Exercise Everywhere September 23 2015
In my 'non-JWalking' life, I produce television shows and on a recent project, I met Toby Bogard. The long-haul trucker uses his limited time and severely-limited inside-truck space to exercise and eat healthy. Here are some of his tips - driven by imagination and ingenuity.
Trucking is a sedentary lifestyle – driving as much as 11 hours and 600 miles a day leaves you little time and little energy for exercise. That is what Toby Bogard believed until a doctor’s diagnosis caused him to think otherwise – facing hypertension, high cholesterol and a heavier-than-normal weight, the long-haul trucker and father of four was told he was a prime candidate for a stroke.
“If I wanted to live to walk my daughters down the aisle”, Toby said, “I knew I had to make some changes.”
So he did – changing his diet and creating fitness routines to get him, not his 18-wheeler, moving:
- Ignition: Starting your body’s engine is as simple as starting walking! “Walking will raise your heart rate and burn calories. For example, park as far away from the truck stop, store or mall as you can and walk inside.”
- Shift Gears: Changing up exercises, from straight-arm jumping jacks and boxer jabs to planks and squats, will give your body a full workout in a short amount of time. He recommends each exercise to be broken into 1-minute blocks: 45 seconds of movement with 15 seconds of rest. (One of his workouts can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzB44SDu2F0)
- Cool Your Engine: Stretching is critical to releasing stress, stiffness and soreness. Toby recommends they are done after exercising and, in his case, after a long day of driving. Light stretches from your neck to your ankles should be held for 30 to 45 seconds each, but don’t press on if you feel pain.
For more tips about healthy eating and fitting FITness into your life, check out Trucker Toby’s new YouTube site: www.youtube.com/truckertoby10-4
