10 Essential Tips for Maintaining Health in Delivery Jobs

With people’s preference for fast and efficient order completions, delivery jobs have become more physically demanding, mentally exhausting, and often too unpredictable. With long hours behind the wheel and frequent heavy lifting, delivery drivers are prone to neglecting their health.

However, maintaining your physical and mental well-being with a job as arduous as this is quite critical. You need a little rethinking as this could affect your longevity in the job and personal quality of life.

So, while keeping hydrated, maintaining good sleep, proper diet, and posture are quite helpful, here are more tips and tricks to add to your list to help maintain your fitness for the job.

It’s best for you to incorporate a daily mobility routine that targets joint health and flexibility. You’re often faced with joint stiffness from repetitive movements like getting in and out of vehicles or lifting packages. That’s why a few minutes each day focusing on ankle, hip, and shoulder mobility exercises can prevent injury and reduce your discomfort over time.

Incorporate foam rolling or dynamic stretches, like hip circles and wrist stretches, to keep your joints supple and far from injuries.

Most often, driving in an unorganized manner not only increases your stress but can also lead to burnout. It might be best for you to use apps for efficient delivery routes like those from Circuit to help you optimize your route, saving both time and the most needed energy.

A well-planned route can help reduce your mental load, allowing you to focus on driving safely and completing deliveries timely.

You can plan your route the night before using these apps so you can start your day with a stress-free, clear direction.

You can benefit from today's fitness trackers and health apps that can effectively monitor your physical activity, heart rate, sleep patterns, and even stress levels. These are quite helpful tools that can offer real-time feedback, helping you stay conscious of your body’s needs throughout the day.

By tracking your metrics, it’s easier for you to make adjustments to your routine, like taking breaks when stress levels rise or adding more movement if your step count is low.

Try apps like Fitbit, Apple Health, or WHOOP to monitor your physical and mental wellness every day.

Fitting in a full workout might not be possible as you move along, but “micro-workouts” or quick bursts of exercise, lasting only about 5 to 10 minutes, can help you stay more active and fit. You can do them between deliveries or during breaks, doing some squats, push-ups, or lunges to keep your muscles flexed or engaged.

You can also join volunteer fundraisers, especially with your employer chiming in the program, to have more cause-worthy muscle work. This can help you become more physically fit at the same time, a supporter of more noble endeavors.

Set a timer on your phone to remind you to do a quick set, either 10 squats or push-ups, between deliveries. Even a few reps daily can already make a huge difference in maintaining your strength and flexibility.

Muscle soreness from driving, lifting, and repetitive movements are mainstays in delivery work. It may be beneficial if you can invest in a portable, handheld massager or massage gun, to provide you with immediate relief from muscle tension during your breaks or after shifts.

Make it a point to focus on your lower back, shoulders, and legs after a long day to relieve your stiffness and improve blood circulation.

It’s your second home every day, and since you spend long hours in your vehicle, it may be crucial that you make your working space as comfortable and health-supportive as possible. You can adjust seat height, angle, and lumbar support to promote good posture. 

Also, consider adding extra padding or seat cushions designed to help ease your back pain and improve your blood flow, especially on the upper leg parts.

Use an ergonomic or memory foam seat cushion and adjust vehicle mirrors and steering wheel so you don't need to stretch or strain to see or reach while driving.

Often, temperature extremes can negatively impact your comfort and focus, especially as you move between hot vehicles and cold outdoors or vice versa. This can affect your energy levels, making you moody at times. So, it’s best to keep your vehicle at a moderate, comfortable temperature and gear up in layers to quickly adapt to these temperature hazards.

Using a portable fan or heated seat covers can be a great idea to maintain a more comfortable environment inside your vehicle. It’s also best to avoid direct blasts of hot or cold air on your body to prevent discomfort or ailment.

Breathing techniques are quite effective in telling your body that you’re in control, and with the long hours on the road, it’s easy for your body clock to go haywire and succumb to stress. To avoid this, practice breathing exercises to help you stay calm and focused, especially if you’re running behind schedule or jammed in traffic. 

The 4-7-8 breathing technique involves:

• Inhaling (through your nose) for 4 seconds
• Holding your breath for 7 seconds
• Exhaling slowly for 8 seconds

You can repeat this whenever you feel stressed or overwhelmed so you can reset your mood.

Lifting and carrying packages repeatedly can strain (or even sprain) your back, shoulders, and arms. Using a proper lifting technique can help you prevent injury and reduce the occurrence of fatigue. It’s better to bend at the knees and use your legs to lift heavy objects, not your back. 

Also, keep the load close to your body and avoid twisting while carrying your load. 

If you’re about to lift heavy or awkward items, especially if it's frequent in your deliveries, consider investing in a lightweight, foldable hand truck to ease the load on your body.

While your physical prowess is important, your mental well-being is just as crucial in your demanding job. So, listening to mindfulness or relaxation podcasts during your downtime or while driving can help improve your mental state. 

Audiobooks and podcasts, especially those focused on mental resilience, meditation, or stress management, can help break the monotony of your activities and, at the same time, keep your mind sharp.

You can download short, guided meditation sessions that you can listen to during rest, breaks, or longer deliveries. It will also help you focus more on your responsibilities over time.

Endnotes

As you incorporate these unique, actionable tips into your daily delivery routine, you can protect your physical and mental health, no matter how "heavy" your assignment can be. These insights can help you stay longer and become better at your job, no matter the hurdles and the miles.