step back and look at the entire canvas and how that canvas moves or doesn’t move. If someone was to be holding a gun pointed at another who would be screaming, the shooter or the victim? The victim is the bottom of your foot, the persecutor is the cause of it.

In modern busy lives, one is always on his feet. Our heels are constantly under the pressure of our daily life hustles. This pressure ultimately damages or tears your foot ligaments resulting in pain and stiffness under the sole. And furthermore, the long bouts of sitting, tightening of the calves and hamstrings coupled with extreme fitness shortens and tightens those areas causing a pulling and aggravating pain.

Causes of Plantar Fasciitis

During the later months of pregnancy, women carry a lot of weight on their feet and are more at risk for Plantar Fasciitis.

Men and women between the age group of 40-70 years and majorly women among them are at higher risk for Plantar Fasciitis.

Obese individuals, due to high pressure on their heels and repetitive tensile overload from walking, standing, or squatting, are more prone to the inflammation of the muscle band around their heels.

Certain activities or exercises that include running, dancing on heels or ballet dancing, skating, aerobic dance, inadequate stretching, or walking long-distance without a proper pair of shoes, etc.

Pronation (walking in a way that your whole body weight tends to be on the inside of your foot) is one major cause of Plantar Fasciitis.

Long term sitting with minimal bouts of movement, stretching or activity.

People with structural foot abnormality (Foot Mechanics) like flat feet, protruded, or extended heel bone or high arches usually suffer from Plantar Fasciitis. Weak plantar flexor muscles and intrinsic muscles of the foot are the bio-mechanic causes of Plantar Fasciitis.

Certain occupations that involve excessive use of feet or dynamic jobs like teachers, factory workers, police, labor, etc. are at higher risks.

Heel spurs were implicated as one of the causes of Plantar Fasciitis. It was later clarified that this is a very weak association and may not necessarily be a cause of Plantar Fasciitis.

Symptoms

Stabbing pain and tenderness in the heel is the typical symptom of Plantar Fasciitis.

The pain can be triggered by a long period of standing.

The pain generally kicks off after exercise as the pain flares up due to increased irritation or inflammation but doesn’t show any symptoms during exercise.

The nature of pain may vary from person to person. It can be dull or sharp, burning or ache in the heel.

The pain is commonly worse in the morning. You will feel a wave of pain the moment you take your first step out of bed. Climbing stairs would be the last thing you want to do as it aggravates the pain to a higher extent.

Management

Statistically, stretching is believed to give the best long-term results at home.

Calf and arch stretch

Sit on the bed with straight legs.
Take a folded towel (or a strap or belt)
Hold the ends with both hands.
Place the balls of your feet in the middle of the towel and pull back the towel/belt flexing the foot (place the towel over the ball of the foot).
Hold this for 30 seconds with a rest interval of 30 seconds and repeat this 3 times. Or hold until tension passes.

Seated Forward Bend with Strap to Stretch Arches, Calves, and Hamstrings

Downward Facing Dog

Start down on all fours.
Take a deep breath in and lift your knees.
Without walking your hands back, press up through your arms and shoulders.
Exhale and draw your belly in and lift your hips high.
Let your heels sink towards the ground and “walk the dog” by alternating lifting and lowering each heel and bending the opposite knee.
If you are feeling tight, bend the knees (the goal is not to have straight legs, but to feel a stretch).
NOTE: Try Half Downward Dog on the step of your truck. Does your truck step need an upgrade? In need of more grip? >Shop NOW<

Half Down Dog on Truck Step

Downward Facing Dog

Roll the arch on our Massage Roller Stick

Keep a ball or our massage roller stick by your bedside.
Roll your foot on the ball three times for 1 minute with 30 seconds of the rest interval.
Do this exercise after waking up and before going to bed.
NOTE: Your feet may feel tender due to wearing shoes too frequently and not stimulating the muscles in the feet often enough.

mother trucker yoga massage roller feet

Manual Stretch

Before taking your first step out of bed, stretch and massage your feet manually with the help of your fingers.

Treatment

NSAIDs
Stretching
Formal physical therapy
Night splints
Custom orthotics
Corticosteroid injections
Platelet-rich plasma injections
Botulinum toxin injections
Fasciotomy
Topical Pain Relief Cream – STIFF Mother Trucker

Stiff Mother Trucker Pain Relief Cream in Hand

Thank you to BUD & TONY’S TRUCK PARTS for being the sponsor of this blog.

Are you ready to try out Mother Trucker Yoga’s Half Down Dog on the step of your truck but you need an upgrade?

Bud & Tony’s Truck Parts got you covered! They have dozens of selections perfect for your rig!

See what they have waiting for your ride!

September 12, 2020/0 Comments/by pbeue

7 Rules of Life to Stay Positive

Lifestyle

7 Rules of life to stay positive and focused on what matters.

Sometimes we need to stop and remember what’s important. Now I know that seems a bit cliche, but when we…

Re-focus

Re-evaluate

Re-connect

We can then see life in an entirely different light. And that can mean new opportunities. New friendships, and new efforts put forward. And as a result, we are more positive towards life and what comes our way.

To all our friends out there… It’s about the little things, and the small mental shifts we can make today to help us make better choices and decisions tomorrow!

What is your favorite out of our list here?

Mother Trucker Yoga’s 7 Rules to Life to Stay Positve:

Mother Trucker yoga 7 rules for life blog post

1. Make peace with your past so it won’t disturb your future.

You are the only one holding onto your past with a tightly clenched fist. Loosen your grip, you might be surprised at what happens when you do. By holding onto the past you never get the opportunity to be present which is the real gift.

2. What other people think of you is none of your business.

It can be easy to get consumed with what others thing. But opinions are like a$$ holes, everyone has one and nothing good ever really comes out of them (insert humor). My point, what others think of you doesn’t matter. Most people’s opinions of others or life is a pure reflection of them and how they think of themselves. So focus on you, my friend.

3. The only person in charge of your happiness is you.

We can look to others for inspiration, for support even for ideas or help. But you are the only person who gets to decide your level of happiness. And much of that is determined on how you look at life and yourself in it. It’s what Carol Dweck calls a fixed mindset vs. a growth mindset. If you always tell yourself you will never be happy, then you will never be happy. If you always say you can’t be healthy or fit when you are a truck driver, then you will never be a health and fit truck driver. If you say you are not good at math, then you will never be good at math. If you want to be happy, then choose to be happy.

4. Don’t compare your life to others. Comparison is the thief of joy.

I believe that we walk one path, and it’s when we try to hop over to everyone else’s and walk theirs too that we get stressed out, we strikeout, and feel left out. Other people’s lives are theirs to live. Yours is yours. And when we compare we rob ourselves of all the progress and uniqueness we have to offer the world. You don’t know their past, their struggles, or what they had to do step by step to get where they are. So keep your eyes on your own path. Look out for help and encouragement, but not to judge yourself or your progress.

5. Time heals almost everything. Give it time.

It is true, time does heal(s) (almost) all wounds. My advice, stop looking at the wound. Look up and see there is a lot of other life to be lived. When my daughter died, I was crushed, frozen, and empty inside. But there did come a point where I had to look up and keep moving forward for her. And in time, the wound of her loss began to heal, it’s still there, but now I have chosen to do something different with it. You can do that too.

6. Stop thinking so much. It’s alright not to know all the answers.

It is my experience that we as a culture like to overthink things. Overanalyze things. But thinking too much leads to a lack of action and a lack of useable solutions. There comes a point where we must stop out of our heads and into the field and give it a try. Move even blindly at times, but the results of that will always be far greater than only having thought about it. Because now you know.

7. Smile. You don’t own all the problems in the world.

No one ever said you have to carry everyone else’s problems on your shoulders. Smile. Smile often. For one entire day, smile at everyone you see, everyone you meet. And see how different you see the world. But even more, see the ripple effect you can do for someone else who may also be feeling the need to carry things that aren’t theirs to carry.

These are just seven ideas to help you see life a little differently. It’s easy to be bombarded by the media. To be overwhelmed with everything that is going wrong that we forget to look out and see what is going right. The voices in my head like to keep me stuck, unhappy, and overwhelmed. But over time I have learned to stop listening, or at least drown them out. I suggest you consider doing the same. I am positive you will see more good, more smiles, and more opportunities in life than you did before.

What are other life tips you have that you’d like to share?

Feeling motivated to move more? Looking to stay positive in life? Check out Mother Trucker Yoga blog post on travel exercise.

August 15, 2020/0 Comments/by pbeue

Attention Truckers: Step It Up with Interval Walking

Lifestyle, Trucker Fitness

Attention truckers let’s stet it up with interval walking.

This is a perfect way to increase your efforts to add more movement into your day?

Maybe you are getting the toning or even stretching you need, but the cardio just isn’t there.

And it can be challenging. As someone who travels on and off quite a bit. The neighborhood can look a bit sketchy when it comes to getting out for a walk.

I have no trouble hoofing it in the airport with a roller bag in tow. But I know what you are thinking. Hope I’m usually pulled over in a truck stop parking lot, where do I go now?

And that’s a great point. Good news! Truck stops like TA Petro have roughly had 211 truckstops and of them have 171 have walking trails!

So depending on where you are located and where you drive regularly. At least you know there are some options made available!

But no matter what:

You’ve got feet.
You’ve got asphalt/parking lot
A few minutes to burn on a break or parked for the night.

On an average day, you want to walk close to 10,000 steps. However, the average American barely walks 3,000-4,000 steps per day. Which is roughly 1.5 to 2 miles. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends you walk an average of 150 minutes a week!

Let’s do the math. That’s roughly 21.7 minutes PER DAY! That’s it!

So between you and me. We got this! And let us turn up the heat a bit so you can get the most bang out of your stride every single time!

Interval Walking Check List:

Protocol: Start small and simple. Try 5 minutes of easy walking. Next, you want to increase intensity only about 15% for 4 minutes. And continue to do so every 4 minutes. Keep going until you reach your maximum amount of available walk time. And don’t forget to include a 2-5 minute cool down walk as well.

Example: 5 minutes of easy walking -> 15% increase for 4 minutes (total time 9 minutes) -> 15% increase for 4 minutes (total time 13 minutes) -> 15% increase for 4 minutes (total time 17 minutes) -> 15% increase for 2 minutes -> decrease to original pace for 2-5 minutes (total time 21-24 minutes)

Walking is a simple yet often overlooked form of exercise. If you don’t want to end up in a wheelchair when you are older. Then get out of the chair now! This doesn’t mean you have to go out and get a gym membership, become a yogi, or join Cross Fit.

NBC News.com posted an article discussing how walking is the MOST underrated form of exercise. And I couldn’t agree more. “Walking can be as good as a workout, if not better than running,” says Dr. Matt Tanneberg, CSCS, a sports Chiropractor and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist in Phoenix, Arizona who works with elite athletes. “You hear of people ‘plateauing’ when they continue to do the same workout routine and stop seeing results. I see patients all the time that plateau from running, they will run the same distance, speed and time, day in and day out. You need to constantly be switching up your exercise routine in order to get the maximum benefit for your health.”

What should the level of intensity be?

1 being no exertion at all

15 being maximal exertion

Start at about a 5 – “Light”. Much like a warm-up in an exercise class.

And each increase, bump yourself up one exertion level.

Think of the goal to get to 10- “Hard”. Where the workout feels difficult, but you can keep going.

Every little bit counts.

Can’t do 20 minutes straight? Consider five minutes and increase rate each minute after minute for 3 minutes, with a cool down minute at minute five.

Interval walking is great for weight-loss. And if increasing your interval like above seems a bit much. Reduce the time and consider adding in 30 second rest periods.

In that same article NBC News posted John Ford, certified exercise physiologist, who runs JKF Fitness & Health in New York City. commented that: “In fact, walking is the suggested workout over running for many people. For example, those with knee, ankle and back problems and also for people who are overweight to obese. Walking is a lower impact exercise and can be done for longer periods of time.”

The only excuses are the ones you make up in your head. It doesn’t matter if all you can do is one minute of walking and then you have to take a break. Because it all adds up. And the biggest critic is the one inside that head. And I want to tell you it’s all lies. You can do this! Walking can be fun. And it’s free!

When we tell ourselves we need to exercise or workout, what we are doing is putting that into a box. And in that box are stipulations around how that box should or should not be used. I want to encourage you to take exercise out of that box and see it has movement. Challenge yourself every day to move more. And do not mistake walking as just something you do. Because without walking the world is no longer accessible to you in the way you want. Walking is your independence, your freedom, your gateway into the world on many levels. So get out and walk today. The more you do it, the more you will want to do it!

References:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/10000-steps/art-20317391

https://www.verywellfit.com/how-to-use-interval-walking-to-lose-weight-3495456

https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/why-walking-most-underrated-form-exercise-ncna797271

June 17, 2019/4 Comments/by pbeue

Trucker Fitness: Expectations vs. Reality

Trucker Fitness

Trucker Fitness: Expectations vs. Reality IS something that needs to be discussed because it IS tricky to stay fit and healthy while on the road. But with a little planning ANYONE, can improve their over the road lifestyle.

Now lets be clear: I am not a trucker. But I have had the privilege of working with drivers over the last fifteen plus years locally in my Wisconsin yoga studio. And now hundreds of drivers through Mother Trucker Yoga.

And as someone who does travel quite a bit, fitness on the go has to be a priority or, it can fall to the bottom of the list quickly.

Fitness first.

Let me say that again: fitness first.

I don’t care how old you are, how stiff, overweight, arthritic , what your gender, skin color or what brand of truck you drive. Fitness first.

And to be even more clear: Fitness does not mean you have to be the most fit. And it surely does not mean you have to chisel out 60 consecutive minutes each day to qualify for such a badge.

When many hear “fitness” they instantly think long workouts, classes, and getting to the gym. But for most drivers that is not reality.

Reality is, you if you are a driver, then… wait for it… you are driving for most, if not all of the day or all night.

But wedged in between tough traffic and arranging your load are small bouts of time where you CAN insert fitness.

Yes! You, the one who rolled your eyes at the sight of my website titled: Mother Trucker Yoga, but were intrigued enough to read on CAN be fit while being a truck driver.

I’ve done a lot of research, I mean a LOT of research when it comes to fitness, and what I call everyday functional fitness. Meaning: movements that make sense for your life and lifestyle and enhance your abilities to keep doing what you love and assist in you living life.

So that means for you- AKA the truck driver, that trucker fitness IS a reality and can be achieved. If you are open minded enough to start to make some small yet powerful changes to your every day life.

Exercises for Truck Drivers (small changes you can make to improve your health):

Stretching your fingers and wrists against the steering wheel to help combat tightness and arthritis in those very necessary joints.
Twisting your entire spine on purpose when reaching for your seat belt and buckling up- because it’s the law.
Stepping up into your rig, and instead of doing those two steps just once and in. Creating your own stair climber and for a minute straight stepping up and down as quick and safely as you can.
Filling up with fuel and down dogging it like no one is watching (like the Half Dog pictured below). And if they are… Asking them to join.

These are just a few ways you can create a reality around fitness for YOUR lifestyle.

When I dove deep into research on yoga and fitness for truckers I found a few videos with someone standing next to a truck doing push ups or jumping rope. And for the one app I downloaded, it was again someone doing jumping jacks next to a big rig, toe touches and then a few demonstrations of sit ups. That with all my research on core health, I wanted to come through the phone and offer some tips on how to safely and more effectively work your core.

Today, I want you to not over think fitness. Consider what you can insert into your already busy day. What moments (and that is all it takes) do you have that you can make a conscious effort to insert a quick move here or there.

Mother Trucker Yoga’s whole premise is 3 – 5 minute EASY moves explained for the drivers body for a move that make sense and you can feel the difference with. Why? So you can keep doing what you love with less pain.

So don’t be distracted by someone telling you you NEED 60 minutes of exercise daily. And what they mean is hitting the gym for 60 straight minutes.

What I’m telling you today is if you add a move here, and a move there and a few moves at the end of the day right inside your rig. You WILL feel the difference! And as a result start to make more positive changes to your life.

Because every little movement adds up! And we are meant to move. Not just once a day for 60 minutes. But all day long. And Mother Trucker Yoga is here to show you that it CAN be done! And currently truckers all over the US are incorporating this very idea into their day with BIG results.

So what is one move, one thing you can add to your day today?

What one move?

For just a few minutes?

Master that move.

And before you know it, fitness will become a reality.

April 29, 2019/2 Comments/by pbeue

60 Benefits of Yoga for Truckers

Yoga for Truckers

Yoga has been around for more than 5,000 years, but it has transformed into many things over the last decade.

So what is yoga?

To some it is exercise and stretching.

To others is quiet time, and relaxation.

And to others it looks like a contortion practice that they will never be able to achieve.

To me, it is a lifestyle. An opportunity to get quiet, move your body, and listen to something I believe many of us are lacking and craving in this overstimulated world. Yoga is something that any truck driver, making long hauls day after day, could benefit from.

For the average trucker, who couldn’t use a little time to stretch, relax and decompress?

Yoga for Truckers - Warrior II

Here are 60 Benefits of Yoga for Truckers (Reasons to Make Mother Trucker Yoga Part of Your Daily Life):

Yoga improves flexibility
Strengthens muscles, conditioning us from arthritis and back pain
Aids in realigning the spine & help to distribute weight evenly
Yoga moves all 300 joints
Helps to keep your spinal disks supple giving them the nutrients they need.
Yoga offers natural weight-bearing exercise, increasing bone density
Gets your blood flowing, getting more oxygen to your cells and helps boost hemoglobin & red blood cells.
Assist in increasing the drainage of lymph, helping to destroy & fight cancerous cells
Yoga gets your heart rate up lowering the risk of heart disease
Yoga gets you breathing
Lowers blood pressure
Yoga lowers cortisol levels, helping with long term memory, also fighting depression
Turns up the heat to help to burn calories
Gets you to become more conscious of your being: eating, social, presence
Can lower blood sugar & LDL & boosts HDL (“good” cholesterol)
Improves coordination, reaction time, memory and even IQ
Helps you to relax, shifting from the sympathetic to the parasympathetic nervous system
The practice can aid in increasing body awareness
Yoga reduces chronic tension, muscle fatigue, soreness in the wrists, arms, shoulders, neck & face.
Becomes a way to cope with the business of life
Can improve immune function
Helps to expand lung function and breathing capacity above the normal 18%
Yoga and meditation help to build awareness
Helps to reduce anger and replaces it with compassion
Yoga helps to change self-image
Helps you stand and sit a bit taller
Can assist you in breaking free from dependencies in life and addictions
Can help release emotional tensions
Assists one break away from the ego
Can naturally lubricates joint
Yoga increases the recovery rate of the body
Reduces the effects of aging
Helps with increasing coordination
Is an effective ways to cope with stress
Improves endurance
Teaches you nothing is impossible and everything is attainable at some level
Can help to warm the extremities
Increases heat that can then kill bacteria in the body
Can normalizes and stimulates endocrine glands (thyroid) activity by compression & decompression of the neck)
Increases the serotonin to the brain lifting your mood
Teaches you how to build and attain goals
The practice invites what is unconscious to the surface so it can be integrated into conscious awareness
Helps cultivate self-love
Works on all 700 muscles: strengthening, stretching, toning
Can aid in regulating hormonal activity
Assists your meditation practice
Yoga can teach us how to act without judgment & help us to truly flourish in life
Yoga helps reduces the risks of heart disease
Can assist in stimulating the organs of elimination, promoting regular bowel movements
The nervous system is toned an the lumbar nerve plexus is stimulated, promoting overall vitality of the kidneys and reproductive organs
Can be a natural way to reduce and eliminate bloating, abdominal discomfort and fatigue
Helps release shoulder tension
Helps cultivate body awareness
Promotes self-discipline, only you know if you are challenging yourself or not
Refreshes blood flow to the brain refreshing our thinking process and mental attitudes
Helps to regulate menstruation, reducing pain, discomfort & mood fluctuation
Can help assist women through the transition into menopause naturally and easily
The practice helps cultivate contentment
Can be practiced anywhere
Finally, yoga is about you a practice ultimately created by you, for you and to benefit you-a lifestyle approach

Let’s not forget the opportunity that yoga has to offer you.

While out on the road, movement can be limited and stress can be high. So it could be a natural solution to both. Time to decompress and breathe, all the while stretching and meeting some of the daily movement requirements of the body.

More than 80 percent of truckers who started on a yoga exercise plan reported reduced stress as a result of practicing yoga. Read more about the benefits of yoga and statistics related to the trucking industry here.

Mother Trucker Yoga isn’t fancy. And it’s no where near complicated. Mother Trucker Yoga is created with simple, easy moves that directly target a truckers biggest concerns while sneaking in some much needed stress relief, breathing and enhanced sleeping opportunities.

Because honestly, who out there doesn’t want to feel at least a little better than they currently do?

What if 3-5 minutes could make all the difference?

And when you do it regularly, imagine how you could feel then?

Don’t be shy about considering adding a little yoga into your life. Because Mother Trucker Yoga wants you to keep on trucking. And one of the best ways you can keep on trucking, is with a little (Mother Trucker) yoga in your life!

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April 12, 2019/2 Comments/by pbeue

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