Could this work?

Discussion in 'Driver Health' started by healthadvocate, Dec 23, 2008.

  1. luvmyhubby

    luvmyhubby Road Train Member

    3,644
    2,732
    Sep 12, 2005
    Sidney MI
    0
    A thought occurd to me last night when I re-read this thread...suppose you do get this idea put into action what are you gonna do with a trucker 500 miles from home who suffers an injury while working out?

    It happens to people and out on the road with a pulled muscle is not what a driver needs, or a strained wrist, sore back, etc. Also if the driver is not able to hit the workout rooms on a regular basis we all know what happens when you work out a couple days then dont for a few, then do then dont, sore, aches,pains and more chances of getting hurt.

    I know this may seem silly to those NOT on the road but unless you have been in a truck for 2 weeks with a hip out of place, ribs that have poped out, a sore back or just being sick you have no clue what misery that is.

    Good health is important yes I agree, it is up to each individual to do what they need to for themselves. IF there were a work out room available I would encourage my hubby to NOT use the darn thing.....there are just too many things that could go wrong and especially since there could not or probably would not be a TRAINED professional on duty to supervise each person using equipment............just not a good idea.

    wanting your driver to be healthy is understandable, maybe as a wife you just need to accept his personal choices or lack there of and love him for the person he is not the person you would like to turn him into.??
     
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. wahwah70

    wahwah70 Medium Load Member

    310
    87
    Sep 6, 2008
    Bloomfield Hills, Mi.
    0
    There are plenty of exercise options for truckers... But a lot more excuses!

    I have met(and worked out with) a few Body Builders that where also truck drivers and I learned a lot from them...
    Every exercise you can do in a GYM with a little imagination can be done in or around a truck... You just have to want it!

    Granted for most of my career I was home every day so I could go to the gym... But, that didn't stop me from working out with my bands, jump rope or taking laps around a facility when waiting for a load. There are thousands of options when it comes to diet working out
    on the road, But like I said YOU HAVE TO WANT IT!
     
  4. healthadvocate

    healthadvocate Bobtail Member

    7
    1
    Dec 23, 2008
    Asheville, NC
    0
    Luvmyhubby,

    This has less to do with "my husband" than it has to do with the nationwide epidemic of obesity, in which the trucker population gets a large share of due to the lifestyle of being on the road. The healthcare forums that will be held between now and the new year, and held all over the country, are asking participants to brainstorm and come up with ideas to present to the new administration on how to address the nations healthcare crisis. My contribution was to discuss the niche group of trucker issues as they pertain to the health and wellbeing of those individuals who carry the nation's freight from coast to coast as a living. I took a good long look at my husband's deteriorating health (on his last DOT physical, he passed, but only provisionally for one year, because now, for the first time in his life, he is facing serious hypertension) and coupled with the information that he has provided about the occurrence of obesity that he has witnessed out on the road (and now including his own) I felt this would be a worthwhile situation to try and address.

    With regard to injuries while using the equipment, I have considered that as well, and as has so eloquently been alluded to by others on this thread, a certain amount of personal responsibility would have to be employed here. Like the hotel fitness rooms I mentioned above, there are no trainers, no attendants, and the occurences of reported injuries while using the equipment is no greater than say, the person who is "working out with bands, jumps rope or taking laps around a facility when waiting for a load." You can get hurt doing that too. Does that mean don't do it because if you overdue it, you might get hurt? I think not.

    I know that not every trucker who needs to, would take advantage of a fitness room if it was available. But there are enough of them out there that spend multiple days in a single truckstop, often times bored waiting for loads, that might see this an another amenity of a truck stop that they might use to help stay in shape. Not everyone is a self motivator and I know that there are plenty that like the idea of a dedicated place to work out, who like a treadmill or an elipitical. Or who might want to take advantage of a weight lifting machine if one was available. The idea is to take a look at what we can do to improve healthcare in this country.

    The fitness room is just one prong of the plan. By incentivizing trucking companies and truckstops to provide support and encouragement to the drivers, my hope is that "some" will be motivated to take advantage of it and adopt healthier lifestyles.

    Congratulations to you wahwah70 for being able to motivate yourself to keep moving your body and stay fit. And while I agree that it would be nice if all people would just pull themselves up by the bootstraps and work out to stay in shape on their own, that is todays solution to the problem......and hows that workin for us so far???

    Lastly, luvmyhusband, don't presume to know what my feelings about my husband are simply because you disagree with me on an issue. I will never stop trying to improve his life, improve his health, improve the quality of his life, PARTICULARLY when it comes to the tough issues. I'm not the type of person to just throw up my hands and say "well this is too hard, or it will never work, so I'll just let things continue as they are". If it is determined that this idea just is not feasible, then I'll try to think of something else. But no, I will never just passively sit by and watch him slowly die. Sorry.
     
  5. luvmyhubby

    luvmyhubby Road Train Member

    3,644
    2,732
    Sep 12, 2005
    Sidney MI
    0
    Its not that I disagree with you, there are many reasons this idea would meet with problems and not be something that drivers would beable to use. I DO understand wanting to help your husband stay healthy, after all I am a wife too.....

    I know this is simplistic but really with all the problems facing this nation a work out room for truckers is just not on the top of the list for things to get done.....our nations security, the jobless rate, people loosing their homes are FAR more important than this subject to say the least. ANY monies or tax credits that would go to this program are better spent saving the middle class working family. Who wants to work out if they dont have a home to call their own, or a job for that matter?? If this economy gets much worse there wont be any truckers sitting around to use the equipment to begin with. On a personal note as mentioned prior in a post...we DONT need the government getting anymore involved in our lives than they are already.
     
    leannamarie and Brickman Thank this.
  6. wahwah70

    wahwah70 Medium Load Member

    310
    87
    Sep 6, 2008
    Bloomfield Hills, Mi.
    0
    It's working just well for me!

    The world has always had "doers and talkers" that will never change...

    If death isn't enough of a reason to better your health, then I really doubt tax breaks are!

    The solution is easy( admittedly hard)... The math doesn't lie in order to lose 1 pound you have to create a deficit of 3500 calories. It's simple either burn it off or reduce your daily caloric intake or preferably both... I am a grown man and I don't need the government to educate me on the subject.

    It's a good idea and I certainly don't fault you for trying to help, but the less control the government has in the Trucking Industry the better!
    There are guys and ladies out there already freaking out over their Blood Pressure and B.M.I. levels, can you imagine what would happen if the government had more control over our weight, which they will undoubtedly try to get especially if it costs them money... Truck drivers would be dropping of stress by the thousands!

    Please, believe that I'm not trying to insult you or your idea, while I don't necessarily agree with it... At least you are offering a solution!

    I will always attempt to educate and help a person looking to lose weight... I'm just not going to hold their hands!
     
  7. healthadvocate

    healthadvocate Bobtail Member

    7
    1
    Dec 23, 2008
    Asheville, NC
    0
    Wahwah70,

    I don't think writing into the tax code, tax incentives for lifestyle changes that could save the people of the US money by reducing the cost of health care, is government controlling the industry. Incentive, by it's very nature, indicates it is voluntary.

    I also would like to throw out there that if everyone was the same, and we were all self-motivating, we wouldn't need schools, or universities, or training programs for anything. We could all learn it on our own via the internet. That method actually works for a lot of people (i.e. internet based correspondence courses), but there are many, many more of us that need a little assistance. The same thing with fitness. Having a place to go, where the path is laid out for your (i.e. a treadmill, a bike, an eliptical or weight machine) and there are incentives offered to prevent it from becoming financially burdensome (i.e. tax credits and tax deductions), might also be a motivating factor as well.

    And in conclusion, I get it. There would not be substantial interest in this benefit I am proposing. So, I'll drop the idea and go to the meeting this weekend and listen to the ideas about limiting the influence of insurance companies and pharmaceutical companies in determining the nations health care system as it stands today. In other words, I guess things will stay the same. And that has been working fabulously so far.

    Thanks for the feedback. It's not what I had hoped for, but it is what I was looking for.
     
  8. wahwah70

    wahwah70 Medium Load Member

    310
    87
    Sep 6, 2008
    Bloomfield Hills, Mi.
    0
    It's a very slippery slope!


    Anything about everything can be found on the internet or my word of mouth... A person just has to be willing to do the research!

    I didn't know anything about how by body worked when I started working out, but I learned by doing and asking people that did know.
    Now it's almost 13 years 47 pounds of muscle and nearly 15, 000 hours in the gym later, And all without tax breaks and incentives... It's called will, we are human beings and theres nothing that we can't achieve with good old fashioned will power!

    Now, if somebody is reading this and needs to lose weight and you are unsure where to begin... ASK!
    Go to a gym and ask somebody that has the results you want to achieve, how they did it... I understand it can be intimating for the uninitiated... Just get over it!

    I feel that most people are hesitant to join a gym because they are embarrassed of their bodies, if they only knew that 90% of most gyms clients are quote unquote "soccer moms" and "weekend warriors" they'd feel more comfortable!
    Regardless of who they are and what they are there for believe me they are not judging you, in fact most will praise you for taking the first step!

    When joining a gym the following are good things to remember.

    1. Get thee a trainer... At least for the first few visits!

    2. Ask, ask, ask away... Just don't ask someone in the midle of a set!

    3. Wipe off the darn equipment when your done... This is the main reason I work out mostly at home, but it took years for my Knowledge and wallet to afford a home gym. But, even if you can afford to buy a complete home gym, PLEASE, go to a gym for awhile so you can A. learn how to use the equipment and B, learn what your limits are.
    I know how far and how hard I can bush myself without a spotter... But, it took years!

    I have been to at least 15 different gym's in my life and can honestly say I've never had a question unanswered and I never felt stupid for asking a person a question!

    Now for the OTR set I understand that space is limited so I wrote a routine that I used to do in and around my truck awhile ago with bands and dumb bells!
    If you are creative you can get a complete workout with dumbbells,resistance bands, a Swiss Ball(big inflatable ball) and a jump rope or some other way of cardio!

    Note: If all this sounds like greek, then simply go to youtube and search any of the exercises I listed for "a how to"!
    Also, for most of the exercise listed I use Gold's Gym 3 band set, there shorter(heavier resistance) plus you can buy a bunch of them and combine them for more resistance... Wal-Mart sells them for under $25 or you can get them on ebay for less!

    [​IMG]

    http://www.thetruckersreport.com/truckingindustryforum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=663809
     
  9. Brickman

    Brickman Trucker Forum STAFF Staff Member

    12,905
    12,201
    Sep 17, 2006
    WY
    0



    Your idea of an exercise room in truck stops is a good one. But as you've already found out its not going to be as practical as you would like it to be.

    I for one would use a treadmill if I was sitting around for 2 or 3 days. But I run approx 3900 miles a week. That does not leave time or energy for working out.
     
  10. Cybergal

    Cybergal Road Train Member

    6,272
    2,399
    Oct 20, 2008
    0

    SHE does have a way of doing that don't she?:yes2557:

    She is pretty darn good with the WORDS.:biggrin_25519:
     
  11. healthadvocate

    healthadvocate Bobtail Member

    7
    1
    Dec 23, 2008
    Asheville, NC
    0
    Hello Again,

    I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. The health care brainstorming session begins in about two and half hours. There are going to be groups meeting all across the country today and our suggestions will be submitted to the new administration in the new year. I have read everything everyone has said here, and while I intend to also submit the reservations of many expressed here that this would be a waste of time and money, and also the irrational fear (IMHO) that this invites too much government involvement, I still think it is a great idea. I do find it interesting (and invite opinions of why you think this may be the case), but when interviewing truckers in person, I get an entirely different response than I received via this forum on line. Most truckers I spoke with (face to face) felt that if there was such an amenity available (at a low cost) they would be inclined to take advantage of it, if for no other reason than to stave off boredom during lengthy layovers at truckstops.

    I also spoke to a few personal trainers and they suggested as part of the equipment, recumbent bikes. They even come equipped with a built in Television with headphones.

    I spoke to my women's running group and they thought it was a great idea ("of course!" you say. So did I.) and said that as the traveling public, they too might be inclined to make use of the facilities while on the road. I asked if they would be willing to pay more than truckers would pay (an extra surcharge to cover maintenance), and they said absolutely! ("Of course!" you say. So did I.)

    So anyway, I am about to make my presentation in a little while. I have NO IDEA whether this will fly, but if one day you pull up to a truck stop and you see a small workout room.....you can smile....because maybe, just maybe....you knew about it when it was just a bright idea of some chick on the internet.
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.