Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/44411
FIT FOR THE ROAD Breaking en Zelten had high cholesterol, and in May 2010, his doctor told him he had three options to bring it down — change his diet, take medication or start exercising. He doesn't like taking medicine for various reasons, he says, and he thought exercise would be a bit easier to start than a full-on diet change. "I didn't want to get too complicated with my exer- cise," he says. "So I just went to basically doing pushups and sit-ups," things he could do on the road. Then he picked up running, and "once I started run- ning, the weight dropped off. I went from 211 pounds down to 180. Six months after that, I went in and had a health screening and my cholesterol was down 50 points." K Like most drivers, Zelten, an owner-operator from Wisconsin, was challenged by the diet and exercise CALORIE-SAVING IDEAS Highway Health Care owner Dr. Ronald Rush says what drivers should concentrate on is saving 50 or 100 calo- ries wherever possible and being able to burn 30 or 40 extra calories as often as they can. "If you add it up, it comes out to enough calo- ries to lose weight and feel better," he says. "You have to have reasonable goals. If you lose 3,500 calories, you've lost a pound ... Expend an additional 100 or 150 calories a day, and you're looking at losing 10 pounds a year. If you can expend a couple hundred extra calories a day, you're looking at 30 or 40 pounds a year." Here are a few quick ideas for cutting and expending extra calories: water and drink it about six to eight times a day. Drink the whole thing within a few minutes. "Water being cold has to be heated by the being heated burns calo- ries," Rush says. "You can 34 TRUCKERS NEWS NOVEMBER 2011 burn about 120 or 160 calo- ries a day just doing that." "Grab a hold on the side and use your pull bar as a bal- ance bar and use your body to push yourself and step yourself up and back down." Five to 10 repetitions will be - heart rate up, and it stays with you throughout the day," says Ken Zelten, an owner-operator from Wis- consin. "Even stretching in the morning stays with you." than building muscle in the upper arms, says Rush, and he recommends keeping 10- or 20-pound weights in your truck to do simple upper-body workouts at stops or during downtime. "Something most people aren't aware of is how much muscle burns," he says. "When you don't even use a muscle, it burns calories all day." and being flexible are key to overall health and can also help alleviate the lower back pain common among driv- ers. An important stretch, he says, is to put feet shoulder- width apart, keep knees bent, take a deep breath and let your upper body fall forward naturally. "You need to get those hamstrings and those nerves stretched out, which causes the majority of leg and back issues with those starting new exercise programs." down the wall Drivers wanting to implement healthier routines into a busy schedule need patience, perseverance and a little know-how JAMES JAILLET When trying to balance a healthy lifestyle with a busy driving schedule, start by finding places to walk daily and by cutting down on high-carb and high-sugar foods. constraints that come with a full-time driving schedule. Running and walking, however, are quick and easy ways to start changing habits, he says. "I didn't invest a lot of money into it," he says. I just bought a good pair of running shoes. All you have to do is step out of the truck, put on your shoes, and start walking or running." Dr. Ronald Rush of Highway Health Care in Texar- kana, Texas, says drivers should find downtime at any continued on page 77