Fitness Hoop

Altus Athletic 5 lbs. Fit Hoop in Pink / Blue

Price: $26.77

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Altus-Be-Fit-Look-Fit-5-lb.-Fitness-Hoop/15641970?sourceid=1500000000000003260410&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=15641970

Make working out more fun with a hula hoop. Okay, so now it’s called a fitness hoop, and it’s weighted (5 lbs.) to give more oomph to your workout. But it’s still fun, and you can shape and tone your entire body while improving your core strength. It’s also great for improving your balance and flexibility. It disassembles easily for travel and storage. The Altus Athletic 1211 044 comes in pink or blue. PVC construction covered in foam padding. For adults 160 lbs – 220 lbs. Shake those hips and have some fun while you get into shape. (Not responsible for harassment from other truckers!)

Sharper Image: Circulation Enhancing Socks

Price: $29.99

http://www.sharperimage.com/si/view/product/Circulation-Enhancing-Socks-Charcoal/200307?trail=

Poor circulation in your legs or feet from so many hours behind the wheel? Finally, Compression Socks that are softer, drier and more comfortable than others, while enhancing circulation and preventing swelling. Thin yet luxurious blend of alpaca and merino wools absorb moisture while wicking rings work to keep feet dry and cool. Graduated compression promotes blood flow – perfect for long travel days. Perfect for diabetics, travelers, sports enthusiasts and others seeking a circulation-enhancing sock that won’t cause itching or discomfort. These Compression Socks provide the best benefits and comfort, without any associated discomfort. Toss out the old, uncomfortable, synthetic socks for a treat for your legs and feet.

Pam Whitfield is a registered dietitian and co-author of the book “Roadcookin: A Long Haul Driver’s Guide to Healthy Eating,” which is available at http://www.amazon.com and http://www.roadcookin.com.

Congratulations to Richie Nehrings. He is living proof that changing your diet can be done. Truckers have more obstacles than other professionals — but with dedication and determination, anything is possible. Here are my observations on Nehrings’ diet changes.

Regular meals

He is eating small scheduled meals. Your body looks for food every four to five hours. When you skip meals, you run the risk of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar. Symptoms include feeling shaky, tired, clammy and starving. If your blood sugar gets too low, it can lead to fainting (or even coma and death in extreme situations). That’s when you feel compelled to grab an easy fix such as candy bars, chips, cookies and soda for an energy boost.

Portion control

He is eating smaller but more frequent portions. By planning meals and snacks, you’re much more likely to “eat healthy.” Slow down and enjoy your meals. You will eat less and feel fuller.

Drop saturated fat

Nehrings’ impressive switch from high saturated fat meals (sausage, eggs, cheese, butter, bacon) is not only heart healthy but the meals have fewer calories. Beef with a high saturated fat content may have more than 100 calories in 1 ounce. A lean piece of fish or chicken breast may have as few as 35-50 calories per ounce. You do the math. Even if you eat the same amount of the two types of protein, you may save hundreds of calories in one meal. Add it up over several meals or an entire week and see what you save. For every 3,500 calories you don’t eat, that’s one pound you are going to drop.

Add healthy fat

Healthy fats are found in foods like fish, lean proteins, nuts (unsalted, please), peanut butter and avocado. Also, olive oil and canola oil are better choices than butter.

Fruit and veggies

Nehrings added fruits, vegetables and whole grains in his new meal plan. Those foods all have fiber. Fiber fills us up, so we tend to eat less. Fiber also helps digestion and lowers cholesterol.

Tips for going forward

A good weight loss goal is one to two pounds per week. Build in a treat now and then. You can have an occasional piece of dark chocolate or a salty snack. I like how Richie’s wife and buddy cheer him on. A good support team can help you stay on track. I predict he will continue to lose and enjoy the health benefits.

Be sure to visit www.Truckers4aGoal.com for more information on weight loss, information on health products and more.

THE MENU

BEFORE

Breakfast (some of the following)

• 3 sausage, egg and cheese McMuffins

• Corn beef hash and eggs

• Big stack of pancakes with butter and syrup

• Bacon and eggs and home fries

Lunch

• Fast food (burgers, chili, pizza, fries)

• Cold cut sandwiches

• Large soda

Dinner

• Steak, fast food, fried chicken, buffet food, barbecue

Snacks

• Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate: M&Ms, candy bars, chips, cookies, cakes

AFTER

Breakfast

• Egg white omelette with vegetables

• 1 tablespoon natural peanut butter

• Coffee with no-calorie sweetener and a splash of half-and-half

Lunch

• 8 ounces lean chicken

• 1/2 cup brown rice

• 4 ounces broccoli or cauliflower

Midday

• Turkey burger

• Green salad

• Small baked potato

Dinner

• Fish (sole, flounder) baked

• 1/2 cup brown rice

• Yams/sweet potato

Chik-fil-A

It’s hard to resist the thought of that fried chicken patty nestled between two warm buns and embellished with a pickle, and the availability of the sandwich at almost every fast food chain makes it even more difficult when living on the road.

The staff here at Truckers News researched the most popular fast food chicken sandwiches, and these three made the cut for folks keeping track of calories, fat, cholesterol and carbohydrates.

Chik-fil-A Original Chicken Sandwich

Chik-Fil-A’s pioneer chicken sandwich wins for folks counting fat and carb intake, and it’s the highest in protein.

• Calories: 430
• Fat: 17g
• Saturated fat: 3.5g
• Cholesterol: 60mg
• Protein: 30g
• Carbohydrates: 38g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 6g
• Sodium: 1410mg

McDonald’s McChicken

The McChicken wins in its calorie count, and it also has the least amount of sodium.

• Calories: 360
• Fat: 18g
• Saturated fat: 3g
• Cholesterol: 36mg
• Protein: 14g
• Carbohydrates: 40g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 5g
• Sodium: 830mg

Carl’s Jr. Spicy Chicken Sandwich

This is the best choice for healthy heart enthusiasts.

• Calories: 460
• Fat: 26g
• Saturated fat: 5g
• Cholesterol: 35mg
• Protein: 14g
• Carbohydrates: 47g
• Fiber: 4g
• Sugar: 3g
• Sodium: 1370mg

We’d rather order a piping hot, high calorie, high fat pizza delivered right to the front door. But the frozen version can be a cheaper, convenient and healthier choice. We were surprised at how tasty the healthiest ones were.  These comparisons are all based on an approximate individual serving size. Healthy hint: Choose thin crust pizzas with extra veggies. Look for low fat and low calorie choices. Most frozen pizzas are loaded with sodium so even the good choices may exceed a low sodium diet. Adding fatty meats like sausage increases the fat content.

Good choice

Kashi Thin Crust Roasted Vegetable

Calories: 290

Fat: 4 g

Sodium: 630 mg

Kashi Thin Crust Mushroom & Tio Spinach

Calories: 250

Fat: 4.5 g

Sodium: 660 mg

Amy’s Kitchen Pesto

Calories: 310

Fat: 3.5 g

Sodium: 480 mg

South Beach Diet Deluxe

Calories: 340

Fat: 11g

Sodium: 660 mg

Bad Choice

Celeste Deluxe Pizza

(with sausage, green and red peppers and mushrooms)

Calories: 386

Fat: 20.7 g

Sodium: 765 mg

Tony’s Pepperoni Pizza with Italian Style Pastry Crust

Calories: 406

Fat: 22.4g

Sodium: 834 mg

Stouffers French Bread Pizza with Sausage & Pepperoni

Calories: 460

Fat: 24.1 g

Sodium: 750 mg

Eating a good breakfast is the best way to start the day.  Burger King offers a wide variety of choices, some way better than others.  We love their French toast sticks dunked in syrup (25g of sugar!) but there are better options.  Hint: Anytime a fast food restaurant uses these words; “ultimate, enormous, double, triple or decadent,” you can skip right past that item!

Bad choice

BK Ultimate Breakfast Platter

(Eggs, hash browns, sausage, biscuit, pancakes)

Calories: 1,310

Fat: 72 g

Sodium: 2,490 mg

Sugar: 41 g

Double Croissan’Wich with sausage and bacon

(Double serving of ham, bacon or sausage, eggs and double cheese on croissant)

Calories: 570

Fat:  37 g

Sodium: 1,350 mg

Sugar: 5 g

Good choice

We like to order from the kids’ menu whenever we can. They usually have less sodium, fat and sugar.  And, sometimes it comes with an action figure!

BK Kids Breakfast Muffin Sandwich

(Egg, cheese, English muffin)

Calories: 240

Fat: 11 g

Sodium: 550mg

Sugar 2 g

Cheesy Bacon BK Wrapper

(bacon, eggs, hash browns, cheese, tortilla)

Calories: 380

Fat: 24 g

Sodium: 1020 mg

Sugar: 2g

Fruit Topped Maple Flavor Quaker Oatmeal

(Oatmeal, maple and brown sugar flavored oats, dried fruit)

Calories: 270

Fat: 4 g

Sodium: 290 mg

Sugar: 29 g

Making healthy Halloween candy choices can be a scary proposition. After all, the miniature-sized, chocolate-covered bites can’t be all bad, can they? The answer depends on how many bite-sized morsels you eat and the surprising number of calories and fat jammed into those little pieces. We are not trying to suck the fun out of Halloween but we thought you might want to compare some tricky treats! We looked at calories and fat for our comparisons.

 Good choice

Dum-Dum Pop: 25 calories, 0 grams fat

Peeps Ghost:  28 calories, 0 grams fat 

Smarties candy roll: 25 calories, 0 grams fat

Tootsie Roll Midgee: 23 calories, .5 grams fat

Laffy Taffy miniature: 30 calories: .4 grams fat

 Twizzler Strawberry Twist (individually wrapped): 40-47 calories, .4 grams fat

 Bad choice

 Butterfinger Pumpkin: 160 calories, 8 grams fat

 Candy Corn (about 22 pieces) 140 calories, 0 grams fat

 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup: 88 calories, 5 grams fat

 Skittles (fun pack): 60 calories, .6 grams fat

Reese’s Nutrageous (fun size): 95 calories, 5.5 grams fat

 Almond Joy (fun size) 91 calories, 5.5 grams fat

 Snickers (fun size) 72 calories, 3.7 grams fat

Few supermarket aisles are more confusing than the cereal aisle, with its dazzling array of good, bad and simply terrible choices. A serving of dry cereal (approximately 1 ¼ cups) makes an easy, packable snack or a nutritious breakfast with milk and fruit. But all cereals are not created equal.

How to choose

Look for labels that meet these criteria per serving:

Calories: fewer than 200

Fiber: 3 grams or more

Fat: fewer than 2 grams

Sugar: fewer than 10 grams

Good choice

General Mills Fiber One

Calories: 60

Fiber: 14 g

Fat: 1 g

Sugar : 0 g

Kashi GoLean

Calories: 70

Fiber: 5 g

Fat: .5 g

Sugar: 3 g

General Mills Cheerios

Calories: 100

Fat: 2 g

Fiber: 3 g

Sugar: 1 g

Bad choice

Look for words such as “crunchy, frosted or fruity.” Many granola brands are full of sugar and sodium and may be less healthy than a lightly sweetened choice. No idea why raisins in Raisin Bran have to be sweetened!

Kellogs Froot Loops

Calories: 120

Fat 1 g

Fiber: 1 g

Sugar 15 g

Kellogs Honey Smacks

Calories: 100

Fat: 1 g

Fiber: 0 g

Sugar: 15 g

Apple Jacks

Calories: 120

Fat: .5g

Fiber: 1g

Sugar: 15 g

1.            Healthy Choice Roasted Red Pepper Marinara

This frozen meal is made with fire-roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, and tangy marinara sauce complement whole-grain cavatelli pasta. It’s 100% natural and vegetarian friendly.

Calories: 270

Fat: 6g

Carbohydrates: 43g

Sodium: 560mg

Protein: 9g

2.            Kashi Lemongrass Coconut Chicken

This entrée comes with chicken with broccoli florets, carrots, and sugar snap peas served over Kashi Seven Whole Grains and Sesame with red quinoa pilaf. It’s then topped with a lemongrass coconut sauce and coconut flakes. Store it in your cab cooler and pop it in the microwave when you’re ready to eat.

Calories: 300

Fat: 8g

Carbohydrates: 38g

Sodium: 680mg

Protein: 18g

3.            Amy’s Kitchen Light and Lean Bean & Cheese Enchilada

This low-fat and certified kosher meal is made with organic black beans, tofu, brown rice, vegetables and cheese in an organic corn tortilla with a blend of tomatillo and ranchero sauces. Organic brown rice with carrots and sweet corn come on the side.

Calories: 240

Fat: 4.5g

Carbohydrates: 44g

Sodium: 480mg

Protein: 8g

Osteoarthritis and a sedentary lifestyle can go hand-in-hand

About 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. suffers from some form of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, lupus or fibromyalgia, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Arthritis affects people of all races and ethnicities, but is more prevalent in women. While there are many causes for arthritis, or joint inflammation, research has shown that people with sedentary lifestyles and people who are obese or overweight are more likely to experience one of these types of arthritis.

Dr. Ronald Rush of Highway Healthcare in Texarkana, Texas, says inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis usually runs in families. Though it can affect many joints in the body, joints in the hand suffer more often, especially when not in use. “You might think of it like the fluids in your engine or wheel bearings. On a cold day, the fluids are thick and slow to move but after a few miles the fluids thin out and the engine and bearings run smooth. The fluids in the joints, when not in motion, stiffen the joint.”

Rush says the treatment for inflammatory conditions is movement, which is not always possible for a trucker. He says another option is to discuss with a doctor the possibility of taking a class of drugs called NSAIDS.

Degenerative or osteoarthritis can have an inflammatory component, but it mostly occurs when joints become worn out and bone rubs against bone. Rush says truckers might notice this type of arthritis pain in joints they use often, such as shoulders, lower back, arms, wrist and fingers.

“The role of a sedentary lifestyle is mostly related to the osteo or degenerative arthritis. This is primarily due to weight gain, which stresses joints. A sedentary lifestyle also tends to weaken joint muscles and this leads to more direct stress on the joints,” Rush says.

All about arthritis

• Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. Symptoms are pain, swelling and stiffness, and the cause is breakdown of joint cartilage.

• Rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory disease characterized by pain, swelling, warmth and redness, affects the lining of multiple joints in the body and can affect organs, as well.

• Gout is the most common type of arthritis among men and is caused by being overweight or obese, hypertension, alcohol consumption, diuretics and eating a lot of meats and seafood.

Sources: www.arthritis.org; www.arthritistoday.org; www.cdc.gov

How do you deal with arthritis pain?

Via Facebook:

“Yoga has helped me a lot! I have the Yoga in Bed DVD and it works great! It’s mostly stretches but keeps the body from being so stiff, thereby easing the arthritis pain!” — Zoe W.

“Aspirin when it bothers me to the point that I can’t sleep. Otherwise I’ve lived with it for so long I ignore the pain.” — Dale S.

“When I need to I’ll use some ibuprofen, but I try not to use it all the time as it is tremendously hard on the stomach. Walking seems to help keep the joints worked up by providing lubrication. When I sit too much old Arthur seems to get restless.” — Jacques C.

Dietary changes that can help

• Decrease Omega-6 fatty acids: found in corn, sunflower, soybean, cottonseed oil; prevalent in snack foods, fried foods, margarines, other spreads.

• Increase Omega-3 fatty acids: found in fatty fish such as salmon and tuna.

• Eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts and drink tea. These foods can help reduce enzymes that cause joint inflammation.

Sources: www.arthritis.org;

www.arthritistoday.org; www.cdc.gov

Treatments

(under doctor’s guidance)

• Non-inflammatory arthritis (osteoarthritis): physical therapy, weight loss, pain medications

• Inflammatory arthritis (rheumatoid): exercise, weight loss, pain medications, anti-inflammatory drugs

sources: www.arthritis.org;

www.arthritistoday.org; www.cdc.gov

Be sure to visit www.fit4theroad.com for more information on weight loss, healthy recipes, information on health products and more.