Up Front

A perfect task for a trucker

By the time you read this, we’ll be knee-deep in the holiday season, so let me start by wishing you and your family happy holidays and a prosperous New Year.
     Loyal readers know we’ve been talking a lot about health and wellness lately in Over the Road and Pro Trucker. We’ve also put our money where our mouth is by launching a Healthy Trucking Initiative and sponsoring HTI kiosks at truck stops nationwide where truckers can check their blood pressure for free. I recently took yet another step by literally practicing what I’ve been preaching all these many months. I went on a diet and lost 28 pounds and got my blood pressure and cholesterol numbers down to where they need to be.
     Along the way, I confirmed what all of us already know: The key to losing weight and enjoying a healthier life can be summed up in two words—“diet” and “exercise.” I’m no doctor and I don’t play one on TV, but I think I can safely say that watching what you eat, reducing your sodium intake and walking around your truck several times a day (32 times equals a mile) will do a body good, whether or not you are overweight.
     Losing weight isn’t a quick, one-day trip. It’s a long journey full of ups and downs. Sounds like the perfect task for an over-the-road professional.