Zombie Truckers - Part 3 - Life Is Short, Don't Make It Shorter!

Brown Dog Carriers has launching a series of blogs that will discuss driver health and strategies for improvement. We are partnering with Robert E. Cyr, DOS, CHHC, AADP, FSP a former truck driver who penned the book “Zombie Truckers” To order Bob’s book click on the following link.https://www.amazon.com/dp/1682132196/ref=nav_timeline_asin?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

 Remember this from the first blog in this series:

Heart disease related to obesity is the number one killer of adults in the United States. In the most recent year of available statistics the CDC (Center for Disease Control) reported nearly 650,000 deaths from heart disease compared to 600,000 from cancer. Other causes of deaths (Pre-Covid) all came in under 200,000. The worst part of the leading cause of death is that it is 100% preventable.

100% preventable but not easy. In his book “Change or Die” author Alan Deutschman describes the odds against changing behavioral patterns even when presented with overwhelming evidence that if you don’t change you will die. The odds are 9 to 1 against successful change. That’s why my cardiologist buddy I mentioned in the last Blog https://www.browndogcarriers.com/new-blog/2020/10/30/zombie-truckers-part-2-you-are-what-you-eat won’t be retiring anytime soon.

But there is hope. There have been studies where people have changed when presented with the bad news of impending death. Deutschman identifies five conclusions from the successful UCSF study that resulted in 77% success rate after 3 years.

1. Carrots work better than sticks. Fear of death is not as strong a motivator as a vision of a more enjoyable and satisfying life experience.

2. Change is not a rational process. Behavioral or attitudinal change requires a lot of emotional support. Alcoholics Anonymous figured this out a long time ago. Hence the weekly support meetings and mentors

3. To change a behavior or belief, one also has to address the conceptual “framework” that the belief or behavior fits into. Facts by themselves, if they contradict a belief framework, tend to go in one ear and out the other. The source must be wrong. Hence our astounding ability to resist change even when we’re told we’ll die if we don’t. So to change a behavior or attitude requires offering a different framework or belief system that still resonates with a person or group of employees, but in which the new behavior fits more easily. Deutschman gives the example of Apple Computer, where a beaten-down staff was revitalized and sparked to develop radically new ideas and innovations by framing their identity not as “the guys who lost market share to IBM” but as ultra-cool tech heroes who had the creativity and courage to “think different.”

4. Radical change is easier than small or gradual change. That might sound counter-intuitive, at first glance, but here’s the rationale: in the short period of time in which people are motivated to attempt change (e.g. during or following a crisis), radical change leads to faster and more quickly noticeable results. The quick results, then, inspire people to continue the change.

5. There’s apparently no scientific reason we can’t change—and significant scientific evidence that supports the importance of making the effort. Recent scientific studies indicate that we retain the ability to form new neural pathways and patterns throughout our lives. Just like with our muscles, the rule seems to be “use it or lose it. Regardless of whether we want to change, it seems that the process of adapting to new circumstances, or struggling to reshape our habits of mind, body, and work, carries its own rewards.

 So, we can change if we genuinely want to make the effort. In the next installment we will begin that change with some recommendations on eating healthier.

 In the USA, $2.1 trillion (1/7) of the economy is spent annually on health care. People are mostly sick because of choices they make. 80% of the health care costs are used by 20% of the people in the USA. And the leading causes of poor health are, stress, lack of exercise, smoking, overeating and over drinking. All preventable.

 In the next blog we will look at some strategies for better eating habits.