My name is JD Simpson, and I’ve been a Schneider driver since 2011. This is the first in a three-part series in which I describe how drivers can choose healthy lifestyles, what choices I made to lose more than 130 pounds, some practical tips you can use and how Schneider’s resources can help achieve healthy goals.
Truck drivers face many challenges every day – whether they are as simple as heavy traffic or as complicated as getting the delivery done on time. But there is one challenge that doesn’t really have to be a challenge. That challenge is reaching and maintaining a healthy weight.
Not many years ago, the worst enemy to a truck driver’s weight was typical truck stop food. Most truck stops served foods such as greasy cheeseburgers, half-pound hot dogs wrapped in a pizza crust, fried chicken and gravy as thick as molasses. Many truck stops hosted all-you-can eat buffets loaded with gut-busting and artery-clogging choices.
Those days have begun to dwindle away. Now you can find baked chicken, meatloaf, fresh salads and fresh fruits – foods that are much better for those who choose to eat them. Further, truck stops now host better quality restaurants that offer many healthy meal choices. Now some truck stops and many Schneider facilities have fitness rooms available for drivers.
Notice in the previous paragraph, I emphasized the word “choose.” Your road to being a healthy truck driver depends on the things you choose to eat and choose to do. You can choose to eat that cheeseburger that is so greasy the bag becomes translucent by the time you sit down to eat it or you can choose baked chicken and a salad. You can choose to sit in the drivers lounge or in your truck and “relax” or you can go for a brisk walk, do some jumping jacks or even mild strength training.
Do you want to fit the stereotype of the typical overweight, out-of-shape truck driver, or do you want to be healthy and live a fruitful life? Ultimately, the choice is yours.
Read part two, in which I describe some of the choices I made that helped me lose more than 130 pounds.
