Ask HN: What’s the single most effective thing you do for exercise and health? - voisin
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LinuxBender
Exercise: Walking.

Health: No sugar, almost no processed foods, low carbs, misc supplements to
lower sugar, boost autophagy and HGH. Intermittent-intermittent fasting (not a
typo).

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throw1234651234
Also: Sleep 8 hours, on schedule, in a fully dark, cool room.

I am still unsure on fasting.

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voisin
Unsure about its effectiveness? Check out Jason Fung’s Complete Guide to
Intermittent Fasting. He’s a nephrologist that has put together a very well
researched and footnoted book.

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throw1234651234
Looks like people are recommending his other book - something, something
Obesity and say the one you recommended is just marketing material for some
fitness coach, which I am inclined to believe.

Any sources on fasting causing autophagy in excess of what working out gets
you?

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voisin
The Obesity Code is a good primer on weight loss being a hormonal imbalance
rather than caloric imbalance, the things that cause this imbalance and how to
resolve it. Fasting is a chapter that he expands upon in The Complete Guide to
Intermittent Fasting ("CGIF")

My first reaction to your statement about it being "just marketing material
for some fitness coach" was "that's absurd" but then as I reflected a bit more
I can see how some people may have taken it to be him trying to pitch his
clinic in Toronto, but I don't think this is the right interpretation. He is a
practicing nephrologist who refers in his book (like many books written by
doctors) to many case studies. I didn't at any point think "Gee, I should fly
to Toronto and get into this program" but rather thought the case studies lent
some context to his claims.

I suggest reading the book and forming your own opinion. I was fasting before
I read the book, but the book helped me understand some of the science,
pitfalls, and protocols.

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bitxbitxbitcoin
One thing that I do that I think really helps both physically and mentally is
to exercise literally right after waking up. Like, my eyes are still closed
but I'll roll out of bed into a push up position. It helps wake me up and also
starts the day off on the right foot.

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Delk
I used to do aikido. It gets a bad rap in martial arts circles, but at the
time the group and style I started doing it in was a pretty good fit for me.
The combination of physical and social activity, mental focus, and something
of a challenge to myself were the bee's knees. I was fairly fit too. Not
hugely muscular, but probably in significantly better shape than most around
my age.

It kinda stopped feeling good for personal reasons, but it was great both
physically and mentally while it did. Probably goes for other martial arts as
well.

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throw1234651234
Tai Chi and Qi Qong (however you want to spell it, Chi Kung) are the
health/fitness portions of Tai Chi. Not being a smartass, just if you want to
look into in in the future. I found them lacking, but I think the problem is
finding a good instructor.

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Delk
Yeah, thanks. I know about those as well, although I haven't tried them except
for a quick trial. I could see them as complementary to other exercise, but I
don't think I could personally find the focus or motivation to do them as a
primary thing.

The kind of aikido I did was actually fairly physical. While it's no MMA, and
even something like wrestling or judo are intense in a pretty different way,
it was both physically and mentally more than just a health workout for me.
For me tai chi or qi gong don't fit the same slot, but for some others they
might of course be the thing.

I just wanted to mention the martial arts thing because I found it to be good
for general fitness and mental well-being. Venues and instructors, and their
styles, vary a _lot_ though, so YMMV.

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mrtedbear
For exercise, focus on turning up, at least when I'm (re-)starting out.

When I'm in a regular routine, I enjoy exercising and it feels good, and
turning up isn't an issue.

At some point though I inevitably lapse. When I try to start again, I can't do
what I used to do, so I push myself to try, but it doesn't feel good and it
makes me less motivated to continue.

During these periods I've found it helpful to focus on turning up, rather than
trying to push myself. Slowly I start to improve and start enjoying it again,
and improvement follows.

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voisin
“Showing Up” is probably the most important concept in health / fitness IMO.
When setting a new habit I try to do it every single day, in small amounts,
until it becomes my life. I did this with yoga and now after more than 300
days straight it is simply a part of my life I couldn’t imagine not doing
daily.

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diehunde
Same here. I started running for 5 minutes a day for a week. Then I increased
to 10-15 min for about a month. After that the habit was there.

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japhyr
Stretch. When I maintain flexibility, I can always jump back into whatever
physical activity I'm interested in (running, biking, hiking/climbing,
kayaking, swimming). When I've lost my flexibility it's much harder to get
back into any of these activities. Also, taking the time to stretch makes me
think about how to get back into these activities when I've gotten too busy to
do them regularly.

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jennyyuejin
Breathe. Not trolling. Deep breathing for a minute clears my head so I can
prioritize the right things such as taking care of my body instead of
finishing that line of code. It also reduces stress.

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sds357
I have an active high energy blue healer pup. He lets me know every day when
it's time for a walk in bad weather or a mtb ride in good weather.

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tedmiston
Health: 16/8 intermittent fasting

Exercise: Yoga or walking

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JuliusPullo
keep moving. Don't spend too much time sitting or laying down.

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FeelTheBerns
Lift. Starting strength.

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rotterdamdev
Kettlebell.

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coder4life
Get good sleep

Go vegan

Avoid shitty fats

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stakkur
Walk.

