Category: healthy eating

Understanding High Blood Pressure

Posted on June 14, 2016 by - 2290s, E-file IRS Form 2290, healthy eating, Healthy Tips, healthy truckers, heart health, high blood pressure, hypertension, trucking nation

Understanding High Blood Pressure
Understanding Blood Pressure
When you’re a truck driver, there are plenty of things you need to watch out for. Dangerous four wheelers. Coercive dispatchers. Unsavory characters at a rest stop.

But don’t forget, some dangers lurk within! Dangers like high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.

What is Hypertension?

High blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressure of the arteries is increased. Hypertension is defined as blood pressure above 140/90, but is severe if the pressure is greater than 180/120.

Because it lacks obvious symptoms at first, hypertension often goes unseen. It can cause heart disease and stroke if it goes untreated for a long time.

HBP and Truckers

Hypertension can lead to heart disease, kidney disease, strokes, eye damage, and atherosclerosis. If you’re a truck driver, all of these conditions can disqualify you from getting your CDL.

Not only can your health deteriorate, you can lose your job! It’s not worth the risk, we think.

Take time to learn more about hypertension with the American Heart Association.

Treatment and Prevention

So how can you prevent and treat high blood pressure?

First up, start eating a healthier diet with less salt and exercising regularly. If you already have hypertension, taking medications can help lower blood pressure.

Let’s break this down a bit:

  • Diet: With extended hours on the road, there are plenty of drivers who would rather pull into a fast food joint than go for the healthier alternative. Being high in sodium, fat, and calories, fast food raises your risk to hypertension. Try cooking your own food in your truck for healthier meals. 
  • Exercise: Yeah, we know. After driving for 11 hours straight, you don’t want to get out and jog. But if you can wake up with time before it’s time to drive, you can at least start your day with a workout. 
  • Stress: Loneliness, traffic, accidents, finances, and sleep deprivation are all stress factors truckers have to contend with daily. When your stress levels go up, your blood pressure can go up. There are several ways you can reduce your stress, like hobbies and time management. 

Once they have hypertension, truckers will require medical certification to stay on the road. Your physical examination record will be electronically filed to the DOT and become a part of your driving record in the Commercial Driver’s License Information Systems (CDLIS). When we say hypertension is serious stuff, we mean it!

Let’s face it – truckers always have stress that can only make high blood pressure even worse. But if you’re looking to reduce some stress in your life, ExpressTruckTax has officially started pre-filing the IRS HVUT Form 2290! E-file now and get your tax filing over with, and then you’ll receive your stamped Schedule 1 come July 1st.

Better yet, use promo code ETT10 and save 10% on your filing fee!

If you want to share any hypertension tips (or) health success stories, reach out to us on Twitter today!

Related Blog: 5 Diet Tips for the Sedentary Trucker

#WellnessWednesday: Eating Healthy on the Road

Posted on November 4, 2015 by - #wellnesswednesday, healthy choices, healthy eating, healthy eating for truckers, Healthy Tips, stay healthy

So you’ve decided you want to start eating healthier but are starting to realize how unhealthy many food options on the road can be. That’s exactly where we come in, Trucking Nation. Healthy eating on the road doesn’t have to be difficult. So sit back with your favorite healthy snack and read on to find out some great options to keep your diet from getting unhealthy while you’re driving.

Perhaps the most effective tool for fighting the temptation to eat what’s not good for you is to have healthy options with you as much as possible. Let’s look at healthy snack alternatives.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables—keep plenty of these on hand for a healthy alternative to chips or pretzels any time. Fresh fruits and veggies provide that satisfying crunch and give you the nutrition and energy you need.

Nuts— your favorite nuts are packed with protein and provide much needed healthy fats to your diet. Nuts also give you a quick energy boost due to their high caloric content. But for this reason, limit the amount of nuts you eat if you’re trying to lose or maintain weight.

Trail Mix—this great mix of nuts and fruit can be super healthy, but watch out for unhealthy versions containing candy, excess salt, and added sugar.

Beef or Turkey Jerky—actually a great source of protein, jerky can be quite good for you if you watch out for added salt and sugar versions.

Yogurt—again, plenty of protein and not a lot of extras, at least if you eat plain yogurt. Sweetened versions contain sugar, so try adding some fresh fruit to liven up the taste instead.

There are plenty of other healthy alternatives available, all you have to do is a little research and find out what’s good for you and what’s not.

By making sure you’ve always got plenty of good, healthy snacks on hand, you can avoid the temptation to eat some of the not-so-healthy options of the road.

Do you have any tips for eating healthy on the road? Please share them with us on Twitter and Facebook.

ExpressTruckTax is always here to answer any of your questions via phone, web-based chat, or email. Call us at 704.234.6005 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Email us at support@expresstrucktax.com.

#WellnessWednesday: 4 Ways to Eat Healthy on the Road

Posted on July 29, 2015 by - #wellnesswednesday, Expresstrucktax.com, healthy eating, Healthy Tips

Truck stops have a reputation for being filled with greasy, fatty, fried foods that aren’t good for you. But you’d be surprised how easy it is to create a simple and healthy meal from the variety of foods you can find there.

From fresh fruit, to whole grain bread, truck stops are packed with variety. They even have protein shakes with low calories and carbohydrates to accommodate people of all diets and lifestyles.

Here’s a few healthy choices you can make instead of choosing something fried.

4. Yogurt & Fruit

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but a lot of people seem to skip it. Especially when they’re on the road, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Having a small breakfast of just yogurt or a piece of fruit can greatly improve your day and even boost your metabolism.

In fact, if you’re like most people, eating several small meals every day will help your digestive system and give you more energy.

And, as an added bonus, you can find yogurt and fruit at any truck stop. It’s not all grease and pizza! You can even grab a cheese stick, or a fruit and nut bar. Anything to get that metabolism going early in the morning.

3. Whole Grain Sandwiches

Whole grain sandwiches are cropping up at truck stops all across the US. In fact, truckers being able to have healthier options is becoming a large movement.

We have to take care of the dedicated men and women who haul goods from state to state. And adding healthier options is just one of the many ways the trucking industry is changing to make the lives of truckers better.

So the next time you stop off to get some gas and some food, consider eating whole grain. It’s better for your digestive system, and it has the added effect of being healthy for you. Plus, most of those sandwiches are loaded with protein and a lot of vitamins to keep you healthy on the road.

You should also consider eating a cheese stick or pepperoni stick on the side, instead of chips. But, if you prefer to have chips, consider chex mix, sun chips, or baked chips as an alternative to regular fried potato chips.

2. Salads

At first salads may not seem very filling, but the ones you can get at your truck stop have a lot more substance to them than just “rabbit food.” These salads are monsters! Filled with chunks of meat, and tons of eggs and cheese.

And that’s not all! You can get all sorts of different salads filled with everything you need to fill you up and make your whole day better.

1. Wraps

Wraps are a good standby that can be found at most truck stops and fast food places as a healthy option. And while tortillas aren’t much healthier than whole grain bread, wraps are usually packed with vegetables, meats, and cheese to help you get a well-rounded diet.

Plus, some truck stops are introducing corn wraps, which are much healthier than the flour tortillas. Corn tortillas have less sodium, less calories, and they offer a better taste and texture to your food. Not to mention, it’s something different. And a well-rounded diet with a lot of variety can really help!

Keeping a well-balanced diet while on the road can be tough, but manageable! Especially with all the options you can find at truck stops. Don’t let their “unsavory” reputations fool you. They have so much more to offer than fried chicken and taquitos.

Got some tips for how to stay healthy on the road? Or maybe you just want to share some highlights from your own wellness journey. Drop us a line on Facebook or Twitter! We love hearing from you, Trucking Nation!