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Stay healthy on the road

28th February 2008
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Page 20, 28th February 2008 — Stay healthy on the road
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

Eating properly and doing lots of

exercise sounds fairly simple... if you have time to prepare your meals and head out for an hour to stretch your legs. But if you're constrained to cafe food and lay-by strolls, it's not so easy.

Dylan Gray investigates.

Treputation as models of perfect health. Even internet search engines seem to have joined in: type 'fit truckers' into Google and it asks you whether you actually meant 'fat truckers'. ruck drivers don't exactly have a While that will by no means apply to every driver, it is true that a life on the road does somewhat restrict practising the type of healthy lifestyle other professionals may enjoy.A driver can't just go out for a run during a lunch break or go to the nearest gym. nor get up from their desk to stretch their legs for 10 minutes while having a screen break. If your truck is stuck in a traffic jam, you're staying in the seat — not moving a great deal.

Yet the job is still tiring and it's hardly unusual to feel knackered after a long day behind the wheel.That's due to the high degree of concentration needed to drive these giants of the road. Research from the University of Northumbria shows that the human brain bums around 230 to 247 calories per day, though that can increase by around 50% at times of peak concentration. So the brain can use around 30% of a body's total energy, while being only 2-3% of the total body mass.The intake of calories is important, because switching off simply isn't an option for a truck driver; the consequences of doing so could be severe.

The risks

The most common contributor to ill health among drivers is being overweight. According to the Weight-control Information Network it brings health risks such as: Type 2 diabetes; metabolic syndrome; coronary heart disease and strokes; osteoarthritis; cancer; and sleep apnoea.Any of these are health problems which require attention, and some can have serious consequences if they make themselves known while you're driving.

Unless the reasons for had health are pinpointed, however, a solution will not be found. Here, we focus on long-distance rather than local delivery drivers, because the number of drops a driver makes can greatly alter how active they are. Certain aspects, however, apply to all operators.

Along-distance driver can expect to be seated for around nine hours a day while at work, not including what he does during compulsory breaks. When a driver stops in a lay-by on a dual carriageway, there is no opportunity to go for a walk and stretch the legs. Motorway service areas (MSAs) and truckstops provide only limited opportunities.And with increasing awareness about thefts from trucks. you might seem a bit suspicious if you're walking around the truck park for 45 minutes.

Food for thought

Unless truckstops or MSAs start providing gyms. there will are few opportunities for drivers to exercise during the week. So for some,diet really will he the key.

Think truckstops, roadside caffs and so on, and before long you're bound to conjure up an image of a lovely, tasty, hearty, immensely satisfying... (stop daydreaming — Ed) fry-up. For all you might enjoy it, such a meal contains somewhere in the region of 1,000 calories and around 70g of fat. Considering the daily intake for a man should be 2,500 calories and no more than 90g of fat, that's quite a significant chunk consumed already. Add to that a few mid-morning snacks such as a Mars Bar (294 calories, 12g fat), bag of crisps (190 calories,11g fat) and a can of cola (140 calories), and the daily fat intake has already been exceeded.

Only another 1,000 calories remain for the rest of the day, and that's before lunch, dinner or any other afternoon or evening snacks come into the equation. Even a bacon and egg sarnie has around 750 calories so it's easy to consume too many.And they won't he burned off if you're inactive. As for fags and booze, the risks of smoking are well documented and the solution obvious.While alcohol consumption influences weight and health, drinking before or during work hours isn't an option so we'll leave it there.

The solution

There is no quick fix to gaining good health on the road. It is not just an issue of working conditions, though — it also concerns drivers' attitudes. Rest stops aren't famed for their exercise facilities and when faced with the choice of a tasty bacon sandwich or a muesli bar after a long, tiring shift you can guess which is more popular.

Let's assume,then, that a total lifestyle change isn't going to happen. Instead, make a few changes that won't inconvenience you, an d it's a place to start. Enjoy a fry-up, but have only one sausage and cut out the fried bread,for example. Exchange mid-morning sweets and crisps for fruit, still have a bacon butty for lunch hut opt for grilled chicken and rice for dinner. Ditch the sugary cola for diet brands, or even switch to good old tap water. You can still look forward to rest periods and have the usual chat with the guy at the burger van —just without loading u on calories while you're at it. And next time yo park up, leave the truck as far away from th facilities as possible so you get a bit of a walk i. During the break , stand up instead of staying i your seat — doing so aids digestion,too.

Making time

Although you can make changes to what yc eat to help improve your health, getting son exercise in is tricky. So it's an idea to mab the best use of your time when you're back base. Even a couple of hours' walking on yol days off soon make a difference. And the ma frequently you do it, the better you'll get.

Unless you are in a very poor state of healt you don't need to change your whole life ton an improvement in the way you feel. Little bi whether it is your diet or exercise pattern, w make you feel better and your body healthi( Bear in mind it's always advisable to se( medical advice before making changes.

To find out what foods are good for you ai how much exercise is recommended forsomeo to stay heal thy, visit Eat Well,the Food Standar Agency site at www.eatwelLgov.uk/healthydi, or log on to www.bbc.co.uk/hcalth, the BB( good-health website. m


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