Fitness in 15 minutes: How to get a great workout on the road

Given the nature of the job, getting exercise can be a tough task for a truck driver. You spend much of your day sitting behind the wheel, and when you have the opportunity to stop, you're often far from home without access to adequate gym facilities. However, there are ways to get a workout on the road with little-to-no equipment. By learning the five moves below, you can get a great workout in just 10-15 minutes.

The moves:

• Mountain Climbers

Start with your hands and feet on the ground in the position of a traditional pushup. Drive your right leg forward towards your right elbow, and then bring it back to the pushup position. Repeat with your left leg. It will look like you're running in place, but on the ground. You can see people doing the motion by clicking here.

• Air Squats

Standing straight up with your feet shoulder length apart, bend your knees and drop down, keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground. Try to keep your chest out, head forward and back straight with the weight on your heels.

• Lunges

Standing straight up, step forward with and bend your right leg, allowing the left knee to hover just above the ground. Repeat with your other leg. Just like squats, try to keep your head upright and your back straight. If you can't get your knee all the way to the ground, get as low as is comfortable.

• Push-Ups

Most people are familiar with this move. If you need to modify your push-ups, you can do them on your knees instead of having your legs straight. Go down as far as you can on the push, but work to get better depth over time.

• Cobras or "press ups"

Lay on the ground face down with your arms positioned like you're doing a pushup. However instead of a pushup, keep your hips and legs on the ground, and press your upper body upward until you're looking straight forward with your chest out. This is a common yoga move; you can see what it looks like by clicking here.

The workout:

Once you feel like you've got the moves down, you can use them together to get a great cardiovascular workout. I recommend a five-minute warm-up, maybe jumping jacks or even a brief walk, before you start. Then, complete each of the above exercises, one-after-the-other, for 30 seconds each, going Mountain Climbers to Cobras. This is what we call a "circuit." With five exercises at 30 seconds each, one circuit will take roughly two and a half minutes.

Start with one circuit, and as you feel yourself get comfortable with movements, take a brief rest between circuits and add more. The quick movements will help you get stronger, while increasing your cardiovascular endurance.

Laura Locker is a personal trainer and fitness center manager at Progressive. Progressive, in business since 1937, is a market leader in commercial auto insurance and the #1 truck insurer. For more information on Progressive's coverages or to find a local independent agent, go to http://www.progressivecommercial.com.