This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about your health and well-being, and there’s a reason for that. It’s an important topic. Being a king of the road comes with a great deal of responsibility and expectation. As such, it isn’t difficult to occasionally neglect our own health.
Getting reminded about how important it is to focus on our mental and physical health is never a bad thing. So let’s take another look at what you need to do in order to ensure you stay in tip-top shape whether you’re at home or on the road.
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Stress Management
While physical health, diet and sleep patterns are important, all of these aspects tie directly into our mental health. One of the worst triggers for a person’s mental health is stress.
Stress is the body’s reaction to certain types of pressure, tension or change. It causes the body to release chemicals that are intended to trigger a “fight or flight” response.
When you’re stressed, you may experience:
- Elevated pulse or breathing rates.
- Increased blood pressure.
- Tensed muscles.
- Confusion or loss of concentration.
- Various body aches.
While the effects of stress are necessary to get us through difficult times, too much of it can lead to physical or mental problems. Stress wears down your body and mind and weakens your body’s ability to cope with diseases.
Unmanaged stress can also negatively impact your job performance. Not only can it lead to “burnout,” but it could also affect your performance and driving decisions. If you’re behind the wheel of a semi-truck while sick, impatient or irritable, you are asking for disaster.
Stress can also affect you physically, leading to increased weight gain, higher blood pressure and stomach problems. All of these could contribute to your physical disqualification.
The best way to handle stress is to deal with it before it becomes a problem. Be aware of the signs and symptoms and take steps to mitigate them.
When you’re stressed, try the following:
- Take a break or walk away.
- Physical activity burns up the chemicals in your body that cause stress.
- Get some rest.
- Practice deep breathing, stretching or other stress-reduction techniques.
- Set priorities and practice managing your time better.
- Share what you’re feeling with someone close to you. Having someone help shoulder the burden almost always helps you reduce your own stress.
The fact is, stress is a major factor in both physical and mental ill-health, but it doesn’t have to be. The next major factor is not what lies in our head, but in how we treat our body.
Diet and Exercise
Maintaining a well-rounded diet and exercise regimen not only assists in stress reduction, but it also helps you keep up your general health, operate your vehicle safely, keep fatigue at bay, and remain physically qualified.
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A well-rounded diet should include a portion of grains, lean meats, fish and poultry, but go heavy on fruits and vegetables. Studies are increasingly showing that adding more fresh fruit and vegetables to your diet is almost never a bad thing.
When considering your diet, keep the following in mind:
- Decrease your salt and sugar intake.
- Decrease your intake of solid fats.
- Decrease your intake of processed foods or refined sugar products.
- Decrease your intake of dairy products.
- Drink at least 8 cups of water a day.
- Limit your daily caloric intake to between 2,000 and 2,500.
- Increase your seafood intake.
Once you’ve got your diet nailed down, it’s time to move on to exercise. There are two factors involved with exercise: baseline activities and health enhancing activities.
A baseline activity is a normal, light-intensity activity of daily life, whether it be standing, walking or lifting light objects. Health-enhancing activities can be added to baseline activities and lead to improved health.
These activities include:
- Brisk walking or jogging.
- Lifting, pushing or pulling.
- Jumping rope.
- Lifting weights.
- Dancing
It is important that you not only increase the amount of health-enhancing activities you undertake, but also do what you can to increase your baseline activities. Whether it be walking more than you normally do or using the stairs instead of the elevator, increasing your activities never hurts.
So next time you are getting ready to get behind the wheel, as yourself how well you are managing your mental and physical health? After all, there’s a lot more at stake than just a steak.