Case Study

by Chelle Pfiffner, M.s., ACSM-HFI, NASM-CPT

The joy of living returns

For most over-the-road truckers, listening to a fitness expert discuss the importance of proper diet and exercise is a little like listening to a sermon by a religious leader. The advice all sounds wonderful, but it isn't always rooted in the realities of what it takes to make a living and survive in today's world.
            Many professional drivers consider the prospect of an arm-pumping march around their rigs some 32 times to complete a mile akin to wearing sack-cloth and wandering around in the woods while chanting and searching for 'shrooms and tubers. A little sissified, maybe?
            Try telling that to Chris Tuberville, a former linebacker at Ole Miss who drives for Fort Transfer. Tuberville, 42, had put on more than 200 pounds since his days on the gridiron, while his blood pressure rose commensurately. He knew he was in danger, but it took the reality of possibly missing the chance to see his children grow into adulthood and his wife living the rest of her life as a widow to trigger his epiphany.
            He got advice, but no sermon, from his Big Road Wellness coach, a service Fort Transfer offered to help its drivers live a healthier lifestyle through approaches tailored to OTR drivers. The advice is driven by common sense and what can be done instead of what should be done. The suggested exercise was moderate-mostly walking-as were the nutritional changes, starting with making his cab off limits to junk food and his stomach no refuge for meat, mashed potatoes and gravy.
            Tuberville, who, when he is not on the road, relaxes at home with his wife and children in Oxford, MS, has shaved some 50 pounds from his frame on his way down to his goal of 270 pounds. 
            “I do walk around my truck,” he says. “But I don't make a big deal out of it. My wife helps me by making sure the meals I have onboard are a healthy mix of fruits, vegetables and low fat protein.
            “I not only feel better,” he says, “I sleep better and friends tell me I look better. The enjoyment has come back to driving a truck and just plain living.”
            And should you come across him walking laps around his rig, feel free to chat with him about his routine. But to suggest he is a sissy must be done at your own risk.           
            To learn more about healthy trucking, visit bigroadwellness.com or call 800-664-7515.