How To Perform a Healthy Pre-Trip: Part 1
Every professional driver knows that before they start driving for the day, they have to walk around the truck and do a pre-trip inspection. They need to make sure their truck is safe to operate.
But not enough drivers are performing a pre-trip for their health. And it’s time to change that.
At The Trucking Fitness Company, we have developed a healthy pre-trip that includes three key tasks:
- Prepare one to two healthy snacks for the day
- Prepare as many zero- or low-calorie drinks as you would like for the day
- Move for five to 10 minutes
In this series of three articles, we are going to go into more detail on each of these three key tasks and why they are so important for you to start your day off on the right note.
So, let’s dive into the first task of a healthy pre-trip: Prepare one to two healthy snacks for the day.
Picture this:
You’re driving down the highway and a combination of boredom and hunger strikes. You look into the passenger seat and see an unopened bag of Doritos…
You grab the bag, rip it open, and smell the nacho cheese scent flowing out.
You spend the next 10 minutes zoned out, driving down the highway, mindlessly going to town on the Doritos. You finally come back to reality after your hand hits the pile of crumbs and powder at the bottom of the bag. “S*#t…” you think to yourself, you ate the whole bag in one sitting.
The #1 reason that happened was because the bag of Doritos was the only food sitting next to you in the passenger seat. However, if you get into the habit of completing a healthy pre-trip, that’s going to change.
To complete step 1, you are going to prepare and lay out one to two healthy snacks that you can eat throughout the day. Later in this article, there is a list of healthy snack options that you can choose from or you can get creative and come up with some on your own.
The key to this habit is setting out one portion-size of each snack.
If you are going to eat some pretzels, don’t set out the whole bag. Either get a bowl and portion out a serving for yourself or get a sandwich bag and add one portion to it. That is going to help stop you from overeating.
Then, you need to move all other snacks out of arm’s reach so you don’t get bored and grab them throughout the day.
Doing this step alone could help you save thousands of calories throughout your week on the road and help you lose weight without doing anything else.
Below are 10 healthy snacks that you can find at any truck stop. I know truck stops can be expensive, so all of these can also be found in bulk for cheaper at Sam’s, Costco, Walmart, etc.
- Pure Protein Bars
- These bars are around 200 calories each. They have 18-21 grams of protein and low sugar (2g). My favorite flavors are Chewy Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Salted Caramel. You have to try them out!
- These bars are around 200 calories each. They have 18-21 grams of protein and low sugar (2g). My favorite flavors are Chewy Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Peanut Butter, and Chocolate Salted Caramel. You have to try them out!
- Premier protein shakes
- These are my favorite tasting protein shakes. And they’re great for you as well! They contain 30g of protein, 160 calories, and 1g of sugar – That’s really hard to beat! I personally love the Cafe Latte flavor because it also contains the same amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee!
- These are my favorite tasting protein shakes. And they’re great for you as well! They contain 30g of protein, 160 calories, and 1g of sugar – That’s really hard to beat! I personally love the Cafe Latte flavor because it also contains the same amount of caffeine found in a cup of coffee!
- Blue Diamond Whole Natural Almonds
- Almonds or any nuts are great snacks, but you need to make sure you stick with the serving size. If you eat right out of the bag, a healthy snack can turn into a lot of calories very quickly!
- Almonds or any nuts are great snacks, but you need to make sure you stick with the serving size. If you eat right out of the bag, a healthy snack can turn into a lot of calories very quickly!
- Greek Yogurt (Nonfat, Plain)
- Greek yogurt is high in protein and low in calories. It’s a great snack on the go and you can find some type of Greek yogurt at any truck stop! I recommend the plain version and add your own fruit or toppings, because some flavored versions will have a lot of added sugar.
- Greek yogurt is high in protein and low in calories. It’s a great snack on the go and you can find some type of Greek yogurt at any truck stop! I recommend the plain version and add your own fruit or toppings, because some flavored versions will have a lot of added sugar.
- String cheese
- It’s easy to store in your truck’s fridge, high in protein, and a great snack to eat on the go!
- It’s easy to store in your truck’s fridge, high in protein, and a great snack to eat on the go!
- Hummus and Pretzels
- There are so many different flavors of hummus! My favorite is roasted red pepper. You can dip a lot of different healthy snacks into hummus such as pretzels, sweet peppers and carrots.
- There are so many different flavors of hummus! My favorite is roasted red pepper. You can dip a lot of different healthy snacks into hummus such as pretzels, sweet peppers and carrots.
- Skinny Pop Popcorn
- Popcorn is a very under-rated healthy snack! As long as you’re not ordering it from AMC and drowning it in the “butter flavoring,” popcorn can be a great go-to! I personally really like Skinny Pop and have found it at most truck stops around the country.
- Pro-Tip: If you aren’t eating Skinny Pop, go with a natural, tender white, or smartpop microwavable option!
- Fruit
- I know… Not the most creative snack in the world, but not a lot of drivers actually eat fruit! And you can find fruit at any truck stop! Eating a diet high in fruits can reduce your risk of developing heart disease, cancer, inflammation, and diabetes! Additionally, fruit is a great source of fiber and many essential vitamins and minerals.
- I know… Not the most creative snack in the world, but not a lot of drivers actually eat fruit! And you can find fruit at any truck stop! Eating a diet high in fruits can reduce your risk of developing heart disease, cancer, inflammation, and diabetes! Additionally, fruit is a great source of fiber and many essential vitamins and minerals.
- Planters Portable Protein Pack
- This snack has 250 calories per pack. It also contains 13 grams of protein and three different snacks in one pack!
- This snack has 250 calories per pack. It also contains 13 grams of protein and three different snacks in one pack!
- Beef Jerky
- You don’t have to mess with Sasquatch to find beef jerky out on the road! It’s high in protein, easy to store in your truck, and can be found at every truck stop!
- One downside of beef jerky is that it can be on the expensive end of snack options….
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