Are You Sitting Too Much (On Your Bottom)?

[ATeam]

This article talks about office workers but information in it applies to truckers too.

The recommendation is to break up your sitting day with short walks. Doing so will keep your body and calorie burn from shutting down as the Dr. describes in the article.

How can truckers work short walks into their day? Ideas include:

Go to the far island at fuel stops. That will give you a few more steps than parking close will.

When laid over at a truck stop (or anywhere), walk a lap or two around the lot before going into the building and before returning to your truck.

When time permits, stop at a rest area, not because there is a need to stop, but to give yourself a ten minute walk.

It is not walking but it is moving and this can be done in your truck or van. Do knee lifts for ten minutes while watching TV, or maybe do them every time a commercial comes on. If you are up to it, do knee lifts higher and more rapidly.

This is not a big exercise routine. Do not push yourself into prolonged labored breathing or muscle failure. Just do it for a few minutes several times a day to get moving and keep your body awake and increase your calorie burn.

 

[AMonger]

There are exercise systems consisting of rubber bands that attach to the driver's seat for quick resistance workouts, just enough to get you moving in your truck, or van, I suppose. I can't wait to read about the idiot who uses it when the vehicle's moving...

 

[moose]

. I can't wait to read about the idiot who uses it when the vehicle's moving...

Here yah go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdZVWeA7a-Q

 

[AMonger]

Here yah go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdZVWeA7a-Q

For people who find the clip too cheesy to watch, skip to the last few seconds.

 

[butterfly610]

I have read lots of articles saying that the effects of sitting are so bad for your health, that even exercise is almost not enough to combat the negatives. Truck drivers have a very unhealthy profession for many reasons. When you combine the hours of sitting, smoking, eating very unhealthy and irregular sleep, it's really something that most need to seriously look at. I can't remember where I read it, but I was reading awhile back that the vibrations of the truck are not good for your organs, and that the fumes we are exposed to on a daily basis are so unhealthy. We do everything we can to help ourselves and feel very bad for those who either lack the education or the motivation to do anything.

 

[blizzard2014]

I'm trying to figure out how to exercise in my current condition. I still can't put weight on my bad leg to climb up the stairs. I tried again today and the leg just trembles uncontrollably and hurts. I am going to be restricted to upper body weight lifting without cardio I think. I may see what a physical therapist has to say about things but I'm not going to put much hope in that.

I tried the subway diet and made it 5 days before I broke down and made a huge lasagna, Italian sausages browned and slow cooked in a homemade sauce for 7 hours, and then on to a red velvet cake with ice cream. This weekend I made homemade pizza dough and two large pizzas "with he same homemade sauce my own recipe" and fried up sweet Italian sausages, bell peppers, mushrooms, and black olives. It was good but does nothing to solve my weight problem.

Do you guys think weight lifting with the upper body can burn enough calories to not have to severely restrict ones caloric intake? I know that riding a bike for 1 hours are under 10 MPH speed will burn almost 800 calories in someone over 250 pounds. It doesn't take long to get the heart rate up if you are overweight. I might try that because it is low impact but I am not sure I can even pedal a bike. I guess we will figure it out someday. I hope all of you guys stay healthy out there.

 

[butterfly610]

I find it easier to be successful with eating when you relearn to make things you like, but in a healthier way. Can you go 6 days eating clean and allow yourself anything you want the 7 th day? Deprivation is not realistic long-term. Weight lifting with the upper body will definitely help with losing weight. I would ask a physical therapist since they can access your current needs and condition. Wish you the best. It takes time and dedication but you will feel so much better with each passing day. I urge everyone to really read and research their foods. A lot of things we think are healthy, truly are not.

 

[ATeam]

Do you guys think weight lifting with the upper body can burn enough calories to not have to severely restrict ones caloric intake?

I think you have the right idea. I also think that with a little homework you can dial things in to make real progress and feel great about it.

You are right about calories. To lose weight, you must burn more than you take in. That may be easier to do than you think, if you are willing to keep track.

There are several good free web sites that you can use to track your calorie intake and burn each day. Using those, you can make it your daily goal to take in fewer calories than you burn. Even if the difference is only 10 calories in a day, it's a win for you.

You already know that you can get a good workout while seated in a chair (weights, labored breathing, elevated heart rate). If your leg does not work, use what does. (See this video of a woman who has no arms or legs and still works out). Note also that after a good strength workout is done, you will continue to burn calories as your muscles recover.

Exercise is good, but when it comes to reducing calories, dieting is where you make the big money. A trip through the drive through can replace in minutes the calories you burned in an hour at the gym.

You will have to find out yourself what diet works best best for you. My favorite is portion control. It's not really a diet at all. You eat what you want, when you want, only less of it. If it's a cheeseburger with large fries, maybe try it next time with medium fries. If it is a huge lasagna, go ahead and make it but maybe make it a little smaller and save some for later. At restaurants, where large portions are served, ask for a box before the food comes and put half of the food in it to eat at home later.

The little diet tricks help too. Put snack foods out of easy reach. Drink a glass of juice or tea or water before eating anything. If you feel like eating, wait five minutes, then eat. Etc.

You enjoy the EO Open Forum. There are health and fitness forums too. My favorite is AnytimeHealth.com, but I have a bias. Look around online and find mutually supportive health and fitness friends. Just talking with others about health and fitness can help you resist the impulses around the house and lower your calorie intake.

Finally, be patient. It took you a long time to put that weight on. It is not going to come off overnight. Setting a goal to lose say 80 lbs. is a big goal that can frustrate you if you have lost 10 pounds ("Only 10 after this much work? Give me a break!").

You can't get to 80 without losing five pounds first. Focus on the first one or two pounds, and then the next one or two. Celebrate the little victories "(I lost one pound today! I win!).

You said, "I guess we'll figure it out someday." You are pretty close to figuring it out today if that is what you really want.

Act now, Blizzard. Get off this site -- right now (you can come back later) -- and explore some health and fitness sites that will help you dial things in. Count those few minutes of online exploration as your fitness victory today.

 

[davekc]

You have to sweat.

 

[paullud]

Let's get it started Blizzard, The Biggest Loser EO Club.

Sent from my ADR6400L using EO Forums mobile app

 

[billg27]

I'm in. I need to lose weight and a challenge might be exactly what I need.

 

[paullud]

I'm in. I need to lose weight and a challenge might be exactly what I need.

Finding a way to keep at it can be the hardest thing and different people need different types of motivation. I like you, think a challenge could keep me interested but if I was looking for a personal trainer I would have to have someone that would yell and curse where someone else needs a caring person. The right motivation is a key component to success as well and for some reason I can still look in a mirror and think I'm not to bad despite being a fat mess, so looks and women are out. My wife and I were talking about adopting kids in a couple of years and the adoption agencies do consider weight to be an issue so I found my motivation there. I am getting serious about weight loss and feel this time I can actually accomplish it.

Sent from my ADR6400L using EO Forums mobile app

 

[layoutshooter]

There are two things that are holding me back from losing weight, time and money.

When I take off to hunt or fish for a long enough time frame I lose weight. I can lose as much as 5 pounds a week when layout hunting every day.

NOTHING outside of that has EVER worked.

When I was on the PA hotshot crew I worked out, hard, for over a YEAR. By hard I mean 30 minutes, 5 days a week, on a stair stepper machine with a 50lb back pack and then every afternoon I ran up an down the stairs of a 9 story building for 45 minutes, 5 days a week. That was in addition to fighting structure and forest fires. I lost 8 pounds over that year. That was in addition to my deer hunting and salmon fishing. Wading a salmon stream is VERY much exercise.

 

[cheri1122]

There are two things that are holding me back from losing weight, time and money.

When I take off to hunt or fish for a long enough time frame I lose weight. I can lose as much as 5 pounds a week when layout hunting every day.

NOTHING outside of that has EVER worked.

When I was on the PA hotshot crew I worked out, hard, for over a YEAR. By hard I mean 30 minutes, 5 days a week, on a stair stepper machine with a 50lb back pack and then every afternoon I ran up an down the stairs of a 9 story building for 45 minutes, 5 days a week. That was in addition to fighting structure and forest fires. I lost 8 pounds over that year. That was in addition to my deer hunting and salmon fishing. Wading a salmon stream is VERY much exercise.

Muscle tissue weighs more than fat tissue - it's really discouraging to work out hard, and find you've gained a couple pounds, but the key factors are still whether you feel good [healthy, energetic] and whether your vital numbers [blood pressure, blood sugar] are within normal range. Or getting there, if they weren't.
Those are the numbers that matter, not the scale.