Truck Driver Health And Exercise – Keeping Portable Exercise Equipment In The Truck

Article by Annalee Chambers

Truck Driver Health And Exercise – Keeping Portable Exercise Equipment In The Truck – Health – Fitness

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Truck driver health issues are a primary concern in the trucking industry today. Illnesses and diseases severely impact our nation’s truck drivers. Truck driver’s health could be improved immensely by incorporating exercise in their lives on a daily basis. Obesity is a terrible problem in the trucking industry. Far too many truck drivers are overweight or obese. Truck drivers are more prone to obesity than non-truckers because they sit behind the wheel for a large part of each day. Additionally, only a small percentage of truck drivers exercise regularly.

Trucking companies are urging drivers to exercise and improve their diets because they are beset with rising insurance costs. Furthermore, they need them to pass the Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) medical exam. Truck drivers that have conditions which prevent them from obtaining the required D.O.T. clearance can’t continue working as truck drivers. Trucker’s diets should include far less fat laden foods and more healthy food choices. Trucking companies and other leaders in the trucking industry are working to bring the importance of health and fitness to truck drivers. Some truckstops have installed fitness centers and walking trails to encourage drivers to exercise. Walking trails allow for safe walking and jogging at truckstops away from trucks.

For the third consecutive year, The MATS Health Awareness Walk took place on May 23, 2012. This was a 1.5 mile non-competitive walk in which participants chose to walk all or part of it. Participants received T-shirts, goodie bags, free blood pressure checks and great information on health and fitness. This walk was sponsored by the Trucking Solutions Group along with Travel Centers of America. Travel Centers of America and Pilot Travel Centers have excellent fitness centers at many of their U.S. locations and are adding new gyms.

Aerobic exercise is the primary type of exercise that should be incorporated into a fitness plan. Aerobic exercise aids in weight reduction, reduces stress levels and helps to keep hearts healthier. Aerobic exercise also helps to increase your energy levels. Doing regular aerobic exercise will help you to be healthier and leaner as you age. Truck drivers should strive to do 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days per week. Aerobic exercise includes activities such as fitness walking, jogging, cycling, swimming and dancing, etc.

Study after study confirms the benefits of aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise increases the amount of oxygen in the body and thereby also increases the flow of oxygen to the brain. This helps to improve brain health in addition to overall body health. Exercise improves circulation throughout the body. Aerobic exercise increases sweating which aids in eliminating toxins from the body. Many truck drivers suffer with constipation and hemorrhoids. Exercise helps to prevent constipation and the development of hemorrhoids.

Keeping workout attire and a few pieces of exercise equipment in the trucks is a good plan which may motivate drivers to exercise regularly, especially if the truckstops they frequent don’t have exercise facilities. They can use various types of equipment to get a good aerobic workout. For starters, invest in a good pair of running shoes. They should fit well and be very comfortable. Use them to walk or jog around the truckstop. Buy a pedometer which counts your steps if you want to cover a specified distance each day. Rebounders are small trampolines which are excellent for aerobic exercise. You can buy a folding rebounder and use it outside the truck to bounce or jog in place. The rebounder absorbs 7/8% of the impact so exercising on it puts very little stress on the joints. Folding bicycles can easily fit in a truck and enable you to be able to ride around various areas as you are on the road. Alternating your exercise routines provides increased variety and interest.

Exercise provides both psychological and physical benefits for participants. So all you truck drivers please take the time to incorporate exercise into your schedule. You may be rewarded with a longer, healthier life.

About the Author

Go to Truckingsos.com to read more articles about trucking and truck drivers such as portable exercises equipment and exercises for truck drivers

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Annalee Chambers

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Biceps Exercises – Keeping Muscles Healthy

The key to muscular strength and breadth as well as a toned body does not only lie on doing exercises correctly and consistently. You also need to take care of your muscles to ensure that they develop properly and do not stagnate in terms of their growth because of muscle strain and injury. There is nothing worse than having to stop doing your biceps exercises or stomach crunches because you’ve pulled a muscle. This could terribly affect the continuity of the effects of the exercise and throw you off mentally.

The first step in caring for your muscles is stretching before working out. Gym instructors, coaches, and fitness trainers all stress the importance of warming up through stretches before any physical activity. This is especially critical when performing a workout that requires lifting heavy weights or pushing your flexibility to the limits.

You should establish a proper stretching routine that will cover all the muscle groups that are central to your workout. Keep in mind that you should not rush stretching, as it conditions your body to perform at its best during the exercise.

Just as carrots are good for your eyesight, there are also certain food groups that are integral in the strengthening and maintenance of your muscles. Protein aids in the repair of muscles that are worn out, so make sure that you eat a lot of dairy products, soybeans, lean meat, fish and grains. Iron-rich food, like chicken or beef liver, almonds, spinach, and beans, will also help you take proper care of your muscles.

Aside from taking these steps, consolidating strength training in your daily workout can also make your muscles less prone to injury and strain, as this kind of discipline is meant to build the strength, anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles. While most exercises already have the strength-training factor incorporated in them, like biceps exercises, resistance training, and isometric exercises, not all do. Therefore it is important to ask your fitness coach or research on a few drills that can help you increase your muscle strength and endurance.

The previous techniques are established methods of nurturing your muscles, but it still would be incomplete without rest. Getting the right amount of sleep and relaxation is the very key to muscle regeneration. Further, if you over-exert your muscles, waste material will collect in the tissues hampering their ability to contract properly. Rest gives the body time to rid itself of this harmful buildup. Some trainers suggest that the best ways to relax after exercise include a dip in the swimming pool or taking a shower for at least 15 minutes as these greatly reduce muscle tension.

While the ultimate goal of many people who exercise and body build is achieving a physically attractive and sexy body, it is impossible to achieve that if the muscles are not cared for internally first. Regardless if you are doing biceps exercises, cardio, or abdominal toning, keep in mind that muscles too need to be nourished, strengthened, and given a rest to grow at their maximum potential.

Keeping In Shape – Long Distance Runners’ Conditioning Exercises

Article by Daryl B. Chapman

Running requires exact coordination of all the muscles in your body. The muscles in one’s upper body hold to work in an optimal running position ie head up, chest open, elbows bent, shoulders relaxed, and arms wavering. While the muscles in one’s lower body and abdominal core constantly works during a run. It stabilizes one’s trunk so it can efficiently move the legs and arms. Long-distance running requires a balance in energy, as it is very energy consuming. It necessitates complete mental agility and conditioning workout.

What does conditioning exercise mean?

Conditioning workouts are exercises that amplify athletic skill and physical fitness but at the same time decreasing the chance of sports injuries. Several programs are formulated and these include weight training, aerobic exercise, plyometrics, calithenics, and workout based n real-life motions. These differ depending on fitness goals and athletes compliance altitude to fitness and athletes level (beginners versus experienced).

The principle following this type of exercises is based on the statement that the body must go through certain challenges in order for it to remodel to the stress exerted in the body during exercise. To accomplish excellent athletic performance, athletes use targeted, specific movements that mimic the moves used in the field or court.

There are two kind of conditioning workout: Aerobic and anaerobic conditioning. Aerobic conditioning uses oxygen to produce energy and it increases cardiovascular stamina and lung capacity. It includes any activity that increases heart rate and challenges heart and lung capacity. On the other hand, anaerobic conditioning does not use oxygen when producing energy. It is appropriate for sports that necessitate intense, sudden burst of strength or speed that are difficult to do for an extended period of time. Example of this kind of exercise includes sprinting and weight exercise.

Following are the best conditioning exercises intended for long distance runners:

1. Core conditioning exercise. One of the most important muscles that one must condition is the abdominal core muscles. These muscles assiduously work during a run as it stabilizes one

Aerobic Fitness: Keeping Yourself In Top Condition

Article by Andrew Green

So what does mean “fitness” and what stands for “aerobic” after all? Under the word fitness we should understand the state of wellbeing of a person. Your physical fitness is formed by a set of many different body capabilities like endurance, strength, flexibility, and coordination. Fitness is not only the physical health, but also mental health of a person along with self awareness and emotional satisfaction. So now we see that in general fitness is a state when mind, body and soul are in touch one with each other and what is more – souls do fit the bodies and live in harmony.

The term aerobic along with the exercise was invented by K. Copper from the U.S. Air Force in 1969. All his thoughts were documented in his book called “Aerobics”. All the data from the book became the baseline for all aerobic fitness programs that are based on oxygen consumption equivalency.

Talking about the term “aerobic” I can say that it is the most important factor of physical fitness. The origin of this word is Latin and the meaning is following: “aero” means oxygen (air), and “bic” is for bio (life). So any physical activity that requires the intake of oxygen could be called aerobic exercise. All aerobic fitness exercises must maintain increased heart rate and that is why such activity is almost the same as cardio exercises. There are also obvious reasons for this: exercises strengthen lungs and heart, increase cardiac capacity and use body fat and carbohydrates and the fuel (energy source).

Of course there are a lot of types of aerobic fitness exercise. All of them build up your endurance and stamina. Forms of exercise include the following: running, swimming, cycling, long distance skiing, power walking, rowing, use of different exercise machines (bikes, treadmills, and others). Actually all aerobic fitness exercises must be performed at high level of intensity and for a long time period. That is why running is considered as aerobic fitness exercise, but sprinting is not. Regular aerobic fitness exercise gives you a lot of health benefits. They are united in a group called “aerobic training effect” and give your body the following: strengthen muscles that are involved in respiration, strengthen heart muscle (that improves blood pumping efficiency), increase the number of red blood cells in the organism. In addition jogging or rope jumping may stimulate bone growth and reduce the risk of osteoporosis. The digestive system is fed more regularly and is cleaned more effectively.

Because of the very close connection between the mind and the body, mental fitness may now be seen to be in many ways equivalent to physical aerobic fitness. People that are in good aerobic condition tend to be more optimistic, more self-confident; more determined and, generally, have a higher energy level and of course a greater lust for life.

The group of aerobic fitness exercise may be divided into two major sub-groups – pre-choreographed aerobics and freestyle aerobics (exercise is linked to dance and choreography).

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