Let me introduce you to my August FIT Driver of the month, Brad Verost.
Brad has devoted the majority of his 27-year driving career to working as an owner-operator in Grand Island, New York. He is currently leased with Dana Transport, where he transports various types of hazardous waste and fuel.
He is also passing along his trucking expertise to his two sons, both of whom are military veterans, having served in the Army and Marine Corps. One son is currently driving, while the other serves as a mechanic and driver, a combination that is increasingly rare these days.
Hauling hazardous waste materials comes with a huge responsibility requiring safety and focus. From the beginning, Brad recognized that to be safe, he must be well and fit.
He says staying healthy is a top priority for several reasons, among them safety, maintaining quality of life, responsibility to his family and longevity in the industry.
Starting the day with movement
For Brad, a typical day begins early. Before even getting out of bed, he does core exercises, including:
- Knee-to-chest stretches (both single- and two-legged stretches and ankle circles);
- Lying spinal twists; and
- Straight-leg lifts (single- and two-legged lifts, as well as side-lying leg lifts).
To help keep himself fit on the road, Brad uses a pedal exerciser for cardio while the truck is safely stopped for a rest break, or while he’s waiting at a shipper or receiver. Brad says he does this at least two or three times per week, pedaling vigorously for 20 minutes each session.
In addition, he enjoys taking runs, through the woods when possible, in addition to walking or running on the treadmill when he’s home.
Resistance exercises include push-ups, chest flys and quad leg extensions.
Eating right
Brad believes the fuel he puts in his body is just as important as the fuel he transports. Here’s an example of his weekly menu:
Breakfast
Brad usually consumes a variety of unsweetened dried fruit and walnuts, along with one 12-ounce coffee, which he sips on throughout the day, and water.
Lunch
His go-to lunch is a sandwich — chicken breast, Swiss cheese and lettuce on multigrain bread — with a modest serving of baked popcorn chips, such as PopCorners.
He also adds plenty of fresh fruit, including cantaloupe, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, oranges, plums and apples.
If he’s on a long run, he’ll often pack an extra sandwich to eat midafternoon, along with more baked chips.
Dinner
For dinner, Brad says he eats chicken two or three times a week and fish or steak once per week. For a weekend treat, he indulges in old-fashioned pizza (no cheese).
Brad drinks very little soda, other than an occasional ginger ale with the weekend pizza. He also treats himself to ice cream every now and then.
Brad is a true professional truck driver, as well as a prime illustration of the growing awareness of driver health.
Do you have a FIT driver to share? Email Bob Perry at [email protected].
Bob Perry is a regular contributor to The Trucker. He has spent nearly the past four decades on a mission to educate professional drivers and share life-changing products and services to help them live healthier lives while on the road. Recognized throughout the transportation industry, from bus drivers to over-the-road professional drivers, Perry has played an important role in creating a paradigm shift helping regulatory agencies, private and public sector entities, and consumers understand the current health challenges of the professional driver. He has participated as a wellness advocate in several roundtable discussions, large audience groups and small forums as well as going “curbside” through a national truck stop tour.
Bob’s articles have been featured in The Trucker and a number of other national transportation industry publications and is the host of a weekly wellness call produced by Rolling Strong. Bob has been a regular guest on RedEye Radio and Land-Line Radio, and is often an invited guest on Sirius radio shows. He has been featured in the New York Times, Men’s Health Magazine, Drug Store News, American Road Magazine, WSJ, NPR, ABC National Radio, as well as hundreds of daily newspapers. He has appeared on television news shows across the nation, including a featured TV segment on ABC NightLine News.
