Welcome And Driver Health Reality

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Welcome back to That's Delivered. I'm your host, Truck and Ray, bringing you real conversations with people shaping the trucking industry and the lives behind the wheel. Today we're talking about something every driver deals with, not just, you know, not enough. We talk about our health, our body, and how actually taking care of yourself on the road can be a difficult thing. Um I'm joined by Hope Zivera, CEO of Mother Trucker Yoga, has spent years helping truck drivers improve their mobility, reduce pain, and build routines that actually fit a trucker's lifestyle, and not just some unrealistic gym plan. Hope how are you doing? So glad to have you on the show. Hey.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Well, I'm excited to be on the show today talking about my biggest passion, which is health, particularly driver health, and definitely, like you said, a topic that every driver deals with in some capacity, some maybe more than others, but definitely there are solutions and strategies out there for you that don't take a lot of work. And I think that's partly what we're going to talk about today.

SPEAKER_01 1:09

That's awesome. I mean, I mean, you're doing a lot of great things out there. Uh, you spent these years helping truckers and um doing, you know, getting out there to truck shows and letting them know, hey, you're out here and you got a plan to help them. So let's start with uh how you got started with the background and creating Mother Trucker Yoga. Uh, how did you even come up with the name?

SPEAKER_00 1:28

Well, first of foremost, I didn't get my start in trucking. My husband has a CDL, but he uses 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 not drive. I can drive, but I do not drive is the key word. Um, but I really didn't get my start in trucking per se, as much as I found yoga in a time of crisis for myself about 20 years ago, really looking for solutions and strategies out there to help with my own health and well-being. I was struggling with depression and anxiety, something that many drivers out there struggle with

Hope’s Story And The Name

SPEAKER_00 2:05

on a regular basis. And for myself personally, addiction. And I felt like there was nothing out there that could help. I did all the traditional routes, I followed all the protocols, and I still felt like, am I gonna live like this forever? And then one day someone looked at me while I was at work and she said, You looked like someone that would practice yoga. And something in me just tripped that day. And I went home and got on my internet and found a yoga class nearby, and that weekly yoga class became my weekly ritual of second chances. And eventually that yoga class led 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 always felt like there was something more out there for me, that there was a population that really needed my expertise and what I was offering to people beyond what I was doing at my studio here in Wisconsin. And then one night I was at a business mixer and I start talking to this guy and never met him before. And he looks at me and says, Do you have anything for truck drivers? Like in the cab of the truck. And here I am trying to pitch him like corporate wellness. I thought that's the next thing for me. And I think I'm funny sometimes. And I threw up my hands and said, Mother trucker yoga, really just trying to get a rise out of this guy, like trying to make slightly awkward conversation 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? In 20 minutes, we became business partners. He called me up the next day and was like, Hey, business partner, are we gonna do this? I said yes. And a year later, I bought him out of the business, um, mainly because it was kind of my vision, my expertise. He was in trucking, which was great. Um, and so we parted ways. And for the last about nine years, I've helped hundreds of thousands of truck drivers in various capacities change lanes in their health and fitness, all with small, simple changes. That has always been the basis of my teaching since I started in 2002. Is you don't need these big complicated programs. You don't need these elaborate things, you don't need these big sales hypers. You need small little things that you can stick in your back pocket and pull out every single day, day in and day out. Doing them consistently is always going to get you on the right track towards better health.

SPEAKER_01 4:33

Awesome. That's great, man. For someone who's listening out there who's been driving for years, what are the most common physical issues that you've seen across the industry?

SPEAKER_00 4:43

Yeah, we all know people talk about diabetes, high blood pressure, those are all kind of a given and very much diet-related and lack of movement related. But aside from that, the biggest complaints I hear physically are lower back pain, is a constant one, neck pain, carpal tunnel issues. And for a lot of people, the mental health piece. Let's see if we can get my camera to focus here a little bit better. There we go. Um, is something that's not often talked about, but definitely a big issue is the loneliness, is the isolation and how that wears on a driver's mental health. I think many of the drivers, actually, I know I've talked to so many of them. In the beginning, they don't think that piece is a big issue, but after a while, they really notice it starts to play on their overall well-being.

unknown 5:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

Yeah, it does. And especially this month thing, mental health awareness. Um, we're bringing that awareness by you know, mother trucker yoga. There's a lot of people out there that need that help, need that encouragement, because yoga does more than just physically help you. It helps your mind as well. For those who may have never done yoga, can you explain to them a little bit about what it does mentally?

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Yeah, uh for your mental health. This is why I love yoga so much. And and for what we do at Mother Trucker Yoga, you know, if you're new to us or you've seen our stuff but haven't really dug in, I'm not teaching namas day to people in the truck. We're not warrior tooing or standing on our head, but really I'm taking the principles and practicalities of yoga and applying it into a fitness and health regime because kind of that traditional fitness, that that gym style isn't working. It doesn't work for drivers, it doesn't work for a lot of us. We need that mind, body, spirit application in order to really heal and really be able to feel healthy as a whole person. Um, but when it comes to yoga, that mental peace is so critical because you can go through the motions all you want. You can run on the treadmill, you can eat the right things. But if up here you're not applying, you're not really mindfully there, really connecting with what you're doing or why you're doing what you're doing to begin with, you're never going to change your habits. As somebody that has been dealing with addiction her whole life has been in recovery now for many years, take it from me. If you do not deal with the mental reasons, the internal reasons why these things are happening, and don't blame it all on trucking. Don't just be like, well, I'm a truck driver, I sit all day, that's why I'm overweight. That's why I have this. Yes, those are definitely obstacles that are much more challenging than the average person. However, that should not be the reason why you don't step up to the plate and face those issues and start to look for solutions. And yoga just does such a great job of slowing a person down, asking you to be present and pay attention to why you're feeling 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 we don't always connect to fitness, but they are very much a big part of it. And why, for many people, they aren't able to get well and stay well.

SPEAKER_01 8:06

That's amazing. I mean, putting those two together, I think that's gonna be huge for people to slow down. I mean, you're always used to go, go, go, go from point A to point B. And um, you know, sometimes we're missing out on sleep. Um, sleep is an issue, irregular food options out there, they're kind of limited, and you kind of wonder, what should I do? You know, and uh, but yoga is gonna be a good way for you to slow down and think about what you need to do, build a plan. Uh, from your perspective, what actually happens to the body over time in this lifestyle?

SPEAKER_00 8:36

Oh my gosh, uh so many different things. If we look at just our physicality, so muscle, this thing of muscles, okay. Everyone feels like, okay, I get overweight, I lose muscle mass. Sitting, they say that sitting is the new smoking. Well, standing is also the new smoking. Um, and we start to break down my muscle fibers, okay. We increase fat storage, we decrease muscle, which is going to decrease our longevity, excuse me, because we don't have the physical capacity to age healthy. And so just physically, just how is it that we can go about our day?

Common Pain And Mental Strain

SPEAKER_00 9:10

Our body is breaking down. Now all of a sudden your joints hurt. Now all of a sudden you have chronic inflammation. Inflammation, a lot of it for a driver is yes, due to food, but the other piece of that is the inactivity. Because one way to get rid of inflammation in the body is to move, is to exercise, is to move your joints, is to deep breathe. And so when we're not doing those things coupled with a poor diet, we're gonna have an increase in inflammation. And there's a lot of research around an increase in inflammation in one's body is connected to all types of disease. Some say it's even the premise or the foundation of disease. And so if we want to increase health and well-being, we got to get moving. We got to move our physical body so that we can at a minimum decrease inflammation. But there are other key factors and other things as well that truck drivers are dealing with that I don't want to say it comes with the job, but it comes with the job unless you're willing to kind of combat it and proactively get out in front of it. So, yes, overweight, yes, muscular issues, but also another one is sleep issues. Chronic irregular sleep is also a huge connector to unhealthy lifestyle, to putting on the pounds, to high cortisol, to um inflammation, to diabetic reactions, to high blood pressure. And there's a saying I've heard from 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 vitamins for energy and mental well-being. We talk about vitamin C so we don't get scurvy, like all these different things, right? But why aren't we looking at sleep as a vitamin? And so for drivers, for those of you listening out there for the next week, okay, you don't have to go crazy, you don't need to like do a bunch of research. Just track when you fall, like when you go to sleep. Let's say you go to sleep at, I'm just gonna throw a time out there, 10 o'clock, but you maybe don't fall asleep till let's say 10:30 or 11. What time are you waking up at? And then just journal how you feel 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 of how you're feeling and do that for a whole week. Then look back and look for patterns. 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 took me an hour to fall asleep, but this day it only took me a half an hour. Um, just so you can start to get a handle on why, why maybe you're feeling that way. And so that for a whole nother conversation. We can call talk about REM cycle, we can talk about all that kind of stuff when it comes to sleep, but sleep is a nutrient. And then the other piece or the other capacity is obviously what we're eating. And for many drivers, we're eating at truck stops, we're eating fast foods, we're eating high fat foods and not the good fat, the unhealthy fats. And we're packing on the pounds for it, and it's affecting our body. We're seeing diabetes, we're seeing high blood pressure, uh, we're seeing cholesterol levels at an all-time high. Uh, we're seeing digestive issues, an issue also that not a lot of drivers talk about publicly, but I hear it a lot one-on-one, is constipate constipation. Constipation is a huge issue for truck drivers because they're not drinking enough water and they're eating foods that are very low in fiber, and so they're having issues going to the bathroom. That also connects back to a lot of different health issues. And so, are you up against a lot? Yes. But if you step back and look at the general population of America, there are a lot of other people dealing with these same issues. It's just as a driver, you have so much more working against you, but it doesn't mean that it's impossible.

SPEAKER_01 12:53

Right. Absolutely. Yeah, you don't want to just limit yourself and think that just it's not for me. What are two, three simple things that a driver can do um that can take less than five minutes? 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 some of the mean things. And so I'm a big believer in instead 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 and practical for a lot of people, truck driver or not. And so instead, first step one is to identify small pockets of time throughout the day. So is that five minutes before you officially get out of bed? Okay, maybe set your alarm five minutes earlier. Okay. Is that when you're filling up for fuel? You know, you have a little bit of downtime where you're kind of waiting. That's one or two minutes. That's perfect. Um, is that on your break? Is that when you're waiting to load or unload? Is that once you park for the night? So, first things first, you have to identify the small pockets of time. Why?

Why Yoga Changes The Mind

SPEAKER_00 13:55

Because if you don't even think you have time, you will never do it. But I guarantee you you can be the busiest person on the planet and I will follow you around for a day and I will find time that you have to move your body. Okay, so that's the first step. But then three things that you can do. My favorite is moving in the driver's seat. I love double downing. I love being able to find things we're already doing and then add something to it. So you're not wasting any time and you're not taking more time out of your day. So something is simple because I talked about how back pain is one of the number one things I hear from drivers that they complain about because of the sitting and the constant vibration, no matter how fancy your seat is, you're gonna get that impact on your spine. So, one of the things I love doing is when you're sitting in the driver's seat, sit nice and tall, kind of pull your back away from the truck seat, and you're gonna practice what's called pelvic tilting. So that means you're gonna arc your lower back away from the seat. Like if I had a pin popping out of the lower part of the seat, you'd kind of arc your back away from it. And then exhale, push the pin into the seat, kind of C curve your spine, stuck, tuck your tailbone. It's almost like tipping water in 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 and I'm just arcing and lowering my back. I'm rounding my back, and we're gonna do that 10 times. Why is this such a great movement? One, because it increases mobility in the lower lumbar, which is our lower back. So it's gonna ease that tension. Um, and then number two, which is something a lot of people don't think about, is long-term sitting really cuts off circulation and blood flow between the lower body and the heart. And so the heart has to work really hard to get that blood flow back up to the heart again from the legs. And so by doing some pelvic tilting, you're actually creating a pathway for that circulation to come back up again towards the heart center, which is really beneficial for your body in general, not to mention lowering blood pressure, lowering stress, uh, increasing blood flow to your organs, which is going to help with digestion and just all over vitality. So such a simple, silly movement. Yes, it focuses on back pain, but it does so much more for our body. And this is something that you can do in your phone, on your alarm, every 15 or 30 minutes, just have a reoccurring alarm. Like, don't use a noise like uh uh use something fun, like a bird chirp or something that feels positive. But when you hear that sound, that should be your cue to be like, oh yeah, I have to do my pelvic tilts. What if that one move was a game changer for you? What if that one move helped you get out of the truck and not make you feel like you were frozen in place? You know what I'm talking about, where you need like a minute to be able to stand upright because your body is just stuck. That can be trucker stance. Exactly, exactly. Yeah, the second one is when you're out of the truck, and so this is gonna be really important because we talked about that blood flow again, is what I call the calf pump. 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're outside of your truck, but you just need like 60 seconds, and you're gonna start standing and step one foot back, maybe like a foot to a foot and a half's length, and then make sure your feet are parallel, not that back foot turned out. We want it straight forward. And all you're gonna do is bend your front knee slightly, and then try bending your back knee as much as you can without lifting the heel, and you're gonna stretch the calf, the Achilles, the planner tendon, which is the bottom of the foot. You're gonna hold that for three seconds, and then you're gonna straighten the leg again. And you're gonna do that five to 10 times on each side. I have all these videos on my YouTube channel, I have blogs on them on my website, they're in my book, Trucking Yoga. So you have plenty of ways to find out how to do these moves as well, but I want to walk you through them. And you're gonna do then that same thing on the other leg. Why is this movement so functional and practical and critical? Because we talked about that blood flow again. And if you're not walking, jumping, running, skipping, hopping, the calf, which is the hydraulic pump for the heart, okay, because the heart needs help 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 and straightening that back leg, you're kind of artificially jump starting that hydraulic pump and getting that blood flow to recirculate back up to the heart again. Also reducing calf tension is gonna help reduce lower back pain because the tighter the backs of the legs, the more it's gonna pull down on your lower back. So that's the second move. And then the third move, the third move, there's a lot of them, but I'm gonna just pick three. The last one I want you to do in the sleeper. So we got one in each area, okay? Driver's seat outside the truck and in the sleeper. The last one you're gonna do is you're gonna do what we call in yoga a cobra, but essentially it's gonna be like a backbender and extension.

Inflammation Sleep Food On The Road

SPEAKER_00 18:45

You're gonna lay on your belly and 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 big breath in and then press up off the bed a couple of inches. You don't have to go all the way straight up as you press your tailbone down between your legs. Once you're up, I want you to look up and really reach with the chin to stretch the whole front of the body. Why is this so important? Because all day long you're in a forward flexing position. Your body gets stuck that way. Yes, there is such a thing as muscle memory. The muscles don't really remember. What remembers is the fascia. And so it kind of solidifies or kind of becomes plastic-like where we're stuck in that position. We've all seen that. Little old men and little old ladies where they're just stuck in this position with their head forward, their shoulders rounded, and you're like, why can't I get you to stand upright? That's because they've been remembering that position for many, many, many years. So that extension or that cobra is gonna help you undo that forward rounding. That's a great position or stretch to do in the morning before you get out of bed. That's a great one to do before you, excuse me, before you go to bed. If you feel like your hips and lower back are just kind of like squeezing on you and you can't figure out how to get to sleep, it hurts so bad. Just flip over, do that little extension, and you're gonna be able to fall asleep with less pain. So those are three moves that you 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, functional movement at its best just for drivers.

SPEAKER_01 20:20

That's amazing. I mean, you gotta think about all this stuff and and more. You want to just get the load delivered, but there's so much more you got to take care of your health. I mean, building that consistency. I'm sure you're aware of being a business owner yourself. Uh, once someone gets started, the hard part sticking with it. You know, you don't want to just, you know, that life throws you those curveballs and then you let it go. Uh, what's your advice for building consistency on the road 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 gonna go all in, change my whole life tomorrow. I'm never gonna eat sugar again. I'm gonna go gluten-free, I'm gonna walk five miles, I'm gonna do mother trucker yoga 20 minutes every day. Like you've ever heard, you know, those people where it's like they got the laundry list and your eyes roll back in your head going, yeah, good luck. Like you've never made any change in your life, and now you're gonna change 90 things tomorrow. I'm not saying that doesn't work, but the majority of the people that's not gonna work. And so this is where the 1% rule comes in. Starting today, not tomorrow. As of someone in recovery, we say start tomorrow because we actually don't want to change. When you start saying I'm gonna start today, that's where the real magic happens. So we're gonna start today and we're gonna start the 1% rule. And what this is, is today I'm gonna be 1% better than I was yesterday. What can this look like? If you don't drink water, I don't want you to have to start drinking eight bottles of water. Like that's actually unrealistic. It can be trauma to your system. How about one bottle of water? Never eat vegetables, one vegetable. You're not really big into exercise or fitness. How about just one stretch and be consistent with that? That one stretch every day. Don't worry about what other people say. Don't worry about social media. Don't worry about like if you're gonna commit to that one back stretch in the driver's seat, do that every single day. Because here's here's the good part. At the end of the year, you are 365% better than you were a year ago, just by doing one thing every single day for the next year. And the cool thing is, is after about 21 to 48 days, depending on what you're doing and what you're focusing on, that one percent, that one habit is going to become two, is gonna become three, is gonna become four. But for now, don't even worry about that. Don't even worry that you don't have a program, don't even worry that you don't have a total plan. Like you're new to this. You're new to this. And so, how about pick one thing that seems doable and realistic and works for you? And you just absolutely kill it with that, and then we'll just take it from there one step at a time.

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 get overwhelmed. It's like, man, this is too much, 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 business space, the fitness space, and health space for many years, and we're sold into this like elaborate program concept, right? Like, oh, in six weeks, this, or you have to follow this whole protocol or buy these 90 products, and then automatically you'll be healed. Here's the one thing that many of these fail to see, and this is why sometimes I feel like I'm a horrible business owner, um, because I really struggle with those concepts because I feel like they're not practical for people 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 programs that are like lose 20 pounds, this person lost 500 pounds, you know, get ripped in six weeks. You have to step back and go, okay, but what is the reality? I will commit to this after the program is done. And I'm not saying that for you to not buy those things or that those people don't know anything. That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is I need you to get up here in your head and you need to be honest with yourself and say, what is realistic for me? And this is why the 1% rule as a starting point is so powerful. Because if you can commit to one thing, the human brain is really great because once it sees that it did something, it's all based on reward system and you see you can accomplish it, your brain's gonna want more of it. But if you start something and then 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 space between what we could be potentially accomplishing when it comes to health and wellness and where we are. And so just I really want you for the if you're listening to take inventory on what's going on in here in your mind before you step into something and consider the 1% rule. And don't let anyone tell you that that's not gonna do anything or that that's not enough. Now, sometimes you're in a critical place where you have to make drastic changes. And I hope that those of you listening aren't there yet. But for those of you that are in that place, 1% rule, add slowly, be consistent. It's all about what I can continue to do over a long period of time.

SPEAKER_01 25:45

That's amazing. Uh, I knew I was having this podcast, 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 you got to take care of it, you got to make sure your your mental health is well, but also you want to make sure you're making good decisions so that would affect your body. I mean, that is well put the way you said that. I mean, you're just doing that little bit of change, not too much, and then also keeping tabs on yourself. So great.

SPEAKER_00 26:14

Yeah, yeah. And

Three Moves Under Five Minutes

SPEAKER_00 26:15

one thing I do want to say is one thing I think is great about the trucking space, and I think Ray, you probably know this and see this all the time, is the trucking community is just that. It is a great, tight-knit community. And so if you're trying to change your health and you're trying to improve your lifestyle, look around you and find the drivers that are prioritizing their health, that are trying to do the same, that care about that, and surround yourself with those people. Because when you have a community and accountability towards making healthy changes in your life, you're gonna go so much further, so much faster. Versus if you're still hanging out with the people that are like, oh, I drink 90 Mountain Dews a day and it doesn't bother me, or I eat five Big Macs every single 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 care about my health when everyone around you is essentially making fun of you for caring about your health. Those aren't the people that are gonna pull you up, those are the people that are essentially keeping you down. Why? Because they don't want to make a change.

SPEAKER_01 27:22

I mean, is that part of the switch? Um, you got to also be around good people that help you. I mean, because it's so hard. People say, I don't have the time. This is um, my job is so demanding. Um, they're so focused on getting the job done, they don't think about how to get the job done.

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 industry for the better. And now I've been around for quite a while. I've talked with lots of different companies of all sizes, and there are some distinct key differences between companies that I don't even want to say prioritize health, care about health is maybe a better term, versus the companies that say it's important but actually don't take action towards it. Now, nine years ago when I first stepped into this, uh, an idea for many companies that I talked to, they were like, Yeah, we have a gym at our headquarters. And part of me was like, what truck driver is even there? What truck driver is at your office? Maybe if they come home on the weekends and they park their truck there, but like your office personnel is using that. You're using that, which I think is great, but that really doesn't apply to the truck drivers. And so I think for a lot of trucking companies, if you're looking to just get started in prioritizing your health, one, you need to look at yourself because we practice what we preach. And are you walking every day? Do you try to eat healthier? Like, how are you talking about health just in general within your workplace and your everyday life? You don't need to be a health guru. But if you're kind of poo-pooing on health and well-being, like, oh, you're too busy, you got to care about my bottom line. Well, newsflash, with high turnovers in this industry, and one of the biggest reasons why drivers leave the industry, which has nothing to do with driving 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 putting on too much weight, their physical body hurts too much, mentally they can't handle it. Like, if that's what's creating your turnover, actually, health or not being a healthy company is costing you far more than not having the top-of-the-line trucks, not having the best drivers. And so that piece there. But for a lot of trucking companies, how can we start becoming healthier? One, what's the environment like? And so in the terminals, can you put posters on how to stretch? Like we have what's called the fit as you go poster set, and it shows truck drivers in various environments on how to stretch, like simple, easy 60-second, 30-second stretches, like showing them that you care about this thing. It's a great non-verbal, indirect way. Maybe in your newsletter, you can put a little column.

SPEAKER_01 30:21

How do they get that done? Um, they find do they actually make 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 as You Go poster set. I actually just before we got on was packaging up a couple for some CDL schools. And so this is a great way for you to indirectly showcase that you care about health and show that you care about their their well-being. And so that's one way to do that. Another way would be to have a column in your newsletter. Um, you know, sending out things that, you know, you talk about what's going on in the company and and what's, you know, new accounts you have or whatever else you send out. Why not have a little section on like a stretch of the week or a stretch of the month? Uh, maybe bringing in when you do in-service training, bringing someone in like myself to do a one-hour training on things that drivers can do to improve their health and well-being. Like these are all easy things that you can implement without having to completely reinvent the wheel towards being a considered a healthy trucking company. And so take inventory if you are a company owner or a fleet owner, you know, are you at least doing 1% better? Are you taking that initiative towards showing your drivers that you care about their health? Because here's the cool thing: they are gonna live up to the standard that you set for them, whether it's to how many miles to get under their belt, whether it's to not have an accident, uh, to make sure they have X amount of loads, you know, delivered on time, whatever the case may be. And if that company owner sets a standard that they want their drivers to care about their health, where do you think they're gonna try to live up to? Who do you think you're gonna attract? It's no different than some companies require a uniform and some don't. And when you talk to the drivers that wear a button-down shirt with the name on, you know, logo on their chest every day. One of the things I've noticed about the drivers that dress that way is they carry themselves a little bit differently. There's a lot of pride that goes into that. Dressing your best, dress up to the level that you want to live at. There's a lot to be said about that. And so we can do the same thing with health. Set a little bit of a standard for them. Show them that health is important. Maybe invoke some types of little things that they can do, some little incentives to be able to be rewarded in within the company. And so these are all little things that companies can do to really just start to set the tone that it's not just health matters, but their health

The 1% Rule For Consistency

SPEAKER_00 32:55

matters. And that's really the key difference is seeing the drivers, seeing the challenges they're up against, and saying, hey, what can I do to help my drivers put their healthiest foot forward in a very non-intimidating fashion?

SPEAKER_01 33:12

There's a lot of money being spent to uh work down you know accidents to make sure the drivers are safe. Uh, there's a lot of money put into um like uh telematics, make sure that the equipment is reading back to the company. But are we actually putting the dollars where it needs to be spent for health and driver retention uh to keep the driver? I mean, you can you can put all the 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 the time to hire good drivers and train them well and then hold on to them and keep them healthy, you probably will come out um saving some money on the end as well. Um, I don't know if there's any numbers on that, but I think that's where what we're rooting for here is for the companies to champion the driver to keep them around.

SPEAKER_00 34:02

Yeah, I've seen some numbers anywhere between like 16, um, you know, 16,000 to 28,000 saved on just recruitment costs from losing a driver. And so that number is kind of all over the place, but let's just use the low end $16,000 you save. How much turnover are you having every single month or year that that's costing you that you could be saving by simply creating some health initiatives within your company? Now, that being said, this is a whole nother podcast. There are a lot of things that companies are doing wrong when it comes to wellness programs that are too overwhelming, it's too much, it's confusing because they're living on this concept that more is better. And so then you have to remember who your audience is. These are men and women that probably don't have a background in health. They're not naturally drawn to taking care of themselves, even if they want to. It's not a habit yet. So when you're like, join our water challenge, you need to drink 64 ounces of water a day. Hey, you need to walk five miles. You should also stretch, you should get weights in your truck. We're gonna now do a weekly weigh in. Drivers are like, oh my gosh, like, I can't do this. And so they're actually pushing back against those wellness programs, which is having an inadverse effect. And it's telling then the population and trucking and these companies wellness programs don't work. Drivers don't want to be healthy. When it's in fact that's the total opposite. It's the delivery method that they're taking that is creating that reaction. And if we simply change the delivery method, we could have a totally different outcome.

SPEAKER_01 35:43

Amazing. You see the big picture. I wish that uh more will also see that. Yeah, you're doing great. Um, so a lot of great things out there. Uh, quick hints or accountable takeaways. If you uh were to give a driver one 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 bottle of water or fill up your water bottle or whatever, whatever it is you have, and I want you to put that water right next to you, so that when you wake up in the morning and you sit up and you put your feet on the ground, first you offer a little gratitude that you're alive and you're kicking and you get another day at this life. And then once you've done that, before you think about anything else, I just want you to down that water. I want you to chug that water until 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 chemotherapy drugs. So take your pick. So I'm gonna drink the water, okay? So I'm gonna down the water. And why is this so important? Because when you drink water first thing in the morning, you flush all the toxins out of your system, you jumpstart your digestion, you jump, jumpstart your system of elimination. It's gonna help with mental clarity, drowsiness, fatigue, inflammation, all that stuff. And the cool thing is, is when we do that right away when we wake up in the morning. By the time you go and you get yourself ready, right? You're gonna do your pre-chip check, you're gonna make breakfast, you're gonna go in and do all the stuff. You're gonna have to go to the bathroom. And then before you even head out on the road, you're already one to two cups of water into your day. That's not gonna affect your trip. Now you can't use the excuse, I can't drink water because I can't stop. Because now you've just strategically chose to prioritize your health in a way that doesn't take away from your life, but rather adds to your life. And when you drink water first thing in the day, you're probably also gonna notice you crave some of those sugary drinks a little bit less because now you're more hydrated. And that, my friends, is really the foundation to a great longevity and well-being if we can just make that one small, simple change. And hey,

How Fleets Can Support Wellness

SPEAKER_00 37:55

what's one to two glasses of water in the morning? Like, what's that really gonna take away from our life? More importantly, what's that gonna add to our life?

SPEAKER_01 38:03

Yeah. So, how about what's one thing that we do during the day?

SPEAKER_00 38:08

Okay. So, one thing we can do during the day. Um, I want to encourage all of you drivers to practice deep breathing. So, deep diaphragmatic breathing, belly breathing. That's getting your breath way down into where your belly button is. And I'm a big fan of the alarm system strategy. Set an alarm on your phone every 30 minutes. Again, pick a sound that doesn't connect to stress. Usually the sound of an alarm creates a triggered stress response. And when that goes off, you're gonna take three deep breaths. So that means you're gonna breathe in for a count of three to four and breathe out for a count of six to eight. And you're gonna do that three times. That's it. And then when you hear that sound again, you're gonna take three deep breaths. By doing that, we lower cortisol levels and we get out of what's called our fight, flight, or freeze, 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 and into the parasympathetic nervous system, then we're like, we're not so edgy, we're not so grouchy, we're not like seeing the person drive by us and saying things that they can only see, our mouth moving through the window, right? And so those three deep breaths can really make a really big difference in our mental health, in our physical health, and in our emotional health. It doesn't cost anything, it doesn't require any training, it doesn't mean you have to go do anything extra, no changing your clothes required, no education level needed, but it's something that if you do throughout the day, even just one, two, or three times, can have a huge impact on how not only you look at your life, but how you look at yourself.

SPEAKER_01 39:48

Wow, that's great. I mean, you're rolling this stuff off real easy. I mean, makes it so you've been talking and walking this uh this thing for a long time. That's amazing. Uh, what's one thing, last, that they 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, truck drivers or not. What you do before you go to sleep actually has a bigger impact than how you sleep per se. So I want you to just start slow, 15 minutes. So 15 minutes before bed, I want you to turn off all electronics. Turn the lights down low in the cab of the truck, in the cabin of the truck, so that your eyes can adjust and your brain can adjust. There's a reason why the sun sets slowly, because it actually tells us, it tells our nervous system that it's time to kind of slow down and start to go to sleep. And so we kind of want to mimic that in the cab of the truck as well. And so no electronics, at least 15 minutes. A lot of statistics say 60, but I like to start small and practical things that don't make people have a panic attack when they're like, what? I can't check Facebook one more time before I go to bed. Sure, but 15 minutes before you go to bed. Um, lights down low. And then the last thing is once you're in bed, you have a couple of options. One, do those three deep breaths again. Or two, I'm a big fan, I love music therapy. Turn on like some really soothing, calming music. You can put your earbuds in, you can turn on whatever you need to do. And it just can be for like two or three, four minutes to help again your nervous system wind down, to help your body know that it's time to relax and let go. And just a simple routine like that, done regularly, can make a huge impact in us not only falling 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 huge impact in how it is we create the quality of sleep that we need to wake up feeling 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%, just focus on that, just one thing to do to change a startup. Maybe it's just one thing a week, 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 is listening, wants to know more. Uh, check out your programs. I mean, start uh making those changes. And where's the best place for people to reach out to you and find you? I'm sure you have a lot of areas for 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 Trucker Yoga. Um, we're on Instagram and Facebook. I post a lot of different stuff on there. Um, if you're big into reading, uh check out our blog at mother truckeryoga.com. We post almost daily different strategies, routines, ideas, exercises from the mental health piece to the physical and back again. So lots of different concepts for drivers, for companies, uh, for schools, and so just a ton of information, much of it researched from my two decades in this space and beyond. Um, and so such a great resource for you all. And the last thing, and probably the most important, is to check out my book, Trucking Yoga, Simple Fitness for the Long Haul. It's on Amazon, it's on our website. 60 exercises that you can do in and around the cab of the truck and in really 60 seconds or less, um, strategies around good posture and how to move in the driver's seat. Just a really a packed full book that essentially is like a player's guide for you to open up and be like, what do I need to do today? And you can just look at the picture and be like, I got that, and be able to apply it to your life. So it's

Find Hope And Final Push

SPEAKER_00 43:40

really a lot of what I teach and talk about on social and on my website, all put into one nice playbook.

SPEAKER_01 43:46

That's amazing. Thank you so much. I mean, you are um a beacon of hope for a lot of people out there that they know they can make a change and they can make that impact for their for themselves and also for their family and their loved ones to stay around. Even longer. So we don't want the industry to take us out. We want us to be able to add to the industry. So this is amazing. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 44:07

Thank you. I'll leave you guys with this. Your health is your wealth. And the second you start shifting away from all of that other stuff, which will come in time and you recognize that without my health, I can't enjoy the money I make. I can't enjoy the house that I build. I can't enjoy the truck that I drive. Like none of that is possible without your health. Your whole life will change. As somebody that nearly lost her life because I didn't prioritize my health, I didn't see this as the highest level of currency that we will ever have in this lifetime. Now is the time. Now is the time for you to make a change. Now is the time for you to apply that 1% rule. Now is the time for you to prioritize yourself because ain't no one gonna do it for you. But the second you prioritize yourself, 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 book and learn more about what has motivated you so that they can to you know enjoy that for themselves, make it their own. So a big thanks to you out there. I mean, appreciate all the work you're doing with Mother Trucker Yoga and coming on the show, sharing the real practical ways that drivers can take care of themselves without complicating it. So if you if you got value from this episode, make sure you subscribe, share it with another driver, and we'll we'll be bringing more conversations like this for you in the future. Until next time, uh keep rolling, and that's delivered.