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The Trucker

If you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle, you should know that fat is a much healthier source of energy than carbohydrates. That’s because energy from fat is steadier, lasts longer and burns more consistently than any energy we obtain from carbs. While sugars and carbohydrates create big spikes in metabolism, healthy fats do not.

For people with CDL driver jobs, it’s not always easy to find healthy options at truck stops, but they are out there. The next time you’re on the road, look for these four foods and be sure to include them in your grocery bag. Not only are they all easy to find on the road, they’re also great, nutritious sources of healthy fats.

TruckerAlmonds

The best almonds are whole, raw almonds. Raw almonds have a good quality fat and are definitely one of the best nuts for you. Blue Diamond has a really good raw almond, which I highly recommend.

Eggs

Eggs are a good source of protein. Store-bought eggs are always healthy for you, but even healthier than store-bought eggs are organic field-raised chicken eggs. They have the highest nutrient compound of any egg you can buy. You can buy them at Trader Joe’s or any health food store.

Olive oil

Olive oil is very good for you, but be very careful about the brands you buy. The olive oil industry has had problems with people putting out products that are not 100 percent olive oil (read “Extra Virginity: the Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil” by Tom Mueller).

I recommend California Olive Ranch oil. It’s been tested and proven to be 100 percent pure virgin first-pressed olive oil—one of the best oils for good fat content. While olive oil is the best oil to use atop salads, nut oils like pecan and walnut also are very good for you and make for great alternatives to olive oil. For cooking, old-fashioned lard or beef callow are healthy options, too.

ReedAvocados

Avocados are very high in good fats. Humans only need two macro nutrients: fat and protein. As long as you have those, you will thrive and grow. Avocados are full of healthy fat that is easily digestible and protects our internal organs from injury. If you’re looking for a creative way to incorporate avocados into your diet, try some homemade guacamole.

Hobbies, travel, all the fun in the world, none of it matters if you don’t have your health. Trucking is more than a job. It’s a lifestyle. Connect with us here for more great lifestyle choices in your newsfeed.

ultimate-guide-truck-drivers-maintain-3-healthy-habits-over-the-road

The Ultimate Guide for Truck Drivers to Maintain 3 Healthy Habits Over the Road

Download the complete guide for tips to easily maintain healthy habits over the road.

Download the Guide Now

Whether you spend your down time doing crunches or you’re sick to death of all this health talk, one thing is for sure: Health and fitness is gaining serious traction in the trucking industry. In response to the burgeoning fitness craze, several Facebook groups devoted to truck driver health have popped up. Here are our top 5 picks for you (yes, you, drivers!), whatever your fitness level may be.

5 Fab Facebook Fitness Groups for Truckers

Truckin’ Runners

The group’s tagline, “Truckers who run. Runners who truck,” says it all. The group is for people who work in the trucking industry and want to share training tips, playlists, race information and nutrition facts.

What started out small in 2010 has grown to 768 members today.  Truckin’ Runners caters to runners of all levels. That’s exactly why it’s built a strong following, says the group’s cofounder, owner operator Jeff Clark. “We have to take as much joy in the driver who just walked a mile for the first time without having to take a break as we do in the elite runners,” he says.

Health tip: “Recognize that it’s hard to get exercise when you’re a truck driver over the road, but know that it’s worth it.”

5 Fab Facebook Fitness Groups for Truckers

Big Truck Health and Fitness

This is the latest effort from the people behind the Facebook group Big Truck Cooking. “The goal is to get truck drivers to exercise and eat better,” says Darlene Williams Ventura, the group’s cofounder. “As a driver, the hardest thing is getting exercise on the road. We’re starting them off slow, and we’ll help them build from there.”

The group offers exercises that are easy for people with CDL trucking jobs to do on the road (think: push-ups and planking), as well as nutritional tips, recipes and encouragement.

“My greatest hope is that drivers will realize their potential,” says Kari Fisher, who leads the group’s healthy eating side. “You don’t have to be a bodybuilder to be healthy.”

Health tip: “Download the food app Fooducate. It breaks down nutrition information for all foods. And stay away from sugar and white flour.”

5 Fab Facebook Fitness Groups for Truckers

Truck Drivers Guide to Nutrition

If it takes a leader who puts his money where his mouth is to whip you into shape, this is the Facebook fitness group for you. The group’s founder, John Reed, is a 35-year truck driver, an owner operator leased to Mercer. Once weighing more than 250 pounds, Reed got serious about his health a couple of years ago. He dropped 75 pounds and returned to school to earn his degree in nutrition.

“People talk about truck driving as being one of the most unhealthy occupations. I’d like to change that,” he says. The Truck Drivers Guide to Nutrition is one way Reed helps other drivers get healthy. The group features health articles, healthy recipes, inspiration and more. Reed uses the group mostly to augment his own nutrition website, nutrition-forlife.com.

Health tip: “Stop thinking about food as something to be worshipped. Food is just sustenance.”

5 Fab Facebook Fitness Groups for TruckersDriven to Be Healthy

This Facebook group started as a six-month contest at GATS 2015, putting people with CDL trucking jobs to the test from August 27-February 29. During that time, drivers strove to eat healthier, lose weight and exercise more for a shot at cool prizes.

While the contest is over, the Facebook page lives on, keeping truck drivers motivated through recipe sharing, inspirational words and exercise tips.

“If we made the difference in the life of one driver and he’s healthier and gets to live longer because of it, then it was worth it,” says the challenge’s organizer, Julie Dillon. “Because that’s our goal. We want to see them be healthier and live longer and enjoy their families.”

Health tip: “Commitment is continuing to push yourself when no one else is around. The days that are the hardest are the days that produce the most results.”

https://www.facebook.com/groups/driventobehealthy/

Big Trucks Fitness

With the tagline “Strive for progress, not perfection,” Big Trucks Fitness is ideal for truckers who want to get fit through exercise or diet. Members share truckside workouts, healthy recipes (Cobb salad on a stick, anyone?), workout articles and friendly encouragement.

“My goal for Big Trucks Fitness is to help everyone stay in shape through tips and motivations,” said the group’s co-administrator, Joshua Briggs, a company driver for MIDI Transport. “The group was created because there were drivers I’ve came across who said they are just barely hanging on to the physical card due to their health, and a majority of gyms are not accessible to big trucks.”

Health tip: “A little stretch can go a long ways when you’re sitting behind a wheel up to 14 hours a day. Try to go no more than 4 hours without stretching every part of your body.”

Find the best CDL trucking job for you. Register today. It’s free!

ultimate-guide-truck-drivers-maintain-3-healthy-habits-over-the-road

The Ultimate Guide for Truck Drivers to Maintain 3 Healthy Habits Over the Road

Download the complete guide for tips to easily maintain healthy habits over the road.

Download the Guide Now