I have always been one to watch my weight, eat healthy, and make sure I get out of the cab and take a walk once in a while. It goes without saying that this has been a major factor in my remaining physically fit while being a driver for all these years. With a lot of my friends that also drive expressing a newfound love for technology in exercise, I followed the trend and have now found new motivation and clarity in the route I want to take to being a healthier “me”!
The problem with walking around parks, truck stops, or warehouse areas, is that you never quite know how much you have actually walked in a given day. Sure, you can go get a pedometer that is relatively inexpensive, or even use a GPS tracker to help calculate this information. For me, that was somehow never enough to satisfy my need to push myself even further than the norm. After volunteering for an annual group walking challenge with some trucking friends of mine, I decided to finally take their recommendation and purchase a physical activity tracker. My brand of choice after much research was the Fitbit Flex. Being the most common amongst people I know, easiest to use, and least 
susceptible to my knack of breaking things, I thought this would work well for me. Giving it a try and learning to use it has given me an “awakening” of sort when it comes to how I handle my daily physical health over all.
I always knew I walked quite a bit, since a lot of my time is not spent behind the wheel, but more at the docks waiting to load and unload at shippers and receivers. This unfortunately means that I also have a lot of time to kill during my average daily routine. So rather than sit in the cab during this downtime, I always feel better getting out for a stroll and getting some 
fresh air. The Fitbit has taken my love for fresh air and amplified it by adding a little friendly competition along with its tracking features (since there is not a competitive bone in my body!…lol). This thing can track miles and steps taken, minutes of high activity, the quality of my sleep, calorie intake and water intake. 
On top of all that, it also allows you to join live challenges with friends that are Fitbit users as well. This is a feature that I absolutely love that will help ensure my walking shoes gather no dust from sitting in the closet!
With the goal setting features available and the added bonus of a little competitive fun, I now find it easier to walk than I ever did before. I blew myself away when walking over 30 miles for the first week I had it, even doing over 9 miles one of the days during our group’s five-day workweek challenge. Exercise is always more fun when you are enjoying yourself doing it and anything is better when you enjoy it with friends. Being able to wear this Fitbit and enjoy getting healthier at the same time has shed new light into the way I want to handle my health goals for 2016. Along with some simple diet changes and meeting my “10,000 steps daily” average goal, I will be able to see a healthier me in the coming year ahead. If you are feeling a little worn out or bored with your typical walking routine when out of the truck, consider the purchase of one of the many rather inexpensive fitness trackers out there that can breathe new light into your physical fitness routine. It is a small investment in your health that can make a big difference in how you perceive your daily health activity.