
Ask HN: As a software developer how do you maintain your health? - codesternews
As a software developer, I have a sedentary lifestyle because of that I got belly fat. Drinking coffee with sugar and sitting 10-12 hour is usual for me and all other bad habits you can guess - late night, churning snacks in the night.
I go for running alternate days but it is not helping with my belly fat and I feel a little lazy after work.<p>What tricks did you have found and adapted and have for software developers to maintain their health?
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RaceWon
You don't need to go to a gym, But you do need to workout. Push-ups, sit-ups,
and buy a curling bar with some weights--nothing crazy. Do a couple of sets of
presses, some curls, and two other types of weight lifting exercises
consisting of what ever else you want. Do it fast, and a lot of reps. 3 or 4
times a week is enough, and once you get into it only takes 20 - 30 minutes.

Also, walk fast; really fast, and run up the stairs whenever you can. I work
at a big campus so that helps with the fast walking.

Eat vegetarian a few times a week, and as others have said; don't drink sugar,
and be wary of the bread and potatoes.

Not bragging here but I'm 59 years old and Friday morning I banged out 140
pushups; a set of 30, a 40, and then I did 70 (my most ever. Typically I do a
set of 30 and two 40's, but I will do 50 for the last set at times if they are
coming easy enough. And I'll max out once in a while--formerly 60 was my
high).

I only got back into working out around 2.4 years ago so its never too late.

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thorin
That's impressive. I'm early 40s and have found doing this kind of exercise
really beneficial recently.

I think push-ups are great for posture and all round conditioning. I could
barely do 10 in a row a few years back, but now do 60-100 over 3 sets a few
times a week.

I also do kettle bell swings and maybe some sit ups and this seems to
complement the other exercises I do really well.

Like you I like to do lots of walking quite quickly and get out cycling or
kayaking at least once a week.

~~~
RaceWon
You the man! Remember you are only in competition with yourself.

Btw: protip, I don't count to 70 or 60 and usually not even 40. I'll typically
count to 30; than either just additionally count to 10, or more often just to
5, and than add the sums as I go--but then reset to the lesser count as I
continue that set of push-ups. A great psychological trick, at least for me ;)
.

GL!

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afarrell
* I have a £200 sit-stand desk and alternate at least once between sitting and standing.

* most mornings, I put on death metal and do a 15-minute run while I imagine myself carrying a defibrillator or fighting orcs or something dramatic. I intersperse pushups, squats, and pull-ups in that.

* I have an Instant Pot and a chest freezer and a kitchen setup to reduce the cognitive cost of cooking. I usually eat leftovers for lunch.

* For snacks, I try to go with apples or carrot sticks for the satisfying crunching feeling.

* Most months, I go contra dancing at Cecil Sharp house, which is healthy simultaneous dose of physical touch, social interaction, monofocused mental stimulation, and aerobic exercise.

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lukaszkups
I've replaced regular Cola with Cola Zero (yeah, I'm aware that it's not
healthy as well but..) while keeping eating one or two candies while drinking
black coffee and I've stopped gaining fat. Once I've started working out
(running, ~5km, 1-3 times per week) and doing some pushups (nothing fancy,
just 10 of them at the end of the day before shower) and here I am, one year
later, feeling much better, with 13kg less :)

(before: ~93kg, now: ~80kg)

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sethammons
You can't out-exersice a bad diet. Develop lean muscle. Sleep well.

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avichalp
Pay close attention to your diet and sleep. Try avoiding sugar and high carb
foods. Try journaling your sleep quantity and quality, your moods and food you
eat. Try finding pattens in the journal and keep experimenting till you find a
combination that works for you.

I tried to fix my sleep few months ago. Written more about it here:
[http://avichalp.me/2019/04/06/debugging-
sleep.html](http://avichalp.me/2019/04/06/debugging-sleep.html)

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wreath
I do not work longer than 8 hours a day. I have a regular sleep schedule (10PM
to 7AM), do strength training 3 times a week. I _try_ to eat properly, stay
away from the company fridge which is stuffed with sugary drinks and beer. I
try not to drink coffee after 1PM or so to not affect my sleep. I also try to
not write any code after work hours, unless it's low work intensity in the
office around that time.

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throwaway413
I don't use this, but I recently saw the StrongLifts 5x5 [1] workout plan
mentioned in an HN comment. Looked interesting, straightforward, and
approachable for any level of practice.

[1] [https://stronglifts.com/5x5/](https://stronglifts.com/5x5/)

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randomacct3847
Intermittent fasting, keto, no sugar at all.

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itake
I set some personal rules:

Sleep \- I go to bed at the same time every night (10pm). Exercise \- I go to
the gym 3-5 times per week (every other day). Diet \- No junk food. I can't
stand the wasted plastic or the calories. Di \- No coffee after noon.

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blazetig
There are no tricks. Being healthy and slim is hard work. Hit the gym, run
more, eat less.

~~~
natalyarostova
There are _some_ tricks, so to speak. I purposefully will only live a 30
minute walk to work. While I realize not everyone can do this, I make it such
a high priority that I do sacrifice a lot to ensure it happens. I also try to
ensure a gym is between work and home. This way on average I walk an hour a
day to and from work, and the fixed cost of adding a 30 minute workout is
essentially zero. So 1.5 hours a day is spent combined physical activity and
commuting. It makes exercise very cheap.

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roundthecorner
I go for a short walk at the end of every hour. I have found my fitbit pretty
useful in reminding me to do at least 250 steps every hour. The number might
be small but i usually end up doing more than that once i get going.

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kojeovo
A few of the things I do have the most impact: make sure I lift / exercise
regularly, skip breakfast / cut food off at a certain time, and avoid drinking
calories (stick to black coffee, no soda).

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throw03172019
One easy change is removing sugar and just drink coffee black.

~~~
Gibbon1
I drink my coffee black and I work from a bench with a lab stool instead of
chair. I found you get used to the black coffee and don't miss the sugar rush
yo yo. And being on a stool encourages you to get up and move around the
office. Like when stuck. Instead of sitting, slip off the stool and got for a
walk around the block.

~~~
snazz
Have you noticed any back discomfort from sitting in a stool or does the
increased motion offset it?

~~~
Gibbon1
My stool it about 30 inches off the ground with a bar to rest your feet on. I
find I tend to sit straight with my legs slightly down which is comfortable
and the bench is the right height so that my hands end up just gently resting
on the keyboard.

I started out working on a lab bench in college working as a tech and
generally dislike desks and office chairs.

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duckface
I got it too. there was a time when I was happier, having lots of sex ( like
light aerobic exercise ) , and just naturally eating less.

my theory is that it starts with the mind. happy mind, light exercise,
naturally eat less, and I lost weight.

