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Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#101

Post by likpok »

listic wrote: post #100
[deleted] wrote: post #98

[deleted]

> Drink as much water as you can: helps flush the body, a hydrated body is a happy body I heard of this too, but I wonder: isn't there such thing as drinking too much? If anything, I suppose it puts high stress on your kidneys and washes away salts. > Cook your own food: know the ingredients, the less you eat the more you will enjoy it and want it to taste better This is so that you won't eat too much, I suppose? Not…

If you know that alfredo is equal parts butter, cream and parmesan, you will use it more sparingly.

In general, if you know what goes into food (e.g. oil, butter etc), you realize how many calories (e.g. food) is in it.

Also, (generally) it is somewhat difficult to cook the heavily fried and sugared foods at home. (requires a great deal of special equipment). Stew is easy. Veggies are easy.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#102

Post by likpok »

wvl wrote: post #72
setori88 wrote: post #28

buy this book: http://www.thechinastudy.com

Or, don't: http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/peta-cspi-and-other-menac...

To respond to both: It is probably a good idea to watch what you eat. There appear to be two factions who agree on this. They disagree on how you should do this. One (China study) claims you should avoid animal-derived products (I think. Haven't really read it). The other claims the opposite (meat rocks!).

Needless to say, both say that the other technique will lead to suboptimal results, and both say the science is on their side.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#103

Post by diN0bot »

kingkongrevenge wrote: post #69
diN0bot wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

nice work! i ran my first half-marathon last spring. it was awesome!! anyone reasonably athletic can train in a couple months to run a half-marathon no problem. long running is totally awesome and zen. i've been meaning to get back into it but wacky swim sports have taken over my evenings.

Top ten reasons not to run marathons: http://www.arthurdevany.com/2005/08/top_ten_reasons.html

sure. i don't plan to run a marathon for similar concerns about health. i still believe that a half marathon is totally different than a marathon.

here's why: "athletic" folks in my mind are those who play running sports such as frisbee, soccer or bball. Even just pickup, which is low stress and to some extent low motivation, require stamina of 1-2 hrs. Athletic folks are comfortable going on half hour runs a few times a week. Quadrupling that running time to 2 hrs is a small matter of stamina and psychology. Assuming you're not running a half marathon to win, there's no need for physical destruction.

i'll happily play frisbee for 2 hrs (with water breaks, hard sprints and down time on the line), but get bored running. training for a half-marathon was a great experience mostly because of the mental zen aspect. you get into a zone...it's wonderful. i'd come home, lie down for a bit, eat a great breakfast, and do some excellent coding.

running in the half-marathon was exhilerating. there are so many people, and there's such a great sense of accomplishment afterward. having the goal of running a race--however long--is excellent motivation, too.

(the link you provided contains so many questionable methodologies and conclusions that i can't take it seriously)

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#105

Post by pizza »

Easy.

- no sugar if it wasn't grown as part of a vegetable or fruit

- get your heart pumping

- eat fat! not processed shit, but avocados and fatty fish like salmon!

- when you're doing your cardio, do it intensively for 6 seconds. then, take it easy for the next 9. rinse and repeat.

- water. you need it. you really, really need it.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#106

Post by diN0bot »

timcederman wrote: post #96

Two rules: plenty of vegetables/fruit with every meal, and 4 miles of running every day. Everything else seems to sort itself out.

my favorite meal, after peanutbutter on apples or cheese on apples or peanutbutter on carrots, is to cook vegetables in some olive oil in a cast iron pan. parsnips, carrots, green peppers, onions, eggplant, radishes, whatever (usually not all at the same time). paprika and chili powder, or tumeric while cooking, or green zatar and nutritional yeast and sesame oil once it is done.

i think running 4 miles a day would be too distracting for me, but that does sound fun. i tend to exercise at night once i've gotten all my work out of my system, and i don't like to run at night. pool is open until 11pm though.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#107

Post by rdouble »

kingkongrevenge wrote: post #69
diN0bot wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

nice work! i ran my first half-marathon last spring. it was awesome!! anyone reasonably athletic can train in a couple months to run a half-marathon no problem. long running is totally awesome and zen. i've been meaning to get back into it but wacky swim sports have taken over my evenings.

Top ten reasons not to run marathons: http://www.arthurdevany.com/2005/08/top_ten_reasons.html

The first thing mentioned on this list, raised liver enzyme markers (ALT and AST) also occurs if you measure them shortly after doing the strenuous weight lifting exercises deVany prescribes.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#108

Post by danudey »

pclark wrote: post #3

oh, and dont drink fucking red bull

I suffer from attention deficit disorder, but before I was diagnosed I was self-medicating myself with stimulants – coffee and energy drinks. I started a two-Red-Bull-per-day habit. I found that I was better able to focus in the morning, and could more easily handle the morning's issues, making me far more productive at work.

So, apparently I have Crohn's Disease. I found that out because the Red Bull irritated my digestive system so much that I had my first flare up and ended up in the hospital – twice. That was three years ago, and I'm only just now starting to recover from it. I'm getting my energy back, I can drink and eat more food, etc. Except I have to take immunosuppressant medication to keep the Crohn's controlled, which means I get sick (cold, flu, etc.) extremely easily, and I stay sick a lot longer. Also, I've had a ton of radiation exposure due to all the CAT scans, etc. I've gone through.

So, next time someone tells you Red Bull (or whatever) is bad for you, don't just shrug it off like I did. Our bodies are fragile machines in a delicate balance. Upset that balance enough and the machine goes haywire, and it's pretty hard to find spare parts.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#109

Post by 3dFlatLander »

After a lot of research, I put this plan into action for myself.

Diet: Lots of plants, ~15% of total kcals from meat (very little red meat, more chicken + fish), ~15% kcals from dairy. I'm not exact about it. Eating a diverse group of foods, getting good amounts of fiber, yogurt, and complex carbohydrates helped shed some pounds.

Exercise: 30-45 minutes 3 to 5 times a week of time spent running at 60-80% of max heart rate. body weight exercises focusing on core strength (a good resource for those here http://www.combatfitness.co.uk/ ). Stretching, yoga, whatever, stretching is exercise too. I also go sprinting and lift weights via dumbbells to get some more in.

Meditation: Lots of different ways to do this. I picked one that worked for me and moved on to other things. I started doing muscle relaxation techniques, since I'm sitting so often. More on those here: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/relaxation-technique/SR0000...

I lost 50 pounds over the past year and a half--feels great. :)

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#110

Post by shawndrost »

danudey wrote: post #108
pclark wrote: post #3

oh, and dont drink fucking red bull

I suffer from attention deficit disorder, but before I was diagnosed I was self-medicating myself with stimulants – coffee and energy drinks. I started a two-Red-Bull-per-day habit. I found that I was better able to focus in the morning, and could more easily handle the morning's issues, making me far more productive at work. So, apparently I have Crohn's Disease. I found that out because the Red Bull irritated my di…

About Crohn's disease: a friend had it, and her doctor never mentioned the following treatment, which is newish and apparently quite effective:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helminthic_therapy

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