Health for the long haul: Truckers face extra obstacles when it comes to losing weight
Jun 5, 2011
BY JULIE DEARDORFF
CHICAGO TRIBUNE Filed Under
Life
Health
Once tipping the scales at 412 pounds, commercial driver Glenn Horack now carries two precious things in his Peterbilt truck to help with weight loss: his wife, Karla -- who keeps him honest -- and a slow cooker.
But Horack, who has dropped 100 pounds in the past year, still has plenty of roadblocks. Like most professional drivers, the longer he sits, the more he gets paid. His schedule is erratic; he has limited food choices and little opportunity to exercise. At one point he stopped smoking, but then the weight crept back.
"The barriers a typical American faces are tenfold for truckers," said Chelle Pfiffner, a health and wellness consultant for the trucking industry who worked with the Horacks.
"They have time pressures set forth by the employer, by the customer and even the shipper. Plus, most don't have the social support a typical person would have. They're independent, isolated individuals."
The U.S. is revising laws governing how long truckers can drive without a break. Long work hours are linked to sleep loss; tired truckers are at greater risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Some studies suggest that obesity is linked to sleep apnea, which increases the risk of motor vehicle accidents. An estimated 55% of commercial motor vehicle drivers are obese, compared with 30% of all adult male workers, according to federal data.
Truckers, fearing that more stringent health regulations may threaten their licenses, are starting to seek help. Allen Herndon of Alabama, who went from 300 to 190 pounds, gets up at 3:30 a.m. to run. Some companies have installed grooved panels on the trucks for drivers to hold while stretching. And the TravelCenters of America offers a StayFit program at select locations that includes healthier food options, fitness rooms and walking and running trail maps.
Still, one of the biggest challenges is the culture, said Pfiffner, a vice president at Fusion Sleep, a company that helps truckers with sleep issues. "Guys tell us if they're jogging or walking, other guys get on the CB and make fun of them," she said.
Then there are the economics of truck stops, she said. If healthy food isn't selling, the center can't afford to keep it.
Glenn and Karla Horack of Elkland, Mo., began team driving two years ago. Married for 28 years, they spend about three months on the road at a time; while one sleeps, the other drives a 10-hour shift.
"It's easier with Karla here; she cooks on the truck," said Glenn, who is trying to quit smoking again and lose 60 more pounds.
But, "our options are really bad," she said, while pulling the breaded skin off her lunch -- KFC chicken.
"When we can get to the grocery store, I'll get a Cornish hen or thin pork chops. Glenn will smell it all day while it's cooking, and by the time his shift is over, it's done."
Jun 5, 2011
BY JULIE DEARDORFF
CHICAGO TRIBUNE Filed Under
Life
Health
Once tipping the scales at 412 pounds, commercial driver Glenn Horack now carries two precious things in his Peterbilt truck to help with weight loss: his wife, Karla -- who keeps him honest -- and a slow cooker.
But Horack, who has dropped 100 pounds in the past year, still has plenty of roadblocks. Like most professional drivers, the longer he sits, the more he gets paid. His schedule is erratic; he has limited food choices and little opportunity to exercise. At one point he stopped smoking, but then the weight crept back.
"The barriers a typical American faces are tenfold for truckers," said Chelle Pfiffner, a health and wellness consultant for the trucking industry who worked with the Horacks.
"They have time pressures set forth by the employer, by the customer and even the shipper. Plus, most don't have the social support a typical person would have. They're independent, isolated individuals."
The U.S. is revising laws governing how long truckers can drive without a break. Long work hours are linked to sleep loss; tired truckers are at greater risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Some studies suggest that obesity is linked to sleep apnea, which increases the risk of motor vehicle accidents. An estimated 55% of commercial motor vehicle drivers are obese, compared with 30% of all adult male workers, according to federal data.
Truckers, fearing that more stringent health regulations may threaten their licenses, are starting to seek help. Allen Herndon of Alabama, who went from 300 to 190 pounds, gets up at 3:30 a.m. to run. Some companies have installed grooved panels on the trucks for drivers to hold while stretching. And the TravelCenters of America offers a StayFit program at select locations that includes healthier food options, fitness rooms and walking and running trail maps.
Still, one of the biggest challenges is the culture, said Pfiffner, a vice president at Fusion Sleep, a company that helps truckers with sleep issues. "Guys tell us if they're jogging or walking, other guys get on the CB and make fun of them," she said.
Then there are the economics of truck stops, she said. If healthy food isn't selling, the center can't afford to keep it.
Glenn and Karla Horack of Elkland, Mo., began team driving two years ago. Married for 28 years, they spend about three months on the road at a time; while one sleeps, the other drives a 10-hour shift.
"It's easier with Karla here; she cooks on the truck," said Glenn, who is trying to quit smoking again and lose 60 more pounds.
But, "our options are really bad," she said, while pulling the breaded skin off her lunch -- KFC chicken.
"When we can get to the grocery store, I'll get a Cornish hen or thin pork chops. Glenn will smell it all day while it's cooking, and by the time his shift is over, it's done."
