Fitness Friday with Siphiwe Baleka

Trucking-JobsOBESITY: MEDICAL COMPLICATIONS AND SUCCESS

According to the Center for Disease Control (SDC) Obesity Cost Calculator, the cost of obesity at a carrier with 6178 drivers is $6,000,700.00 per year. That’s assuming that 83% of the drivers are overweight and 57% are obese, which reflect national statistics for truck drivers in the United States. An alternative method for calculating the cost of obesity estimated that figure to be $10,830,434.33. Why is that number so high?

At the root of the cost is the fact that obesity is a major factor in at least 60 medical disorders including 12 types of cancers. To understand why, think about what is commonly called “trucker’s gut”. All that fat stored in the abdominal area squeezes all the major organs in that area – the liver, the pancreas, the kidneys, etc. All these vital organs are put under continuous pressure. When you combine that with stress, the subsequent release of cortisol, and the effect of diverting blood from the vital organs to the outer extremities to prepare one for a fight or flight response, then you get a situation where the vital organs are starved of blood flow and squeezed to death!prime

This is just one aspect of the metabolic syndrome that is attacking, even killing drivers.

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So, to reduce health care costs, workers compensation costs, etc., it makes sense to focus interventions on reducing obesity – you can feed two birds with one seed!

Consider pre-diabetes. Here’s what happens to a lot of drivers:

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A recent study showed that a 7% reduction in initial weight, combined with increased physical activity, reduced the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in at-risk individuals. 3,234 patients were studied with an average BMI of 34. Individuals that participated in a lifestyle change program did better than those who were given the placebo or Metformin. The lifestyle interventions reduced bodyweight by 7% after 6 months and 45 after 4 years.

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Likewise, the cumulative incidence of diabetes among the lifestyle intervention subjects remained substantially lower than the others.

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So, effective weight management, defined as a loss of 5% of initial body weight, can and does have a tremendous effect. Losing 7% of your body weight reduces your risk for 60 medical disorders and 12 cancers.

At Prime, our Driver Health and Fitness 13 Week Basic Program has helped a lot of drivers becoming healthier and change their lives. 63.3% of the drivers that start the program complete it. 78% of those drivers lost 5% or more of their body weight. 49% of those drivers lost 7% or more of their body weight.

Completing Prime’s DHF Basic 13 Week Program costs drivers $0/day. It’s a free benefit offered exclusively at Prime. Compare that with the cost of:

  • One-on-One With Jenny Craig $237.56 per pound
  • Going Under the Knife: Weight Loss Surgery anywhere from $235 to $400 per pound if paying out of pocket.
  • Liposuction: Sculpting Out Fat $500 per pound.
  • Non-prescription Weigh Loss Aids $173 per pound when paired with low-fat diet.
  • Weight Watchers: $47 1st Month then $17 afterwards

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Go to www.driverhealthandfitness.com and click “Get Started”!

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