Enjoying Life OTR

#50 Beating Decision Fatigue: Stories and Strategies

• Cindy Tunstall and Malinda Fox-Wellington • Episode 50

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Ever wondered how the journey of a podcast begins and evolves? Join us in this special episode of Enjoying Life OTR as we sit down with Cindy, the original host, who takes us through a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Cindy shares her passion for connecting with fellow drivers and the inspiration behind starting the podcast. Together, we discuss the ups and downs of life on the road, highlighting our ongoing commitment to innovation, adventure, and well-being within the trucking community.

Have you ever experienced decision fatigue? For truck drivers, the constant need to make critical decisions can be exhausting. We dive into how breaking routines and exploring new hobbies can bring joy and fulfillment to life on the road. From attending a baseball game at Wrigley Field to visiting the majestic Grand Canyon, we share personal stories that showcase how overcoming decision fatigue can lead to unforgettable experiences. Plus, we offer practical tips on integrating health and wellness activities into the unpredictable schedules of truck drivers.

Meet the Healthier Truckers group, a supportive community where drivers inspire each other to lead healthier lives. We discuss small, achievable movement challenges, share nutritious food options, and celebrate success stories like Melinda's impressive 60-pound weight loss. Embrace the journey, join our vibrant Facebook communities, and continue your path towards becoming a healthier and happier trucker.

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Enjoying Life OTR—because LIVING WELL is worth the effort. We’re sparking curiosity, adventure, & resilience while honoring drivers and embracing a healthier trucking life. Discover creative life hacks & practical strategies to make the most of your time on the road. Join the movement!Explore, enjoy the food, snap the pic, and share tips on saving money along the way.

This podcast is for new and veteran drivers looking to stay mentally, physically, and financially strong while embracing the freedom of the road. We bring you real stories, expert advice, & practical tools to help you thrive, not just survive, in the trucking life.

Connect with Us: Join the Enjoying Life OTR Facebook Group – Share your journey, find trip recommendations, & connect with fellow drivers. Follow our Facebook page – Get the latest podcast episodes, trucking tips, & entertaining content. Visit our website – Explore our journey, see community highlights, and access resources for a healthier, more balanced OTR life.

For questions or to be a guest, email our host, Cindy Tunstall at EnjoyingLifeOTR@gmail.com #HealthierTruckers #EnjoyingLifeOTR #TruckerWellness #OTRLife #WorkLifeBalance



Enjoying Life OTR:

Enjoying Life OTR conversations that inspire curiosity, adventure and resilience. We're honoring drivers and sharing their adventures and becoming healthier truckers. Stay tuned to discover creative life hacks and practical strategies for enhancing our well-being and making the most of our time on the road. Welcome to Enjoying Life, otr.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Hey everyone, welcome back to Enjoying Life OTR, the podcast that brings you inspiring stories, practical tips and real talk about life out on the open road. I'm Melinda, your co-host, and today we're kicking off a brand new season with a special episode. As many of you know, life over the road as a driver comes with its unique set of challenges. You know those long hours, the isolation, the constant struggle, not only just to get out of the truck but to stay healthy and connected with loved ones, all while trying to navigate these endless miles that we drive. In this episode, we're going to go back to our roots, and I'll be sitting down with Sydney, the original host of Enjoying Life OTR, to discuss where the show started, the purpose behind it and where we're headed next.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

We've taken a bit of a break, but now we're back and more than excited than ever to continue this journey with you. In this episode, we're going to dive into the heart of what makes this lifestyle both challenging and rewarding, and we'll give you a sneak peek into the exciting topics and guests that we have lined up for this new season. So, whether you're a seasoned driver or just curious about life out on the road, this episode is packed with insights and stories that will resonate with you. So sit back, relax and join us as we explore the past, present and future of Enjoying Life. Otr. Hi Cindy, how are you doing after our long vacation that we just had?

Cindy Tunstall:

Yeah, it's been really great. July was a great month for me. I got to visit some family and had some vacation time. We spent some time on the beach both in California and Florida, and trucking's been good. So it's nice to have a little break, but I'm looking forward to getting the podcast back up and running. So how about you? Everything going well.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Oh yes, Just running off of recaps and just working hard. Haven't had a vacation in a while, but I'll be getting one here soon.

Cindy Tunstall:

Yeah, july is typically a month that I set aside for vacation. I want to spend some time on the beach, so it's a pretty regular vacay for me, so it's been great.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

That's good. That's good. Now I know we've had a lot of conversations during our off time and where we're wanting to go with the show, but I really want to talk about you know some of the past episodes and how you actually came up with Enjoying Life OTR well, you know, I've had guests on the show that have said, cindy, somebody needs to interview you, and I was like Melinda, I think it might be time for me to be a guest on my own show.

Cindy Tunstall:

So thank you for being willing to do this and it's fun to talk about the behind the scenes stuff and how things got started. You know, enjoying Life. Otr has, you know, from the very beginning it's been about a community that champions adventure, innovation and well-being, and I still care a lot about those things and it's been kind of an ongoing thing throughout the show. But, you know, really honoring truckers and sharing their stories, because I meet so many interesting people on the road and I love trucking. I mean, I'm a trucker myself, I drive a 26-foot box truck and I travel OTR and regional work based out of Dallas, and I love the opportunity to meet people and share their journey and I'm very curious about people. I like talking to people when I'm out on the road and I'm also on social media. You know I meet a lot of great drivers on social media. I actually met you on social media, so I've always wanted just to be able to have the opportunity to share the exciting things that I'm hearing and seeing from drivers and you know things that the show has changed over time.

Cindy Tunstall:

You know I've been doing this for a couple of years now and I've always wanted to have a co-host. From the very beginning I wanted to have a co-host and it didn't work out. So I thought but I still really like the idea of doing a podcast and so I've been doing it solo and I'm really thrilled that you came along. I actually interviewed you as my first guest on the show and that was a wonderful conversation. It really sparked a friendship between you and I and we've stayed friends since then and I've just seen an opportunity to bring you on board and to be able to expand the reach of what the show's doing and what it's about, and I'm super excited about it. So it's been a fun journey. I've met some great people along the way and I'm looking forward to the new changes that you and I are making as we go forward into this new season.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

So what are one or two of your favorite stories from the last season?

Cindy Tunstall:

There have been so many great episodes, melinda, it's really hard to choose just one, but I want to focus on some of the things that you've brought on, the topics that you brought on to this show, because I think it's been a good change for me personally. You know I've been on this healthier journey myself, so I've been. I've really enjoyed the things that you've brought to the show, like, specifically, the sleep episode. You had so many practical things that drivers can do. You know, with that you had a sleep expert on the show I think it was episode 40. And she just talked about little, small tweaks that we could do, about even stretching in the morning and some dietary changes we could make at night, and I thought, oh my gosh, this is so practical and so simple and there were just so many great things that I could incorporate there. I also loved hearing your interviews with other drivers that are making healthier choices, specifically Kelly's show, number 44. She's actually a pilot car driver and she's lost a ton of weight, but she's now doing bodybuilding and she's doing that while on the road. So you know we always say you don't have time to do all that, but she is really dedicated to her fitness and she's making it a priority and it was just really inspiring for me to hear her story.

Cindy Tunstall:

Brian Wilson you had on the show recently. He's lost like 55 pounds and he was so vulnerable and honest in his journey. He just shared how he kind of just stumbled on this healthier journey and we started sharing some little things that he did Like I made this little tweak, and then I made this little tweak and I made this little tweak and now he's biking like 25 miles. I'm like what? And after I heard his show Melinda, I'm not kidding you the next morning I was like you know, I was just stretching. I'm like, well, I don't even want to get going. I'm like, oh well, I have to work out. Brian can do it, I can do it. So it's just like little stories like that that were just so inspiring to me.

Cindy Tunstall:

You've also had health coaches. On Coach Bronson he shared some healthier ways that we could eat fast food. I was like, okay, that's a tweak I can make. I love that. You know you shared. You had Michelle and Reese on there and they actually talked about the benefits of getting blood work done and ways that that can do a deep dive into what's happening in our bodies and I thought, you know, for somebody that's really struggling long-term with an issue, there may be something biologically that's happening. It's not just about your willpower, and I thought that really kind of lifted some shame, you know, if you have some issues that you can't overcome. Anyway, so those have been some of my favorites. Of course, I've interviewed some great drivers too, so it's been a fun, been fun show lately.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Yes, yes, and you know some of your early episodes that I wasn't a part of but got to listen to I absolutely enjoyed. Like the episode I believe it was episode six, the one that works with felons. I found that absolutely fascinating. And then the potato guy what episode was that that got stuck in the potato trap?

Cindy Tunstall:

That was episode five, tony Riff Raff and yeah, he was out drinking with his buddies. Yeah, crazy, crazy stuff that they've been doing. You know, because I think about you know both of those stories. I love that. You know our new focus on this show we're going to be talking about resilience and you know resilience is something that I think you know it's not like it's a big downer topic, but it's like you know.

Cindy Tunstall:

But there's some real obstacles that we face out here and some of my favorite shows that we've been able to do in the past have been able to talk about some challenges that drivers have faced and how they overcame those, like in the journey of the felon that's. Now he's helping other people that have been incarcerated to find meaningful careers after prison, both in prison I mean in trucking industry, but also outside and other issues, and I thought, oh my gosh, I love the way that you're doing life and that you're giving back in this way and just continuing to improve the lives of other drivers. There was a driver that I interviewed early on. She rolled her truck, cheryl, she rolled her truck over and she talked about that experience and what she learned from that and how she's now in another truck and her trucking career is still thriving. She's doing great things in the industry.

Cindy Tunstall:

I interviewed Scott White early on. He talked about depression and loneliness and really practical things that he has learned in the 36 years that he's been driving. So I mean, I really love hearing the resilience of truckers, not only in the way that we pursue our career and our health and our wellness, but you know, there's just big challenges that we face out here and I love sharing those stories. So I've enjoyed, I've enjoyed the whole thing so much.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Yeah, what are some of the ways that you're planning on shifting the focus of the podcast for the new season to kind of let the audience be clued in on what's going on?

Cindy Tunstall:

Well, a lot of it's going to be similar. We're still going to be talking about adventure, but also adventure, curiosity and resilience on the road to becoming healthier truckers. And you know, it kind of sounds like it might just become a health and wellness show, but it's really. To me, healthier truckers is about a full, balanced life on the road. So not just about our nutrition and moving our bodies, but also self-care and managing our stress. So we're going to be having a lot of experts come on the show to talk about the challenges that we face as drivers and how we're going to overcome those.

Cindy Tunstall:

We want to be really intentional, to talk about creative life hacks, practical strategies for living a balanced life and I'm almost hesitant to say, you know, a balanced work-life balance, because even for me personally, when I'm out in the truck and I'm on a trip, I mean I'm really all about making money out there, right? You know that's my focus, that's why I'm doing what I'm doing and I'm very, very much focused on the work and I'm going to always be that way. You know, this is my career, this is how I provide for my family, but I also know that I can't just be about the work all the time. I don't want that to be my life. You know, I don't want to look at 10 years in trucking and I just spent so much time focusing on the work that I neglected the other thing. So when I say work-life balance, I don't mean a 50-50 balance.

Cindy Tunstall:

The work's going to be the primarily focus on what I do, but I also know, with a little bit of help and some creativity, I can share some things that I'm doing out on the road that are making life better for me, that are just simple little tweaks, like how I mentioned the sleep expert that you have on. I thought, you know I didn't make a big transformation, but you know, I listened to that show and I found some little small tweaks that aren't a big adjustment, but but I'm like, yeah, I could totally do that, and so I want to be more intentional, I guess, to share strategies with our audience, and I'm super excited about it.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Yeah, and what I love about it too is you know the little tips. They're so easy to tweak it just a little bit to make it actually fit into your personalized driving style. So you know, you and I can take the same tip, tweak it a slightly different way, and it works wonderful for us, but my way wouldn't work for you. So I really like the little tips so people can tweak it the way they need to.

Cindy Tunstall:

Well, speaking of that, melinda, one of the reasons that I was really excited about bringing you onto the podcast is that very attitude that you just described.

Cindy Tunstall:

You know, so many times people talk about health and fitness and wellness and they get locked in on this one thing. You know, like we all have had friends that started eating low carb, for example, and they're like all about this is the only way. Or the carnivore diet you know that's another big one that's really trending or intermittent fasting or whatever. And they get so locked in and they have this attitude that if you want to be well and healthy, you know you got to do it this way. But one of the things that I was like, okay, I love the way that Melinda thinks about this because, like, that very thing that you share, this thing that works for you, might not work for me and you're okay with that. I'm okay with that. You know I'm curious about what's working for you. You know curiosity is important to both of us, but I also don't want to send the message that this is the only way, and that was a big reason why I wanted to bring you on the show, honestly, because I think it's such a great mindset that you have, that you know there's lots of different ways to skin a cat. You know you find the way that works for you. And you know, like for me, when I'm exploring, you know I love to go looking for a waterfall. I love to go on a hike. I know you like hiking as well. But I also know that you know maybe that's not your thing. You know I have had two drivers on that love to play poker. You know I don't like to play poker. You know when I go to Las Vegas I go to see a show and I go to eat some good food and I do a lot of people watching. I never play poker, I never go gamble, you know. But I'm not. You know I'm not saying do or don't do that, but I love hearing the way that they pursue what makes them happy, what brings them joy, what makes fun for them. And same with fishing. I've had drivers on that. They have fishing poles in their truck. Multiple drivers actually have had this. I'm like I'm not a big fisherman. If I'm fishing, my fishermen are going to be going. Cindy, stop talking. We're trying to fish, you know.

Cindy Tunstall:

But I love being out in nature, but I love hearing people, you know, find ways to bring some, you know, something out of the routine into their life and their journey. And you know there's one thing about getting outside the truck there's always some resistance, there's always something difficult about that. It's not easy. It's easier just to stay in the routine where we do the work, we do the trip planning, we take care of our truck, we do the maintenance on our truck and then when it's time to shut down, whether just for the night or doing a reset, you know I'm going to do my laundry, I'm going to shower, I'm going to do some cleaning in the truck and I'm just not going to do anything else. You know, because that's the schedule, right, the pace, and you know, and then sometimes, even when I have a reset, I'm tired. You know I don't want to go and do something. You know I don't want to get out and explore, but it takes a little push to get out and do that.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

So I'd like, in our community and in our podcast, to be able to share little tips and tricks that we're doing to get out and explore without making it so difficult. It also has to do with, you know, decision fatigue, because you know we just make so many decisions day in, day out while we're driving. I mean, is that car going to cut us off, or what is that person going to do? And it's just constant, constant mental decisions that we're making. So when we shut down, we just want to rest our brains.

Cindy Tunstall:

Yeah, I love that term decision fatigue and I hadn't really thought about how much that impacts me as a driver. I mean, it's really fascinating. And I think in all aspects, probably in health and wellness choices, like think about eating healthier, like what is my plan when I stop? Am I going to be able to find something healthy to eat? But also like exploring. You know, I don't want to get out and I don't want to even plan a fun thing to do this weekend because that's like I'm tired of making decisions. I've been trip planning. I don't want to trip plan my fun, you know, and that just seems like a lot of work.

Cindy Tunstall:

And I think about a trip I made. I was in Chicago and I was doing a reset and there was a game at Wrigley Field and I've never been to Wrigley Field. I always wanted to go. I do like seeing a live baseball game, but I'm like the thought of going. It just seemed like so much work. You know, I didn't want to have to think about truck parking. You know, even in my size truck that wasn't an option at Wrigley Field. So I was going to have to park at a truck stop. There wasn't anything really close and I was going to have to buy my ticket and it all just seemed like a big pain in the butt, honestly, and I was like I don't want to do it.

Cindy Tunstall:

But it was a day game, it was so perfect. I was like, okay, I need to just do it, I'm going to do it. And it ended up being such a fun weekend for me and there was a big music festival in the streets after the game and so I got to hear some live music and the decision fatigue almost made me not do it and I'm so glad that I did Because I was like I look back on it now it's one of my favorite OTR moments. I had a great day at the game, fun cheering with the fans for the local team and I had a Chicago dog. It was so much fun and I'm so glad I pressed through that decision fatigue. So I really like that language because I think that affects drivers in such a significant way and even for me, somebody who likes to get out of the truck and explore and sightsee, I want to take advantage of the opportunity to travel, but even for me, that decision fatigue will sometimes kick my butt. So thanks for sharing that term. I really like that language.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Yeah, and you know, even like the time when I did the Grand Canyon trip and it was on the 34, and I was like how often am I going to be able to go to see the Grand Canyon? And that was the only thing that got me doing it, because I really wanted just to chill in the truck, relax, you know. But yeah, it's huge. And even when it comes to health and wellness, it's huge.

Cindy Tunstall:

How do you think that affects drivers for health and wellness? I know I talked about like planning our meals and things, but what's a solution for that for health and wellness?

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Well, the solution that I found that really works for my clients is actually kind of like how we trip plan. A load is pretty much trip plan. You know your activities that you want to do, pre-schedule it out, and but you have to schedule it out where it's flexible and adaptable, because we all know our schedules can change from one minute to the next, whether it's weather or traffic jam. So the thing that I've noticed that has really worked with my clients is that when you link it to an activity that you already do, it's easier to stick with it. So, like, every time I get fuel, I'll do a minimum of two push-ups. If I want to do more, I can do more, but I'll do a minimum of two push-ups. There's no decision to make about that. It's every time I do this I'll do that, and that seems to really work. You know, every time before I pre-trip, I'll stretch. When I post trip I'll walk. You know, whatever activities you want to incorporate, link it to something you already do and there's no decisions to make on that.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Um then, with meal prepping, you know it's not meal prepping per se. I have to fix x amount of meals but you can do okay. There's subway, there's taco bell, there's burger king. So when I stop at this place, if it has one of those three things, I will have this meal. There's no decision in it. You already know it's healthy, you've already planned out. Okay, I have this meal at this restaurant and you don't have to make any decisions about it.

Cindy Tunstall:

Oh my gosh, that's so, so practical and so helpful. See y'all, this is why I want Melinda on the show. It's a great tip right there. I mean that's a brilliant strategy. It's like, and I think that's good, and I love it that you're talking about decision fatigue, because if we're aware of that's the problem, that's a big obstacle and both getting outside the truck and having a little bit more play, not just all work. You know we're still going to work. You know 90% of the time when we're on a trip, right, it's still going to be majority trip, but there's a little 10% and maybe we could do something fun that's not just binging Netflix, which I do, that I'm not saying that's horrible. I think there's a lot of benefit of just shutting down and just stopping the decision and the encounters. But every now and then we have an opportunity to do something fun. I want to be able to do that. And then just little small tweaks like that about when you're planning your stop, what's the healthy choice that you can make for your food and being prepared for that, so you don't have to make that decision. So great strategy, melinda, I think. Also, you know decision fatigue.

Cindy Tunstall:

I think this also plays a part in why I love the enjoy in life otr facebook group. You know I have set it up where you can put a hashtag on something fun that you've been able to do. So, like, next week I'm going to South Florida and you know I'm in Texas, so I can just hashtag the States that I'll be traveling through on my way and I can see some fun things that other drivers have done along my route and I don't have to. I could go. Oh yeah, maybe I want to do that, maybe I don't. You know I'm going to be. You know the journey is long, so there's a lot of places in Florida, right? So I'm like I'll look in at where I'm going to stop for the night and, um, you know, some of those things are right on my way. Some of you know the schedule may end up being where I can't do so this is one of the things I love about our Enjoying Life OTR group.

Cindy Tunstall:

So, like, not everybody's getting to do something fun every weekend, but if you stumbled across something fun, you know there's a restaurant in Oklahoma City. I like to use this as an example. I was making a delivery and I had like a three-hour wait between the time I got empty. And then when I reload, and I'm like, okay, I've got to find something to reload, and I'm like, okay, I got to find something to eat, I'm going to look, I found a restaurant and it just happens that this restaurant, with this wonderful food, has this huge truck parking right next to it. It's not a truck stop, necessarily, but the restaurant is a like it's a bar, so they're only open at night. And I'm going to the restaurant. Obviously it would be a breakfast place, so it's only open in the morning, but it's a huge lot. A big rig could fit in there. And I just happened to stumble across this. So I put that in my group and hashtag Oklahoma. So if somebody's in Oklahoma City making a drop there, they can go enjoy this great breakfast and a safe place to park their rig within just one block of the restaurant. So it's just little things like that to help overcome that decision fatigue and finding fun things to do.

Cindy Tunstall:

And I also thought I think about you know, speaking of that trip to Florida, one of my family members shared this shed in Mississippi and it's right off I-10. And I'm like, okay, I'm going to check it out if I'm passing through, there's room for big rigs there. They've got live music at night. I mean you could totally reset there, enjoy some live music, some great food. You know, it's right off I-10, so even if you're just running in for lunch, it's just an easy, convenient way to um. You know, do something different out of your routine without going out of your way. So we're still keeping the work the priority, um, but we're sharing some ways that we can overcome some of the obstacles and just make life easier out here, right.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Oh yeah, and another thing I just love about the Enjoying Life OTR group is you know, if I know I'm going to be shutting down in. You know, I don't know, lexington, kentucky, I can put in there. Hey, you know I'm going to be shutting down. Does anybody know anything good in this area or a good place to park, and what can I do? And there's so many wonderful replies and suggestions that it's such a helpful community.

Cindy Tunstall:

Yeah, I love it. And there are drivers that understand the challenges. So you know you can even get on there and you know you're having a bad day and we all get it, you know, so you can share your journey and I just love that. It's like we're not necessarily just sharing all the great parts of our journey, but we're a community of drivers that understand the challenges of the lifestyle, so I'm a big fan of the group. Speaking of groups, melinda, tell us about the Healthier Truckers group.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

It's a community for drivers who want to become healthier. I have a daily movement challenge that is just either a flexibility or a mobility movement that can be done for two minutes, three to five times a day, and a lot of drivers are really saying how just that small additional movement has helped their backs, helped gain energy and everything.

Cindy Tunstall:

I love that healthier movement challenge because you know what's so great about that is. You know, obviously you're a truck driver, you're an OTR driver. I've shared your story on the show. You lost 60 pounds while OTR, so I mean you know what the challenges are. You know everybody's like.

Cindy Tunstall:

Well, I love it when I see these exercise things going you could do this in the truck and they show somebody doing a push up next to a semi at a truck stop. I'm like we all know ain't nobody doing no push up at a truck stop because that floor is nasty, right, so it's like. But what I love about the posts that you do is like everything can be done in the truck and then also without equipment and it's all you know many times just from the driver's seat. You know this exercise can be done or stand up in the middle of your seats inside your cab, but you understand the challenges of finding ways to work out and move your body. So everything is designed with the trucker, because you're a trucker, so I love that about it. But I also the other challenge.

Cindy Tunstall:

The other thing I mean I love that that's happening in the Healthier Trucker group is like drivers are starting to share some healthier food options that they found along the way or something that they cooked you know an easy recipe.

Cindy Tunstall:

That's a healthier choice, and so I really love that community that's happening there. You're really surrounding yourself with other drivers that are trying to make healthier choices and it's a really safe place to ask questions. I had a question about something I don't know some time ago and I'm not. I don't know where to ask this, but I'm going to ask in Melinda's group and I posed a question. It was about some digestive health issues or something, and I got so many great responses from that question and one of the drivers shared something with me and ended up finding this solution that I didn't even know I was really looking for, and it's just a really safe place to be honest about the struggles and then talked with other drivers who are living the life out there that can give me really practical solutions that fit our lifestyle. So I love the things that are happening in your group.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Yeah, one thing that I just love about the group and I'm so excited to see it actually building momentum on is because I have a lot of great tips and strategies but I don't have them all.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Or, you know, like team drivers, I've never team driven, so it's hard for me to come up with strategies specific for that. So this group has team drivers, they have solo drivers, they have night shift drivers, solo drivers, they have night shift drivers and we can all share and tweak in ways we tweak different things that works for that specific lifestyle, to help other drivers think outside the box. Because that's what we have to do as drivers who want to be healthier. If we can't go by the status quo and what all the gurus say has to be done, we need to think outside the box and that's one of our number one strengths as drivers, because we have to do it daily when we're trying to get a load from one side of the country to the other within a 15-minute time window, and it's just wanting to adapt that strategies of thinking outside the box to our health and wellness. And it's so easy to do that when you have other people helping in the same environment.

Cindy Tunstall:

Well, you know, Melinda, it even goes into decision fatigue Again. You know there's so many health and wellness groups out there and there's so many books and articles, but it's a lot of information to sift through. So, being in a community of drivers that share you know the things you care about, whether in enjoying life, OTR group or healthier truckers group you know you're you're eliminating some of the you know, because sometimes I'll read an article and I'll just go. That's not going to work for me. You know, I'm like when, when am I going to get to do that? Or even that exercise is like, you know, that just doesn't work on the regular for me. So it does. Even in that, just the groups and the specific focus of things that we have in common as drivers, it really just again eliminates some decision fatigue. So back to that as a helpful strategy.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Well, you, you know, decision fatigue is like the number one motivation killer and willpower killer, and every you know, you hear all the time I don't have the motivation or I don't have the. Well, no, you're just freaking tired so true, I am tired yeah, I mean, that's all it is. You're just freaking tired. So if you have a in place, then you don't need willpower or motivation, you just need to work the plan.

Cindy Tunstall:

So helpful, so helpful. Well, and I love hearing an inspiring story. You know, having a driver, you know, like Brian that you had on the show recently, like he's riding his bike and he brings a bike on. You know, when he's at home, he, he rides on the stationary bike. It's like I'm probably never going to do that, honestly, but you know I love it, that I still love the overcoming spirit that he has and they shared in there.

Cindy Tunstall:

You know, same with Kelly, like who's lifting weights. It's like I'm probably not gonna lift weights to that extent, but it does still help me to go. You know, know they're doing it. I could do it, so I could still. It gives me hope to like to try to make the little small changes that work for me. You know, even as much as you hike, I love to hike. I mean you and I want to hike together. We would be going a much slower pace because I'm like want to stop and smell the roses along the way. But you know, honestly, but it's like kind of to silence that voice that says I can't. You know, because we can.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

What I love about both of their stories is one started their healthier journey from a sarcastic comment, yeah. And the other one started the healthier journey from reading a Facebook post and just incorporating one small change, and I just love that about both of their stories.

Cindy Tunstall:

Yeah, inspiration can come from anywhere, and so I love the opportunity I can think about honoring truckers and sharing their stories. This is the kind of thing I'm talking about. You know, I'm always going to, I'm going to always have that bent. You know, there's just so many great things that are happening along our journey and sometimes coming out of challenges, but just I love the whole process of getting to share someone's story. So I'm really grateful for the opportunity and honestly, malin, I'm really grateful that you've come along.

Cindy Tunstall:

You know, because we're both trucking, you know we're working full time and so I really am grateful to have you share the workload of the podcast and being able to, you know, find great guests, and I'm just thrilled of the partnership that I have with you and I'm so grateful for the work you're doing. I mean, for me personally, there are so many places you know that you've impacted my journey in a really positive way with just making some simple tweaks to my life out here, and I'm so grateful. So you know I always say this, but I think every driver in America needs to know Melinda Fox, wellington, so you just have just such practical insights and things that are really helpful and I'm really grateful for your friendship and then your partnership with the show, of course.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

Yes, I am so grateful for this opportunity and you know we got some great guests coming up. I um from relationships and intimacy issues to other coaches and programs that are available if somebody wants to. You know, find a way to get healthier on their own through other means, and I know you got some great guests coming up yeah, I have an entertainment hauler coming up.

Cindy Tunstall:

I've always wanted to talk to drivers that's doing that you know touring and they stay out like all year and crazy schedule. But I love the life and it was really fun talking to him about his journey. And I've got a driver coming on that really cares a lot about the trucking industry as a whole and the business of trucking and where the changes are happening in our field. So she shared some really practical ways that drivers can get involved and be a positive change and her story. She's just so proactive in the way that she does life and I'm like I really love it. We've got some great shows coming up and your show about intimacy, maintaining intimacy and relationships while we're over the road. I mean so practical. So many drivers need this, whether it's, you know, maintaining relationships with a spouse, a partner or, you know, our children or our family members. So so many great practical strategies that are being shared and I can't wait for everybody to hear the upcoming show. It's going to be good.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

So, with all these great shows and episodes coming up, you know how are people going to be able to get involved, especially if they want to be a guest on the show? What is the best way for them to get involved in the movement?

Cindy Tunstall:

Well, if you want to be on the show or you know somebody that would be a good guest, melinda and I both have our contact information in the show notes, so that's the easy way. We're both on Facebook and our links to our pages are also in the show notes. But you know, we really want to spread the word about our community and what's happening. Some ways, some really practical ways that people can help our movement grow. You know, because I want people to grow and to find our Facebook communities, because more people that are involved and engaged in you know sharing our journeys, you know that's going to be better for all of us. You know we're going to get to have new experiences and gain new insights, be inspired, get support when we're struggling so that benefits all of us to have those communities growing. So if you could like our show and you hear our episodes, that's very helpful. Share the podcast episodes on your pages or with other drivers or even when you're out meeting other drivers.

Cindy Tunstall:

We all have a lot of driver friends and people that we work with and say have you heard the podcast Enjoying Life OTR podcast? So talk that up. We love that. Invite other people to our group. So if you're a member of Healthier Truckers Group or the Enjoying Life OTR Group there's links in both of those that you can invite other drivers to join the community. And also for the podcast if you could leave a review where you listen to the podcast.

Cindy Tunstall:

When there's five-star reviews for a podcast, those podcast hosts will share our show with other people who are interested, but they do that based on the number of likes that those shows are getting. So if you could send us a, give us a review and like our podcast where you listen to your podcast player whether it's Spotify or Apple or you know wherever that would be really helpful too to get more drivers to find out about our community and the good things that are happening. And, of course, course, we want you to participate in our Facebook group. So join the Healthier Truckers Facebook group and the Enjoy Life OTR Facebook group. We have really great things happening in both communities and we want you to be a part of it.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

And if you have any great show, ideas or questions or topics you want us to cover, just reach out to one of us via Facebook and we will definitely consider it.

Cindy Tunstall:

Well, thanks, melinda. Thanks for giving the opportunity to kind of share me, to share a little bit about my journey and my story, and really fun being a guest on the show. Different role huh, I know I'm like I'm used to doing the interviewing, asking the questions myself.

Malinda Fox-Wellington:

I know I'm like I'm used to doing the interviewing and asking the questions myself. I am just so excited that we are elevating.

Cindy Tunstall:

Thanks so much for tuning in to another exciting episode of Enjoy Life OTR. We shared so many great tips in this episode, but I particularly enjoyed that discussion on how decision fatigue affects drivers. We offered some simple solutions like meal planning for healthier meals on the go, as well as using our Facebook group to find stops along the way or get inspiration for road tested workouts in the Healthier Truckers Facebook group. You know, with just a little effort, we can reduce that decision fatigue and make healthier choices, as well as find some time to just a little effort. We can reduce that decision fatigue and make healthier choices, as well as find some time to do a little exploring when our schedule allows it. Well, stay tuned next week because we have another exciting episode.

Cindy Tunstall:

We're going to take a sneak peek behind the scenes of a rock and roll freight hauler. It's crazy to hear how long they stay out at one time, but it was really fun hearing the stories about hauling freight and getting to hang out with the world famous rock stars. I mean so fun. Anyway, it was a great episode. I know you guys are going to love that, so stay tuned for that, remember y'all. Life on the road is full of opportunities for curiosity, adventure and resilience. So keep exploring, stay on that journey to becoming healthier truckers and don't forget to share your stories with our amazing communities. Check out enjoy in life otr facebook group, as well as the healthier truckers facebook group. We all take care out there and by all means, enjoy the journey. This is cindy signing off until next time on enjoy in life otr Live OTR.

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Cindy Tunstall

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