The workout secrets of a trucker fitness guru

— -- A former Olympic hopeful-turned-truck driver has released a book on how to stay fit and lose weight even if you have a largely sedentary lifestyle.

Siphiwe Baleka is attempting to revolutionize the trucking industry, which has often been called one of the country's unhealthiest industries.

The fitness guru and long-haul trucker shared tips from his new book, "4-Minute Fit: The Metabolism Accelerator for the Time Crunched, Deskbound, and Stressed Out," live on "Good Morning America" today.

Baleka, a former NCAA Division I athlete at Yale University who failed to qualify for the 1992 U.S. Olympic swimming trials in the 100-meter freestyle by just 0.8 seconds, became a trucker in 2008 after searching for a job that would allow him to travel.

As a truck driver, Baleka said his metabolism plummeted, and within weeks of spending all day sitting down, he gained 10 percent of his body weight.

He decided to retake control of his health, and then help other truck drivers do the same. Baleka eventually became a full-time fitness coach for the trucking company Prime Inc., where he has worked with thousands of truck drivers to help them stay fit and healthy while on the road.

Here are Baleka's top three metabolism-boosting tips:

1. "Get 4 minutes of rigorous exercise a day"

Baleka recommends getting at least four minutes of any kind of rigorous exercise every day. This activity will spike your metabolism, even if it is only done for four minutes, according to Baleka, who recommends slowly easing into up to 15 minutes of rigorous exercise every day.

2. "Spike your metabolism every 3 hours with food"

Eating a healthy snack every three hours can help keep your metabolism high, and Baleka said he found that many truck drivers would only eat one or two meals a day, which can have a crippling effect on your metabolism.

3. "Sleep the pounds off"

Baleka adds that sleep deprivation can be a big contributor to weight gain, and a lack of sleep can inhibit the body from regulating your metabolism properly.

"4-Minute Fit: The Metabolism Accelerator for the Time Crunched, Deskbound, and Stressed Out" hits shelves today.