On the road again -- and trying to stay healthy

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Recently some survey results popped into our e-mail, the kind we’d normally ignore. It was from Evansville, Ill.-based Atlas Van Lines, which asked 558 of its van operators around the country their preferences on a number of subjects, including favorite forms of communication while on the road (44% still use the CB radio), preferred industry publications (Road King ranks No. 1), and the truck stop chain they favor (Petro). Respondents could choose more than one answer.

Two questions caught our eye: one on fast food restaurant preferences, and the other on the most difficult aspects of life on the road. As for the fast food, only 8% copped to not eating the stuff (Subway ranked first among restaurants). The hardest part of road life was eating right (55% checked that), followed by exercise (26%).

We can’t say we’re surprised, given that millions of Americans rely on fast food, and about the same number have trouble sticking to an exercise program. But most of us are also not driving as much as van operators, who don’t always have access to healthy meals and well-equipped gyms.

We spoke with Daniel Poling, a 37-year-old van operator based in Petersburg, Va., who’s been with Atlas for four years and has been in the moving business for nine. He took our call while on the road, shedding some light on the challenges of staying healthy. Four years ago the 6-foot-3 Poling weighed 180, but he eventually blew up to 290 pounds in about a year.

‘When I was in my truck,’ he explains, ‘I’d find myself snacking on potato chips or French fries —whatever I was snacking on was not right. All that cholesterol and weight builds up, and builds up fast.’

Despite the fact that Poling was active — he not only drives the Atlas vans along the Eastern seaboard, but packs and hauls boxes, as do many van operators — he wasn’t burning enough to counterbalance the effects of the food he was eating, which included two liters of soda a day. The turning point came when he realized that carrying hefty furniture up and down a few flights of stairs was wearing him out. ‘I was winded all the time,’ he says. ‘At the end of the day I’d get to my hotel room and all I wanted to do was take a shower and lie on the bed.’

About those hotels — Poling says they’ve gotten better in terms of offering at least small gyms, but it hasn’t always been easy to find a place to exercise. He prefers the Sleep Inn chain, which usually offers a workout facility.

‘I try to hit the treadmill and walk at least two to three miles a night, and then in the morning I’ll walk two to three miles in the morning before breakfast,’ he says. His food choices have gotten better, too: ‘I’m at a truck stop right now, and I’m starving. If I go to a fast food restaurant now I’ll get a salad. But that’s not enough to survive on, so I bought a slow cooker that plugs into the lighter and I’ll throw a piece of chicken in there and some vegetables.’ (Kids — don’t try this at home).

Poling is down to 225 (it took him three years) and says that’s an ideal weight for him. While some of his peers still struggle with maintaining good eating and exercise habits, things are improving, says Barbara Cox, Atlas director of marketing communications.

‘I think (van operators) are making better choices. Even if they’re eating fast food, they’re moving away from bad fast foods,’ she says. ‘I think it’s that constant barrage of information we’re all getting on a daily basis about making healthier choices.’

-- Jeannine Stein

Photo credit: David McNew / Getty Images