

Ask HN: How do you stay healthy? - daveambrose

Since graduating from college last year, I've noticed that I tend not to be as active as I once was, i.e. playing tennis, riding my bike, etc.<p>I took a step in the right direction this week in joining a gym and beginning a cardio + weight routine.<p>What do you do, HN, to stay healthy? Diet? Gym? Sports?<p>I'd be interested to hear what those do who live in a large city like I do (NYC).
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timr
The Grad School Diet!

During the time I spent in grad school, I completely changed my body. Today I
weigh about the same amount that I did in high school, I can run for miles,
and I have a lot more lean body mass than ever before. But after my undergrad,
I was overweight (by about 50 pounds), and something as simple as walking up a
long flight of stairs would wind me.

By _far_ the most important thing that I ever did to get in better shape was
to change my eating habits. Thanks to grad school poverty, I cut soda out of
my diet entirely, stopped eating out frequently, eliminated most booze and
learned how to cook. As I became more aware of what I was eating, I found that
my caloric intake went down, and the amount of "real" foods that I was eating
went up. Nobody seems to believe it, but you can consume calories far more
quickly than you can burn them through exercise, so if you can do nothing
else, _eat less crap_ , and your body will still thank you.

The second most important thing (again, thanks to grad school poverty), was to
begin walking everywhere. I'm no longer in school, but even today I walk to
most of the places that I go. Most people don't realize how little they
walk/move around on a daily basis -- my first job out of grad school, I was
climbing the walls because the daily car commute didn't afford me a great deal
of exercise (I had to start running daily to make up for the loss).

Finally, and least importantly, I got in the habit of going to the gym
regularly (I do cardio and lift weights). This probably isn't very important
in terms of calories burned, but it keeps me sane, and the weight lifting has
definitely improved my body over time. I'm in the habit now -- I actually feel
"scummy" if I don't work out every day -- but if I had simply jumped into a
gym routine with the expectation of becoming "fit", I'm sure I would have
failed. The key ingredient was that I started to go to the gym to deal with
stress, and it gradually became a healthy habit. The benefits of the habit
took years to become apparent, but like I said...now I'm an addict.

So there you have it -- the Grad School Diet. I should write a book...

~~~
LKM
Good answer. I agree, eating is key. Up to about 25, you can probably pretty
much eat what you want. After that, you have to start keeping track of what
you eat. Being active is the second most important thing; it's not easy at
first, but it gets easier if you keep doing it. If you're like me, some kind
of positive reinforcement is extremely helpful; I'm using Wii Fit to keep
track of my weight and BMI. That way, exercising and being healthy starts to
feel like playing a game because you can see your progress, and you can
immediately see when you start to slack off.

~~~
streety
Unless you expect your height to change is there really any point to tracking
your BMI in addition to your weight? Wouldn't your % body fat be better?

~~~
LKM
Yes, tracking body fat would definitely be better; alas, there is no simply,
videogame-like way to keep track of body fat (that I know of).

~~~
dhs
The US Navy uses the following equation to determine the percentage of body
fat:

%Fat=495/(1.0324-.19077(log(abdomen-neck))+.15456(log(height)))-450

Appearently they did a study on how precise it is, "Comparison of
Circumference-and Skinfold-Based Body Fat Estimation Equations", where they
compared their formula with several other methods for body fat estimation,
against a baseline set by hydrostatic weighting. I couldn't find the full text
online (at least not for free), but the abstract is here:

[http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPr...](http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA370117)

Quote: "For men, the Navy equation was the best predictor of body fat
determined by hydrostatic weighing."

So all you need to track your body fat is a measuring tape plus a pen and a
pad. That's too much of an effort for me, though, so I use one of the web-
based calculators, e.g.

[http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/body-fat-percentage-
calcu...](http://www.dietandfitnesstoday.com/body-fat-percentage-
calculator.php)

(you need to allow JS to use it).

~~~
LKM
Interesting, thanks!

------
alanf
I've been pretty seriously interested in natural health for a long time. To
condense what I've learned into a few of the most important ideas:

\- Research what a good vitamin is. There's a HUGE spectrum in quality. Expect
to pay $1-$2 per day, and take more than one capsule. A good indicator of a
high quality vitamin is that it packages b12 as hydrocobalamin, not
cyanocobalamin

\- Exercise in the first part of your day. Your metabolism is then boosted all
day.

\- Read the label on every food product you buy: the ingredients list is the
least dishonest part of the label.

\- Avoid high glycemic sweeteners: sugar and corn syrup. Excellent substitutes
are agave nectar and stevia.

\- Diversify your grains: Try quinoa ("keen-wah"), amaranth, buckwheat, spelt

\- Diversify your oils: coconut oil (often a good substitute for butter when
baking), avacado oil (can be fried at high heat), flaxseed oil (do not heat!)

\- Reduce/avoid: sodas (the acid causes your body to remove calcium from your
bones!), homogenized cows milk, hydrolyzed or hydrogenated oils, monosodium
glutumate (or "yeast extract" which always has MSG in it), artificial flavors
and colors, and American style cured meats (nitrates.)

\- Increase consumption of fresh fruits, vegetables, raw nuts, berries, etc.
The smaller the berry, the better it is for you.

\- Seek moderate exposure to sunlight without sunscreen.

If you stick to the above, you'll have to prepare most of your own food. It's
fun, creative, and a socially useful skill. With practice, it's often less
time consuming than going out. Essential supplies include a high end blender,
good cutlery, and pans without teflon.

Find the health food store in your community. Sometimes you'll pay much more
for the food. The bargain is your long term health and quality of life.

------
shutter
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants."

Throw in regular exercise, and that's how you can maintain a good healthy
lifestyle. Don't obsess over it; just learn to enjoy the healthy stuff.
There's a lot of great, healthy food that tastes good. I'm not an expert on
getting away from an unhealthy lifestyle, but once you're to the place you
want to be, it's dead simple to maintain.

------
silencio
wii! (and by that I mean like wii sports|wii fit|ddr, and for more than like
10-15 minutes a day)

I haven't had mine for long but some friends|family keep telling me that I
look better than before. I have an elliptical at home and I try to go to the
gym often but I don't have any motivation to bore myself to death that way.
Playing wii games like the three I named above helps me because they're
entertaining and I'm more likely to go to the gym when I don't have flab
bouncing around everywhere.

Diets never work for me, so I don't consider them. The only thing I do if at
all is drinking tea in lieu of soda and switching white rice for brown when I
can (and since I eat a lot of rice, this is pretty significant, but whole
grains in general are awesome). I also eat smaller portions spread throughout
the day, and since I love baking and making ice cream, I try to go "healthy"
with my favorite but most unhealthiest part of meals (dessert!). I think the
way I eat is massively influenced by my diabetic dad (who I have to cook for
occasionally), cause he eats like that as well.

Lastly, I live in LA. It's a pretty big city but it's really hard to walk/bike
around because I have to travel a lot (think as much as 100 miles/day). I try
to walk to the market and take the bus to local (read:convenient) areas, but
other than that I can't do much. But I do notice that every time I take a trip
to San Francisco I end up walking a ton. Dunno what it's like in NYC but if
it's convenient enough, you should try to walk around where you can, it's a
really simple change that can have a big impact.

~~~
jrockway
Yeah, whole grains are good for 'ya. I usually have brown rice with dinner,
but from time to time I am in the mood for this:

[http://store.kashi.com/heritage_pilaf.aspx?SID=1&Categor...](http://store.kashi.com/heritage_pilaf.aspx?SID=1&Category_ID=73&);

It ends up a bit gummier than brown rice, though, probably because I don't
have a water line for "7 grain Pilaf" on my rice cooker.

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pavelludiq
I play soccer a lot(who came up with this stupid name for football anyway) And
basketball and sometimes volleyball, when there is nobody to play with i run,
jump, climb and stuff. Its called parkour and if you are careful and
concentrated it beats gym and its more fun too, and it requires creativity. I
eat a lot of unhealthy food, i think that if my body slows down when i get
older, i will get really fat, now im just skinny and stringy.

------
Frocer
Ah... there are tons of things you can do in NYC! Besides the normal gym
routines, here are a few things I recommend:

\- There are excellent bike trails all around Manhattan. You can bike along
both East River and the Hudson on the west side, there are also excellent bike
trails in Central Park

\- You can run along the bike trails, too, of course

\- There are always pick up soccer games in Central Park, especially when the
weather is nice -- very common in the summer time

\- Great place to play basketball is Stuyvesant Town (14th and 1st, they have
5 outdoor courts, lots of people playing)

\- ZogSports runs sports leagues all year around, from basketball to
dodgeball. It costs money but keeps you committed, they also have happy hour
after each match :)

\- Diet is important of course, I would subscribe to Men's Health, one of my
favorite magazines. Great exercise routines, and also tell you various ways to
eat healthy for cheap.

\- Oh, NYC also has a ton of events throughout the year. Look into the 5 boros
bike tour (just passed, but def do it next year), the JPMorgan 5k Corporate
Challenge, etc. Look into them!

------
mrjbq7
Yoga.

With a good instructor, it can be a surprisingly strong workout, while also
helping to preserve sanity during those long weeks.

------
noodle
since you're in NYC, i would HIGHLY suggest taking up sport/olympic fencing.

its really quite similar to tennis, except it requires less space. NYC is one
of the best locations to do it. its both physically and mentally challenging
and is competitive enough to suck you in, if you enjoy competing, so that
you'll _want_ to exercise and train to become more fit so that you'll do
better.

its how i stay healthy. for reference, i'm an ex personal trainer, ex
lifeguard, and ex professional martial artist.

------
coglethorpe
I run. I ran 3 miles this morning.

When I'm at my best, I'm eating nearly vegan and I feel great. I also avoid
sodas and get lots of sleep.

I'm not at my best right now. :-)

~~~
LogicHoleFlaw
I realized about a week ago that I'd been shorting myself on sleep, and
drinking too much soda. I've cut way down on the soda and cut back on my late
night activities and after just a week I feel much better.

It really does make a difference.

~~~
spydez
I disagree.

I cut back from 4-6 sodas a day to zero for a little caffeine-free experiment
I ran on myself. I was drinking no sodas for about 2 weeks.

I felt no different (after I quit having caffeine headaches, that is).

Thus, in my opinion, your difference is (very much nearly) all in the fact
that you're now getting enough sleep.

~~~
LogicHoleFlaw
I cut back on soda for two reasons - 1) my weight varies pretty linearly with
my sugar intake, and I've been getting a bit pudgy of late. And 2) the
caffeine prevents me from sleeping well. I can't say for sure if the drop in
soda intake is responsible for my feeling of well-being but it certainly is
easier on my wallet.

------
fortes
I too live in NYC, recently transplanted from Seattle. I coughed up the (not
insignificant) cash in order to get a gym and make sure to work out every
morning as a start to my day. Do at least 30 minutes of cardio at a good clip
(most machines give you numbers, so try to burn 400 calories at least). Lift
some weights too, because it increases muscle mass, which will increase your
metabolism.

If you're really into something prescriptive, I highly recommend this book:
[http://www.amazon.com/Core-Performance-Revolutionary-
Workout...](http://www.amazon.com/Core-Performance-Revolutionary-Workout-
Transform/dp/157954908X)

I know the cover looks cheesy, but it's actually really well written and very
detailed (it tells you on a daily basis what to do). Workouts are an hour
long, six days a week, and they incorporate flexibility and injury prevention
exercises, which are quite important.

For diet, here in NYC I stop by Whole Foods or something similar right after
the gym and make my own salad. Almost always, it's purely vegetarian. Make
sure you get a lot of greens in there, and as many other colors of vegetables
as you can.

Dinner is a highly social meal, and I end up messing it up often.

I do miss all of Seattle's outdoors though ...

------
hunterjrj
Find a gym that is on your route home. The days when you skip your workout,
you will walk/drive/ride by and feel extremely lazy for not stepping in.

------
Tamerlin
I live in a fairly large city (Seattle), but it's not QUITE like NYC...

I walk a fair amount, mainly to and from the bus, and within downtown Seattle
when I go to after-work gatherings and events.

I also spend a lot of time in the dojo, both as a teacher and as a student. I
tend to take advantage of being a teacher to raise the level of intensity
enough to give myself a workout, but I also carry that intensity to other
styles where I'm a student. It makes for better training overall.

I also do a lot of hiking, nearly every weekend, usually in the mountains, and
with a 50-pound pack full of, in addition to the usual supplies, my large-
format camera kit. The camera gear accounts for around 30 pounds out of the
50.

Other less obvious things I do are eat a healthy breakfast (almost) every
morning, do a lot of my own cooking, and drink herbal tea rather than a lot of
caffeinated beverages. That is not to say that I avoid caffeine; I do like to
have a cup of coffee in the mornings, but I try to avoid caffeine beyond that,
mainly to avoid dehydration.

------
vaksel
I just work out daily. Don't really have time for sports(too big of a time
commitment).

As far as diet, I don't really watch what I eat, I have a high metabolism and
with working out I burn through the extra calories right away...so I can
sustain myself on nothing but junk food w/o gaining weight(I actually lost a
few pounds the one week I ate nothing but McDonalds, Wendy's, Taco Bell, KFC).

------
augustus
Get a home on the suburbs.

I live in Colorado and we have trails behind us where we have occasional
visits from deer. This really give me no excuse to stay away from a jog.

I used to live in the city but driving to a park to go jogging added 30
minutes to my time to workout and so it frequently got postponed.

I also lift weights at the gym.

------
keefe
Time is the limiting factor as I am building my application and working full
time. Every morning, I run 1 mile and do 25 pushups. Starting next week I'll
repeat that in the evening. I make sure to stretch and do some of the katas I
can still remember.

I monitor my basic nutrition intake. The only thing that is important to
remember is that 3200 calories = 1 pound of fat. Eat 3200 more than you burn,
gain a pound. 3200 less? Lose a pound. Muscles are formed by destroyed strands
of muscle fiber and letting them be rebuilt (during recovery) with protein.
So, I calculate my basic needs (~2800 calories, 60g protein, 15g fiber) and
try to stay within that area.

As long as you maintain these parameters, you will stay in good condition. If
your life is stable, you can of course do all sorts of other interesting
things - but if you are time crunched like me, this is enough.

------
natrius
I stopped driving and biked everywhere remotely feasible instead. That took
off 20 pounds in three months, though I also ate less food and chose lower
glycemic index foods that kept me full longer.

People always talk about how staying healthy requires a lifestyle change, and
that's definitely true. I've never been one of those gym or running everyday
kind of people, so every time I've lost weight, I always ended up slacking on
exercise and gaining it all back. I'm more optimistic about my current
strategy. I'll always have to go places, and biking is more enjoyable to me
than driving (Except when it's 100 degrees and humid outside. Thanks Austin.),
so in theory, it should be easier to keep up.

------
azsromej
I live in Atlanta and have essentially been sedentary since graduation a few
years ago (I average 1 or 2 30 minute workouts a week). This isn't enough to
keep the creep off.

I moved right into the middle of the city so that walking opportunities would
be more prevalent and that's helped as a lifestyle change.

I had a hard time keeping up with going to the gym on my own and recently
joined a sort of group exercise thing. There's a little more accountability
with this as people expect me to be there in the morning. So far that's
working well, and it has motivated me to start running in the afternoon so I
don't suck so much in the class.

------
mightybyte
1\. Eat right 2\. <http://crossfit.com>

~~~
tjweir
I've been CrossFitting for just over a year. My body fat % dropped from 22% to
currently 11-12%.

So for me, it's CrossFit + Zone macro-nutrient balance + Paleo.

~~~
daveambrose
Can you explain this a little more?

------
giardini
Cut back on sweets (limited to one oatmeal cookie per day) and work out 2
hours 6 days a week. Nothing else works.

Good news: I'm stronger than ever - on a moment's notice I can help someone
move a piano or push a car down the street; I can work all day and not hurt
the next, I don't get hurt, and my old back injuries don't bother me anymore.

Bad news: Less time. So I read while on the treadmill or recumbent bike.

Luckily my wife works out with me.

~~~
swombat
2 hours a day 6 days a week? You're nuts. I work out twice a week (weights),
plus a 40 minute run every week or so, and I'm fit enough! 1m83, 75kg, 17.5%
body fat.

How about foregoing that cookie (and all the other junk.. crisps, sodas,
burgers, chips, etc) and working out an hour 3 times a week?

~~~
Tichy
I think recent research has shown that less frequent but longer workouts are
as effective as more frequent shorter workouts. Previously it was believed
that more frequent workouts are required to improve fitness.

~~~
symptic
It's actually been proven that shorter, high-intensity, workouts are the most
effective.

People who work out longer can actually shrink their hearts a slightly over
time, where as high-intensity (i.e.: Sprinting at 90% for 30 seconds, jogging
for 30 seconds, for a total of just 8-12 minutes) strengthens your heart.

My advice: Cut out sodas and sweets after 7PM, work out in the morning, Focus
on consuming more and more lean meats (chicken breast, tuna, etc.), more whole
grains, more organic fruits and veggies, and less milk, but more cheeses and
yogurts. Drink a glass of wine with dinner every night.

A good workout is running up bleachers or stairs. it doesn't take but 10min
tops, and you'll get your heart racing and getting stronger. The key to being
healthy is having a healthy heart.

Do not squander your health. It's all you've got when it all comes down to it.

------
snewe
Start going to gym or running or "insert activity here" regularly. One of
these things has to be something you like or will like when you get good at
it. Personally, I find the gym boring and...vain.

It will suck at first, but eventually you will reach a point where you feel
guilty not going to the gym or running or "insert activity here". This has
worked well for me in San Diego (running my second half-Ironman in a week).

------
makecheck
I walk a lot (e.g. if your only excuse for not doing something is that it's
far to walk, it's a chance to walk more).

I also pay attention to drinks...for example, if I buy a bottle of Coke, I
leave half of it, take it home, put it in the fridge and forget about it. The
next day, I'm happy to see it, and it's like a 2nd drink. Only, it's fewer
calories.

------
hbien
Nightly visit to the gym. At first it was tough to get into a routine, but it
got easier when I started bringing my iPod loaded with podcasts. And of
course, the podcasts are usually about hacking with Cocoa, Django, or Rails.

Quitting soda helps a lot too.

------
tyn
I play soccer. Not only good for health
(<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20893097/>), it's also fun. You have a bigger
risk of injury, though, than e.g. jogging.

------
pistoriusp
I eat food, not much, mostly plants. And for exercise I do offroad cycling.

~~~
ovi256
> eat food, not much, mostly plants.

See what you did there :-P Here it is for the others:
[http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t....](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html)
Great article, do yourself an article and read it.

------
jrockway
Cycling 30 miles a day, and avoiding processed foods.

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quickpost
Unicycling (it's an amazing workout). And lifting.

------
brandonkm
Walk everywhere, excercise, keep track of what you eat, play sports with
friends, and pick up a new outdoor activity like rock climbing.

------
adr
skateboarding :)

------
stillmotion
I workout at home, 6 times a week.

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randomhack
1\. Walk. A lot. 2\. Balanced diet.

------
noelchurchill
I surf as much as I can.

------
delano
Bloody Caesars.

------
LPTS
I don't. :) I like to hike and do yoga, but only because it feels nice to do,
not because I care about healthy.

I'll live 50 or 60 or 70 or 80 years and die. You'll live 50 or 60 or 70 or 80
and die. Maybe I'll die a little sooner then you. So what? Maybe you'll get
hit by a bus and I'll laugh at all your wasted exercises. I'll have more fun.

~~~
gaius
Decline with old age is a curve. Most people I'd imagine would prefer quality
of life to remain high, then drop sharply just before death, to decades of low
quality of life. That's what fitness gets you, not longevity.

~~~
adr
Also, living a little longer may give you a chance to enjoy what these guys
are working on (a cure for aging):

<http://www.mfoundation.org/>

~~~
LPTS
predicating my life on these hucksterish immortality wishes would rob it of
all meaning while I'm alive, and then I'd still be dead.

