Traveling in an RV, sitting for long periods in a truck and stopping at gas stations and fast food joints, can easily make you lazy, eat terribly, and suddenly you find yourself out of shape. All the moving and extra tasks that come and go with traveling can easily throw off the most seasoned of athletes and healthy eaters. I have always wondered how truckers stay in shape, and just from observation, many appear to struggle with that. Here is what I have done to combat the effects of constantly being on the road and facing unhealthy food choices.
One of my favorite pastimes is running! You can do it anywhere, and you do not need a human partner to be successful; your dogs can always get you out there, and it’s great for them too! In order to motivate myself, I do one of two things. First I get the trail maps of the park I am staying, and I write down the course I am going to run. I try to increase it throughout the week. There is nothing like brisk runs through beautiful landscapes to inspire you to reach your fitness goals!
Secondly, I register myself for local races. This can get tricky, as I sometimes don’t know where I will be, but you can always do last minute registrations. Simply set your mind that you are doing a race on this or that weekend. Last year, I registered for all three Spartan Races, three half marathons and several 10 and 5K races all to reach my goal of 100 registered miles! And then I executed and did it!
Another one of my go-to fitness habits is weight lifting. My husband and I do not have a gym in our RV though we could manage a few stretch bands and dumbbells, I’m sure, but for whatever reason, I do not seem to push myself at home. I like going to a gym. When I got out of the military, I researched several gyms and found one that is in almost every city across the US, and that’s Planet Fitness! They did not have the functional gym that I have used for Crossfit workouts, but after my shoulder injury, I was not trying to be a super stud anymore, thus Planet Fitness was a good fit for me! I have now gone to Planet Fitness gyms in Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas!
Pivotal to any healthy lifestyle is diet! I have learned that I need mobile snacks and meals to stay on track so that I don’t eat the junk at gas stations and fast food places. My “go-to” mobile food is pre-made bottles of Total Lean Shakes by GNC which you can get at Amazon.com. I do one to two meal replacements with the Lean Shakes depending on my calorie and protein needs for the day. I also always have one of the Total Lean Bars with me too, so I do not splurge on a high-calorie sweet at a gas station! They have some really good flavors in the shakes and bars. And if I really want quick energy and metabolism boost, they even offer an Advance Lean Shake which has more caffeine-I think they taste really good too. I have stocked up on the product so much that I literally dedicate a whole cabinet in my camper to it! I have tried some horrible protein products in my day and this has been the best option by far.
Next, I try to go to the truck stops like Pilots and Love’s because they usually have a place where we not only can easily get our 42 foot RV and truck pulled in and filled up with diesel, but we can also find healthy food options, believe it or not! They have fresh salads with lots of lean meat choices, or fruits and veggie to-go cups. They keep them cold and you can grab and go! There is usually a Subway attached, so I eat a healthy sandwich or have them whip me up a custom salad if I have time!
One of the most important things I do is visualizing my goals. I accomplish this by food journaling. Journaling is the honest broker of my true calorie consumption, and it helps me determine the correct amount for the next day if I go under or over my required caloric intake. It also lets me know if I am eating more sugary foods and breads than clean, healthy foods. If you consistently write it down, you start checking the labels on the foods you eat, and it acts as a deterrent to eating high calorie, non-nutritious foods.
I also document my water intake. Usually when I think I am hungry, I just need to drink water. A lot of people do not want to do this when on the road, but it is so unhealthy to go all day with only one glass of water. You will be more tempted to overeat too! Just take the rest stops when you can, or you can do what I have done numerous times, master the art of using a large mouth cup. Yes, you heard that right; I use a cup and carry it to the next stop! There are even “Go Girl” disposable urinary devices for girls to funnel the urine into a cup, if you are not good at aiming. This skill has required some practice! But when we are on a back road, stuck in traffic, or simply in a hurry, I just do my thing!
~Lesley
