GET OUT OF THEM TRUCKS AND GET SOME EXERCISE

whitewolf53 · May 1, 2007

Haven't been online for quite awhile.But i am back now with
More of my words of wisdom.Drivers you have to get out of those trucks and get some exercise by walking around.I didn't and it almost cost me my life.Suffered a minor stroke the end of February.Had some blood clots in my legs and they broke loose and went to the right side of my brain.Thank god it only caused numbness in my left hand which is still there but getting better by the day form exercising it with a rubber ball.The doctors said that i was very LUCKY.And blamed it on all the sitting in the truck.They said THAT YOU GOT TO GET OUT OF THAT TRUCK AND GET SOME EXERCISE,BY WALKING AROUND,AND I DON'T MEAN TO THE BUFFET AND BACK. I am all free and clear to get back on the road now.Blood clot free.BUT PLEASE FOR YOUR OWN SAKE GET OUT OF THAT TRUCK AND DO SOME WALKING AROUND.

Mike
Whitewolf53

HERE LIZARD LIZARD LIZARD

:9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9

fastman_1 · May 1, 2007

it's good to see you back White, and yep I walk

Owner/Operator since 1979
Expediter since 1997
B Unit Semi Retired
Somedays are Diamonds and Somedays are Stones
Home is Wherever you Park.
The Price of Freedom is Written on the Wall.

whitewolf53 · May 1, 2007

Thanks Fastman: Yep we all have to get that walking in to avoid what i went thru.And it could happen to anyone of us.i was lucky that it just affected my left hand .Fingers are still numb but other than that im allrightIt could have been a lot sorse.

Mike
Whitewolf53

HERE LIZARD LIZARD LIZARD

:9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9

davekc · May 1, 2007

Glad you are doing well. Very good advice as well.

Davekc
owner
22 years
PantherII
EO moderator

TeamCaffee · May 1, 2007

I used to walk all of the time! Now after a few years of doing this I had a nasty surprise at Christmas time. Went for a normal walk with my daughter and the next day I couldn't move my knee. I have since started walking as much as possible and I cannot believe how bad my knees are. I think the tips on getting a stair stepper for your truck and getting out and moving really need to be taken seriously. You will now see me out waddling around the truck stops and also any sidewalks I can find. It is sure going to take time to get the strength back in my knees.

This job may very well be one of the best you get paid for but it sure is hard on the body.

heel4you · May 1, 2007

Whitewolf,
I had been thinking that I have not read any posts from you in a long time. Now I realize why!
I am thankful that you are doing well. Thanks for the post and the dog and I will do MORE walking now.
Take care!
Laura

ihamner · May 1, 2007

Wow, Mike! So glad you are doing better and taking care of yourself now. Thanks so much for the gentle reminder. *grin* I needed to be scared into walking and you did it. My doctor once asked me when I was going to start walking every day and I said, "Well, I was thinking about doing it for my next birthday - next year." He said, "Okay, that's it. Now we open the calendar for next week and you pick a day!"

India Hamner
[font color="purple"] FEDEX [/font][font color="blue"]Custom Critical[/font]
D Unit
He who hesitates is not only lost, but miles from the next exit.

unorthodoxneon · May 2, 2007

I ran into a FCC husband and wife team and we got talking about how much there is a lack of excersize. So he showed me his remedy. He went out and bought the total gym (the one endorsed by Chuck Norris) and he says he loves the thing. Has had it a short time and say he has noticed a difference. Not only with his body but his mental state as well. He says he has it layed out most the time and just puts load bars infront of it when hauling freight (and most the time you dont really fill up the box anyway). And if he has to haul a big load its easy to fold up and pack away against the front wall. So after me and the g/f checked it out we've decided to make the purchase in the near future. As we cant really leave the truck too ofted and locked down at truck stops that this is really a good idea. Also some things we plan to have on board (or already do) is.

A) Bicycles B) Rollerblades C) Nerf Football (hard when solo driver) D) A Pet (we walk our cat).

Other stuff we do for excersize is try to part at walmart and just walk around and look at everything, even if we dont want/need it. We try to hit up the malls to walk around. There is this big mall in Arlington, TX that has an ice skating rink and i go out there and skate around when we have time.

Also i feel another very important thing to do is eat healthy. Now i'm very guilty of this due to i highly dislike fruits and veggies. And health reason stop me from eatting alot of things as well. So instead of that hamburger or steak i'll eat chicken and such.

Enough of my rambling about exercise and such. Glad to see that your getting better. Hopfuly you make a speedy recovery.

bambam · May 2, 2007

I have a begal chichaua mix and we are out every time i get a chance ive lose 10lbs out here in about 3 months it started more when i gout here i thank god for her

god bless and keep rolling

RichM · May 2, 2007

For many years I carried a Dahon folding bicyle.It took up no room ,cost $150 and I would get it out at parks and malls and just chug around. I am also a avid walker and as Randy said I also stop at Walmarts or Supermarkets just to move at a good clip up and down the aisles. These long trips with sitting behind the wheel are as bad as long plane trips,that how clots form in your legs.

When I am home I generally walk a 3 mile roundtrip every morning to get a newspaper.

grog111 · May 2, 2007

Boy, this topic really makes me feel guilty. I went from being a mostly local driver 5 years ago to an over the road driver and i've managed to put on about ten pounds per year! I've also developed chronic back and knee pain. When my doctor talked to me last month about uping my blood pressure med's he also asked me when was my due date,(oh ho ho...he's a real funny guy x( ). But anyway, i wonder if the million dollar idea would be for some entrepeneur to take over a corner of a truckstop,(preferebly the one where the barker is hawking cellophones,i hate that guy :+ ), and put in a mini gym. Then they could put up full length mirrors so we could all admire are new sinewey bodies. Then there could be hottest truck driver contests and maybe even a calender :7 .

joebob1_30132 · May 6, 2007

Excellent White wolf...my brother promised me an added 25lbs when I started doing this...I stared at 286 and am now down to 205 2.5 years later.. step 1 bought food from grocerynot buffet 2) ate a little several times a day 3) cut sugar (sweet tea, jelly cokes ) this was hard at first 4) cut potatoes and bread a huge contributer to diabetes,and like you said I walked walked walked .truck stops before an early morning del waiting for the shipper to open..around the circumference of the wal mart prkng lot...Even when I was dead tired i forced myself to do it..and was glad 15 min later.
The box ..guys this is a real gem ..load locks that lock in.. double them up aand they are a stepp I would do that 20 min, junprope in the box ..pull ups on the load locks squats in front of the bunks. JUST MOVE !!!! Dont feel spankin after working up a sweat??? got it covered I would heat a gallon of water in the micro and agin take it to the box.. i would be buk naked and nobody newI had a towell soap and a tarp to stand on a full wash and rinse for $.68 head to toe .. you get good at..
I sleept better I had more energy.. What is your alternative TAKE CONTROLL OF YOUR SITUATION ...WHEATHE IT BE HEALHT OR BUSINESS ..THE MORE YOU KNOW THE LESS CONTROLL OTHERS WILL HAVE OVER YOU.

nightcreacher · May 19, 2007

welcome back mike,missed seeing your posts,glad your ok

whitewolf53 · May 19, 2007

THANKS NIGHT CREACHER AND TO EVERYONE ELSE.!!!!!
Everything is okay now. will be joining all of ya back on the road next week. BUT PLEASE REMEMBER GET OUT OF THEM TRUCKS AND GET SOME WALKING IN!!!!!!!!!!
Mike
Whitewolf 53

HERE LIZARD LIZARD LIZARD

:9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9 :9

theoldprof · May 19, 2007

Wolf, glad you're doing OK. When I was vannin', I mostly sat on my buns in the truck. Now I am paying for it. Trying to catch up with two years of neglected yard work, mulch, etc, I am paying for it. I can hardly pick up a bag of mulch, and when I dump it, I tire wery quickly. Talked to another geezer driver. He said he was the same way. Soooo, walk, walk, walk.
:+ :+

vipra · May 23, 2007

Whitewolf53 had a classic case of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) followed by a stroke. Here's how it happens: The farther blood is from your heart, the slower it moves. The blood in your legs and feet can slow down so much that it clumps together in the veins and forms a clot, similar to the scab that forms when you cut your skin. This is DVT. A piece of the clot can break off and get carried in the blood to your heart, which pumps it up to your brain, where it gets stuck in an artery. This cuts off the blood flow to a section of your brain, and all those brain cells die from lack of blood. This is a stroke. The part of your body which had been controlled by that section of your brain now won't function because the brain cells are dead.

Whitewolf53 was very lucky that all he had as a result of the stroke was temporary numbness in one hand. Some people have a limb or an entire side of their body paralyzed, or they lose control of the muscles that control breathing or speech.

DVT is caused by poor diet, lack of exercise and long periods of inactivity, like driving for hours without moving. Obviously, the ways to prevent it are eating right, exercising and keeping in motion. There are things you can do while driving to prevent DVT:
---Stretch your legs out repeatedly, pointing your toes forward and back toward your head
---Drum your feet against the floor
---Stretch your arms above your head and to the side
---Repeatedly tighten and relax all the muscles in your arms and legs
---Roll your shoulders
---Tip your torso from side to side
Doing these things every 15 or 30 minutes will keep your blood flowing at a decent pace until you can get out and walk. The best thing is cardiovascular exercise like biking or jogging, but walking is better than nothing.

I read an article about people who get DVT after sitting in a airplane seat for 15 hours, and then they sue the airline. That's just as stupid as suing a cigarette company for giving you lung cancer.

Here's more info about DVT:
http://www.medicinenet.com/deep_vein_thrombosis/article.htm
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/tc/Deep-Vein-Thrombosis-Topic-Overview

buckeyewildman · May 25, 2007

first welcome back
you are right all of us get out walk park as far away from the store or resturant as you can and walk to it i also learned the hard way last year went for dot physical found out i had diabetes mostly because of being obese and being just to dogon lazy to get off my lazy behind and walk i went from 303lbs to 264lbs in 6 month and still working on it so a word to the wise eat right exercise

Rollo · May 25, 2007

I am glad to see these posts and thank you all for your contributions. We who have not suffered from disabling health should take time to really change our lifestyles before it is too late.

My case is similar, but I feel lucky and fortunate to have listened to my family and my doctor. In December of last year I was out for 21 days straight and having a record month when all of a sudden I became fatiqued and began having problems. December is not a great season to get out and walk and I didn't. One night I was driving late and began to have "double vision" which resulted in my van driving on the berm and side-swiping the guard rail. Lucky because I didn't hit something and roll over. The next day I went to an eye doctor and was told that it was fatigue. My weight had likewise peaked and I was on the brink of "obesity" and "diabetes." After the Holiday's I went to my regular doctor and he told me that after some tests that I had "sleep apnea" obesity, and my blood sugar was peaking. At the same time I had my legs so swollen that I needed "water pills" to reduce the size and make it more comfortable to walk. His diagnosis was right on.......and he said he could not help me unless I exercised regularly and lost 30-40 pounds. He predicted and correctly that most of my problems would go away of their own accord without treatment if I would make up my mind to improve my "fitness" and lose the weight.

At my age, 68, it was a difficult challenge, but one that I could not ignore. Now I am 35 pounds lighter (212) and feel more energy as well as reducing my sleep apnea and borderline diabetic condition. It is my hope that all of you regardless of age will take time to think about your health. In my case, I had to quit expediting for about three months to make these improvents to health. Fortunately, I was able to live on pension money for this time. At the same time I could have saved myself many $$ in health care treatments.

Only now, I feel able to take loads that are offered which allow me to get my sleep and exercise. Don't let the lifestyle get you to this point!

Rollo

terryandrene · May 25, 2007

Rollo: Thanks for baring your soul and sharing. We trust many of our members will think of your comments and heed your advice.

TS462 · May 26, 2007

Maybe if we all started walking Royal Flush wouldn't have nothing to talk about. Because i'm sure we all could pass a phyical with out paying off the doctor or Med Quick or where ever you get one done