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Driver Fitness: Building Up Strength without Push-Ups

In our twenties, we typically feel invincible, like we can do anything and are unbreakable. Then in our thirties, we may feel minor wear and tear, but we are at the peak of our lives for the most part. But by age forty, fifty, and sixty, the ability to carry loads of life the way we used to start shows signs of weakness both mentally and physically.

Yet for many when it comes to the idea of strength and truckers, the idea of a trucker workout or driver fitness is often push-ups, cardio, and extreme fitness. Building strength woman or man does not have to be this and in my opinion, is an outdated way of taking back your health.  

Life can often get busier; we have more responsibilities and more things pulling at our focus. Being assertive is an inner game just as it is an outer game, and the two often play off each other. They sacrifice exercise, movement, and mental wellness to meet many of the additional needs’ demands. 

If you feel exhausted, mentally spent, short-tempered, distracted, lacking excitement for life, even showing signs of depression, you don’t need more rest; what you need is to feel strong again. 

Whether you are a truck driver, someone who sits at a computer all day, or on your feet doing every task known to man, when you don’t physically feel strong, it impacts how you feel mentally. Which in turn affects how you live your life.

Many think yoga is just stretching or meditating. Still, yoga is a total body experience that many do not fully understand until they participate in the first, second, and even tenth time. 

The Importance of Building Up Strength? 

Why focus on exercises and movements that build muscle? As we age, we lose three to five percent of our muscle mass each decade after age thirty. But if you aren’t doing anything to maintain what you have, that number only grows, and your body loses muscle, that is. It’s a misconception to build muscles. It would help if you lifted heavyweights. Research has proven that after age thirty, switching to lighter weights or focusing on resistance training has a more powerful impact on your physical body and decreases the chances of getting injured. And building up strength without push-ups doesn’t have to be complicated and can be easy and fun. There are more ways than heavyweights to build your strength back up. 

Don’t forget the impact of feeling physically strong has back on your mental state. Even if t weight feels heavy or the Plank feels shaky, the effect it has on your brain, thoughts, feelings, and outlook on life is nothing short of transformative. Working out regularly for just 20 minutes can boost long-term memory by 10%. It also improves cognitive function by increasing blood flow to the brain and slowing down dementia.

What is Strength Training/Exercise?

Strength training, typically known as weight or resistance training, is an anaerobic exercise that includes the breakdown of glucose (sugar) for energy without oxygen to consider free-loads, weight machines, or resistance training. Weight training can be utilized to reinforce and build up significant muscles, like the legs, back, glutes, chest, shoulders, arms, and midsection. These muscles are all needed in daily tasks and help reduce pain. Stretching allows our body to release tightness, pulling, and snags in our tissues that could be causing pain and discomfort. But building strength also allows us to reduce pain and discomfort by ensuring the muscles in our body supporting us are at peak performance and up for the job. 

Benefits

I believe taking care of your body is about balance. Not that fancy balance where life is a walk in the park talk. But balance where you give your body a little bit of everything. A few stretches, a dash of cardio-like walking, or even stepping up and down off your step while you are parked all count. But let’s not forget the need to build and maintain your strength. 

When we focus on building up strength and toning our muscles we:

  • Make the muscles of the whole body more substantial.
  • Stimulate bone growth.
  • Lower blood sugar level
  • Help in maintaining weight.
  • Improve posture and balance.
  • Reduce mental fatigue.
  • Improve memory.
  • Improve oxygen to the brain through more regular breathing.

 Driver Fitness: Building Up Strength without Push-Ups

There are many ways to build up strength no matter your age, and when you live over the road as a truck driver, you often have to use what you ha e. Not every driver has to time, means, or ability to pull over and park near Planet Fitness or have a total weight or gym set up in their truck. Many carrying around dumbbells or fancy equipment is not first on their necessity list when packing their vehicle for their next trip.

1.Planks on the step of your truck  

Throw on a pair of gloves and use your truck steps or your frame steps on your trailer to set your body up for these quick moves. Driver fitness doesn’t have to be complicated or take a lot of time.

Your body weight is an excellent way to maintain strength and it up as well  Plus moves like this require no extra equipment to travel with, but if you did have the equipment, make sure you have a secure toolbox to store it in on your truck. Try adding in a side plank, leg lifts, and arm lifts while in a plank- you’ll feel it. 

Driver Fitness: Building Up Strength without Push-Ups mother Trucker yoga blog plank

2.Bicep Curls, Tricep Extensions, and Shoulder Overhead Press

You don’t need a zillion moves for a healthy dose of driver fitness, just a few good ones to keep you moving powerfully. If you are traveling and tight on space, swap out an actual hand-weight for two wrenches or something heavy inside your truck. No one said fancy is necessary and when it comes to building up strength without push-ups, don’t stress, there are more ways to skin a cat.

Try to do ten reps of each move one to three times a day. With all that sitting at the wheel, posture and upper body strength and tone can begin to fade. Ensure you have a supportive seat and your steering wheel at the proper height not to cause shoulder or neck pain, But when you aren’t driving, you snuck in a few quick strength-building moves that you can do anywhere in under five minutes. 

Driver Fitness: Building Up Strength without Push-Ups overhead extension mother trucker yoga blog

3.Resistance Band Training 

resistance band training mother trucker yoga blog hope zvara

 

There are all sorts of fancy resistance band kits available for purchase, but you don’t need them. For best success, purchase a six to eight-foot physical therapy grade resistance band, a door loop, and a loop band to get the job done. 

Try incorporating moves with a loop band for great leg toning and resistance training. The great thing about resistance training when it comes to driver fitness is that you can easily travel with this equipment and practice the driver fitness moves anywhere.

resistance bands workout mother trucker yoga blog hope zvara

PURCHASE OUR BAND TRAVEL KIT

Next time you are at the track, stop threading your resistance band through the door loop, close the door, grab each side, and pull down. Get creative, try using one arm and pull, or create a combo and as you pull on the resistance band, add a squat. You can quickly build hip and leg strength with a loop band by placing it around your ankles and walking ten paces forward and back or doing a lap around your truck.

Adding in resistance band work a few times a week, even just five minutes, you will notice a difference in posture, strength, and a reduction in joint pain. And remember it’s easy to build up strength without push-ups and resistance bands can help you with that. Now that you have a few strategies to build up strength without push-ups I can’t wait to hear how your next truck driver workout goes. 

 

No matter what type of strength training you choose to incorporate into your day as a driver, the most important thing is that you add it in. Paying attention to your physical strength and feeding your physical body what it needs will also benefit how you feel mentally. If you want to improve your mental wellness and mental strength, consider adding a few moves to build up your physical strength first. Before you know it, your mind and body will feel like they are twenty again but with the wisdom of a forty, fifty, or sixty years old. 

Happy Moving!

 

It’s time to take care of yourself. Here at Mother Trucker Yoga, we believe in the small simple changes that lead to the big results, so that you can feel good again. Join our family and enroll in our Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Membership Platform & APP use the code: MTY30 for a FREE 30 DAYS!

 

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How to Avoid Injury When Working Out: Safety Tips

It’s no secret that working out can be great for your health. But if you’re not careful, you can easily injure yourself. This blog post will discuss some safety tips to help you avoid injury when working out. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced athlete, these tips will help keep you safe and healthy.

Via Pexels

Warm Up and Cool Down

One of the most important things you can do to avoid injury is to warm up and cool down properly. A good warm-up will increase your heart rate and body temperature, which will help prepare your muscles for activity. A cool-down, on the other hand, will help your body recover from the workout and prevent excessive soreness.

 

Stretch

Stretching is another important way to reduce your risk of injury. Before working out, take a few minutes to stretch all of the major muscle groups that you’ll be using. This will help improve your range of motion and flexibility, reducing your risk of injury.

 

Choose the Right Exercise

Not all exercises are suitable for everyone. Choosing an activity appropriate for your fitness level and health condition is essential. If you have any injuries or medical conditions, be sure to consult with your doctor before starting a new workout routine.

 

Use Good Form

Using good form is essential for preventing injury. When lifting weights, for example, be sure to use a controlled motion and avoid jerking the weights. If you’re unsure how to do an exercise correctly, ask a certified personal trainer from a reputable organization for help. You can click here for different fitness certifications available.

Know The Difference Between Good and Bad Pain

There’s a difference between the excellent pain of a challenging workout and the bad pain of an injury. It’s essential to be able to distinguish between the two. Good pain is usually muscle soreness after a day or two. This is called delayed onset muscle soreness, and it’s nothing to worry about. Bad pain, however, is sharp or persistent pain that doesn’t go away. This could be a sign of an injury. If you’re ever in doubt, it’s always best to consult with a medical professional.

 

Listen to Your Body

It’s essential to listen to your body and pay attention to any pain or discomfort you may feel. If something doesn’t feel right, stop doing the exercise and consult with a medical professional. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

 

Rest and Recovery

After a workout, you must rest your body so your muscles can recover. Avoid working out too often or intensely, as this can lead to overtraining and injury. Make sure to get plenty of sleep and eat a healthy diet to support your recovery.

 

Nutrition

Eating a healthy diet is vital for overall health, but it’s also crucial for preventing injury. Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains will help improve your joint and bone health. Getting enough protein is also essential, as it helps repair muscle tissue.

 

Following these safety tips will help you avoid injury when working out. Remember to warm up and cool down properly, choose the proper exercise, use good form, and listen to your body. And don’t forget to rest and recover after your workout. By following these tips, you’ll be able to stay safe and healthy while achieving your fitness goals.

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How Can Trucking Companies Improve the Overall Health of Drivers?

 

How Can Trucking Companies Improve the Overall Health of Drivers Mother Trucker Yoga Blog

https://images.pexels.com/photos/7540485/pexels-photo-7540485.jpeg 

 

If your trucking company wants better employee productivity and performance, it’s time to focus on your drivers’ overall health. Researchers from the NIHR in Leicester revealed that drivers’ average BMI and waist circumference are higher than normal levels. Since most drivers pursue sedentary lifestyles, they are at a higher risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

 

Unfortunately, the researchers also discovered that truck drivers suffer from poor mental health. It was highlighted that US truck drivers have higher levels of anxiety and depression than the average worker, thus increasing their likelihood of experiencing collisions on the road.

 

Given these dire health conditions, you need to start supporting the wellness of your employees. To start, here’s how your trucking company can improve the overall health of your drivers:

 

Digital Fitness Programs

 

Many truck drivers drive long distances for many hours, so it’s much easier to catch up on sleep than hit the gym. Unfortunately, when this happens, drivers’ physical and mental health can suffer.

 

Trucking companies can put a stop to their drivers’ sedentary lifestyles by making it easier for the employees to exercise. Our article on the ‘Benefits of Yoga for Travel’ highlights that mind and body exercise can be practiced everywhere through the guidance of digital platforms and books. Through these accessible yoga resources, drivers can do a quick yoga routine to improve their body’s circulation and relieve any pain, then hop back on their trucks to continue their drives.

 

Virtual Care Services

 

Truck drivers have a higher risk for physical and mental illnesses, so it’s crucial to boost their access to medical services. But since truck drivers travel to numerous locations, it’s easier for them to connect with telehealth professionals than in-office physicians.

 

Since trucking companies need to provide on-demand healthcare services for drivers on the go, the telehealth platform Wheel illustrates how companies can customize virtual care services for their employee benefits program. A customizable healthcare solution allows companies to achieve up to 70% savings while allowing their drivers to benefit from primary care, behavioral health, and diagnostics services in one solution. By boosting the accessibility of healthcare services, your company can ensure your drivers get effective, timely care.

 

Regular Sleep Disorder Screening

 

Truck drivers also have a high risk for sleep apnea. This sleep disorder interferes with the quality of their rest, and drivers with sleep apnea may experience daily memory issues and daytime fatigue, which can lead to accidents.

 

Recognizing the hazards of sleep apnea, the chief medical officer at the National Transportation Safety Board recommends that all transportation operators must be screened and diagnosed for sleep apnea. Companies must also provide flexibility with the screening and treatments for this sleep disorder so that it’s easier for drivers to get the help they need.

 

Nutrition Education

 

Many truck drivers also struggle to maintain a healthy weight because of the lack of nutritious food options on the road. Long-distance truck driver Carlos Soto explains that he had to make a significant effort to fit a healthier diet into his lifestyle. Rather than relying on convenient, fast food, he preps his meals and brings a supply of healthy snacks for his shifts.

 

Similarly, companies can encourage truck drivers to consume a nutritious diet by providing educational programs. Truck drivers need to learn how to prepare nutritious meals to bring healthy meals for their long drives instead of resorting to fast food.

 

Due to the nature of trucking, truck drivers may pick up unhealthy habits on the road. By making it easier to pursue a healthy lifestyle, trucking companies can reduce the occupational hazards that come with the job.

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Truck Driver Fitness: Know the 4 Different Types of Exercise & Benefits

Different Types of Exercises and Its Benefits

Before knowing the types of exercises, the first and significant question here is “What is an Exercise?”

An exercise is the intentional, habitual, and structural movement of the body or a part of the body to maintain or restore the body’s healthy functioning.

Talking about its benefits, we cannot estimate enough of them because they are vast. On a brief note, Exercise improves one’s mental, physical, emotional, and even spiritual well-being.

Whether people participate in light exercises, like taking a walk, or focused energy exercises, for instance, challenging cycling or weight lifting, customary Exercise gives a colossal scope of advantages for the body and brain. And as a truck driver, it is essential that you find time to fit in trucking fitness and get a wide variety of movement styles throughout the day and week. As a trucking fitness company, and more than 20 years of teaching fitness and wellness to people in pain, I get it, long drawn out workouts are difficult to keep up with and leave people quitting before they even begin to see results. That doesn’t have to be your story. 

Truck Driver Fitness: Know the 4 Different Types of Exercise & Benefits mother trucker yoga blog exercise image

Partaking in Exercise of any intensity each day is fundamental for forestalling many illnesses and other health problems.

Here I will explain four different & necessary exercises and their benefits for a healthy functioning body.

 

  1.   Aerobic Exercise
  2.   Strength Exercise
  3.   Stretching Exercise
  4.   Balance Exercise

 

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic Exercise speeds up your heart rate and breathing rate. These exercises help keep you fit, improve your wellness, and assist you with playing out the physical and mental tasks you need to do each day. Aerobic Exercise intends to improve how the body utilizes oxygen. Most aerobic Exercise happens at a sustainable level of power over long periods.

Aerobic Exercise is the sort that causes you to breathe more deeply or heavily and develops a healthy body. We will generally consider this sort of activity when we hear the word work-out.

It is exceptionally advantageous and will improve your well-being even at a moderate pace or intensity. You can get the advantages of high-impact Exercise from a lively walk or a consistent cycle ride.

Walking, swimming, hiking, biking, dancing, running, jogging, etc. All types of aerobic exercises will boost your heart rate and let the energy flow in your whole body.

 

Benefits

  • Aerobic exercises improve the functioning of your heart and lungs.
  • It boosts up your whole circulatory system function.
  • Stimulate erythropoiesis (red blood cell) formation.
  • Enhances oxygen transportation in tissues
  • Stimulates bone growth
  • Helps in Insomnia
  • Increases one’s stamina

 

Strength Exercise

Strength training, additionally usually alluded to as weight or resistance training, is a type of anaerobic exercise, a kind of actual work that includes the breakdown of glucose (sugar) for energy without oxygen. Strength training plans to assemble and keep up muscle tissue using bodyweight or external obstruction, for example, freeloads or weight machines. Weight training can reinforce significant muscles, like the legs, back, glutes, chest, shoulders, arms, and midsection.

Keep in mind it’s imperative to feel some muscle weariness toward the end of the training to ensure you are working or preparing the muscles viably.

It will probably incorporate bodyweight practices like squats, push-ups, jumps, and activities including resistance from the weight, a band, or a weight machine.

 

Benefits

  • It makes the muscles of the whole body stronger
  • Stimulates Bone Growth
  • Lowers blood sugar level
  • Helps in maintaining weight
  • Improves your posture and balance

 

Stretching Exercise

Stretching characterizes the scope of movement of your joints and the portability of your muscles. Sufficient flexibility is significant for athletic execution, day-to-day function capacity, and injury counteraction.

Stretching is genuinely significant and much neglected when individuals consider working out.

Aging prompts a deficiency of adaptability in the muscles and ligaments. Muscles abbreviate and don’t work as expected. That expands the danger for muscle spasms and torment, muscle harm, strains, joint pain, and injury, and it additionally makes it intense to traverse day-by-day exercises, like bowing down to tie your shoes.

It involves tai chi, yoga, pilates, trucking yoga, fascial training, plyometrics, etc.

 

Benefits

  •  It makes your muscles longer
  •  It makes your muscles stronger
  • Reduces pain intensity from an injury
  • Reduces risk of an injury

 

Balance Exercise

Some activities improve your balance by causing you to develop center fortitude.

To reinforce core muscles and improve strength, consistently remember your regimen’s practices that connect with various muscles. Balance and equilibrium practices frequently include moderate, controlled developments that connect with and fortify center or core muscles, which remember the muscles for your mid-region, back and pelvis. Feeble core muscles may prompt unsteadiness, helpless stance, and diminished athletic execution.

Planks, mini ball exercises, glute bridges, yoga, tai-chi, squats, leg lifts, walking, jogging, etc., are included in balance training exercises.

 

Benefits

  • It makes you feel steadier
  • It helps in preventing falls
  • Help with your visionary and auditory function
  • Good posture
  • Helps in effortlessly carrying out daily activities

 

Here at Mother Trucker Yoga, we believe that it’s the small simple changes that lead to the big results in your life so that you can feel good again. And as your go-to trucking fitness company, we believe that in just minutes a day you can live a great and healthy life.

If you are looking to incorporate more driver fitness into your daily life and are not interested in gym-style workouts that just aren’t sustainable as a driver. If you have tried other programs out there and they just aren’t working for you.

Check out our NEW Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Membership Platform and APP.

Use our code: MTY30 for a FREE 30 days!

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Travel Life: 6 Ways Improve Your Fast Food Menu

 

It’s hard to avoid all fast food when every truck stop has a fast food restaurant attached to it. But as your trucking fitness company, I believe that you don’t have to avoid every fast food restaurant, but you do need to be smart when at them or making your own meals. Living a travel life doesn’t mean you can’t have fun and be healthy. Food is fuel, but the food is also meant to be enjoyed, and when you have a better baseline of knowledge as to what to eat and how to eat, it can take the stress off of the actual eating experience. 

 

There is no question, we all need to eat, but for truck drivers, and those living a travel life, convenience often plays a role in what food choices to grab when the dinner bell rings. I’ve been in the health and fitness arena for nearly 20 years, and when it comes to fast food, other people are telling you not to eat the stuff, but I’m telling you to be smart about it. 

 

Not all fast food is terrible, and with a bit more understanding of what you are looking at and looking for, you can turn a pounds-packing meal into a healthier one. Truck driver health is essential, without your health, you can’t drive. But it might be time to tune in and pay attention to what you are putting into your mouth on a daily basis. As a trucking fitness company, I believe that it’s about the small simple changes that you make on a daily basis that will lead you to the results you are looking for for a lifetime. 

 

5 Ways to Improve Truck Driver Health And Eat Better living a travel life.

 Google it.

Yes, Google the fast-food joint you are going to eat at BEFORE you go to eat. Fast food chains with 20 or more locations doing business under the same name that sells restaurant-style food are required to provide customers with calorie and nutrition information. By before? Well, when you walk into a restaurant, you will more than likely be hungry, and that means you will be picking and choosing your menu options based on hunger, not on health, which means what you leave with might be more than a burger and fries, but the pounds to go with it.

 

A study posted in Science Daily shared that Dr. Benjamin Vincent from the University’s Psychology department found that: “hunger significantly altered people’s decision-making, making them impatient and more likely to settle for a small reward that arrives sooner a larger one promised at a later date.” The study above means that out the window, go your intentions to eat healthier, and stay on track. Once you walk in the door and smell the food and see the food photos shot in perfection, your brain goes nuts. 

 

Eat smart, and that means doing a little prep work beforehand. With COVID, you can now order your food for curbside pick up, which means you don’t even have to walk in and smell those smells. And with apps now making it easier to have food brought to you (even as a truck driver), you can order before you get hungry and make those good choices. My suggestion, make a list; if you know that there are certain fast-food chains at your regular stops, make a list of the menu options you feel are better options and write them down. That way, when it’s time to stop, you don’t make a decision you will later regret. 

Aim for 500 calories.

It’s easy to grab that brown paper bag and jumbo size drink and in just 10 minutes have ingested upwards of 800 calories per meal. A published in MBJ noted that the average adult consumes 847 calories every time they eat fast food, but what I found was interesting is that those adults all thought they were eating less-175 calories less. What if you are someone who eats fast food three times a day> Well, that’s oversight of 525 calories, an entire meal! 

 

What does a 500 calorie meal look like?

At a burger joint, that could be a small burger and fries. Hungry for chicken? How about a four-piece chicken nugget and a side salad or grilled chicken sandwich and side salad. Are you feeling Mexican? Ditch the tortilla and go for a chicken burrito bowl with black beans instead. Or how about a single chicken and beef taco to go?

You can find all of these options at various fast-food chains, and when in a pinch, they can do the trick and are a better option than the Double Big Mac with XL fries.

Be mindful of unhealthy possibilities in disguise, salads loaded with cheese, croutons, and other toppings can tip the calorie meter well past 500, as well as the new rage on veggie burgers. Not only can these options account for way more calories, but they can also take your sodium through the roof. Truck driver health is not just eating a burger without a bun, although that’s a good start, it means you start to pay attention to what you are putting into your mouth first and what that looks like in reference to what maybe you should be eating. 

Mix n’ Match- Bring your items.

Some drivers do not have space or the ability to travel with a fridge in their truck, but the good news is there are many food items and condiments that you can travel with that do not need refrigeration. If you like the convenience of fast food but know it’s not the healthiest choice, why not mix and match some of their food with some of yours. Items like nuts, seeds, seasonings, and dried fruits and veggies not only travel well are super yummy when added to a salad or as a replacement for your fries. 

Swap it out.

That swap can create a better balance of healthy fats, proteins, and an overall boost in nutrition, for those of you who don’t regularly travel with food and prefer to buy as you eat. I suggest you head into the truck stop first and grab a container of carrots and hummus, or a bag of nuts (lightly or unsalted), hard-boiled eggs, an apple or orange, and you have yourself a well-rounded meal once you order that single burger or DIY salad. 

Understand Portion Sizes.

Do not fall victim to the “value” menu advertising angles. Your waistline and heart health are not worth a few pennies saved. As the fast-food industry has grown over the years, so has the size of their food. Although the appeal is there, “buy more for less.” Do you need a 20 piece chicken nugget? Do you need five roast beef sandwiches? Now I know the logic would be “I’ll eat them later,” but let’s be honest, how many people save them for their next meal? It’s a vicious cycle that needs to stop, and the best way to stop it is by becoming more aware of how much you should be eating. 

Portion Sizes Guide To Better Truck Driver Health.

As your trucking fitness company, I take your health seriously and want to make it as easy as possible for you to be healthier. Check out my portion sizes guide made just for you.

  • Fist/Computer Mouse = 1 Cup (veggies, fruits, rice)
  • Cupped Hand = ½ Cup or 1 Ounce (nuts: almonds, cashews, cheese)
  • 2 Cupped Hands = 1 ounce (popcorn, pretzels, chips)
  • Palm = 3 ounces (lean meat, dairy, roughly 1 serving protein)
  • Fingertip/Thumb Tip = 1 Teaspoon (fats, butter, mayo, sugar) 
  • Thumb = 2 Tablespoons (peanut butter, hard cheese)

Mother Trucker Yoga Blog Hand Portion Sizes for Truck Drivers

If I were to say you should never eat at a fast-food restaurant again, I would be a hypocrite. I do not believe in black or white, but rather many shades of gray. How can you paint your fast food pitstop more of a gray tone? How can you improve your menu choices a little bit at a time? Next time you stop for a bite, remember this: is it a good option? Is it better than what I could have chosen? Is it the best option? 

We may not always (be able to) choose the best option, but I believe there is still an opportunity to do better and find one good choice to put a checkmark in the healthy eating category. Over time, those small little changes add up, and that, my friend, is how you create a healthier, happier you. 

Join Other Drivers Just Like You.

Did you like this blog? Did you find this truck driver health information helpful? For more health-focused graphics, guides, and videos. Check out our NEW Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Membership Platform & APP for FREE for 30 days!

Use the code: MTY30

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5 Ways to Feel More Confident When Doing Yoga

5 Ways to Feel More Confident When Doing Yoga MTY Blog Image 1

Many people, particularly men, would love to try yoga to calm the mind while strengthening the body. Still, they are too afraid to do so because they worry that they will feel uncomfortable in a room full of what they imagine to be svelte twentysomethings who can bend into the most mind-boggling shapes.

This is such a shame because yoga is for everybody, and it is possible to feel completely confident when doing it.

With that in mind, if you want to try yoga but you’re worried about not feeling comfortable, here are a few things you can do to feel completely confident while you’re doing it:

Try an app

These days, there are many excellent yoga apps (check out Mother Trucker Yoga’s app being released soon) that will teach the basics at home. You won’t get the same hands-on instruction you get at the local studio, but you will learn the basic asanas (poses) and some great routines that you can practice until you gain confidence. And as a driver, trucking yoga isn’t scary, it’s easy and can be done from your truck.

Dress comfortably

One thing that can make people feel uncomfortable about yoga is the perceived requirement to dress in figure-hugging lycra. This is something you do not need to worry about because you can wear whatever you’re most comfortable into your yoga class, whether that be yoga shorts for men or a pair of sweat pants and a comfy -shirt. No one will judge you, and you can wear what makes you feel most comfortable and confident for your workout. And when it comes to trucking yoga every movement counts.

Star slow

The great thing about yoga is that it poses to suit all levels and abilities. If you lack confidence, you can start slow with a few o the more accessible asanas and work your way up as and when you feel able to do so, gaining masses of confidence along the way.

Practice mindfulness

One of the great things about yoga is that although it can be a purely physical exercise to build lean muscle and flexibility, it can also be a mental practice. L If you concentrate on your breathing and the movement you are flowing through, mindfulness meditation.

If you lack confidence, focusing on the breath and flow intensely will help to keep you focused on what you are doing in the present moment so you will be less likely to worry about whether others are watching you or if you’re doing it wrong, which means you will naturally be more confident.

Remember, it takes time.

Yoga is a lifelong practice. You should not expect to be immediately good at all aspects of your practice; If you bear this in mind and start with a beginner’s mind and a willingness to learn, you will not feel like a failure if you can’t quite get into that challenging poses. Still, you will embrace the chance to learn and try again, and that is where true confidence lies.

Yoga is an excellent workout for the mind and body, so don’t let a lack of confidence put you off giving it a go!

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Mother Trucker Yoga Driver Spotlight – Flatbed Foodie

National truck driver appreciation week mother trucker yoga blog

Driver Appreciation Week may be over, but we still want to celebrate! And what better way than to highlight some of our road heroes. We interviewed drivers and asked them questions about their lives to help others see how unique and hard trucking is.

It’s our truck drivers who keep our great country running strong. Many of these men and women go unnoticed, not because they aren’t necessary, but because what they do doesn’t live in a fancy building or doesn’t require a cap and gown.

These men and women are out on our roads, carrying all our essential and non-essential products we want and love day in and day out. And here at Mother Trucker Yoga, it’s not just trucking fitness that is important to us. It’s the men and women whom we serve.

We love our truck drivers and want to celebrate them in every way we can.

flatbedfoodie mother trucker yoga feature driver daniel

Meet Flatbed Foodie!

 

QUESTION 1: How long have you been driving?

Answer: 3 years

 

QUESTION 2: What do you want to say to new upcoming drivers in the industry?

Answer: Flexible minds and bodies last a lot longer in the end.

We agree with that! Your mind creates your reality, and when it comes to driving, isolation, loneliness, and depression are factors we all must keep in check as drivers and humans. Make sure you take time to stay connected, not just through social media but talk to your friends and family daily, consider meditation, and getting outside for some fresh air every day. And don’t forget to move your body. With nearly 10 hours behind the wheel and on the clock, it can be easy to lose track of time. So schedule movement into your day in five-minute bursts, and with the help of Mother Trucker Yoga’s videos, you will be on your way!

 

QUESTION 3: Trucking is hard. Why do you keep on trucking?

Answer: Still seeing new things, and I train others, so I get to share. Being part of starting someone on a safe and profitable journey is fun.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

According to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, state governments issue more than 450,000 new commercial driver’s licenses every year. That’s a lot of CDL’s. And good thing we have people like Flatbed Foodie on the roads training other drivers just like you!

 

QUESTION 4: What is your favorite truck stop?

Answer: Iowa-80 Truck Stop! Who doesn’t love I80? And we agree! We love it too!

IOWA 80 TRUCK STOP MOTHER TRUCKER YOGA BLOG

DID YOU KNOW?

On the eastern edge of Iowa, not far from the Mississippi River, adjacent to the small town of Walcott, you’ll find a place like no other in the world. The Iowa 80 Truckstop, now the World’s Largest Truckstop, established its home here in 1964 and is now in itself a home away from home to countless drivers and a destination for travelers as well.

Some say Iowa 80 Truckstop is like a small city. Others have likened it to a Trucker’s Disneyland. All can agree it is a place not to be missed.

 

QUESTION 5: What do you want to say to new and upcoming drivers?

ANSWER: You will never look back. You are your boss. You get to travel and serve country/towns and people. And you are valued and an essential driver. This is an excellent career.

 

QUESTION 6: What would make trucking easier for you and other drivers?

ANSWER: Automatic logs, healthier food (make sure you read our blog on healthy snacks to pack) on the road, and more efficiency.

 

QUESTION 7: What do you do, if anything, to try to stay healthy on the road?

ANSWER: Light cardio, walking and stretching, and diet planning.

Flatbed Foodie had a final thought he wanted everyone to know.

Trucking is a challenging and rewarding way to support your goals. It can be a lifelong profession or a quick way to earn cash in some cases. The need is real and the compensation is there for those who want to work.

 

What do you like most about the trucking industry?

Have a comment to share with Flatbed Foodie or our readers?

Please share it in the comments below!

 

Mother Trucker Yoga® wants to help 1 million drivers change lanes in their health and fitness by 2031.

To get involved with Mother Trucker Yoga’s mission and help drivers just like you incorporate driver fitness into their lives.  Contact us!

 

Read our other Driver Spotlights:

VW Lady Trucker https://www.mothertruckeryoga.com/2021/09/14/mother-trucker-driver-spotlight-vw-lady-trucker/

Mark Iverson https://www.mothertruckeryoga.com/2021/10/06/mother-trucker-yoga-driver-spotlight-mark-iverson/

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2nd Annual Driver Fitness Challenge

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4 Things Your Trucking Corporate Wellness Program Needs to Have

Corporate wellness is not only essential for the trucking industry, it’s what can help change it for the better!

Without truck drivers, where would our economy be? And those drivers need well-maintained trucks to get where they need to go. But what about well-maintained drivers?

Does your company offer a quality trucking corporate wellness program that you and your fellow drivers can actually use in your everyday life?

After nearly 20 years of working with people just like you with mental health, physical health, and lifestyle improvements, I’ve learned the right strategies you need to improve your life, not just your fitness regimen. There are so many programs out there, but how do you know what your company needs? How do you know what is right for your drivers? And even more importantly, how do you know once you invest what your drivers are actually doing?

4 Things Your Trucking Corporate Wellness Program Needs to Have:

Moves that make sense.

Most fitness and wellness programs focus on strength building. But as you age, you lose 10% of your flexibility every decade, and when you aren’t moving your body, all the systems in your body aren’t flowing.

The content you are providing should be focusing on: lifestyle movements and enhancements, driver-focused movements, mini exercise sequences, and full-on workout programs. That way, everyone can get their needs met, and there is a track to continue moving forward.

You need a program that does more than strength training. You need a program that focuses on not just flexibility but mobility. Not just strength but stability. It would be best if you had them all. And that means you need more than just a resistance band or a set of hand weights. You need a program that looks at movement as an opportunity to improve your lifestyle, not just exercise more. And breaks them down into bite-size pieces that make sense for your driver for the long haul. As your trucking fitness company we strive to meet your drivers needs and yours as the owner as well.

 

Tracking & Reporting 

You can have the best driver wellness program (corporate wellness) available for your drivers, but without the proper tracking and reporting, how do you really know who is using it and if it’s working? When you have tracking that marks usage, login, and things like quizzes, checkpoints, and opportunities for drivers to show you they are applying what they are learning, you have healthier drivers and a program that works. Plus, that means you have data to provide to your insurance provider for discounts and kickbacks.

4 Things Your Trucking Corporate Wellness Program Needs to Have: Reporting Mother Trucker Yoga

Community 

How is it that the drivers communicate with other drivers? How do they get their questions answered? You want to make sure the program you implement offers a community. Corporate wellness isn’t anything new across industries, but many approaches like traditional fitness or traditional coaching. And you also need a space for the participants (drivers) to connect with their peers who want the same thing. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but it should be a place where drivers can ask questions, share their experiences and get feedback. One-on-one coaching is good for some. But when you are working with drivers by the hundreds, why not allow those drivers to learn from each other, because if they have a question, dozens of others might too.

 

Certificates of Completion

Providing drivers with a certificate of completion that has met the standard for health and safety is essential. If your driver gets into an accident, they should have the appropriate paperwork showing they are doing all they can to improve their health. I learned a lot by applying, owning, and operating a state-approved vocational school for the state of Wisconsin, teaching yoga for more than nine years. After 20 years of training, certifying, and instructing both teachers of fitness and wellness and their students, I have learned a thing or two about what should be included and what works and what doesn’t work. It’s critical to not only track what you offer your clients and drivers, but they need to be able to track and be rewarded for it too.

 

To learn more about Mother Trucker Yoga’s Driver Wellness Program and Corporate opportunities,  and how Mother Trucker Yoga can become your trucking fitness company, visit our page for details, watch a short video, and book a call!

 

 

 

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Trucker Fitness: Managing Stress Through Movement – Part 1

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As a truck driver feeling the pressure to be ready at any given moment can be stressful and downright irritating. Hurry up and wait seems to be the constant mantra most truck drivers adopt into their lives, and with that comes the added stress of never having control over the situation you are in. But you don’t need to let that keep you from finding ways to feel and stay calm no matter what comes your way. 

Do you ever feel as though you are permanently stuck in overdrive? Like it’s zero to sixty in T-10, and you need to stay there until the job is done, only to feel like you want to crash but are never 100% able to recharge your batteries when you need to. 

You are not alone. 

Trucker Fitness: Managing Stress Through Movement: Part 1 Mother trucker yoga blog on stress 1

Truck driver fitness is more than just exercise. While everyone else is focusing on push-ups and mountain climbers, Mother Trucker Yoga is saying let’s learn from what yoga can teach us about living a healthy, happy lifestyle, and yes, that includes truck drivers. 

There are dozens of natural, easy, and effective ways to manage the stress that will help you deal with the day-to-day ups and downs, unexpected delays, and schedule changes with ease. 

The best way to manage stress is to keep moving!

Keep moving. Yes, I know you are a professional driver, but that seat doesn’t mean you can’t move at all. Movement trumps exercise in that movement is not designated to a specific time, a particular style of movement, or outfit choice. Movement is a way of life; if you aren’t moving, you are training yourself not to move. And that lack of movement will leave you feeling stressed, worried, and unable to sleep. 

Movement and exercise encourage the brain to release “feel-good” chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain. Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. 

WOW! Just 15 to 20 minutes of movement every day can help you fight the urge to overeat. That movement can come in the form of dancing, walking, squatting, using weights or a resistance band from the driver’s seat, or even doing a little yoga in your truck, and of course, exercising in any way you choose. Do not let your mind limit you or tell you the lies that this movement has to come in a certain package. We often complicate things to keep us from achieving the results we are looking for. It’s called a Fixed Mindset, and it creeps up on us whenever we are faced with doing something different from what we have been doing up to this point. Even when we know the change is good for us, our minds will try to convince us otherwise. Adding movement into your day is one of those things that you just have to do anyway despite what your mind may tell you. 

When done correctly and done regularly, it’s movements like this that can have a positive impact on your emotions and, in turn, on your life. 

Today instead of thinking, I can’t find the time. Decide that there is always time. 

Today instead of thinking, I don’t like exercise. Decide that movement is more important than exercise. 

Today instead of thinking, I am too busy. Decide that you are never too busy for your health. 

There is a small window of time before you look back and say, I wish I would have. That window of time is now. And great news, you can start today. Join the movement over at Mother Trucker Yoga and see for yourself how easy it can be to de-stress as a truck driver and feel good again. 

 

 

 

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