Healthy Eating & Exercise Tips

I have been riding in the truck with my husband for 2 ½ years. He has been leased to Mercer for almost 6 months. When I first started riding with my husband, I was worried I would gain weight. So far I haven’t gained any weight and my clothes still fit the same as they did. Some of the things I have learned and do to maintain good health while on the road are:

• Eat low fat and low calorie meals- We don’t have a microwave, so all of our meals are in restaurants. Most truck stops serve large portions, so it’s important to order something that is low in fat and calories.
  

• You can use up your daily calorie allowance on one meal, if you’re not careful. French fries are out. They are too high in fat and calories (458 calories and 24.7 grams of fat in a medium order of fries.) Most restaurants will substitute a baked potato, cottage cheese (163 calories and 2.3 grams of fat in 1 cup) or a small salad for the fries.
  

• For breakfast don’t eat the hash browns (302 calories and 18.4 grams of fat in 1 cup.) Substitute grits or fresh fruit or tomatoes.
  

• Salad bars are also full of calories-especially if you use salad dressing. There are 148 calories and 15.6 grams of fat in 2 tablespoons of ranch salad dressing. Use vinegar & oil on your salad, or nothing at all. Eat lots of the fresh fruit and vegetables. Do not eat the salads that are full of mayonnaise or sour cream.
  

• Go for grilled chicken and steak or even hamburger is lower in calories and fat than fried chicken. Most restaurants- even fast food places- will serve grilled chicken instead of fried if you ask them.

• It’s OK to be hungry-Don’t eat between meals. Drink lots of water, suck on hard candy, and eat fresh fruit and vegetables between meals. The hunger pains will go away after a few minutes.
  

• Don’t eat late at night. Wait until morning and eat a good breakfast-you’ll feel better all day. I like to eat a good breakfast that is high in protein. Ham is the lowest in fat of the 3 breakfast meats, and eggs are a good source of protein and low in fat (92 calories and 7 grams of protein in 1 egg). Then eat lunch/dinner about 5 o’clock. Dinner would be a sandwich, bowl of soup or soup and salad bar.

• Exercise-It’s really hard to get exercise when you’re on the road, so you have to take every opportunity you have. I like to walk when we are loading and unloading, or sitting in truck stops waiting for a load. There are also lots of toning exercises you can do in the cab of the truck. (Leg lifts, squats, sit ups, etc.) I also have a set of hand weights that I use.

I found my information on the calorie and fat content from www.caloriecounter.com. I haven’t been able to get my husband to give up the french fries completely, and he loves his sweets, but I keep trying to get him to eat healthier!

How do you stay healthy on the road? Send your tips and tricks to Johanna at jinman@mercer-trans.com.