That Dirty 8-Letter Word - Part 1 of 3

Dare I say it? OK, I'll whisper it.

exercise

Oh, why not, I'll just shout it.

EXERCISE!!!

It's that dreaded thing we're all told we should do but how often have you seen a truck driver exercising at a truck stop? (in my 2 years, the answer would be 3 times - all men.) In the Covenant terminal in Chattanooga, they provide a fantastic gym for staff and drivers but I reckon that 95% of its users are office staff.

Why is that? We're doing one of the most sedentary jobs in the world. We're told by governments and the Jillian Michaels of the world to exercise moderately for 30 minutes, 5 times per week. There's even a whole system of resistance bands and various hoo-ha's that can be used on the truck. Why is it that we drivers don't fight tooth and nail for use of the treadmills, elliptical machines and stationary bikes when we're in Chattanooga, preferring instead to vary our routines by...um...sitting down?

Yes, I put myself in this category too! Don't think I'm doing that whole 'holier than thou' thing! But I can see that there's a problem and one that's definitely worth addressing and addressing properly and realistically! After all, I want me and you and everyone, truckers and non-truckers alike to feel happy in ourselves, and feel as if WE'RE in control of our lives rather than our lives being in control of us.

"Me being sedentary with the best of 'em!"

When I don't exercise, I feel the following effects:

Weight gain

Increased lethargy. The less I move, the less I want to move.

Fatigue. At the end of my shift, all I want to do is sleep.

Increased anxiety and generally low moods.

Increase in appetite and cravings for fatty, sugary, unhealthy comfort foods

Muscle cramping (from deterioration due to lack of use)

Low self esteem

Increased sense of boredom, decreased sense of purpose in life.

Constant underlying worries about my health, especially given the fact that heart disease is the number one cause of death for truckers

My hair and skin feel yucky.

By now you must be thinking "Thanks Karen, you sure know how to bring on the doom and gloom!"

How about I make it up to you by amusing you with some of my excuses as to why I can't exercise today. You may even recognize a few of these classics.

I would but I'm so hungry!

I've just driven 600 miles. I'm so tired!

Don't feel like it today. I'll do it tomorrow.

I don't enjoy exercising. It's too hard!

No one else is doing it.

I don't know what exercises to do that I could keep up.

And who can forget this next gem:

I'd do it if...
1. I wasn't living on a $%@&$# truck!
2. There were sidewalks to walk/jog on.
3.  I could go to the park
4. I could have a shower right after so I'm not so dirty
5. I had time
6. I was fitter

You know what I find to be just a little irritating? When super fit people who have probably never been on a truck, let alone have ever even done the job, proclaim themselves to be authorities over us and proceed to tell us what we should all be doing.

"You should be exercising moderately for 30 minutes at least 5 times per week! Come on, how hard can that be?"

Yeah, buddy, YOU try living with someone in a truck, driving 6,000 miles per week and see how you go!

I'm wrapping this up now, but I don't want to end this post on a downer and have you go away feeling hopeless and dejected after reading this so here's what I promise you for the next post in Part 2:

We're going to take a journey together where I share all of my struggles with exercise. We'll start in 2013 when we started the job and end with the present day.

You'll learn that I'm no authority on anything, especially exercise. You'll learn that I'm a million miles away from being any sort of fitness guru.

What I do have, however, is my experience living on the truck and a desire to share the few things I've discovered over time here. Therefore, Part 3 is the "light at the end of the tunnel" where I give hope to all of us (me included!) by showing in detail that exercise in the trucking world does not have to be an excruciating uphill battle any more.

At the end of Part 3, 'exercise' will no longer be that dirty 8-letter word! I promise!

See you in Part 2!