Try Yoga. I started doing it every morning for 15-30 minutes, it makes a big difference.
Another advise I can give you: your health is more important than your job. Take the time you need every day.
Ask HN: Improving health despite working in a screen-based job
31–40 of 53 posts
Re: Ask HN: Improving health despite working in a screen-based job
#32Dynamic body movement, dancing, running, jumping. Desk jobs force us to be static, the longer we are static the more accustomed our muscles, tendons, ligaments and nervous system become to being static. Stretching doesn’t overcome a lack of movement, movement overcomes a lack of movement. Lifting heavy weights & body weight exercises, lifting and holding your own weight is very important. A calorie maintained diet. I…
Wow! I really like lots of this, and I’ll look into air quality monitors.
The only exercise I recently had an urge to do was laying on the bed (diagonally) and lay my arms up near my head. I swim almost daily for 10mins and I do not know: how to incentive exercise?
Re: Ask HN: Improving health despite working in a screen-based job
#33Dynamic body movement, dancing, running, jumping. Desk jobs force us to be static, the longer we are static the more accustomed our muscles, tendons, ligaments and nervous system become to being static. Stretching doesn’t overcome a lack of movement, movement overcomes a lack of movement. Lifting heavy weights & body weight exercises, lifting and holding your own weight is very important. A calorie maintained diet. I…
> if you live in the northern or Southern Hemispheres
so... anywhere in the world?
Re: Ask HN: Improving health despite working in a screen-based job
#34Dynamic body movement, dancing, running, jumping. Desk jobs force us to be static, the longer we are static the more accustomed our muscles, tendons, ligaments and nervous system become to being static. Stretching doesn’t overcome a lack of movement, movement overcomes a lack of movement. Lifting heavy weights & body weight exercises, lifting and holding your own weight is very important. A calorie maintained diet. I…
Can you talk more about the air quality situation? What'd you find from the monitors, what did you do to remedy it, and what changed once you fixed it?
A CO2 monitor is quite helpful with keeping a room properly ventilated. The CO2 levels found in many indoor spaces are high enough to cause drowsiness, headaches and poor concentration. Of course all you need to do is open a window, but you'd be surprised how fast levels rise again after you close the window. It's particularly bad in small rooms and cars.
Re: Ask HN: Improving health despite working in a screen-based job
#35I don't think trying to passively exercise while working is the right approach - I take 2-3 15 minute walking breaks a day, but I also do 30 minutes to an hour of cardio before or after work every day. I use a bike trainer and rowing machine, but this could also be running, HIIT, roller blading, whatever. IME getting your heartrate into the aerobic zone for 30 minutes a day is way more effective at maintaining fitnes…
Walking carries much of the benefit of higher intensity exercise. It won't build aerobic capacity much, but it burns calories and is good for heart health and so on.
I think it helps if the first half of a walk is up hill. I live next to national forest land, and even a 20 minute walk helps because the first ten minutes is up hill so my heart rate increases. When I am hiking without friends, I move at almost a jogging speed when walking. With friends, we walk leisurely. I try to do one very long hike a week (2 to 4 hours) if my work schedule permits this. Anyway, I have read that it is distance covered that counts, that jogging 2 miles is about the same as walking two miles.
Feel free to call out bullshit here, but: I think that exercise where you are mentally calm and happy counts for a lot more than exercising when you feel tense or unhappy.
Re: Ask HN: Improving health despite working in a screen-based job
#36I'm not a fan of standing desks for myself - I inevitably find myself leaning or unfocused. Dependent on your situation, but the things that work for me: - see a personal trainer once a week (over Zoom). Forces me to show up, don't have to be disciplined. - Set a daily step goal. Start where you are, and try to add 500 a day per week. I think walking is the best exercise because everyone knows how to do it, low risk…
One thing that might help with the leaning: get a standing desk with a horizontal cross bar. This gives you another position where you can put one foot up and prop yourself backwards from the desk.
The leaning itself is a function of TimeStanding > CurrentStrength. Even if the horizontal bar reduces 50% of the load, you'll still end up doing more standing reps/work if you have a cheater bar. Eventually you may not need it at all, but it's also great for keeping the desk from wobbling.
UpLift's commercial line has them and the extra cost is well worth it, imho.
Re: Ask HN: Improving health despite working in a screen-based job
#37One issue that can develop over time is cervicogenic headache. This issue strains your muscles that span over your head. This origins from bad posture, typically from a screen-based job. Some exercises that help in these area, according to my physical therapist, are bending over your head as much as possible. Hold this position for 10 seconds. Then move your head back, such that you make a double chin. Also hold this…
There are useful Qi Gong moves for facial muscle rejuvenation (especially around the forehead and around the sinus area) and also to release muscle tension in the neck and shoulders. I like to do Qi Gong while waiting for things to happen in the kitchen. You can find decent videos on YouTube that show you how to do this.
Re: Ask HN: Improving health despite working in a screen-based job
#38The only people I see successfully using stuff like standing desks etc are people who are already fit and also go to the gym every day. For other folks like me the only thing that works is to take a proper 15 - 20 min break minimum every 2 hours and go for a walk, take a break every hour to get a glass of water or something, and exercise in a gym or somewhere at least thrice a week. Honestly this itself drains me!
It helps to start slow with standing desks. Having a desk you can switch between sitting and standing will allow you to work your way up to standing longer over time. It also helps to have the right shoes and a soft mat to help absorb some of your standing weight, since just standing is not exactly great for your body over long periods of time.
Re: Ask HN: Improving health despite working in a screen-based job
#39Dynamic body movement, dancing, running, jumping. Desk jobs force us to be static, the longer we are static the more accustomed our muscles, tendons, ligaments and nervous system become to being static. Stretching doesn’t overcome a lack of movement, movement overcomes a lack of movement. Lifting heavy weights & body weight exercises, lifting and holding your own weight is very important. A calorie maintained diet. I…
> if you live in the northern or Southern Hemispheres so... anywhere in the world?
Except directly on the equator. Then, feel free to just sit on your ass all day.
Re: Ask HN: Improving health despite working in a screen-based job
#40everyone is suggesting solutions other than going to the gym or partaking in an athletic sport
If the proposed solutions weren't bizarre, modernist, and over-engineered then it wouldn't be Hacker News