Healthy Trucking

Go! Fight! Win!

I doubt that the “go-fight-win” cheer at a sports event has much of a motivating effect on the contestants. The players most likely don't even hear it, but the pandemonium of the crowd keeps the energy level high. The mere fact that the players are involved in competition is the main motivating factor of their performance.
     We all have a competitive spirit within us somewhere. If we are fighting a losing battle with our weight and general health, we need to be motivated to turn that into a winning battle. First, who or what are we competing against? Second, what can we do about it? Third, how do we do it?
     We are competing against the status quo…the state of our current health, as well as our circumstances as truck drivers. By nature, it requires that we sit for long periods of time, often eating to stay awake. When we do finally get a chance to stop, we are tired and nowhere near a gym or even a walking trail or anything of the sort. I know. I am a truck driver.
     Here’s what I have done, and I hope this serves as a motivation to you in order to fire up that competitive spirit within you to overcome the status quo of your life, to get control of the field, as it were. I used to weigh 365 pounds. I lost 180 pounds and got into pretty good shape, all while serving as a truck driver. I learned to use the opportunities that I have right in front of me and harness them to get some exercise and eat properly.
I developed a workout that I do from the driver’s seat, even while driving. I also have the 19th wheel, which can be used in places you wouldn’t normally think of as “workout” areas – on a loading dock, in shower rooms, at a truck stop parking lot.
     As for my eating, OK, yeah, I still do eat sometimes to help me stay alert while driving. But it is not like it used to be. What I eat is very different. My metabolism and energy levels are increased. My fat has disappeared, and all my stats are at very healthy levels.
     I need you to know that you can do the same. A healthy driver is a safer driver.
     You can go to my Web site and order the book and 19th wheel for a small, one-time cost and learn how to apply my competitive tactics to your game. Visit safetythruwellness.com. Then go, fight and win!
     Jack Kelsh is a professional over-the-road truck driver and a certified sports nutritionist.