SERIES Truck Camper Life - PART 3: Living In A Truck Camper Is Good For Your Health!

Some Healthy Living

We're entering month four of living in LOAF (yep, FOUR) and I've been reflecting on the quality of our lives in this tiny (134 sq. ft) versus our lakefront home.

There are pros and cons to both of those scenarios, but I believe I'm healthier and more active living in LOAF. Being away from Canadian winter plays a large part in that ... but there are other reasons.

We Get More Exercise - Everything we do makes our bodies move. It starts first thing in the morning with a 'step down' from the bed and then heading off to our 'bathroom'.

This is followed by my morning aerobics (aka bed making). I climb back into the bed,  I twist, turn, bend, do all kinds of contortions to make our bed, ahhh...morning fitness is done.  Time for fresh ground, pressed coffee (that's Crusty's job while I do my aerobics).

Next, walk to the shower at the campground/RV park (you definitely don't do this at home).  Return, hang your towels outside, then it's laundry time!  Carry the huge sack of laundry to the laundry room (weight training).  Grab washers, return to LOAF.  30 minutes later walk back to the laundry room.  Transfer to dryers, walk back to LOAF, wait half an hour, walk back to laundry room.  Fold and load all the laundry into the sack, carry it back to LOAF (more weight training).  Whew!  That job is done.

OK, next - we need groceries.  Strap on the backpack, hop on the bike, ride to the closest grocery story.  Shop, back on bike, return to LOAF.

Worked up a sweat, if we're lucky there is a pool in the campground/RV park.  Head there, hop in, swim, if feeling really energetic do laps.  Back to LOAF, hang towels. 

Dinner time, carry everything outside, grill, eat, clean up (up and down stairs).  Bring laundry in.  OK - I think you get the picture.

A Better Diet -We try and park LOAF and utilize our bikes whenever we can, so we tend to shop almost daily.  We pick up fresh fruit, veggies and fish.  We have been fortunate to have lots of fresh fish available, so have managed to include this in our diet 3-4 times each week.  We don't tend to cook in LOAF that much, so we use our grill or eat salads.  Hence we are eating lighter meals with very fresh ingredients.

There's Less Stress - When you live in such a small space, it takes you 10 minutes to clean it, the list of chores is done in a half hour, the biggest chore is to 'dump' every 3 or 4 days.  Dishes are always done since you don't have very many.

Humour -  call it "cabin fever" or "truck camper fever", but suddenly everything is funny.  I think this is a self defense mechanism, you have no where to run, so things that would have started a 'discussion' at home, you just shrug off or laugh at.

Example:  While I struggle with my morning aerobics, Crusty's job is to light up the camper, put water on to boil for coffee, open blinds, switch HW on, start the coffee press, have cups ready, open blinds, start the computers, check the time for the perfect 5 minute press. The other morning Crusty was engrossed in the latest Facebook news, he poured the water, left the lid off the press, cups were missing and he had no idea what time our coffee would be ready. I promptly told him that this was the 3rd day in a row that he missed A STEP.  With a very serious expression on his face he informed me that when you miss A STEP three days in a row it means you no longer have to do it ... EVER AGAIN!  I broke out in hysterical laughter.... no argument, just fun!

What I Miss

OK - there are several things that I miss from my 'home'.

1.  My bathtub!  How can you not miss this, clean, relaxing, view - don't have to wear 'shower shoes' ... sigh!!!

                                     

2.  Quiet.  Where we live there are no neighbours close by, we have silence, privacy...quiet!  Florida is warm, but it is not quiet and it is not private.

3.  My Kitchen.  I love to cook!  I am a 'feeder', this is impossible to do in a truck camper.  I can feed the two of us, perhaps stretch it to four (if I am careful with dishes).  I miss making soup, lasagna...filling the freezer foods.

                    

4.  My Critters.  I love to watch my critters, I love to feed them, photograph them.  

                    

Either way, life is good - enjoy it, live it to the fullest.  We are blessed. 

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Check out the previous post in the SERIES Truck Camper Life ... 
Part 2: Necessary Skills & Mandatory Rules

                   WRY  reporting ......