May 29, 2026 • 45 mins
Your body takes every mile personally, and trucking has a way of collecting payments in lower back pain, stiff hips, poor sleep, and a mind that never truly powers down. In this episode of That’s Delivered, Trucking Ray sits down with Hope Zvara, CEO of Mother Trucker Yoga, to talk about what really happens to driver health over time — and why most “perfect” fitness plans fail the moment real life hits.
Hope shares how yoga helped her through depression, anxiety, and addiction recovery, then explains how those same mind-body tools can help drivers manage stress, isolation, fatigue, and habit change on the road. The conversation dives into inflammation, circulation, recovery, and why sleep is one of the most overlooked nutrients affecting weight, blood pressure, cortisol, energy, and mood.
We also get practical about hydration, food choices, digestive problems drivers rarely talk about, and how small daily habits compound over time. Plus, Hope demonstrates three simple movements drivers can do in under five minutes: pelvic tilts in the driver’s seat, calf pumps outside the truck, and a gentle cobra stretch in the sleeper berth.
If you’ve been feeling worn down physically or mentally by the lifestyle, this episode is a reminder that rebuilding your health doesn’t happen overnight — it happens one percent at a time.
👇 Key Takeaways
✅ Small daily habits matter more than extreme fitness plans
✅ Sleep directly impacts stress, weight, blood pressure, and recovery
✅ Sitting for long hours affects circulation, inflammation, and digestion
✅ Simple mobility exercises can reduce stiffness and improve movement fast
✅ Drivers need realistic wellness routines that fit trucking life
✅ Mental health and physical health are deeply connected
✅ Consistency beats perfection when building healthier habits
✅ Fleets see better driver outcomes when wellness programs are practical and achievable
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Welcome back to That's Delivered.
I'm your host, Truck and Ray,bringing you real conversations
with people shaping the truckingindustry and the lives behind
the wheel.
Today we're talking aboutsomething every driver deals
with, not just, you know, notenough.
We talk about our health, ourbody, and how actually taking
care of yourself on the road canbe a difficult thing.
(00:20):
Um I'm joined by Hope Zivera,CEO of Mother Trucker Yoga, has
spent years helping truckdrivers improve their mobility,
reduce pain, and build routinesthat actually fit a trucker's
lifestyle, and not just someunrealistic gym plan.
Hope how are you doing?
(00:41):
So glad to have you on the show.
Hey.
SPEAKER_00 (00:43):
Well, I'm excited to be on the show today talking
about my biggest passion, whichis health, particularly driver
health, and definitely, like yousaid, a topic that every driver
deals with in some capacity,some maybe more than others, but
definitely there are solutionsand strategies out there for you
(01:05):
that don't take a lot of work.
And I think that's partly whatwe're going to talk about today.
SPEAKER_01 (01:09):
That's awesome.
I mean, I mean, you're doing alot of great things out there.
Uh, you spent these yearshelping truckers and um doing,
you know, getting out there totruck shows and letting them
know, hey, you're out here andyou got a plan to help them.
So let's start with uh how yougot started with the background
and creating Mother TruckerYoga.
Uh, how did you even come upwith the name?
SPEAKER_00 (01:28):
Well, first of foremost, I didn't get my start
in trucking.
My husband has a CDL, but heuses it more on the construction
side.
And so people usually ask me,like, are you a truck driver?
I do own a truck, but I do notdrive.
I can drive, but I do not driveis the key word.
Um, but I really didn't get mystart in trucking per se, as
much as I found yoga in a timeof crisis for myself about 20
(01:53):
years ago, really looking forsolutions and strategies out
there to help with my own healthand well-being.
I was struggling with depressionand anxiety, something that many
drivers out there struggle withon a regular basis.
And for myself personally,addiction.
And I felt like there wasnothing out there that could
help.
I did all the traditionalroutes, I followed all the
(02:14):
protocols, and I still feltlike, am I gonna live like this
forever?
And then one day someone lookedat me while I was at work and
she said, You looked likesomeone that would practice
yoga.
And something in me just trippedthat day.
And I went home and got on myinternet and found a yoga class
nearby, and that weekly yogaclass became my weekly ritual of
(02:36):
second chances.
And eventually that yoga classled me into a yoga teacher
training.
It led me into opening a school,a studio, and I did that for
about 14, 15 years, but I alwaysfelt like there was something
more out there for me, thatthere was a population that
really needed my expertise andwhat I was offering to people
(02:58):
beyond what I was doing at mystudio here in Wisconsin.
And then one night I was at abusiness mixer and I start
talking to this guy and nevermet him before.
And he looks at me and says, Doyou have anything for truck
drivers?
Like in the cab of the truck.
And here I am trying to pitchhim like corporate wellness.
I thought that's the next thingfor me.
(03:19):
And I think I'm funny sometimes.
And I threw up my hands andsaid, Mother trucker yoga,
really just trying to get a riseout of this guy, like trying to
make slightly awkwardconversation a little bit more
fun and lighthearted.
And he didn't skip a beat.
He's like, That's brilliant.
Sticks out his hand and says,You want to go into business
together?
(03:39):
In 20 minutes, we becamebusiness partners.
He called me up the next day andwas like, Hey, business partner,
are we gonna do this?
I said yes.
And a year later, I bought himout of the business, um, mainly
because it was kind of myvision, my expertise.
He was in trucking, which wasgreat.
Um, and so we parted ways.
And for the last about nineyears, I've helped hundreds of
(04:01):
thousands of truck drivers invarious capacities change lanes
in their health and fitness, allwith small, simple changes.
That has always been the basisof my teaching since I started
in 2002.
Is you don't need these bigcomplicated programs.
You don't need these elaboratethings, you don't need these big
sales hypers.
You need small little thingsthat you can stick in your back
(04:24):
pocket and pull out every singleday, day in and day out.
Doing them consistently isalways going to get you on the
right track towards betterhealth.
SPEAKER_01 (04:33):
Awesome.
That's great, man.
For someone who's listening outthere who's been driving for
years, what are the most commonphysical issues that you've seen
across the industry?
SPEAKER_00 (04:43):
Yeah, we all know people talk about diabetes, high
blood pressure, those are allkind of a given and very much
diet-related and lack ofmovement related.
But aside from that, the biggestcomplaints I hear physically are
lower back pain, is a constantone, neck pain, carpal tunnel
issues.
(05:03):
And for a lot of people, themental health piece.
Let's see if we can get mycamera to focus here a little
bit better.
There we go.
Um, is something that's notoften talked about, but
definitely a big issue is theloneliness, is the isolation and
how that wears on a driver'smental health.
(05:23):
I think many of the drivers,actually, I know I've talked to
so many of them.
In the beginning, they don'tthink that piece is a big issue,
but after a while, they reallynotice it starts to play on
their overall well-being.
unknown (05:37):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (05:38):
Yeah, it does.
And especially this month thing,mental health awareness.
Um, we're bringing thatawareness by you know, mother
trucker yoga.
There's a lot of people outthere that need that help, need
that encouragement, because yogadoes more than just physically
help you.
It helps your mind as well.
For those who may have neverdone yoga, can you explain to
them a little bit about what itdoes mentally?
SPEAKER_00 (05:59):
Yeah, uh for your mental health.
This is why I love yoga so much.
And and for what we do at MotherTrucker Yoga, you know, if
you're new to us or you've seenour stuff but haven't really dug
in, I'm not teaching namas dayto people in the truck.
We're not warrior tooing orstanding on our head, but really
I'm taking the principles andpracticalities of yoga and
applying it into a fitness andhealth regime because kind of
(06:24):
that traditional fitness, thatthat gym style isn't working.
It doesn't work for drivers, itdoesn't work for a lot of us.
We need that mind, body, spiritapplication in order to really
heal and really be able to feelhealthy as a whole person.
Um, but when it comes to yoga,that mental peace is so critical
(06:44):
because you can go through themotions all you want.
You can run on the treadmill,you can eat the right things.
But if up here you're notapplying, you're not really
mindfully there, reallyconnecting with what you're
doing or why you're doing whatyou're doing to begin with,
you're never going to changeyour habits.
As somebody that has beendealing with addiction her whole
(07:06):
life has been in recovery nowfor many years, take it from me.
If you do not deal with themental reasons, the internal
reasons why these things arehappening, and don't blame it
all on trucking.
Don't just be like, well, I'm atruck driver, I sit all day,
that's why I'm overweight.
That's why I have this.
Yes, those are definitelyobstacles that are much more
(07:27):
challenging than the averageperson.
However, that should not be thereason why you don't step up to
the plate and face those issuesand start to look for solutions.
And yoga just does such a greatjob of slowing a person down,
asking you to be present and payattention to why you're feeling
(07:50):
what you're feeling.
Why are you upset?
Why are you sad?
Why do you emotionally eat?
Why are you angry all the time?
Like all of these things wedon't always connect to fitness,
but they are very much a bigpart of it.
And why, for many people, theyaren't able to get well and stay
well.
SPEAKER_01 (08:06):
That's amazing.
I mean, putting those twotogether, I think that's gonna
be huge for people to slow down.
I mean, you're always used togo, go, go, go from point A to
point B.
And um, you know, sometimeswe're missing out on sleep.
Um, sleep is an issue, irregularfood options out there, they're
kind of limited, and you kind ofwonder, what should I do?
You know, and uh, but yoga isgonna be a good way for you to
(08:29):
slow down and think about whatyou need to do, build a plan.
Uh, from your perspective, whatactually happens to the body
over time in this lifestyle?
SPEAKER_00 (08:36):
Oh my gosh, uh so many different things.
If we look at just ourphysicality, so muscle, this
thing of muscles, okay.
Everyone feels like, okay, I getoverweight, I lose muscle mass.
Sitting, they say that sittingis the new smoking.
Well, standing is also the newsmoking.
Um, and we start to break downmy muscle fibers, okay.
We increase fat storage, wedecrease muscle, which is going
(08:59):
to decrease our longevity,excuse me, because we don't have
the physical capacity to agehealthy.
And so just physically, just howis it that we can go about our
day?
Our body is breaking down.
Now all of a sudden your jointshurt.
Now all of a sudden you havechronic inflammation.
Inflammation, a lot of it for adriver is yes, due to food, but
(09:20):
the other piece of that is theinactivity.
Because one way to get rid ofinflammation in the body is to
move, is to exercise, is to moveyour joints, is to deep breathe.
And so when we're not doingthose things coupled with a poor
diet, we're gonna have anincrease in inflammation.
And there's a lot of researcharound an increase in
(09:41):
inflammation in one's body isconnected to all types of
disease.
Some say it's even the premiseor the foundation of disease.
And so if we want to increasehealth and well-being, we got to
get moving.
We got to move our physical bodyso that we can at a minimum
decrease inflammation.
But there are other key factorsand other things as well that
(10:03):
truck drivers are dealing withthat I don't want to say it
comes with the job, but it comeswith the job unless you're
willing to kind of combat it andproactively get out in front of
it.
So, yes, overweight, yes,muscular issues, but also
another one is sleep issues.
Chronic irregular sleep is alsoa huge connector to unhealthy
(10:27):
lifestyle, to putting on thepounds, to high cortisol, to um
inflammation, to diabeticreactions, to high blood
pressure.
And there's a saying I've heardfrom some drivers, it's like,
oh, I'll sleep when I'm dead,right?
Like, okay, it's not a big deal.
But sleep is a nutrient.
We talk about needing B vitaminsfor energy and mental
(10:49):
well-being.
We talk about vitamin C so wedon't get scurvy, like all these
different things, right?
But why aren't we looking atsleep as a vitamin?
And so for drivers, for those ofyou listening out there for the
next week, okay, you don't haveto go crazy, you don't need to
like do a bunch of research.
Just track when you fall, likewhen you go to sleep.
Let's say you go to sleep at,I'm just gonna throw a time out
(11:10):
there, 10 o'clock, but you maybedon't fall asleep till let's say
10:30 or 11.
What time are you waking up at?
And then just journal how youfeel in the morning.
Like, how do you feel?
Like, did you get quality sleep?
Are you groggy?
Are you tired?
Like just take take inventory ofhow you're feeling and do that
for a whole week.
Then look back and look forpatterns.
(11:31):
Look for patterns, okay?
Like, oh, this day I, you know,didn't move a lot, but this day
I did, or oh, this day it tookme an hour to fall asleep, but
this day it only took me a halfan hour.
Um, just so you can start to geta handle on why, why maybe
you're feeling that way.
And so that for a whole notherconversation.
We can call talk about REMcycle, we can talk about all
(11:52):
that kind of stuff when it comesto sleep, but sleep is a
nutrient.
And then the other piece or theother capacity is obviously what
we're eating.
And for many drivers, we'reeating at truck stops, we're
eating fast foods, we're eatinghigh fat foods and not the good
fat, the unhealthy fats.
And we're packing on the poundsfor it, and it's affecting our
body.
We're seeing diabetes, we'reseeing high blood pressure, uh,
(12:14):
we're seeing cholesterol levelsat an all-time high.
Uh, we're seeing digestiveissues, an issue also that not a
lot of drivers talk aboutpublicly, but I hear it a lot
one-on-one, is constipateconstipation.
Constipation is a huge issue fortruck drivers because they're
not drinking enough water andthey're eating foods that are
very low in fiber, and sothey're having issues going to
the bathroom.
That also connects back to a lotof different health issues.
(12:38):
And so, are you up against alot?
Yes.
But if you step back and look atthe general population of
America, there are a lot ofother people dealing with these
same issues.
It's just as a driver, you haveso much more working against
you, but it doesn't mean thatit's impossible.
SPEAKER_01 (12:53):
Right.
Absolutely.
Yeah, you don't want to justlimit yourself and think that
just it's not for me.
What are two, three simplethings that a driver can do um
that can take less than fiveminutes?
Um, what would you say?
SPEAKER_00 (13:06):
Now we're talking.
Now we're talking.
So let's let's zero in on someof the mean things.
And so I'm a big believer ininstead of separating yourself
from your everyday life, like,oh, now I gotta go work out.
Oh, now I have to find a gym.
Like, that's not realistic andpractical for a lot of people,
truck driver or not.
(13:26):
And so instead, first step oneis to identify small pockets of
time throughout the day.
So is that five minutes beforeyou officially get out of bed?
Okay, maybe set your alarm fiveminutes earlier.
Okay.
Is that when you're filling upfor fuel?
You know, you have a little bitof downtime where you're kind of
waiting.
That's one or two minutes.
That's perfect.
Um, is that on your break?
(13:46):
Is that when you're waiting toload or unload?
Is that once you park for thenight?
So, first things first, you haveto identify the small pockets of
time.
Why?
Because if you don't even thinkyou have time, you will never do
it.
But I guarantee you you can bethe busiest person on the planet
and I will follow you around fora day and I will find time that
you have to move your body.
(14:07):
Okay, so that's the first step.
But then three things that youcan do.
My favorite is moving in thedriver's seat.
I love double downing.
I love being able to find thingswe're already doing and then add
something to it.
So you're not wasting any timeand you're not taking more time
out of your day.
So something is simple because Italked about how back pain is
one of the number one things Ihear from drivers that they
(14:28):
complain about because of thesitting and the constant
vibration, no matter how fancyyour seat is, you're gonna get
that impact on your spine.
So, one of the things I lovedoing is when you're sitting in
the driver's seat, sit nice andtall, kind of pull your back
away from the truck seat, andyou're gonna practice what's
called pelvic tilting.
So that means you're gonna arcyour lower back away from the
(14:48):
seat.
Like if I had a pin popping outof the lower part of the seat,
you'd kind of arc your back awayfrom it.
And then exhale, push the pininto the seat, kind of C curve
your spine, stuck, tuck yourtailbone.
It's almost like tipping waterin a bowl front to back.
SPEAKER_02 (15:03):
And you're gonna do it times.
SPEAKER_00 (15:05):
You're gonna do that 10 times.
I'm standing here right now andI'm just arcing and lowering my
back.
I'm rounding my back, and we'regonna do that 10 times.
Why is this such a greatmovement?
One, because it increasesmobility in the lower lumbar,
which is our lower back.
So it's gonna ease that tension.
Um, and then number two, whichis something a lot of people
don't think about, is long-termsitting really cuts off
(15:26):
circulation and blood flowbetween the lower body and the
heart.
And so the heart has to workreally hard to get that blood
flow back up to the heart againfrom the legs.
And so by doing some pelvictilting, you're actually
creating a pathway for thatcirculation to come back up
again towards the heart center,which is really beneficial for
your body in general, not tomention lowering blood pressure,
(15:46):
lowering stress, uh, increasingblood flow to your organs, which
is going to help with digestionand just all over vitality.
So such a simple, sillymovement.
Yes, it focuses on back pain,but it does so much more for our
body.
And this is something that youcan do in your phone, on your
alarm, every 15 or 30 minutes,just have a reoccurring alarm.
(16:07):
Like, don't use a noise like uhuh use something fun, like a
bird chirp or something thatfeels positive.
But when you hear that sound,that should be your cue to be
like, oh yeah, I have to do mypelvic tilts.
What if that one move was a gamechanger for you?
What if that one move helped youget out of the truck and not
make you feel like you werefrozen in place?
You know what I'm talking about,where you need like a minute to
(16:29):
be able to stand upright becauseyour body is just stuck.
That can be trucker stance.
Exactly, exactly.
Yeah, the second one is whenyou're out of the truck, and so
this is gonna be reallyimportant because we talked
about that blood flow again, iswhat I call the calf pump.
(16:50):
So you're gonna be standing,okay?
You're filling up with fuel,you're doing whatever, you're on
the phone.
I don't care where you'reoutside of your truck, but you
just need like 60 seconds, andyou're gonna start standing and
step one foot back, maybe like afoot to a foot and a half's
length, and then make sure yourfeet are parallel, not that back
foot turned out.
We want it straight forward.
And all you're gonna do is bendyour front knee slightly, and
(17:13):
then try bending your back kneeas much as you can without
lifting the heel, and you'regonna stretch the calf, the
Achilles, the planner tendon,which is the bottom of the foot.
You're gonna hold that for threeseconds, and then you're gonna
straighten the leg again.
And you're gonna do that five to10 times on each side.
I have all these videos on myYouTube channel, I have blogs on
(17:33):
them on my website, they're inmy book, Trucking Yoga.
So you have plenty of ways tofind out how to do these moves
as well, but I want to walk youthrough them.
And you're gonna do then thatsame thing on the other leg.
Why is this movement sofunctional and practical and
critical?
Because we talked about thatblood flow again.
And if you're not walking,jumping, running, skipping,
(17:53):
hopping, the calf, which is thehydraulic pump for the heart,
okay, because the heart needshelp to get that blood flow back
up to the from the lower body,that blood's not moving back up
to the heart.
And so by bending andstraightening that back leg,
you're kind of artificially jumpstarting that hydraulic pump and
getting that blood flow torecirculate back up to the heart
(18:15):
again.
Also reducing calf tension isgonna help reduce lower back
pain because the tighter thebacks of the legs, the more it's
gonna pull down on your lowerback.
So that's the second move.
And then the third move, thethird move, there's a lot of
them, but I'm gonna just pickthree.
The last one I want you to do inthe sleeper.
So we got one in each area,okay?
(18:36):
Driver's seat outside the truckand in the sleeper.
The last one you're gonna do isyou're gonna do what we call in
yoga a cobra, but essentiallyit's gonna be like a backbender
and extension.
You're gonna lay on your bellyand put your hands right under
your shoulders.
So if I was laying on the bed,my hands are right underneath my
shoulders.
You're gonna take a nice bigbreath in and then press up off
the bed a couple of inches.
(18:57):
You don't have to go all the waystraight up as you press your
tailbone down between your legs.
Once you're up, I want you tolook up and really reach with
the chin to stretch the wholefront of the body.
Why is this so important?
Because all day long you're in aforward flexing position.
Your body gets stuck that way.
Yes, there is such a thing asmuscle memory.
(19:18):
The muscles don't reallyremember.
What remembers is the fascia.
And so it kind of solidifies orkind of becomes plastic-like
where we're stuck in thatposition.
We've all seen that.
Little old men and little oldladies where they're just stuck
in this position with their headforward, their shoulders
rounded, and you're like, whycan't I get you to stand
upright?
That's because they've beenremembering that position for
(19:40):
many, many, many years.
So that extension or that cobrais gonna help you undo that
forward rounding.
That's a great position orstretch to do in the morning
before you get out of bed.
That's a great one to do beforeyou, excuse me, before you go to
bed.
If you feel like your hips andlower back are just kind of like
squeezing on you and you can'tfigure out how to get to sleep,
(20:01):
it hurts so bad.
Just flip over, do that littleextension, and you're gonna be
able to fall asleep with lesspain.
So those are three moves thatyou can do in three minutes or
less in any time of day.
You don't need yoga pants on,you don't need a yoga mat.
This is practical, functionalmovement at its best just for
drivers.
SPEAKER_01 (20:20):
That's amazing.
I mean, you gotta think aboutall this stuff and and more.
You want to just get the loaddelivered, but there's so much
more you got to take care ofyour health.
I mean, building thatconsistency.
I'm sure you're aware of being abusiness owner yourself.
Uh, once someone gets started,the hard part sticking with it.
You know, you don't want tojust, you know, that life throws
you those curveballs and thenyou let it go.
Uh, what's your advice forbuilding consistency on the road
(20:43):
where every day looks different?
SPEAKER_00 (20:45):
I love this.
I call it the 1% rule.
I am not a fan of I'm just gonnago all in, change my whole life
tomorrow.
I'm never gonna eat sugar again.
I'm gonna go gluten-free, I'mgonna walk five miles, I'm gonna
do mother trucker yoga 20minutes every day.
Like you've ever heard, youknow, those people where it's
like they got the laundry listand your eyes roll back in your
(21:05):
head going, yeah, good luck.
Like you've never made anychange in your life, and now
you're gonna change 90 thingstomorrow.
I'm not saying that doesn'twork, but the majority of the
people that's not gonna work.
And so this is where the 1% rulecomes in.
Starting today, not tomorrow.
As of someone in recovery, wesay start tomorrow because we
actually don't want to change.
(21:27):
When you start saying I'm gonnastart today, that's where the
real magic happens.
So we're gonna start today andwe're gonna start the 1% rule.
And what this is, is today I'mgonna be 1% better than I was
yesterday.
What can this look like?
If you don't drink water, Idon't want you to have to start
drinking eight bottles of water.
Like that's actuallyunrealistic.
(21:47):
It can be trauma to your system.
How about one bottle of water?
Never eat vegetables, onevegetable.
You're not really big intoexercise or fitness.
How about just one stretch andbe consistent with that?
That one stretch every day.
Don't worry about what otherpeople say.
Don't worry about social media.
Don't worry about like if you'regonna commit to that one back
(22:07):
stretch in the driver's seat, dothat every single day.
Because here's here's the goodpart.
At the end of the year, you are365% better than you were a year
ago, just by doing one thingevery single day for the next
year.
And the cool thing is, is afterabout 21 to 48 days, depending
(22:33):
on what you're doing and whatyou're focusing on, that one
percent, that one habit is goingto become two, is gonna become
three, is gonna become four.
But for now, don't even worryabout that.
Don't even worry that you don'thave a program, don't even worry
that you don't have a totalplan.
Like you're new to this.
You're new to this.
(22:54):
And so, how about pick one thingthat seems doable and realistic
and works for you?
And you just absolutely kill itwith that, and then we'll just
take it from there one step at atime.
SPEAKER_01 (23:08):
Nice.
I mean, that is that is great,that's encouraging.
That seems doable.
A lot of people want to they getoverwhelmed.
It's like, man, this is toomuch, but that one percent or
just doing that one thing.
I mean, that's huge.
So great advice.
SPEAKER_00 (23:23):
We're kind of sold into, I feel like in society,
even outside of trucking.
Um, I've been in the businessspace, the fitness space, and
health space for many years, andwe're sold into this like
elaborate program concept,right?
Like, oh, in six weeks, this, oryou have to follow this whole
protocol or buy these 90products, and then automatically
you'll be healed.
Here's the one thing that manyof these fail to see, and this
(23:47):
is why sometimes I feel like I'ma horrible business owner, um,
because I really struggle withthose concepts because I feel
like they're not practical forpeople and they're a lot of
hype.
The second you step out of that,what's the likelihood you're
gonna continue?
And that's the real truth.
And so when you see programsthat are like lose 20 pounds,
(24:08):
this person lost 500 pounds, youknow, get ripped in six weeks.
You have to step back and go,okay, but what is the reality?
I will commit to this after theprogram is done.
And I'm not saying that for youto not buy those things or that
those people don't knowanything.
That's not what I'm saying.
What I'm saying is I need you toget up here in your head and you
(24:30):
need to be honest with yourselfand say, what is realistic for
me?
And this is why the 1% rule as astarting point is so powerful.
Because if you can commit to onething, the human brain is really
great because once it sees thatit did something, it's all based
on reward system and you see youcan accomplish it, your brain's
(24:51):
gonna want more of it.
But if you start something andthen you fail, the human brain
wants to protect us.
So then we push back and say,health's not for me, fitness is
not for me.
I can't do this.
And now we create more spacebetween what we could be
potentially accomplishing whenit comes to health and wellness
and where we are.
(25:12):
And so just I really want youfor the if you're listening to
take inventory on what's goingon in here in your mind before
you step into something andconsider the 1% rule.
And don't let anyone tell youthat that's not gonna do
anything or that that's notenough.
Now, sometimes you're in acritical place where you have to
make drastic changes.
And I hope that those of youlistening aren't there yet.
(25:34):
But for those of you that are inthat place, 1% rule, add slowly,
be consistent.
It's all about what I cancontinue to do over a long
period of time.
SPEAKER_01 (25:45):
That's amazing.
Uh, I knew I was having thispodcast, so I make sure I worked
out today.
Um, try to do a little bit.
So yeah, this is great advice.
The mind is so tricky, and yougot to take care of it, you got
to make sure your your mentalhealth is well, but also you
want to make sure you're makinggood decisions so that would
affect your body.
I mean, that is well put the wayyou said that.
(26:07):
I mean, you're just doing thatlittle bit of change, not too
much, and then also keeping tabson yourself.
So great.
SPEAKER_00 (26:14):
Yeah, yeah.
And one thing I do want to sayis one thing I think is great
about the trucking space, and Ithink Ray, you probably know
this and see this all the time,is the trucking community is
just that.
It is a great, tight-knitcommunity.
And so if you're trying tochange your health and you're
trying to improve yourlifestyle, look around you and
find the drivers that areprioritizing their health, that
(26:37):
are trying to do the same, thatcare about that, and surround
yourself with those people.
Because when you have acommunity and accountability
towards making healthy changesin your life, you're gonna go so
much further, so much faster.
Versus if you're still hangingout with the people that are
like, oh, I drink 90 MountainDews a day and it doesn't bother
(26:57):
me, or I eat five Big Macs everysingle day.
That's not a big deal.
And I'm exaggerating that, okay.
But you see my point.
It's really hard to say, I careabout my health when everyone
around you is essentially makingfun of you for caring about your
health.
Those aren't the people that aregonna pull you up, those are the
people that are essentiallykeeping you down.
(27:18):
Why?
Because they don't want to makea change.
SPEAKER_01 (27:22):
I mean, is that part of the switch?
Um, you got to also be aroundgood people that help you.
I mean, because it's so hard.
People say, I don't have thetime.
This is um, my job is sodemanding.
Um, they're so focused ongetting the job done, they don't
think about how to get the jobdone.
SPEAKER_00 (27:39):
A hundred percent.
SPEAKER_01 (27:41):
So, how important is it for companies and fleets to
support driver health as well?
SPEAKER_00 (27:45):
Uh, I think this is one of the pivotal key pieces
that could change this industryfor the better.
And now I've been around forquite a while.
I've talked with lots ofdifferent companies of all
sizes, and there are somedistinct key differences between
companies that I don't even wantto say prioritize health, care
(28:07):
about health is maybe a betterterm, versus the companies that
say it's important but actuallydon't take action towards it.
Now, nine years ago when I firststepped into this, uh, an idea
for many companies that I talkedto, they were like, Yeah, we
have a gym at our headquarters.
And part of me was like, whattruck driver is even there?
(28:28):
What truck driver is at youroffice?
Maybe if they come home on theweekends and they park their
truck there, but like youroffice personnel is using that.
You're using that, which I thinkis great, but that really
doesn't apply to the truckdrivers.
And so I think for a lot oftrucking companies, if you're
looking to just get started inprioritizing your health, one,
(28:48):
you need to look at yourselfbecause we practice what we
preach.
And are you walking every day?
Do you try to eat healthier?
Like, how are you talking abouthealth just in general within
your workplace and your everydaylife?
You don't need to be a healthguru.
But if you're kind of poo-pooingon health and well-being, like,
(29:09):
oh, you're too busy, you got tocare about my bottom line.
Well, newsflash, with highturnovers in this industry, and
one of the biggest reasons whydrivers leave the industry,
which has nothing to do withdriving the actual truck or
being a driver as a profession,and has a lot more to do with
the lifestyle of trucking.
They can't handle the lifestyle,it's too stressful, uh, they're
(29:30):
putting on too much weight,their physical body hurts too
much, mentally they can't handleit.
Like, if that's what's creatingyour turnover, actually, health
or not being a healthy companyis costing you far more than not
having the top-of-the-linetrucks, not having the best
drivers.
And so that piece there.
But for a lot of truckingcompanies, how can we start
(29:52):
becoming healthier?
One, what's the environmentlike?
And so in the terminals, can youput posters on how to stretch?
Like we have what's called thefit as you go poster set, and it
shows truck drivers in variousenvironments on how to stretch,
like simple, easy 60-second,30-second stretches, like
(30:12):
showing them that you care aboutthis thing.
It's a great non-verbal,indirect way.
Maybe in your newsletter, youcan put a little column.
SPEAKER_01 (30:21):
How do they get that done?
Um, they find do they actuallymake the posters themselves or
find it online or something?
SPEAKER_00 (30:28):
Great question.
So we have them on our website,mother truckeryoga.com in our
store.
Um, they're called the Fit asYou Go poster set.
I actually just before we got onwas packaging up a couple for
some CDL schools.
And so this is a great way foryou to indirectly showcase that
you care about health and showthat you care about their their
well-being.
(30:49):
And so that's one way to dothat.
Another way would be to have acolumn in your newsletter.
Um, you know, sending out thingsthat, you know, you talk about
what's going on in the companyand and what's, you know, new
accounts you have or whateverelse you send out.
Why not have a little section onlike a stretch of the week or a
stretch of the month?
Uh, maybe bringing in when youdo in-service training, bringing
(31:09):
someone in like myself to do aone-hour training on things that
drivers can do to improve theirhealth and well-being.
Like these are all easy thingsthat you can implement without
having to completely reinventthe wheel towards being a
considered a healthy truckingcompany.
And so take inventory if you area company owner or a fleet
(31:31):
owner, you know, are you atleast doing 1% better?
Are you taking that initiativetowards showing your drivers
that you care about theirhealth?
Because here's the cool thing: they are gonna live up to the (31:40):
undefined
standard that you set for them,whether it's to how many miles
to get under their belt, whetherit's to not have an accident,
uh, to make sure they have Xamount of loads, you know,
delivered on time, whatever thecase may be.
And if that company owner sets astandard that they want their
drivers to care about theirhealth, where do you think
(32:02):
they're gonna try to live up to?
Who do you think you're gonnaattract?
It's no different than somecompanies require a uniform and
some don't.
And when you talk to the driversthat wear a button-down shirt
with the name on, you know, logoon their chest every day.
One of the things I've noticedabout the drivers that dress
that way is they carrythemselves a little bit
differently.
There's a lot of pride that goesinto that.
(32:22):
Dressing your best, dress up tothe level that you want to live
at.
There's a lot to be said aboutthat.
And so we can do the same thingwith health.
Set a little bit of a standardfor them.
Show them that health isimportant.
Maybe invoke some types oflittle things that they can do,
some little incentives to beable to be rewarded in within
(32:45):
the company.
And so these are all littlethings that companies can do to
really just start to set thetone that it's not just health
matters, but their healthmatters.
And that's really the keydifference is seeing the
drivers, seeing the challengesthey're up against, and saying,
hey, what can I do to help mydrivers put their healthiest
(33:06):
foot forward in a verynon-intimidating fashion?
SPEAKER_01 (33:12):
There's a lot of money being spent to uh work
down you know accidents to makesure the drivers are safe.
Uh, there's a lot of money putinto um like uh telematics, make
sure that the equipment isreading back to the company.
But are we actually putting thedollars where it needs to be
spent for health and driverretention uh to keep the driver?
(33:35):
I mean, you can you can put allthe telematics you want in the
truck or even autonomous trucks,you know, that that's a lot of
money.
But yeah, you if you take thetime to hire good drivers and
train them well and then hold onto them and keep them healthy,
you probably will come out umsaving some money on the end as
well.
Um, I don't know if there's anynumbers on that, but I think
(33:56):
that's where what we're rootingfor here is for the companies to
champion the driver to keep themaround.
SPEAKER_00 (34:02):
Yeah, I've seen some numbers anywhere between like
16, um, you know, 16,000 to28,000 saved on just recruitment
costs from losing a driver.
And so that number is kind ofall over the place, but let's
just use the low end$16,000 yousave.
How much turnover are you havingevery single month or year that
(34:24):
that's costing you that youcould be saving by simply
creating some health initiativeswithin your company?
Now, that being said, this is awhole nother podcast.
There are a lot of things thatcompanies are doing wrong when
it comes to wellness programsthat are too overwhelming, it's
too much, it's confusing becausethey're living on this concept
(34:45):
that more is better.
And so then you have to rememberwho your audience is.
These are men and women thatprobably don't have a background
in health.
They're not naturally drawn totaking care of themselves, even
if they want to.
It's not a habit yet.
So when you're like, join ourwater challenge, you need to
drink 64 ounces of water a day.
(35:06):
Hey, you need to walk fivemiles.
You should also stretch, youshould get weights in your
truck.
We're gonna now do a weeklyweigh in.
Drivers are like, oh my gosh,like, I can't do this.
And so they're actually pushingback against those wellness
programs, which is having aninadverse effect.
And it's telling then thepopulation and trucking and
these companies wellnessprograms don't work.
(35:26):
Drivers don't want to behealthy.
When it's in fact that's thetotal opposite.
It's the delivery method thatthey're taking that is creating
that reaction.
And if we simply change thedelivery method, we could have a
totally different outcome.
SPEAKER_01 (35:43):
Amazing.
You see the big picture.
I wish that uh more will alsosee that.
Yeah, you're doing great.
Um, so a lot of great things outthere.
Uh, quick hints or accountabletakeaways.
If you uh were to give a driverone thing to do every morning,
uh, what would you say?
SPEAKER_00 (36:01):
I would say the night before, before you go to
bed, I want you to grab a bottleof water or fill up your water
bottle or whatever, whatever itis you have, and I want you to
put that water right next toyou, so that when you wake up in
the morning and you sit up andyou put your feet on the ground,
first you offer a littlegratitude that you're alive and
(36:23):
you're kicking and you getanother day at this life.
And then once you've done that,before you think about anything
else, I just want you to downthat water.
I want you to chug that wateruntil it's gone.
Eight ounces to 16 ounces,something like that.
That's one to two cups.
And some of the people will say,Well, I don't like water.
Well, I don't like chemotherapydrugs.
So take your pick.
So I'm gonna drink the water,okay?
(36:43):
So I'm gonna down the water.
And why is this so important?
Because when you drink waterfirst thing in the morning, you
flush all the toxins out of yoursystem, you jumpstart your
digestion, you jump, jumpstartyour system of elimination.
It's gonna help with mentalclarity, drowsiness, fatigue,
inflammation, all that stuff.
And the cool thing is, is whenwe do that right away when we
wake up in the morning.
(37:04):
By the time you go and you getyourself ready, right?
You're gonna do your pre-chipcheck, you're gonna make
breakfast, you're gonna go inand do all the stuff.
You're gonna have to go to thebathroom.
And then before you even headout on the road, you're already
one to two cups of water intoyour day.
That's not gonna affect yourtrip.
Now you can't use the excuse, Ican't drink water because I
(37:24):
can't stop.
Because now you've juststrategically chose to
prioritize your health in a waythat doesn't take away from your
life, but rather adds to yourlife.
And when you drink water firstthing in the day, you're
probably also gonna notice youcrave some of those sugary
drinks a little bit less becausenow you're more hydrated.
(37:45):
And that, my friends, is reallythe foundation to a great
longevity and well-being if wecan just make that one small,
simple change.
And hey, what's one to twoglasses of water in the morning?
Like, what's that really gonnatake away from our life?
More importantly, what's thatgonna add to our life?
SPEAKER_01 (38:03):
Yeah.
So, how about what's one thingthat we do during the day?
SPEAKER_00 (38:08):
Okay.
So, one thing we can do duringthe day.
Um, I want to encourage all ofyou drivers to practice deep
breathing.
So, deep diaphragmaticbreathing, belly breathing.
That's getting your breath waydown into where your belly
button is.
And I'm a big fan of the alarmsystem strategy.
Set an alarm on your phone every30 minutes.
Again, pick a sound that doesn'tconnect to stress.
(38:29):
Usually the sound of an alarmcreates a triggered stress
response.
And when that goes off, you'regonna take three deep breaths.
So that means you're gonnabreathe in for a count of three
to four and breathe out for acount of six to eight.
And you're gonna do that threetimes.
That's it.
And then when you hear thatsound again, you're gonna take
three deep breaths.
By doing that, we lower cortisollevels and we get out of what's
(38:53):
called our fight, flight, orfreeze, that's our
parasympathetic nervous system,and we get into what's called
rest and digest.
That's our our um our opposite.
So when we get out of that,sorry, when we get out of that
sympathetic nervous system andinto the parasympathetic nervous
system, then we're like, we'renot so edgy, we're not so
(39:14):
grouchy, we're not like seeingthe person drive by us and
saying things that they can onlysee, our mouth moving through
the window, right?
And so those three deep breathscan really make a really big
difference in our mental health,in our physical health, and in
our emotional health.
It doesn't cost anything, itdoesn't require any training, it
doesn't mean you have to go doanything extra, no changing your
clothes required, no educationlevel needed, but it's something
(39:39):
that if you do throughout theday, even just one, two, or
three times, can have a hugeimpact on how not only you look
at your life, but how you lookat yourself.
SPEAKER_01 (39:48):
Wow, that's great.
I mean, you're rolling thisstuff off real easy.
I mean, makes it so you've beentalking and walking this uh this
thing for a long time.
That's amazing.
Uh, what's one thing, last, thatthey would do for bed, bedtime
before they go to sleep?
SPEAKER_00 (40:02):
Okay, so when you're going to sleep, this is really
important for all people, truckdrivers or not.
What you do before you go tosleep actually has a bigger
impact than how you sleep perse.
So I want you to just startslow, 15 minutes.
So 15 minutes before bed, I wantyou to turn off all electronics.
Turn the lights down low in thecab of the truck, in the cabin
(40:24):
of the truck, so that your eyescan adjust and your brain can
adjust.
There's a reason why the sunsets slowly, because it actually
tells us, it tells our nervoussystem that it's time to kind of
slow down and start to go tosleep.
And so we kind of want to mimicthat in the cab of the truck as
well.
And so no electronics, at least15 minutes.
A lot of statistics say 60, butI like to start small and
(40:46):
practical things that don't makepeople have a panic attack when
they're like, what?
I can't check Facebook one moretime before I go to bed.
Sure, but 15 minutes before yougo to bed.
Um, lights down low.
And then the last thing is onceyou're in bed, you have a couple
of options.
One, do those three deep breathsagain.
Or two, I'm a big fan, I lovemusic therapy.
(41:07):
Turn on like some reallysoothing, calming music.
You can put your earbuds in, youcan turn on whatever you need to
do.
And it just can be for like twoor three, four minutes to help
again your nervous system winddown, to help your body know
that it's time to relax and letgo.
And just a simple routine likethat, done regularly, can make a
(41:29):
huge impact in us not onlyfalling asleep, but the key here
for drivers is staying asleep.
And so changing the environment,not just ourselves, when it
comes to sleep, has a hugeimpact in how it is we create
the quality of sleep that weneed to wake up feeling
(41:50):
refreshed and renewed.
SPEAKER_01 (41:53):
Wow, man.
Hope this has been great.
It's been a great conversation.
You got three good takeaways.
Um, and just like that 1%, justfocus on that, just one thing to
do to change a startup.
Maybe it's just one thing aweek, you know, and then get
those seven days down.
You you've made a big change.
SPEAKER_02 (42:10):
So absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (42:12):
Yeah, I think a lot of the drivers out there need to
hear this.
For anyone who out there islistening, wants to know more.
Uh, check out your programs.
I mean, start uh making thosechanges.
And where's the best place forpeople to reach out to you and
find you?
I'm sure you have a lot of areasfor people to get to know you.
SPEAKER_00 (42:27):
Absolutely.
So um, we are on social media,and so you can find my videos
over on YouTube, Mother TruckerYoga.
Um, we're on Instagram andFacebook.
I post a lot of different stuffon there.
Um, if you're big into reading,uh check out our blog at mother
truckeryoga.com.
We post almost daily differentstrategies, routines, ideas,
(42:48):
exercises from the mental healthpiece to the physical and back
again.
So lots of different conceptsfor drivers, for companies, uh,
for schools, and so just a tonof information, much of it
researched from my two decadesin this space and beyond.
Um, and so such a great resourcefor you all.
And the last thing, and probablythe most important, is to check
(43:11):
out my book, Trucking Yoga,Simple Fitness for the Long
Haul.
It's on Amazon, it's on ourwebsite.
60 exercises that you can do inand around the cab of the truck
and in really 60 seconds orless, um, strategies around good
posture and how to move in thedriver's seat.
Just a really a packed full bookthat essentially is like a
player's guide for you to openup and be like, what do I need
(43:34):
to do today?
And you can just look at thepicture and be like, I got that,
and be able to apply it to yourlife.
So it's really a lot of what Iteach and talk about on social
and on my website, all put intoone nice playbook.
SPEAKER_01 (43:46):
That's amazing.
Thank you so much.
I mean, you are um a beacon ofhope for a lot of people out
there that they know they canmake a change and they can make
that impact for their forthemselves and also for their
family and their loved ones tostay around.
Even longer.
So we don't want the industry totake us out.
We want us to be able to add tothe industry.
So this is amazing.
(44:06):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (44:07):
Thank you.
I'll leave you guys with this.
Your health is your wealth.
And the second you startshifting away from all of that
other stuff, which will come intime and you recognize that
without my health, I can't enjoythe money I make.
I can't enjoy the house that Ibuild.
I can't enjoy the truck that Idrive.
Like none of that is possiblewithout your health.
(44:29):
Your whole life will change.
As somebody that nearly lost herlife because I didn't prioritize
my health, I didn't see this asthe highest level of currency
that we will ever have in thislifetime.
Now is the time.
Now is the time for you to makea change.
Now is the time for you to applythat 1% rule.
Now is the time for you toprioritize yourself because
(44:53):
ain't no one gonna do it foryou.
But the second you prioritizeyourself, the whole world is
going to change.
SPEAKER_01 (45:01):
That's beautiful.
Um, you got a great story.
I hope that people get your bookand learn more about what has
motivated you so that they canto you know enjoy that for
themselves, make it their own.
So a big thanks to you outthere.
I mean, appreciate all the workyou're doing with Mother Trucker
Yoga and coming on the show,sharing the real practical ways
that drivers can take care ofthemselves without complicating
(45:23):
it.
So if you if you got value fromthis episode, make sure you
subscribe, share it with anotherdriver, and we'll we'll be
bringing more conversations likethis for you in the future.
Until next time, uh keeprolling, and that's delivered.
Welcome back to That's Delivered.
I'm your host, Truck and Ray,bringing you real conversations
with people shaping the truckingindustry and the lives behind
the wheel.
Today we're talking aboutsomething every driver deals
with, not just, you know, notenough.
We talk about our health, ourbody, and how actually taking
care of yourself on the road canbe a difficult thing.
(00:20):
Um I'm joined by Hope Zivera,CEO of Mother Trucker Yoga, has
spent years helping truckdrivers improve their mobility,
reduce pain, and build routinesthat actually fit a trucker's
lifestyle, and not just someunrealistic gym plan.
Hope how are you doing?
(00:41):
So glad to have you on the show.
Hey.
SPEAKER_00 (00:43):
Well, I'm excited to be on the show today talking
about my biggest passion, whichis health, particularly driver
health, and definitely, like yousaid, a topic that every driver
deals with in some capacity,some maybe more than others, but
definitely there are solutionsand strategies out there for you
(01:05):
that don't take a lot of work.
And I think that's partly whatwe're going to talk about today.
SPEAKER_01 (01:09):
That's awesome.
I mean, I mean, you're doing alot of great things out there.
Uh, you spent these yearshelping truckers and um doing,
you know, getting out there totruck shows and letting them
know, hey, you're out here andyou got a plan to help them.
So let's start with uh how yougot started with the background
and creating Mother TruckerYoga.
Uh, how did you even come upwith the name?
SPEAKER_00 (01:28):
Well, first of foremost, I didn't get my start
in trucking.
My husband has a CDL, but heuses it more on the construction
side.
And so people usually ask me,like, are you a truck driver?
I do own a truck, but I do notdrive.
I can drive, but I do not driveis the key word.
Um, but I really didn't get mystart in trucking per se, as
much as I found yoga in a timeof crisis for myself about 20
(01:53):
years ago, really looking forsolutions and strategies out
there to help with my own healthand well-being.
I was struggling with depressionand anxiety, something that many
drivers out there struggle withon a regular basis.
And for myself personally,addiction.
And I felt like there wasnothing out there that could
help.
I did all the traditionalroutes, I followed all the
(02:14):
protocols, and I still feltlike, am I gonna live like this
forever?
And then one day someone lookedat me while I was at work and
she said, You looked likesomeone that would practice
yoga.
And something in me just trippedthat day.
And I went home and got on myinternet and found a yoga class
nearby, and that weekly yogaclass became my weekly ritual of
(02:36):
second chances.
And eventually that yoga classled me into a yoga teacher
training.
It led me into opening a school,a studio, and I did that for
about 14, 15 years, but I alwaysfelt like there was something
more out there for me, thatthere was a population that
really needed my expertise andwhat I was offering to people
(02:58):
beyond what I was doing at mystudio here in Wisconsin.
And then one night I was at abusiness mixer and I start
talking to this guy and nevermet him before.
And he looks at me and says, Doyou have anything for truck
drivers?
Like in the cab of the truck.
And here I am trying to pitchhim like corporate wellness.
I thought that's the next thingfor me.
(03:19):
And I think I'm funny sometimes.
And I threw up my hands andsaid, Mother trucker yoga,
really just trying to get a riseout of this guy, like trying to
make slightly awkwardconversation a little bit more
fun and lighthearted.
And he didn't skip a beat.
He's like, That's brilliant.
Sticks out his hand and says,You want to go into business
together?
(03:39):
In 20 minutes, we becamebusiness partners.
He called me up the next day andwas like, Hey, business partner,
are we gonna do this?
I said yes.
And a year later, I bought himout of the business, um, mainly
because it was kind of myvision, my expertise.
He was in trucking, which wasgreat.
Um, and so we parted ways.
And for the last about nineyears, I've helped hundreds of
(04:01):
thousands of truck drivers invarious capacities change lanes
in their health and fitness, allwith small, simple changes.
That has always been the basisof my teaching since I started
in 2002.
Is you don't need these bigcomplicated programs.
You don't need these elaboratethings, you don't need these big
sales hypers.
You need small little thingsthat you can stick in your back
(04:24):
pocket and pull out every singleday, day in and day out.
Doing them consistently isalways going to get you on the
right track towards betterhealth.
SPEAKER_01 (04:33):
Awesome.
That's great, man.
For someone who's listening outthere who's been driving for
years, what are the most commonphysical issues that you've seen
across the industry?
SPEAKER_00 (04:43):
Yeah, we all know people talk about diabetes, high
blood pressure, those are allkind of a given and very much
diet-related and lack ofmovement related.
But aside from that, the biggestcomplaints I hear physically are
lower back pain, is a constantone, neck pain, carpal tunnel
issues.
(05:03):
And for a lot of people, themental health piece.
Let's see if we can get mycamera to focus here a little
bit better.
There we go.
Um, is something that's notoften talked about, but
definitely a big issue is theloneliness, is the isolation and
how that wears on a driver'smental health.
(05:23):
I think many of the drivers,actually, I know I've talked to
so many of them.
In the beginning, they don'tthink that piece is a big issue,
but after a while, they reallynotice it starts to play on
their overall well-being.
unknown (05:37):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (05:38):
Yeah, it does.
And especially this month thing,mental health awareness.
Um, we're bringing thatawareness by you know, mother
trucker yoga.
There's a lot of people outthere that need that help, need
that encouragement, because yogadoes more than just physically
help you.
It helps your mind as well.
For those who may have neverdone yoga, can you explain to
them a little bit about what itdoes mentally?
SPEAKER_00 (05:59):
Yeah, uh for your mental health.
This is why I love yoga so much.
And and for what we do at MotherTrucker Yoga, you know, if
you're new to us or you've seenour stuff but haven't really dug
in, I'm not teaching namas dayto people in the truck.
We're not warrior tooing orstanding on our head, but really
I'm taking the principles andpracticalities of yoga and
applying it into a fitness andhealth regime because kind of
(06:24):
that traditional fitness, thatthat gym style isn't working.
It doesn't work for drivers, itdoesn't work for a lot of us.
We need that mind, body, spiritapplication in order to really
heal and really be able to feelhealthy as a whole person.
Um, but when it comes to yoga,that mental peace is so critical
(06:44):
because you can go through themotions all you want.
You can run on the treadmill,you can eat the right things.
But if up here you're notapplying, you're not really
mindfully there, reallyconnecting with what you're
doing or why you're doing whatyou're doing to begin with,
you're never going to changeyour habits.
As somebody that has beendealing with addiction her whole
(07:06):
life has been in recovery nowfor many years, take it from me.
If you do not deal with themental reasons, the internal
reasons why these things arehappening, and don't blame it
all on trucking.
Don't just be like, well, I'm atruck driver, I sit all day,
that's why I'm overweight.
That's why I have this.
Yes, those are definitelyobstacles that are much more
(07:27):
challenging than the averageperson.
However, that should not be thereason why you don't step up to
the plate and face those issuesand start to look for solutions.
And yoga just does such a greatjob of slowing a person down,
asking you to be present and payattention to why you're feeling
(07:50):
what you're feeling.
Why are you upset?
Why are you sad?
Why do you emotionally eat?
Why are you angry all the time?
Like all of these things wedon't always connect to fitness,
but they are very much a bigpart of it.
And why, for many people, theyaren't able to get well and stay
well.
SPEAKER_01 (08:06):
That's amazing.
I mean, putting those twotogether, I think that's gonna
be huge for people to slow down.
I mean, you're always used togo, go, go, go from point A to
point B.
And um, you know, sometimeswe're missing out on sleep.
Um, sleep is an issue, irregularfood options out there, they're
kind of limited, and you kind ofwonder, what should I do?
You know, and uh, but yoga isgonna be a good way for you to
(08:29):
slow down and think about whatyou need to do, build a plan.
Uh, from your perspective, whatactually happens to the body
over time in this lifestyle?
SPEAKER_00 (08:36):
Oh my gosh, uh so many different things.
If we look at just ourphysicality, so muscle, this
thing of muscles, okay.
Everyone feels like, okay, I getoverweight, I lose muscle mass.
Sitting, they say that sittingis the new smoking.
Well, standing is also the newsmoking.
Um, and we start to break downmy muscle fibers, okay.
We increase fat storage, wedecrease muscle, which is going
(08:59):
to decrease our longevity,excuse me, because we don't have
the physical capacity to agehealthy.
And so just physically, just howis it that we can go about our
day?
Our body is breaking down.
Now all of a sudden your jointshurt.
Now all of a sudden you havechronic inflammation.
Inflammation, a lot of it for adriver is yes, due to food, but
(09:20):
the other piece of that is theinactivity.
Because one way to get rid ofinflammation in the body is to
move, is to exercise, is to moveyour joints, is to deep breathe.
And so when we're not doingthose things coupled with a poor
diet, we're gonna have anincrease in inflammation.
And there's a lot of researcharound an increase in
(09:41):
inflammation in one's body isconnected to all types of
disease.
Some say it's even the premiseor the foundation of disease.
And so if we want to increasehealth and well-being, we got to
get moving.
We got to move our physical bodyso that we can at a minimum
decrease inflammation.
But there are other key factorsand other things as well that
(10:03):
truck drivers are dealing withthat I don't want to say it
comes with the job, but it comeswith the job unless you're
willing to kind of combat it andproactively get out in front of
it.
So, yes, overweight, yes,muscular issues, but also
another one is sleep issues.
Chronic irregular sleep is alsoa huge connector to unhealthy
(10:27):
lifestyle, to putting on thepounds, to high cortisol, to um
inflammation, to diabeticreactions, to high blood
pressure.
And there's a saying I've heardfrom some drivers, it's like,
oh, I'll sleep when I'm dead,right?
Like, okay, it's not a big deal.
But sleep is a nutrient.
We talk about needing B vitaminsfor energy and mental
(10:49):
well-being.
We talk about vitamin C so wedon't get scurvy, like all these
different things, right?
But why aren't we looking atsleep as a vitamin?
And so for drivers, for those ofyou listening out there for the
next week, okay, you don't haveto go crazy, you don't need to
like do a bunch of research.
Just track when you fall, likewhen you go to sleep.
Let's say you go to sleep at,I'm just gonna throw a time out
(11:10):
there, 10 o'clock, but you maybedon't fall asleep till let's say
10:30 or 11.
What time are you waking up at?
And then just journal how youfeel in the morning.
Like, how do you feel?
Like, did you get quality sleep?
Are you groggy?
Are you tired?
Like just take take inventory ofhow you're feeling and do that
for a whole week.
Then look back and look forpatterns.
(11:31):
Look for patterns, okay?
Like, oh, this day I, you know,didn't move a lot, but this day
I did, or oh, this day it tookme an hour to fall asleep, but
this day it only took me a halfan hour.
Um, just so you can start to geta handle on why, why maybe
you're feeling that way.
And so that for a whole notherconversation.
We can call talk about REMcycle, we can talk about all
(11:52):
that kind of stuff when it comesto sleep, but sleep is a
nutrient.
And then the other piece or theother capacity is obviously what
we're eating.
And for many drivers, we'reeating at truck stops, we're
eating fast foods, we're eatinghigh fat foods and not the good
fat, the unhealthy fats.
And we're packing on the poundsfor it, and it's affecting our
body.
We're seeing diabetes, we'reseeing high blood pressure, uh,
(12:14):
we're seeing cholesterol levelsat an all-time high.
Uh, we're seeing digestiveissues, an issue also that not a
lot of drivers talk aboutpublicly, but I hear it a lot
one-on-one, is constipateconstipation.
Constipation is a huge issue fortruck drivers because they're
not drinking enough water andthey're eating foods that are
very low in fiber, and sothey're having issues going to
the bathroom.
That also connects back to a lotof different health issues.
(12:38):
And so, are you up against alot?
Yes.
But if you step back and look atthe general population of
America, there are a lot ofother people dealing with these
same issues.
It's just as a driver, you haveso much more working against
you, but it doesn't mean thatit's impossible.
SPEAKER_01 (12:53):
Right.
Absolutely.
Yeah, you don't want to justlimit yourself and think that
just it's not for me.
What are two, three simplethings that a driver can do um
that can take less than fiveminutes?
Um, what would you say?
SPEAKER_00 (13:06):
Now we're talking.
Now we're talking.
So let's let's zero in on someof the mean things.
And so I'm a big believer ininstead of separating yourself
from your everyday life, like,oh, now I gotta go work out.
Oh, now I have to find a gym.
Like, that's not realistic andpractical for a lot of people,
truck driver or not.
(13:26):
And so instead, first step oneis to identify small pockets of
time throughout the day.
So is that five minutes beforeyou officially get out of bed?
Okay, maybe set your alarm fiveminutes earlier.
Okay.
Is that when you're filling upfor fuel?
You know, you have a little bitof downtime where you're kind of
waiting.
That's one or two minutes.
That's perfect.
Um, is that on your break?
(13:46):
Is that when you're waiting toload or unload?
Is that once you park for thenight?
So, first things first, you haveto identify the small pockets of
time.
Why?
Because if you don't even thinkyou have time, you will never do
it.
But I guarantee you you can bethe busiest person on the planet
and I will follow you around fora day and I will find time that
you have to move your body.
(14:07):
Okay, so that's the first step.
But then three things that youcan do.
My favorite is moving in thedriver's seat.
I love double downing.
I love being able to find thingswe're already doing and then add
something to it.
So you're not wasting any timeand you're not taking more time
out of your day.
So something is simple because Italked about how back pain is
one of the number one things Ihear from drivers that they
(14:28):
complain about because of thesitting and the constant
vibration, no matter how fancyyour seat is, you're gonna get
that impact on your spine.
So, one of the things I lovedoing is when you're sitting in
the driver's seat, sit nice andtall, kind of pull your back
away from the truck seat, andyou're gonna practice what's
called pelvic tilting.
So that means you're gonna arcyour lower back away from the
(14:48):
seat.
Like if I had a pin popping outof the lower part of the seat,
you'd kind of arc your back awayfrom it.
And then exhale, push the pininto the seat, kind of C curve
your spine, stuck, tuck yourtailbone.
It's almost like tipping waterin a bowl front to back.
SPEAKER_02 (15:03):
And you're gonna do it times.
SPEAKER_00 (15:05):
You're gonna do that 10 times.
I'm standing here right now andI'm just arcing and lowering my
back.
I'm rounding my back, and we'regonna do that 10 times.
Why is this such a greatmovement?
One, because it increasesmobility in the lower lumbar,
which is our lower back.
So it's gonna ease that tension.
Um, and then number two, whichis something a lot of people
don't think about, is long-termsitting really cuts off
(15:26):
circulation and blood flowbetween the lower body and the
heart.
And so the heart has to workreally hard to get that blood
flow back up to the heart againfrom the legs.
And so by doing some pelvictilting, you're actually
creating a pathway for thatcirculation to come back up
again towards the heart center,which is really beneficial for
your body in general, not tomention lowering blood pressure,
(15:46):
lowering stress, uh, increasingblood flow to your organs, which
is going to help with digestionand just all over vitality.
So such a simple, sillymovement.
Yes, it focuses on back pain,but it does so much more for our
body.
And this is something that youcan do in your phone, on your
alarm, every 15 or 30 minutes,just have a reoccurring alarm.
(16:07):
Like, don't use a noise like uhuh use something fun, like a
bird chirp or something thatfeels positive.
But when you hear that sound,that should be your cue to be
like, oh yeah, I have to do mypelvic tilts.
What if that one move was a gamechanger for you?
What if that one move helped youget out of the truck and not
make you feel like you werefrozen in place?
You know what I'm talking about,where you need like a minute to
(16:29):
be able to stand upright becauseyour body is just stuck.
That can be trucker stance.
Exactly, exactly.
Yeah, the second one is whenyou're out of the truck, and so
this is gonna be reallyimportant because we talked
about that blood flow again, iswhat I call the calf pump.
(16:50):
So you're gonna be standing,okay?
You're filling up with fuel,you're doing whatever, you're on
the phone.
I don't care where you'reoutside of your truck, but you
just need like 60 seconds, andyou're gonna start standing and
step one foot back, maybe like afoot to a foot and a half's
length, and then make sure yourfeet are parallel, not that back
foot turned out.
We want it straight forward.
And all you're gonna do is bendyour front knee slightly, and
(17:13):
then try bending your back kneeas much as you can without
lifting the heel, and you'regonna stretch the calf, the
Achilles, the planner tendon,which is the bottom of the foot.
You're gonna hold that for threeseconds, and then you're gonna
straighten the leg again.
And you're gonna do that five to10 times on each side.
I have all these videos on myYouTube channel, I have blogs on
(17:33):
them on my website, they're inmy book, Trucking Yoga.
So you have plenty of ways tofind out how to do these moves
as well, but I want to walk youthrough them.
And you're gonna do then thatsame thing on the other leg.
Why is this movement sofunctional and practical and
critical?
Because we talked about thatblood flow again.
And if you're not walking,jumping, running, skipping,
(17:53):
hopping, the calf, which is thehydraulic pump for the heart,
okay, because the heart needshelp to get that blood flow back
up to the from the lower body,that blood's not moving back up
to the heart.
And so by bending andstraightening that back leg,
you're kind of artificially jumpstarting that hydraulic pump and
getting that blood flow torecirculate back up to the heart
(18:15):
again.
Also reducing calf tension isgonna help reduce lower back
pain because the tighter thebacks of the legs, the more it's
gonna pull down on your lowerback.
So that's the second move.
And then the third move, thethird move, there's a lot of
them, but I'm gonna just pickthree.
The last one I want you to do inthe sleeper.
So we got one in each area,okay?
(18:36):
Driver's seat outside the truckand in the sleeper.
The last one you're gonna do isyou're gonna do what we call in
yoga a cobra, but essentiallyit's gonna be like a backbender
and extension.
You're gonna lay on your bellyand put your hands right under
your shoulders.
So if I was laying on the bed,my hands are right underneath my
shoulders.
You're gonna take a nice bigbreath in and then press up off
the bed a couple of inches.
(18:57):
You don't have to go all the waystraight up as you press your
tailbone down between your legs.
Once you're up, I want you tolook up and really reach with
the chin to stretch the wholefront of the body.
Why is this so important?
Because all day long you're in aforward flexing position.
Your body gets stuck that way.
Yes, there is such a thing asmuscle memory.
(19:18):
The muscles don't reallyremember.
What remembers is the fascia.
And so it kind of solidifies orkind of becomes plastic-like
where we're stuck in thatposition.
We've all seen that.
Little old men and little oldladies where they're just stuck
in this position with their headforward, their shoulders
rounded, and you're like, whycan't I get you to stand
upright?
That's because they've beenremembering that position for
(19:40):
many, many, many years.
So that extension or that cobrais gonna help you undo that
forward rounding.
That's a great position orstretch to do in the morning
before you get out of bed.
That's a great one to do beforeyou, excuse me, before you go to
bed.
If you feel like your hips andlower back are just kind of like
squeezing on you and you can'tfigure out how to get to sleep,
(20:01):
it hurts so bad.
Just flip over, do that littleextension, and you're gonna be
able to fall asleep with lesspain.
So those are three moves thatyou can do in three minutes or
less in any time of day.
You don't need yoga pants on,you don't need a yoga mat.
This is practical, functionalmovement at its best just for
drivers.
SPEAKER_01 (20:20):
That's amazing.
I mean, you gotta think aboutall this stuff and and more.
You want to just get the loaddelivered, but there's so much
more you got to take care ofyour health.
I mean, building thatconsistency.
I'm sure you're aware of being abusiness owner yourself.
Uh, once someone gets started,the hard part sticking with it.
You know, you don't want tojust, you know, that life throws
you those curveballs and thenyou let it go.
Uh, what's your advice forbuilding consistency on the road
(20:43):
where every day looks different?
SPEAKER_00 (20:45):
I love this.
I call it the 1% rule.
I am not a fan of I'm just gonnago all in, change my whole life
tomorrow.
I'm never gonna eat sugar again.
I'm gonna go gluten-free, I'mgonna walk five miles, I'm gonna
do mother trucker yoga 20minutes every day.
Like you've ever heard, youknow, those people where it's
like they got the laundry listand your eyes roll back in your
(21:05):
head going, yeah, good luck.
Like you've never made anychange in your life, and now
you're gonna change 90 thingstomorrow.
I'm not saying that doesn'twork, but the majority of the
people that's not gonna work.
And so this is where the 1% rulecomes in.
Starting today, not tomorrow.
As of someone in recovery, wesay start tomorrow because we
actually don't want to change.
(21:27):
When you start saying I'm gonnastart today, that's where the
real magic happens.
So we're gonna start today andwe're gonna start the 1% rule.
And what this is, is today I'mgonna be 1% better than I was
yesterday.
What can this look like?
If you don't drink water, Idon't want you to have to start
drinking eight bottles of water.
Like that's actuallyunrealistic.
(21:47):
It can be trauma to your system.
How about one bottle of water?
Never eat vegetables, onevegetable.
You're not really big intoexercise or fitness.
How about just one stretch andbe consistent with that?
That one stretch every day.
Don't worry about what otherpeople say.
Don't worry about social media.
Don't worry about like if you'regonna commit to that one back
(22:07):
stretch in the driver's seat, dothat every single day.
Because here's here's the goodpart.
At the end of the year, you are365% better than you were a year
ago, just by doing one thingevery single day for the next
year.
And the cool thing is, is afterabout 21 to 48 days, depending
(22:33):
on what you're doing and whatyou're focusing on, that one
percent, that one habit is goingto become two, is gonna become
three, is gonna become four.
But for now, don't even worryabout that.
Don't even worry that you don'thave a program, don't even worry
that you don't have a totalplan.
Like you're new to this.
You're new to this.
(22:54):
And so, how about pick one thingthat seems doable and realistic
and works for you?
And you just absolutely kill itwith that, and then we'll just
take it from there one step at atime.
SPEAKER_01 (23:08):
Nice.
I mean, that is that is great,that's encouraging.
That seems doable.
A lot of people want to they getoverwhelmed.
It's like, man, this is toomuch, but that one percent or
just doing that one thing.
I mean, that's huge.
So great advice.
SPEAKER_00 (23:23):
We're kind of sold into, I feel like in society,
even outside of trucking.
Um, I've been in the businessspace, the fitness space, and
health space for many years, andwe're sold into this like
elaborate program concept,right?
Like, oh, in six weeks, this, oryou have to follow this whole
protocol or buy these 90products, and then automatically
you'll be healed.
Here's the one thing that manyof these fail to see, and this
(23:47):
is why sometimes I feel like I'ma horrible business owner, um,
because I really struggle withthose concepts because I feel
like they're not practical forpeople and they're a lot of
hype.
The second you step out of that,what's the likelihood you're
gonna continue?
And that's the real truth.
And so when you see programsthat are like lose 20 pounds,
(24:08):
this person lost 500 pounds, youknow, get ripped in six weeks.
You have to step back and go,okay, but what is the reality?
I will commit to this after theprogram is done.
And I'm not saying that for youto not buy those things or that
those people don't knowanything.
That's not what I'm saying.
What I'm saying is I need you toget up here in your head and you
(24:30):
need to be honest with yourselfand say, what is realistic for
me?
And this is why the 1% rule as astarting point is so powerful.
Because if you can commit to onething, the human brain is really
great because once it sees thatit did something, it's all based
on reward system and you see youcan accomplish it, your brain's
(24:51):
gonna want more of it.
But if you start something andthen you fail, the human brain
wants to protect us.
So then we push back and say,health's not for me, fitness is
not for me.
I can't do this.
And now we create more spacebetween what we could be
potentially accomplishing whenit comes to health and wellness
and where we are.
(25:12):
And so just I really want youfor the if you're listening to
take inventory on what's goingon in here in your mind before
you step into something andconsider the 1% rule.
And don't let anyone tell youthat that's not gonna do
anything or that that's notenough.
Now, sometimes you're in acritical place where you have to
make drastic changes.
And I hope that those of youlistening aren't there yet.
(25:34):
But for those of you that are inthat place, 1% rule, add slowly,
be consistent.
It's all about what I cancontinue to do over a long
period of time.
SPEAKER_01 (25:45):
That's amazing.
Uh, I knew I was having thispodcast, so I make sure I worked
out today.
Um, try to do a little bit.
So yeah, this is great advice.
The mind is so tricky, and yougot to take care of it, you got
to make sure your your mentalhealth is well, but also you
want to make sure you're makinggood decisions so that would
affect your body.
I mean, that is well put the wayyou said that.
(26:07):
I mean, you're just doing thatlittle bit of change, not too
much, and then also keeping tabson yourself.
So great.
SPEAKER_00 (26:14):
Yeah, yeah.
And one thing I do want to sayis one thing I think is great
about the trucking space, and Ithink Ray, you probably know
this and see this all the time,is the trucking community is
just that.
It is a great, tight-knitcommunity.
And so if you're trying tochange your health and you're
trying to improve yourlifestyle, look around you and
find the drivers that areprioritizing their health, that
(26:37):
are trying to do the same, thatcare about that, and surround
yourself with those people.
Because when you have acommunity and accountability
towards making healthy changesin your life, you're gonna go so
much further, so much faster.
Versus if you're still hangingout with the people that are
like, oh, I drink 90 MountainDews a day and it doesn't bother
(26:57):
me, or I eat five Big Macs everysingle day.
That's not a big deal.
And I'm exaggerating that, okay.
But you see my point.
It's really hard to say, I careabout my health when everyone
around you is essentially makingfun of you for caring about your
health.
Those aren't the people that aregonna pull you up, those are the
people that are essentiallykeeping you down.
(27:18):
Why?
Because they don't want to makea change.
SPEAKER_01 (27:22):
I mean, is that part of the switch?
Um, you got to also be aroundgood people that help you.
I mean, because it's so hard.
People say, I don't have thetime.
This is um, my job is sodemanding.
Um, they're so focused ongetting the job done, they don't
think about how to get the jobdone.
SPEAKER_00 (27:39):
A hundred percent.
SPEAKER_01 (27:41):
So, how important is it for companies and fleets to
support driver health as well?
SPEAKER_00 (27:45):
Uh, I think this is one of the pivotal key pieces
that could change this industryfor the better.
And now I've been around forquite a while.
I've talked with lots ofdifferent companies of all
sizes, and there are somedistinct key differences between
companies that I don't even wantto say prioritize health, care
(28:07):
about health is maybe a betterterm, versus the companies that
say it's important but actuallydon't take action towards it.
Now, nine years ago when I firststepped into this, uh, an idea
for many companies that I talkedto, they were like, Yeah, we
have a gym at our headquarters.
And part of me was like, whattruck driver is even there?
(28:28):
What truck driver is at youroffice?
Maybe if they come home on theweekends and they park their
truck there, but like youroffice personnel is using that.
You're using that, which I thinkis great, but that really
doesn't apply to the truckdrivers.
And so I think for a lot oftrucking companies, if you're
looking to just get started inprioritizing your health, one,
(28:48):
you need to look at yourselfbecause we practice what we
preach.
And are you walking every day?
Do you try to eat healthier?
Like, how are you talking abouthealth just in general within
your workplace and your everydaylife?
You don't need to be a healthguru.
But if you're kind of poo-pooingon health and well-being, like,
(29:09):
oh, you're too busy, you got tocare about my bottom line.
Well, newsflash, with highturnovers in this industry, and
one of the biggest reasons whydrivers leave the industry,
which has nothing to do withdriving the actual truck or
being a driver as a profession,and has a lot more to do with
the lifestyle of trucking.
They can't handle the lifestyle,it's too stressful, uh, they're
(29:30):
putting on too much weight,their physical body hurts too
much, mentally they can't handleit.
Like, if that's what's creatingyour turnover, actually, health
or not being a healthy companyis costing you far more than not
having the top-of-the-linetrucks, not having the best
drivers.
And so that piece there.
But for a lot of truckingcompanies, how can we start
(29:52):
becoming healthier?
One, what's the environmentlike?
And so in the terminals, can youput posters on how to stretch?
Like we have what's called thefit as you go poster set, and it
shows truck drivers in variousenvironments on how to stretch,
like simple, easy 60-second,30-second stretches, like
(30:12):
showing them that you care aboutthis thing.
It's a great non-verbal,indirect way.
Maybe in your newsletter, youcan put a little column.
SPEAKER_01 (30:21):
How do they get that done?
Um, they find do they actuallymake the posters themselves or
find it online or something?
SPEAKER_00 (30:28):
Great question.
So we have them on our website,mother truckeryoga.com in our
store.
Um, they're called the Fit asYou Go poster set.
I actually just before we got onwas packaging up a couple for
some CDL schools.
And so this is a great way foryou to indirectly showcase that
you care about health and showthat you care about their their
well-being.
(30:49):
And so that's one way to dothat.
Another way would be to have acolumn in your newsletter.
Um, you know, sending out thingsthat, you know, you talk about
what's going on in the companyand and what's, you know, new
accounts you have or whateverelse you send out.
Why not have a little section onlike a stretch of the week or a
stretch of the month?
Uh, maybe bringing in when youdo in-service training, bringing
(31:09):
someone in like myself to do aone-hour training on things that
drivers can do to improve theirhealth and well-being.
Like these are all easy thingsthat you can implement without
having to completely reinventthe wheel towards being a
considered a healthy truckingcompany.
And so take inventory if you area company owner or a fleet
(31:31):
owner, you know, are you atleast doing 1% better?
Are you taking that initiativetowards showing your drivers
that you care about theirhealth?
Because here's the cool thing: they are gonna live up to the (31:40):
undefined
standard that you set for them,whether it's to how many miles
to get under their belt, whetherit's to not have an accident,
uh, to make sure they have Xamount of loads, you know,
delivered on time, whatever thecase may be.
And if that company owner sets astandard that they want their
drivers to care about theirhealth, where do you think
(32:02):
they're gonna try to live up to?
Who do you think you're gonnaattract?
It's no different than somecompanies require a uniform and
some don't.
And when you talk to the driversthat wear a button-down shirt
with the name on, you know, logoon their chest every day.
One of the things I've noticedabout the drivers that dress
that way is they carrythemselves a little bit
differently.
There's a lot of pride that goesinto that.
(32:22):
Dressing your best, dress up tothe level that you want to live
at.
There's a lot to be said aboutthat.
And so we can do the same thingwith health.
Set a little bit of a standardfor them.
Show them that health isimportant.
Maybe invoke some types oflittle things that they can do,
some little incentives to beable to be rewarded in within
(32:45):
the company.
And so these are all littlethings that companies can do to
really just start to set thetone that it's not just health
matters, but their healthmatters.
And that's really the keydifference is seeing the
drivers, seeing the challengesthey're up against, and saying,
hey, what can I do to help mydrivers put their healthiest
(33:06):
foot forward in a verynon-intimidating fashion?
SPEAKER_01 (33:12):
There's a lot of money being spent to uh work
down you know accidents to makesure the drivers are safe.
Uh, there's a lot of money putinto um like uh telematics, make
sure that the equipment isreading back to the company.
But are we actually putting thedollars where it needs to be
spent for health and driverretention uh to keep the driver?
(33:35):
I mean, you can you can put allthe telematics you want in the
truck or even autonomous trucks,you know, that that's a lot of
money.
But yeah, you if you take thetime to hire good drivers and
train them well and then hold onto them and keep them healthy,
you probably will come out umsaving some money on the end as
well.
Um, I don't know if there's anynumbers on that, but I think
(33:56):
that's where what we're rootingfor here is for the companies to
champion the driver to keep themaround.
SPEAKER_00 (34:02):
Yeah, I've seen some numbers anywhere between like
16, um, you know, 16,000 to28,000 saved on just recruitment
costs from losing a driver.
And so that number is kind ofall over the place, but let's
just use the low end$16,000 yousave.
How much turnover are you havingevery single month or year that
(34:24):
that's costing you that youcould be saving by simply
creating some health initiativeswithin your company?
Now, that being said, this is awhole nother podcast.
There are a lot of things thatcompanies are doing wrong when
it comes to wellness programsthat are too overwhelming, it's
too much, it's confusing becausethey're living on this concept
(34:45):
that more is better.
And so then you have to rememberwho your audience is.
These are men and women thatprobably don't have a background
in health.
They're not naturally drawn totaking care of themselves, even
if they want to.
It's not a habit yet.
So when you're like, join ourwater challenge, you need to
drink 64 ounces of water a day.
(35:06):
Hey, you need to walk fivemiles.
You should also stretch, youshould get weights in your
truck.
We're gonna now do a weeklyweigh in.
Drivers are like, oh my gosh,like, I can't do this.
And so they're actually pushingback against those wellness
programs, which is having aninadverse effect.
And it's telling then thepopulation and trucking and
these companies wellnessprograms don't work.
(35:26):
Drivers don't want to behealthy.
When it's in fact that's thetotal opposite.
It's the delivery method thatthey're taking that is creating
that reaction.
And if we simply change thedelivery method, we could have a
totally different outcome.
SPEAKER_01 (35:43):
Amazing.
You see the big picture.
I wish that uh more will alsosee that.
Yeah, you're doing great.
Um, so a lot of great things outthere.
Uh, quick hints or accountabletakeaways.
If you uh were to give a driverone thing to do every morning,
uh, what would you say?
SPEAKER_00 (36:01):
I would say the night before, before you go to
bed, I want you to grab a bottleof water or fill up your water
bottle or whatever, whatever itis you have, and I want you to
put that water right next toyou, so that when you wake up in
the morning and you sit up andyou put your feet on the ground,
first you offer a littlegratitude that you're alive and
(36:23):
you're kicking and you getanother day at this life.
And then once you've done that,before you think about anything
else, I just want you to downthat water.
I want you to chug that wateruntil it's gone.
Eight ounces to 16 ounces,something like that.
That's one to two cups.
And some of the people will say,Well, I don't like water.
Well, I don't like chemotherapydrugs.
So take your pick.
So I'm gonna drink the water,okay?
(36:43):
So I'm gonna down the water.
And why is this so important?
Because when you drink waterfirst thing in the morning, you
flush all the toxins out of yoursystem, you jumpstart your
digestion, you jump, jumpstartyour system of elimination.
It's gonna help with mentalclarity, drowsiness, fatigue,
inflammation, all that stuff.
And the cool thing is, is whenwe do that right away when we
wake up in the morning.
(37:04):
By the time you go and you getyourself ready, right?
You're gonna do your pre-chipcheck, you're gonna make
breakfast, you're gonna go inand do all the stuff.
You're gonna have to go to thebathroom.
And then before you even headout on the road, you're already
one to two cups of water intoyour day.
That's not gonna affect yourtrip.
Now you can't use the excuse, Ican't drink water because I
(37:24):
can't stop.
Because now you've juststrategically chose to
prioritize your health in a waythat doesn't take away from your
life, but rather adds to yourlife.
And when you drink water firstthing in the day, you're
probably also gonna notice youcrave some of those sugary
drinks a little bit less becausenow you're more hydrated.
(37:45):
And that, my friends, is reallythe foundation to a great
longevity and well-being if wecan just make that one small,
simple change.
And hey, what's one to twoglasses of water in the morning?
Like, what's that really gonnatake away from our life?
More importantly, what's thatgonna add to our life?
SPEAKER_01 (38:03):
Yeah.
So, how about what's one thingthat we do during the day?
SPEAKER_00 (38:08):
Okay.
So, one thing we can do duringthe day.
Um, I want to encourage all ofyou drivers to practice deep
breathing.
So, deep diaphragmaticbreathing, belly breathing.
That's getting your breath waydown into where your belly
button is.
And I'm a big fan of the alarmsystem strategy.
Set an alarm on your phone every30 minutes.
Again, pick a sound that doesn'tconnect to stress.
(38:29):
Usually the sound of an alarmcreates a triggered stress
response.
And when that goes off, you'regonna take three deep breaths.
So that means you're gonnabreathe in for a count of three
to four and breathe out for acount of six to eight.
And you're gonna do that threetimes.
That's it.
And then when you hear thatsound again, you're gonna take
three deep breaths.
By doing that, we lower cortisollevels and we get out of what's
(38:53):
called our fight, flight, orfreeze, that's our
parasympathetic nervous system,and we get into what's called
rest and digest.
That's our our um our opposite.
So when we get out of that,sorry, when we get out of that
sympathetic nervous system andinto the parasympathetic nervous
system, then we're like, we'renot so edgy, we're not so
(39:14):
grouchy, we're not like seeingthe person drive by us and
saying things that they can onlysee, our mouth moving through
the window, right?
And so those three deep breathscan really make a really big
difference in our mental health,in our physical health, and in
our emotional health.
It doesn't cost anything, itdoesn't require any training, it
doesn't mean you have to go doanything extra, no changing your
clothes required, no educationlevel needed, but it's something
(39:39):
that if you do throughout theday, even just one, two, or
three times, can have a hugeimpact on how not only you look
at your life, but how you lookat yourself.
SPEAKER_01 (39:48):
Wow, that's great.
I mean, you're rolling thisstuff off real easy.
I mean, makes it so you've beentalking and walking this uh this
thing for a long time.
That's amazing.
Uh, what's one thing, last, thatthey would do for bed, bedtime
before they go to sleep?
SPEAKER_00 (40:02):
Okay, so when you're going to sleep, this is really
important for all people, truckdrivers or not.
What you do before you go tosleep actually has a bigger
impact than how you sleep perse.
So I want you to just startslow, 15 minutes.
So 15 minutes before bed, I wantyou to turn off all electronics.
Turn the lights down low in thecab of the truck, in the cabin
(40:24):
of the truck, so that your eyescan adjust and your brain can
adjust.
There's a reason why the sunsets slowly, because it actually
tells us, it tells our nervoussystem that it's time to kind of
slow down and start to go tosleep.
And so we kind of want to mimicthat in the cab of the truck as
well.
And so no electronics, at least15 minutes.
A lot of statistics say 60, butI like to start small and
(40:46):
practical things that don't makepeople have a panic attack when
they're like, what?
I can't check Facebook one moretime before I go to bed.
Sure, but 15 minutes before yougo to bed.
Um, lights down low.
And then the last thing is onceyou're in bed, you have a couple
of options.
One, do those three deep breathsagain.
Or two, I'm a big fan, I lovemusic therapy.
(41:07):
Turn on like some reallysoothing, calming music.
You can put your earbuds in, youcan turn on whatever you need to
do.
And it just can be for like twoor three, four minutes to help
again your nervous system winddown, to help your body know
that it's time to relax and letgo.
And just a simple routine likethat, done regularly, can make a
(41:29):
huge impact in us not onlyfalling asleep, but the key here
for drivers is staying asleep.
And so changing the environment,not just ourselves, when it
comes to sleep, has a hugeimpact in how it is we create
the quality of sleep that weneed to wake up feeling
(41:50):
refreshed and renewed.
SPEAKER_01 (41:53):
Wow, man.
Hope this has been great.
It's been a great conversation.
You got three good takeaways.
Um, and just like that 1%, justfocus on that, just one thing to
do to change a startup.
Maybe it's just one thing aweek, you know, and then get
those seven days down.
You you've made a big change.
SPEAKER_02 (42:10):
So absolutely.
SPEAKER_01 (42:12):
Yeah, I think a lot of the drivers out there need to
hear this.
For anyone who out there islistening, wants to know more.
Uh, check out your programs.
I mean, start uh making thosechanges.
And where's the best place forpeople to reach out to you and
find you?
I'm sure you have a lot of areasfor people to get to know you.
SPEAKER_00 (42:27):
Absolutely.
So um, we are on social media,and so you can find my videos
over on YouTube, Mother TruckerYoga.
Um, we're on Instagram andFacebook.
I post a lot of different stuffon there.
Um, if you're big into reading,uh check out our blog at mother
truckeryoga.com.
We post almost daily differentstrategies, routines, ideas,
(42:48):
exercises from the mental healthpiece to the physical and back
again.
So lots of different conceptsfor drivers, for companies, uh,
for schools, and so just a tonof information, much of it
researched from my two decadesin this space and beyond.
Um, and so such a great resourcefor you all.
And the last thing, and probablythe most important, is to check
(43:11):
out my book, Trucking Yoga,Simple Fitness for the Long
Haul.
It's on Amazon, it's on ourwebsite.
60 exercises that you can do inand around the cab of the truck
and in really 60 seconds orless, um, strategies around good
posture and how to move in thedriver's seat.
Just a really a packed full bookthat essentially is like a
player's guide for you to openup and be like, what do I need
(43:34):
to do today?
And you can just look at thepicture and be like, I got that,
and be able to apply it to yourlife.
So it's really a lot of what Iteach and talk about on social
and on my website, all put intoone nice playbook.
SPEAKER_01 (43:46):
That's amazing.
Thank you so much.
I mean, you are um a beacon ofhope for a lot of people out
there that they know they canmake a change and they can make
that impact for their forthemselves and also for their
family and their loved ones tostay around.
Even longer.
So we don't want the industry totake us out.
We want us to be able to add tothe industry.
So this is amazing.
(44:06):
Thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (44:07):
Thank you.
I'll leave you guys with this.
Your health is your wealth.
And the second you startshifting away from all of that
other stuff, which will come intime and you recognize that
without my health, I can't enjoythe money I make.
I can't enjoy the house that Ibuild.
I can't enjoy the truck that Idrive.
Like none of that is possiblewithout your health.
(44:29):
Your whole life will change.
As somebody that nearly lost herlife because I didn't prioritize
my health, I didn't see this asthe highest level of currency
that we will ever have in thislifetime.
Now is the time.
Now is the time for you to makea change.
Now is the time for you to applythat 1% rule.
Now is the time for you toprioritize yourself because
(44:53):
ain't no one gonna do it foryou.
But the second you prioritizeyourself, the whole world is
going to change.
SPEAKER_01 (45:01):
That's beautiful.
Um, you got a great story.
I hope that people get your bookand learn more about what has
motivated you so that they canto you know enjoy that for
themselves, make it their own.
So a big thanks to you outthere.
I mean, appreciate all the workyou're doing with Mother Trucker
Yoga and coming on the show,sharing the real practical ways
that drivers can take care ofthemselves without complicating
(45:23):
it.
So if you if you got value fromthis episode, make sure you
subscribe, share it with anotherdriver, and we'll we'll be
bringing more conversations likethis for you in the future.
Until next time, uh keeprolling, and that's delivered.
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