Keep your heart strong and your CDL current

You put your whole heart into everything you do, taking care of a bustling on the go family,

the never-ending to-do list of chores on your home time and all while juggling the demands of a trucking life. You give every bit of your heart to everyone else.

But how often do you put your whole heart into yourself?

How often do you put your whole heart into the health of your heart? How often do you even THINK about your heart?

This year, one in three women will die from heart disease or stroke. That is more than all cancers combined. The good news is that 80% of these fatal events can be prevented with lifestyle changes including a healthier diet, regular physical activity and managing stress.

Let’s breakdown 7 ways you can shift into a heart healthy lifestyle.

1. Respect your family history. If your parents or your siblings had a heart attack before the age of 50, your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke are greatly increased. Talk to your doctor about relatives that have had heart disease or heart procedures and note at what age they were diagnosed or treated.

2. A clogged fuel line may cause your truck engine to misfire, shut off or lose power. Cholesterol in your arteries can cause the same symptoms to happen to your heart. If your LDL cholesterol is high, (the ‘Lousy or bad cholesterol,’) it will build up along the artery wall causing clogs in the arteries that affect blood flow. Taking steps to reduce the saturated fat in your diet, (fried foods and red meat,) and increasing fiber will sweep away the bad cholesterol like a magic broom. You can raise HDL, (think Healthy,) with exercise and adding in good fats, like olive oil and avocado.

3. An overweight body, like an overweight truck, taxes your heart and the engine of your truck. How much you weigh is a huge factor for heart disease. The more you weigh, the more your heart has to work to do its job. Just like your overweight truck. I work with women truck drivers to teach them what to eat, when to eat, and how much to eat on any given day to help lighten their load!

4. Too much pressure on a fuel line will cause it to wear out and tear. High blood pressure has the same impact on your arteries and over time this additional pressure of blood pounding on capillaries and artery walls will make it harder for blood to pump out of the heart easily. Your heart has to find a lower gear and pump harder. Increasing fruits, vegetables and lowering how much salt you consume can lower blood pressure in a short amount of time. Check out my free e-book, “7 Ways Women Truck Drivers Can Lower Blood Pressure While on the Road,” https://www.welldrivennutrition.com/e-booklet

5. Only the smoke stacks should smoke. If you are smoking, stop. Smoking damages every organ of the body especially blood vessels making you 4 times more likely to get heart disease if you smoke. Smoking raises blood pressure and lowers the healthy HDL cholesterol that is trying to work FOR you to keep blood vessels clear and strong.

6. You have a stressful job. Traffic, weather, deadlines and being away from home can feel overwhelming and depressing. Learn to manage stress through moving and exercising, talking to a friend, eating foods that nourish, and taking some precious ‘me’ time.

7. Shut off your phone and go to sleep. Long term sleep deprivation increases your risk for high blood pressure and puts added stress on your heart. Even one bad night of sleep, or short night of sleep, will confuse the hormones that regulate your appetite, causing you to over snack and overeat the next day. You may find that you are constantly hungry and never feel full the day after a bad night in the bunk. For the sake of your heart and your weight, make sleep a priority!

8. 

You can shift into a heart healthy lifestyle! Make these changes one at a time to strengthen your heart and your ability to keep your trucking life moving forward.

Listen to your heart when others will not.

A client of mine once told me that she went through a whole year of feeling tired. She went to her doctor and they ran some blood tests but found nothing unusual. Her provider recommended she get more exercise and go to bed earlier. After a few months of following his advice, she was too embarrassed to go back and with the same complaint. She felt it was a sign of weakness or inadequacy to complain of fatigue.

Eventually she had a heart attack. She was not just tired! There was a heart valve defect and the attack that almost killed her could have been prevented if her doctor had sent her to a cardiologist for advanced screening in the first place.

No one knows your body and your system like you do. Be your own advocate.

Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to recognizing the symptoms of a heart attack in women as they are not always the same for women as they are for men.

Be aware of these 5 symptoms of a heart attack:

1. The main symptom is feeling pressure in your chest, that may come and go.

2. There may be pain in the jaw, neck, one or both arms or upper back.

3. Others may break out in a cold sweat or have feelings of nausea.

4. Shortness of breath.

5. Extreme fatigue.

Call 9-1-1 if you have any of these signs and go to the hospital right away.

Be aware of these 4 symptoms of a stroke:

1. Sudden confusion or trouble speaking.

2. Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance.

3. Sudden numbness or weakness in one side of the face or jaw or one side of the body.

4. Sudden headache with no known cause.

Call 9-1-1 if you have any of these signs and go to the hospital right away.

Heart Disease is Not Just About Men

As a woman truck driver, you have already proven how strong you are, how smart you are and that you can solve a problem. You know that pretty much anything a male truck driver can do, you can do as well, if not better.

Another thing women are better at than men is developing heart disease or having a stroke. You are in the driver’s seat to change that!

Call me for more ideas to go on giving a strong heart to your family and your trucking life.

Book a Discovery Call so that we can discuss how you can keep your heart pumping and the wheels turning. https://www.welldrivennutrition.com/clean-eating-for-women

Don’t forget to check out the free e-booklet, “7 Ways Women Truck Drivers Can Lower Blood Pressure While on the Road.” https://www.welldrivennutrition.com/e-booklet

Driving women forward,

Lynda