Developer Health - How much do YOU take care of yourself?

I’ve taken up hiking and backpacking (camping) this year and am really enjoying it. It’s already too hot here and I’m done for the season, but I started working on doing a 230mi trail in sections this Spring. I was only able to complete about 30mi this year (I did some other hikes too), but I can hike here all through the fall and winter, so I am hoping to at least double that before the end of the year, my goal is close to tripling it. I’ll probably end up taking some time off when the weather gets cool again to do some multi-day sections. We just got a new dog a couple weeks ago that I think will be better at handling the cold weather and be more comfortable in the woods with just me and her.

For the last few years I’ve tried getting into hiking, but never really gave it much effort. I’m actually enjoying it more than I thought I would. Walking on rough terrain really helps quite your mind, because it takes just enough focus to not be able to really be think about much. It’s probably the closest thing I’ll ever get to meditation.

I also have a door pullup bar I use frequently that I think helps a lot. I don’t use it religiously, but I usually pause when I am walking into my office.

(not my picture)

My favorite part is the Netrunner box in the bottom left. :smiley:

Edit:

Just ran into this. Relevant. :laughing:

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Haha, THAT is your fave? The collection is even bigger now :slight_smile:

How’s the pullup bar holding up? I’m always vary of such a thing pulling down the door frame. No cracks etc?

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regular breaks help too. I use a program called ‘workrave’ http://www.workrave.org/ which you can set times for it to remind you to take a break. It also gives you simple exercises to follow on screen.

I’m pretty active outside of work anyway. I have run and biked for years but just recently started swimming which should be easier on my knees etc. I set myself the goal of ensuring i go twice a week and have been pretty good sticking too it. I also walk about 2miles in the lunch hour most days. If you have work colleagues who will go with you it’s both good to be moving and also good to have a chat and de-stress.

I also do some stretches and press-ups in the store room mid-morning to get blood moving again. thankfully no one has caught me yet as they might wonder what i am doing :slight_smile:

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If it fits the door, it’s fine. But, I tried putting it on the hallway doorframe one time and an fell on my butt because the sides that hold it to the door slipped off. But the frame going into the bedroom is fine, I think most of the weight is being put on the wall itself. I’ve had it for more than a year and haven’t had any issues.

Just the same, I think it would be wise to use lag screws into a stud, or better yet a supporting beam.

Running Bear has one of these pull-up bars. His is a folding version, which is easy to remove and store when not in use, but when it’s correctly in place, it’s as solid as can be.

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You Sound just like me but there is a slight change that is i do exercise but at home i am Not Fat nor slim i am normal guy with little bit of Atheletic inside =p i can give you advice to loose weight but firstly you have to make your mind that Exercise is the which will help you if you do not like exercise then do not hate it = ) at fight with exercise daily.
Let me know if you want to loose.
One thing is common between us that is i also do not like to leave anything i would like to eat

I like to stay fit but unfortunately i am not that fit but i have lot of information how to stay fit. If i would give you any tip then surely it will help any one out.
One thing is for sure i do not like that my body pains when i walk to much or if i do not want my body to pain if i did something tough so i have to workout a little in home to stay fit and active because healthy body keeps a healthy mind.

Stretches to get relief from backpain.

Isthmus wrist! This is the problem. Make sure you are. Regular exercise is important.

In UK I joined a Tai Chi class and learnt how to gently and gradually increase flexibility. After the first class a friend said he felt like he was walking on air. Although the exercise only needs about a square meter I preferred the company of others and have lapsed into occasionally swimming and walking the long way round for my daily lunch and exercise. Current BMI is a bit above normal mostly due to a sweet tooth.

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I personally try to incoroprate as much movement in my day as I can, just having awareness of what parts of my body need to be flexed, streched, moved. Plus an ongiong strength mobility routine I follow along with a mostly whole foods diet.

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Thanks for the tip. For someone with MS, I have no choice so yep, exercise every day. So much fun :frowning:

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I have been skinny always, I eat a lot of but seems like it’s not enough to me :slight_smile:

I used to go to gym, but I stopped for unknown reasons.Now I go sometimes to play soccer, or tennis which I prefer more then soccer

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I have lost around 2kg in the last few weeks, which is a solid amount (I’m trying to change my lifestyle instead of just doing a diet or similar). I am 1.83m and weigh 82kg. I started eating more at home (which is like really difficult for someone in tech) and drinking more water. I am also riding my bike a lot, like 1-2h on average per day (a lot of Pokemon Go also involved).

Next step for me is to reduce my belly a bit so I can wear proper shirts again and also quit smoking (still a habit around here).

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I’m well on the “chubby” side (last time I stepped on the scale put me over 147kg) and I want to reverse the trend without going over the 150kg threshold. Making my own man cave is out of the question for now, as we’re renting and, most probably, we’ll move again in May, when current contract ends.

Not much of a fan of going to gym and my last foray to a public pool ended up with a string of external ear infections that still plague me even now, a year later.

I started using a FitBit flex over the summer (gift from my previous employer). Took me a while to get my hands on an XL strap (before that I used the L one, tied down with a piece of wire, the kind used to keep gadget cables in a loop). The insights on my sleep patterns alone were enlightening. I also started keeping a food journal by taking pictures of my meals and adding them to a private album on Facebook.

For motivation I signed up to the Nerd Fitness Academy. It uses an RPG approach, gamifying the experience (quests, goals, levels and classes). I find it very cool and it helped me make some (small) changes in my lifestyle. There are also lots and lots of articles, workout plans, paleo nutrition guidelines and cooking recipes and a lot of other stuff. It also helps that there is a strong community, both on the forums and on Facebook. I can tell from experience that it helps to receive support from other people going through the same struggles.

I started walking around a bit more than before and we planned to start on weekend hiking as soon as my wife comes back from Romania in a week. We’ll see how far this will go and when the results will start appearing.

I would say that it really depends on the country. Here in Brazil many developers are like most of Brazilian very aware of the need to practice sports. Yet in Belgium my native country, developers tend to have more the Big Bang Theory look.
So based on my limited insight I would say that country and culture difference play a big role.

Hi, I’m not sure what country you are in but in the UK there is a program called ‘secret eaters’ which is a really good program as they get people to write down what they eat for a week and then secretly follow them the next week and compare what they think they eat to what they actually eat.

People tend to underestimate what they eat by at least 30% so it’s a really good eye opener to be able to see how other people ‘forget’ what they have eaten and the reasons why.

It may not be the case for you and i really don’t mean to offend i just think it’s a really good show to help people who want to lose weight, as they are quite practical in their advice.

I think you are taking the right approach at making small changes as these are more likely to stick rather than a full on complete lifestyle change. As you are probably aware there are some really simple things you can do like take the stairs rather than a lift (elevator if you are american :wink: ), even parking further up the street so you have to walk a bit further (if you drive) etc etc. One of the best changes i’ve seen on a diet show was to have a smaller plate! The brain is often triggered that it is full from visual stimulus so an empty plate says you are full even if it is smaller amount of food.

best of luck

Hi
You might regret later the decisions you make today.
That said, one should definitely take care of own body and health.

There’s no excuse to not start being more active while working all the time. You always have same flexibility in your schedule, so use it to get healthier… Tou might commit to small workouts that make a lot off difference overall:

  • walk whenever possible
  • do short workouts during the day, such as couple of pushups
  • take care of tour back - sit properly
  • consider standing at your desk for a few hours a day
  • cut off sodas
  • switch to healthy snacks

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