How Drivers are Staying in Shape While Staying on the Road

Truckers, rideshare drivers and taxi drivers spend most of their day behind the wheel. Transporting goods or passengers is a job that requires dedication and a lot of sitting. But studies have shown that sitting for six hours a day increases your risk of heart disease death by 64%.
Breast cancer risks increase. Blood circulation suffers. Weight is gained.
Staying in shape while on the road is important, and you may be able to negate some of the bad side effects of sitting all day through adopting a healthier lifestyle.
Drivers are staying in shape in different ways, including:
1. Pay Close Attention to Your Back
Back pain is common in any occupation where you’re required to sit for long hours every day. It’s important to pay attention to these aches and pains. A few ways to avoid these pains is to:
- Stretch during stops
- Avoid lifting heavy objects
- Perform back-strengthening exercises
Monitoring your weight is also a great option. A driver that is overweight will put added stress on their back leading to back pain and discomfort.
2. Eat a Healthy Diet – Avoid the Fast Food
Fast food is filled with calories. When you eat fast food, you’ll often eat half or more of your daily recommend calories. You work a sedentary job, so it’s not a bad idea to lower your daily caloric requirements.
You’re not burning much calories when sitting. In fact, sitting burns 68 calories per hour while not talking. If you talk or are performing light work, you’re burning 102 calories per hour. But over the course of an eight-hour workday, you’re not burning the calories found in burgers and fries.
I’m not going to give you a complete diet plan, but these few tips will help:
- Eat within your calculated calorie range
- Stop eating fast food
- Cook your own food or buy quality food
- Eat salads over burgers if going to eat fast food
Of course, following a good diet plan is important, too. But start small and stay within a certain caloric range to see how well your diet is working. If you’re delivering pallets to a solar company or you’re driving for Doordash, you can still choose to eat healthier foods.
Fruits over candy bars, salads over ice cream and water over shakes can make a huge difference.
3. Exercise with What You Have
A lot of trucking companies have their own exercise facilities or agreements with gyms that allow drivers to exercise. If you work for Uber or are a taxi driver, invest in a cheap gym membership.
Planet Fitness has prices as low as $10 a month – it’s affordable for near everyone.
But if you don’t have any of these options, it’s time to start using what you have readily available:
- Hotel gyms
- Run or jog
- Perform bodyweight workouts (pushups, chin-ups, air squats, etc)
The goal is to break a sweat and get your heart pumping. Try and maintain a heart rate that is 75% – 85% of your maximum heart rate when exercising. Even if you need to bring a kettlebell or adjustable dumbbell with you on the road, this is all you’ll need to exercise.