Spring is upon us and so are long hours in tractor and truck cabs. Here are some healthy living tips to keep in mind while heading back into the field.

Drinking plenty of water can help keep your body healthy and functioning at its highest capacity. Studies show that water can boost your mood and brainpower as well as prevent headaches. So try to avoid soda and energy drinks, that tend to be high in sugar, keeping in mind that sugar highs come crashing down and go for the clear stuff. We recommend drinking water throughout the day to help keep you hydrated and alert. It also doesn't hurt to throw in a shot of coffee into the mix every now and again to help keep you going... just go easy on the sugar!

Tip #2 NUTRITION

Make sure you have a good stash of food that will last your entire shift. Make a plan and stick to it, eating smaller amounts every few hours is a better strategy than chowing through all your pre- packed goodies in the first few hours of the day. Too often poor planning leads to the avoidable fate of being HANGRY and ain’t nobody likes that! Choose fruits, vegetables and foods high in protein and fiber. It is important to choose meals and snacks with good nutritional value, to again, avoid the sugar crash and ward off fatigue.

Tip #3 FOOD SAFETY

Make sure your hot foods stay hot and your cold foods stay cold. Farmers should be aware if their lunch boxes or coolers are keeping the optimum food temperature to prevent food spoilage. Make sure your current cooler/lunch box is doing its job. Update outdated coolers, or even better, have someone come by and refuel you on a regular basis. It’s almost impossible to keep food hot in the cab of tractor for 12 plus hours, plus, you could always use the company, right?

Tip #4 SANITATION

When it comes to sanitation, many aren’t aware of the bacteria they’re ingesting due to the residue on their hands. Stock up on baby wipes for cleaning your hands and face to make sure you get the seed treatment, dirt, grease, and who knows what else off your hands and face. We recommend the life-sized box from Costco!

Tip #5 SLEEP

Get some! Enough said!

Tip #6 GET MOVING

Follow @RuralFitnessSK on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and get up off yo ass for a few minutes and move around. There is a 5 min Friday every week that gives some exercises to do using things around the farm. One could easily get their heart rate up while filling the drill. This will help re-energize and wake you up.

Tip #7 STAYING ALERT

Staying alert involves a combination of adequate sleep, eating good nutritious meals and snacks spaced out throughout the day, making sure you’re getting lots of water and adding in a bit of exercise and stretching whenever possible. All of this helps keep energy and concentration levels up which is very important when working with heavy machinery. Also downloading a deadly playlist can go a long way to making a good day.

*Shameless plug. Check out our playlists on Spotify

CANTERRA SEEDS Songs For The Seeder - CLASSIC CROWD

CANTERRA SEEDS Songs For The Seeder - NEW SCHOOL

Tip #7.5 SLEEP

Ok we’re revisiting this one again because it is very important and it’s sometimes hard to know when to pull the plug, but when you put in a long day and find yourself falling asleep... go get some Zzzzz and start fresh in the morning!

Wishing you all a safe, happy and healthy seeding season!