Three Easy Ways to Drive Healthy

Driving all day might make your New Year’s resolution to get healthy seem like an impossible task. Sitting at the wheel, not having a gym nearby, and limited dining options are all daily realities for a typical road warrior.
 
To gather some strategies for putting those obstacles in your rear-view mirror, CalArk asked a couple of our drivers for the tricks and work-arounds they use to make healthy choices wherever the road takes them. Here are some of our favorites.

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1. Bring it with you. When you have the chance to shop on your days off, stock up on fresh fruits or veggies that last a while. You might not be able to keep strawberries on hand, but an avocado or banana will stay fresh for days. 

​CalArk driver Chris invested in a freezer that he stocks with healthy frozen dinners. He then uses a power inverter and microwave to cook them. He thinks it’s worth what he paid for the set-up because it saves him the cost of restaurant meals and “the only person out here taking care of me is myself.”

2. Make better restaurant choices. Nick, another driver for CalArk, also makes food in his truck but has strategies for making better choices in a pinch when he ends up needing to eat out. Instead of going for a burger and fries, for example, he’ll buy “a healthier option like wraps or salads.” 

Most restaurants and fast food chains offer nutritional information on their websites. It makes it easy to find the number of calories or amount of fat in any given item, helping you choose a tasty meal you’ll feel better after eating.

3. Move. While it seems almost too easy to be effective, walking is a simple way to get muscles working and calories burning. Nick walks laps around his truck while pumping fuel or waiting for a mid-trip inspection. Chris walks during his stops, too.

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​Both drivers say their food choices have saved them time and money on the road, not just calories. Chris is in excellent shape, and Nick has gone from a size 50 to 44 this year, with a goal of size 38 for Christmas 2018.
 
If you have fitness goals for this year, don’t let the difficulties of driving keep you from reaching for better health. These two guys show small shifts lead to big changes.