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Trucking Industry News – Resolutions Next Exit! Part 3 of 3
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
posted by 18 Wheeler 12:10 AM
Hello, Fellow Drivers! This is the last part of a three-part article on New Year’s Resolutions and trucking resources. I hope you have been able to gain something useful from this article and remember to be safe out there!
DRIVER HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Quit smoking. Easier said than done! You’ll live longer, feel better and have less chance of developing heart disease, stroke, lung disease and cancer. Do it for yourself, but get the help and support you need to quit, whether it be from a family member, friend or doctor. It’s a matter of making a gut decision to do it like you made the decision to drive a truck. Success won’t come until you REALLY make up your mind that you want this.
Don’t abuse alcohol and drugs. Assistance is readily available to help people break an addiction and turn their lives around. Stay out of “party row”. Don’t trash around too much.
See a doctor. It’s cheaper to prevent a serious medical issue than to treat one. Regular doctor visits can keep you healthy and on the road. Many health plans provide benefits intended for preventative checkups. Another good way to prevent health issues is to seek out a nutritionist or a doctor that uses natural means to prevent health issues. Supplements and such things help promote good health and vitality.
Well, Drivers, this is the finish of this article. Surely there is at least one thing you can incorporate into your new year’s routine to help with your trucking business success. Happy New Year!
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Trucking Industry News – Resolutions Next Exit! Part 2 of 3
Monday, January 4, 2010
posted by 18 Wheeler 12:05 AM
Hello, Fellow Drivers! Well, the holidays are over! It’s back to the old grind! Although without the grind, there would no living! Because it’s the start of a new year, I wanted to get you some trucking resources that will start your year off right! Here is Part 2 of a three-part article. I hope you enjoy the read and remember to be safe out there!
Driver Health And Wellness
Cut back on junk food. It may be an easy choice to grab a donut or high-fat burger on the run, but leaner and greener foods give you the nutrients to maintain vital energy and strong muscles. Keep healthy snack foods, like whole grain, high fiber bars, apples or lower sodium nuts close by to tide you over until you can get to your next meal.
Learn proper lifting techniques, such as bending your knees and lifting from your legs rather than bending at the waist. Get help if you need it, or use mechanical aids to lift heavy loads. Take breaks from repetitive motions that can result in soreness of your hands, arms, neck and back to avoid long-term injuries.
Rest and relaxation. Make days off and vacations a mandatory part of your personal health plan. Take time off to participate in the things you and those around you enjoy. Take some time to simple relax, you deserve it.
This is part two of this informative article. Stay tuned for part three! Happy New Year!
Trucking Industry News – Resolutions Next Exit! Part 1 of 3
Friday, January 1, 2010
posted by 18 Wheeler 10:28 PM
Happy New Year, Fellow Drivers!
I recently read this article in a trucking magazine called The Long Haul from 2008. I will copy it because it seems fit for the first day of the new year! This is the first of three parts. Enjoy the read and remember to be safe out there!
The most common resolutions made each year include losing weight, getting fit, quitting smoking and reducing stress. As an over-the-road driver, the challenges you face differ from those borne by someone working in an office environment. for you, improving your health isn’t as easy as simply getting up from a desk and taking a walk. Some health risk factors that commonly affect professional drivers today are smoking, obesity, hypertension (high blood pressure) and stress.
Driver Health And Wellness
Tips to get you started on the path toward better health include:
Get enough sleep. Most adults need 7-9 hours to maintain proper alertness. Adequate rest keeps your mind alert and your immune system strong. (We all know that most of the truckers don’t get enough sleep. Most of the time you’re stretching your log book to make the next drop. When you can’t get this amount of sleep, try to get naps along the way. If you get sleepy, pull over and take a power nap of 15 to 20 minutes. It will wake you up and help you get to the next stop.) Parenthesis added.
Find ways to relax or reduce stress. Basic deep breathing techniques and taking yourself out of the moment can go a long way toward relieving stress. If you feel you don’t have the control over your stress level, talk to a doctor about options available to you. (You can always make a list of areas in your life that are causing worry and anxiety and think of solutions to reduce those feelings so you can put your energy in making your trucking business a success.)
Stay fit and get regular exercisesuch as walking. Even three 15-minute walks a day can help take the pounds off and make you healthier. Studies also show that building muscle will help increase your metabolism and significantly increase your weight loss efforts. Include basic stretches to help relieve stressed muscles to further enhance stress relief.
Stay tuned for parts 2 and 3 to get the REST of the story! Happy New Year!
Trucking Resources – Basic Nutritional Information
Monday, November 23, 2009
posted by 18 Wheeler 10:40 AM
Hello, Fellow Drivers, It’s Thanksgiving and a good time to go over some basic nutritional information. This will guide you through this gluttonous time of year and help you to make some better choices as you feast and give thanks. This information comes from Renee Detky, my nutrition expert and dietary consultant (904) 465-0023. Enjoy your read and put these trucking resources in a handy place to refer to when eating this holiday. Happy Thanksgiving and remember to be safe out there!
EACH DAY YOU SHOULD EAT
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At least 5 servings of fruits and/or vegetables – make sure to include one with breakfast.
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At least 1 leafy green vegetable – collards greens, kale, romaine lettuce, broccoli, or brussel sprouts.
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1 raw or fresh food with each meal.
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Some vegetable or fruit high in Vitamin A – carrots, mango, sweet potato, or pumpkin.
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2 forms of protein – meat is common, but not necessary. Limit servings to the size of a deck of cards, depending on age, weight and activity level. Eggs are the most easily absorbed protein. Beans with brown rice, cheese, tofu, or broccoli are excellent protein sources. Remember the Beano!
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No more than 2 servings of dairy – soft cheese is less constipating than hard cheese.
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2 to 4 servings of starches (depending on weight goals) – breads should be 100% whole grain. Bakes potatoes, yams or corn are a great idea. Brown rice is more nutrient dense than white rice. Americans eat too much bread.
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Snacks – fresh fruit – apples and nuts are easy to carry on the go.
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Sit down when eating and be at peace – stress first affects the digestive track.
DO NOT EAT
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Trans fats – It in now printed on the product labels, by law.
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Pork or shell fish – these drain your body’s mineral reserves.
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Nitrates – found in hot dogs or bologna.
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White bread – it has no nutritional value for anyone.
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Sodas – deplete the body of minerals and cause sudden drops in blood carbohydrate levels, which affect oxygen levels in our brains. diet sodas are the worst.
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Corn syrup – not to be confused with fructose syrup.
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Any artificial sweeteners – aspartame (Nutrasweet in the little blue packets), sorbital (Equal, another name for Nutrasweet), saccharine (Sweet ‘n Low in the little pink packets), and Splenda (in the little yellow packets). Try instead Truvia, which is more nutritional. You can get it at Wal-Mart.
EXCEPTIONS – BECAUSE WE LIVE IN THE REAL WORLD
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Limit exceptions to once a week. An after dinner mint is okay; a candy bar is a step backwards. Remember you are training your taste buds. Cake is only for birthdays, weddings and special occasions. Alcohol is safest two to four per week, depending on body weight goals.
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New habits can be established in a little as three weeks.
Hello, Fellow Drivers! Let’s face it, driving a truck is not conducive to a buff body, unless you work at it. When I was on the road, I had to carry free weights, a mat and be ready to work out at the truck stops beside my truck. It took imagination but I kept my figure all the while I was driving. Below I’ve listed the keys to weight loss. These keys came from my nutritionist, Renee Detky in Jacksonville, Florida. She is an expert in counseling folks on healthy living and preventing disease. These trucking resources are invaluable to your physical well-being. Hopefully you will be able to utilize some or all of the following guidelines. Enjoy the read!
KEYS TO WEIGHT LOSS
I. Eat less and move more. These are the facts and have been for ages.
A. Eat smaller portions
B. Stop eating within three hours before going to bed.
C. Exercise builds muscle and oxygenates our body. Our cells need oxygen to burn fat.
II. Increase your metabolism to its greatest potential.
A. Eat within one hour of stepping ot of bed.
B. Exercise each morning and evening. Even ten minutes will jump start your metablolism. Muscles burn more calories than fat. Weight bearing exercise builds muscle.
C. Keep your liver cleansed and strong. This is our fat metabolizing organ. Heated fats cause congestion in our livers.
D. Eat frequently. Going longer than four hours between meals shifts your body into “store fate mode”.
E. Have your body chemistry tested for metabolic imbalances. Renee Detky, the author of this article, is a good place to start. She is available by phone consultation and office visits at (904) 465-0023.
III. Eate healthier foods.
A. Fresh fruits and vegetables add nutrients not just calories. Fiber helps us to feel full. Enzymes aid our digestive system.
B. Highly processed foods deceive us into not feeling full. Sodas are the worst. They rob your body of calcium and make your bones brittle and weak.
C. Read food labels. Stay away from all corn syrup.
D. Eat meals and snacks that are balanced between carbohydrates, protein and fat.
E. Eat something from the six different tastes helps stop cravings. 1.sour-lemon, 2) hot-peppers, 3)sweet-fruit, 4) astringent-cranberry, 5) savory-meat, 6) salty.
F. Drink water all day long.
IV. Find the supplement that suits you best.
A. Lipochromizyme – great fat enzyme for people with high cholesterol, gall bladder trouble, problems digesting fatty meals or sugar cravings.
B. Conjugated Linoleic Acid. Great for those who exercise are are building muscle.
C. Pyruvate – Increases endurance and decreases blood glucose levels.
These are basic guidelines to follow on the path of good health. Without it, you have no trucking business. Be safe out there!
Trucking Resources – Healthy Living And S.M.A.A.R.T Goal Setting
Monday, October 5, 2009
posted by 18 Wheeler 6:46 AM
Hello, Fellow Drivers! I wanted to write to you today about trucking resources that help you set goals and stay on track with good eathing habit and fitness goals. It’s called S.M.A.A.R.T goal setting. The positive thing about this method is that it helps you set realistic and attainable goals that help motivate you with enthusiasm and reachable expectations. These tips will help you with your eating and fitness goals. These tips can also help with a good trucking business plan as well.
1. Specific. Write down your eating goals each day. Did you know that when you write things down you are more likely to accomplish that task? On the road it’s tough to always have a place to stop that offers healthy eating choices. That’s why writing down your goals for each day will help you think ahead in your trip as to where you might be able to stop and when.
2. Moderate. What will be your goals for eating and exercising this week? Choose two maybe three that you will do. That way you will not be overwhelmed with having to work, drive, write in your log book AND lose or maintain your weight and exercise. Once you have accomplished that two or three goals you select, you can add new ones or just ride on the that feeling of success.
3. Attainable. Make small, reasonable changes. If you’re not walking at all, don’t try to walk every day. The smaller the difference between your current behavior and your goal behavior, the greater the chances you’ll accomplish the change you make. Small successess lead to big successes. Leave room for a slip up or two. You’re human remember?
4. Active. Define your goals in “what to do”. For instance, when will you exercise? Will it be after your pre-trip inspection on the truck or on your post-inspection? Will it be just before dinner and your shower at the end of the day? Set a time when you will be active and write it down.
5. Record. Keep track of your progress and when you met your goals. This will increase your awareness of your goals and accurate record of your progress. You will then begin to see a pattern of new behavior beginning to be established in your life and give you the “want to” to keep it up. Record your energy level at the end of the day. You will notice that your stamina is also increasing and you can chart why.
6. Time-limited. Look over the record you’re keeping of your new eating and exercising habit, like say, once a week. Sometimes shorter intervals are more helpful. Whatever works to keep you on your new path of health and fitness. Doing this will enable you to see when you have the most success and when you seem to slack off and need to be aware and change something.
The whole idea in this goal setting system is to give you trucking resources that give you better health and make your trucking business successful because you are feeling healthier and living healthier. Be safe out there!
Truckers are known to have some of the least healthy diets of any occupational demographic. Since they spend so much of their time on the road, truck drivers seldom have enough time to enjoy the benefits of a home-cooked meal. Instead they often settle for fast food, which lacks nutritional value. As a result, many truckers experience hypertension, high cholesterol and a number of other health risks.
There are of course ways to combat the problem. Grocery stores sell healthy snacks in small, portable portions – nutrigrain bars are one example. In addition, truckers can stock up on apples, bananas and other fruits before setting off for their destination. By eating smaller portions at truck stops and drinking plenty of water rather than caffeinated beverages, drivers can defy the expectations associated with their profession.
Hello, Fellow Drivers! Thought you would stick this information in the back of your brain and simulate it along with a good buffet meal! The trucking resources below will help you maintain optimum health so you will have a successful trucking business. Renee is an expert in the field of preventative health. I’ve used her on a regular basis and have found my energy levels and stamina increased. That’s a must in the trucking business. She is available by phone and has many products available to help you achieve better health and in turn a successful trucking business. Be safe out there!
Free Flow on the Highway
By Renee Detky, Wellness Educator, Jacksonville , FL (904)465-0023
Staying regular while traveling can be a challenge even for really healthy people. Daily bowel movements are important though, because they help eliminate poisonous substances, known as “toxins,” from the body. Driving for hours and hours in a day does not promote movement in the muscles or colon. Restaurant food has less fiber and more salt than people should eat regularly. The combination not moving and eating unhealthy food leads to swollen ankles and bellies.
To help move the colon move the body, you should stop every one and a half to two hours to help increase circulation, park at the far end of the parking lot when stopping to eat, and walk around for ten minutes after you buy gasoline. Don’t be embarrassed to stretch at rest stops. Everyone there is stiff, and tired of being in one position! The more movement a body gets the better it will feel at the end of the day.
Eat foods that promote movement, not congestion. Like your mother used to say, “Eat more vegetables!” Find something leafy and green on the menu at a restaurant, hold the cheese on that burger, ask for broiled fish instead of meat, order soy milk instead of regular, avoid the battered and fried temptations, and ask for whole wheat bread instead of white bread to increase fiber.
Fresh fruit has antioxidants, essential enzymes and fiber. Have fresh fruit instead of pancakes for breakfast. Jelly doesn’t count! Apples, grapes, and individually wrapped prunes travel well. They are so much better than chips for a snack.
Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that live in the colon. Acidophilus is the most common one. They help promote a healthy gut and immune system. They can be found in the vitamin aisle of most grocery stores. If you have a cooler, the refrigerated ones are the best. They will help balance out all the extra bacteria that enter the digestive tract when consuming restaurant food. Even a few healthy probiotics added in is better than none. With only a few small changes, you can make a big difference in how good you feel, and how good you look!
Trucking Resources – Stretching Your Muscles At Pit Stops
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
posted by Chrome Stacks 11:38 AM
Hello, Drivers!
We’ve talked in previous blogs about ways to optimum health and running a successful trucking business with drinking water with magnesium and potassium (blog 6/15/09), and using a tennis ball in a sock to prevent muscles tension and nerve pain in the butt and back (blog 7/10/09). Now let’s discuss stretching whenever you stop to fuel, take a break, or stop for the night to shower and eat. After driving for several hours non-stop, your muscles will begin to get stiff from lack of circulation. I got the next few stretching tips from Debra Hull, a licensed massage therapist with The Pink Papaya in Fayetteville, AR. Whenever you stop to take a break, fuel or catch a shower and a meal, remember to first stretch your body as soon as you get out of the truck. The first thing you can do is to stand with both feet 2 feet apart and bend over as far as you can to try to touch your toes. Bob up and down a few times while you are bent forward to get the blood flowing to your whole body. After you have tried to touch your toes, bend your knees and slowly come back up one vertabrae at a time till you are standing straight up. The next move to get the blood flowing is to grab the bar that allows you to get up into the truck with one hand. Allow your body to lean back while holding onto the bar. This will stretch your back and arms. Do this on both sides so that you get a complete stretch through the upper body. Next you want to stand with your feet two to three feet apart and twist left and right from the waist, like the old dance move called “The Twist”. Twist left to right 10 to 20 times. This will help release lower back tension.
All of the above moves are simple things you can implement quickly into your busy day at each stop you make. Each move is designed to take a couple of minutes which will get the circulation back into your muscles and joints to prevent stiffness and arthritis. Being active doesn’t require long aerobic sessions and going to the gym. It only requires a couple of 10 minutes sessions per day. One of your trucking resources needs to be prevention for optimum good health. It will keep you youthful and running a successful trucking business. You must keep your body fit like you keep your truck fit. If you don’t take care of your truck, it will not run for you and make you a profit. The same is true with your body. If you don’t maintain it, it will put you out of the trucking business. You get to reture when you choose instead of your body making you quit. Prevention keeps you profitable. So, Drivers, remember to take a couple of minutes each time you stop to stretch your muscles to get the circulation going and prevent stiffness. It will one of your greatest trucking resources and give you the greatest profits!
Hello, Fellow Truckers! As you well know, having a successful trucking business or starting a successful trucking business doesn’t just have to do with a CDL, owning a truck, or making a living. It also has to include you taking care of your health. There are lots of stressors in the trucking industry, but your pocketbook depends on you being on top of your game both mentally and physically. Those sleepless nights and bad eating habits will catch up with you. So… let’s talk about one of the major complaints of truck drivers, pain the butt, literally! The doctors call it sciatica (sy-at-i-ca) nerve pain. What causes this is your butt muscle, or piriformis (peer-a-form-is) muscle is constricting your sciatica nerve that runs from the bottom of your spine to your ankles. This is caused by sitting on your back side and driving too long without getting out to move around. The blood supply to that part of your anatomy gets cut off and causes swelling to the piriformis muscle, which in turn causes nerve pain.
Would you like some relief? I got this from Debra Hull, a licensed massage therapist who practices at the Pink Papaya (479-521-7465) in the Fayetteville, AR area. She said to take a tennis ball and put it in a tube sock. Yes you can use one of your old gray ones that you can’t get white in the wash any longer! Put the ball and sock underneath one cheek about where you would carry your wallet and drive with it under your butt for two minutes. Then switch and put it under the other cheek for the same amount of time. Do this every two hours and it will release the tension from the piriformis muscle on your sciatica nerve. You can also put your tennis ball/sock combo behind one shoulder blade for two minutes and switch to the other side to relieve that pain in the shoulders from holding the steering wheel. Remeber to you keep your wallet out of your back pocket when you drive.
In my June 15, 2009 post, I discussed drinking water with electrolytes in it, such as Smart Water or Voss. You can buy these at some truck stops, quick marts and Wal-Marts. Remember to replace some of your tea, coffee, and soda drinking with this water to replenish your potassium & magnesium. You can also supplement with magnesium that you can buy at Wal-Mart. The importance of this is that this water keeps your muscles from spasming as much. It’s hot this time of year and when your loading or unloading or doing anything with a big rig, you sweat. This causes you to lose electrolytes. So, Fellow Truckers, your trucking business success begins with you taking time for good health and healthy dietary habits. Be safe out there!