Focus on Wellness:
Obesity & Weight-Related Diseases


Due to the sedentary nature of their jobs, long work hours, short breaks and the lack of healthy food options in break rooms, ATU members (vehicle operators in particular) face an high risk of obesity and weight-related diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, coronary artery disease, stroke, and sleep apnea.

In addition to the adverse health effects, these diseases can cause an operator to lose their CDL and their job if they are unable to pass required medical examinations. Losing weight and maintaining a healthy weight can reduce your risk for these weight-related diseases.


Getting Started

Before starting any weight loss or fitness plan, it is important to consult with your physician. Your physician can provide you with guidance on your appropriate caloric intake, dietary restrictions and exercise programs and limitations.

When choosing or designing your weight-loss and fitness program or plan, look for balanced, realistic, and enjoyable ways to fit healthful changes into your life. Fad and crash-diets that help you to lose a few pounds fast may seem appealing, but they are unrealistic when it comes to maintaining weight-loss and living a healthy lifestyle. Research shows that people who are most successful in improving their health have made the broader and more significant shift to a healthier lifestyle rather than targeting weight loss alone.

Making small changes, such as being aware of your portion sizes, eating more fruits and vegetables, and adding more physical activity to your daily routine, can add up to significant improvements in your health.

To be successful in making healthy lifestyle changes:

  • Don’t diet. Avoid the temptation to simply go on a diet and quickly lose a certain amount of weight. This approach almost always fails. Instead, try to make healthy eating choices that work for you.
  • Change your relationship with food. Do you eat when you are bored, stressed, or sad? Do you use food as a reward? Try making a list of other ways you can comfort or reward yourself that don’t involve food.
  • Slowly change your eating habits. If you are ready to improve your nutrition, you may be tempted to do a diet overhaul and change everything about the way you eat. You will be more successful at staying with the changes you make if you pick just one eating habit at a time to work on.
  • Establish realistic goals. Your goals should be specific, within your reach, and flexible. A goal to simply exercise more is too general. Instead, make a specific plan to be active for a certain amount of time each week. For example, start with a goal to walk for 15 minutes three times a week, and then slowly increase it to 20 minutes, 4 times a week. When you reach this goal and it has become routine, set a new one. But realize you may have setbacks now and then; this doesn’t mean you’ve failed.
  • Make physical activity a part of your daily routine. Identify what keeps you from being active or exercising. Are you juggling your job with raising kids? Are you working split shifts that make it difficult to establish a morning or evening workout plan? Maybe you can start a walking group at work during lunchtime. Or, pick an activity that your family can do together, such as taking a bike ride, going for a hike, or playing Frisbee.

Useful Resources on Weight Loss and Fitness

For more information on weight loss and fitness, including healthy recipes and exercise tips, sign-up for Focus on Wellness email alerts.

Your health insurance company may also be able to provide you with helpful weight management ideas and tools, and may even offer discounts with local gyms, nutritionists, and weight loss programs.

Other helpful resources include:

  • WebMD (http://www.webmd.com) - information on diet, nurtrition, fitness and exercise, including recipes and tools such as a calorie counter, body mass index (BMI) calculator, and health diet assessment.
  • American Diabetes Association (http://www.diabetes.org) – information on how to lose weight and reduce your risk of diabetes, including recipes and tip sheets.
  • The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (http://www.fitness.gov) - health, physical activity, fitness and sports information, including interactive physical activity and fitness tool.
  • Shape Up America (http://www.shapeup.org) - non-profit organization committed to raising awareness of obesity as a health issue and to providing responsible information on health weight management.
  • American Dietetic Association (http://www.eatright.org) – nutrition and food information.
  • Dieticians of Canada (http://www.dietitcians.ca) - nutrition information, including an eating and activity tracker, nutrition challenges, and a virtual kitchen.
  • Health Canada (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca) - Federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, while respecting individual choices and circumstances this year.