Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?

I have to disagree with you on the machines though. From what I've read, they tend to train large muscle groups but fail to build up stabilizer muscles, which can cause some nasty problems if you keep at it for a long time. A good friend of mine worked out exclusively on machines for a while and wound up having to work (as a developer) in wrist braces because the muscles in his arms were all out of whack. He thought he'd gotten carpal tunnel syndrome or something similar, but his physiotherapist did a quick exam and asked him if he worked out on machines X or Y. He answered in the affirmative, and she told him to stop immediately and start stretching and do some bodyweight stuff.

Bodyweight or barbell exercises won't lead you down that path, but machines can and do cause problems. Be careful!

edit to add: during this time I:

1. walk the dog 2. read (book or kindle paperwhite which doesn't impact sleep) 3. tidy up 4. lay out clothes for the next day, pack lunches or bag as needed. 5. sit and chat with my partner (shocking!)

My current routine has me lifting free weights 3 days a week (M,W,F). Squat, Deadlift, Bench Press, Military (overhead) Press, Pull-ups, Decline sit-ups, bicep curls, leg curls on a machine to hit hamstrings better. Although I strive for a full body resistance workout 3 times a week - I will sometimes go light on all the exercises except one of them and really push that focus exercise.

Jog or run intervals on treadmill set at an incline twice a week.(T,TH). I generally go about 3 miles.

Rest on the weekend.

I do a form of intermittent fasting (16/8 or sometimes 18/6. Quit eating about 8 PM - don't eat again until noon the next day or sometimes as late as 2.

Timing: I do my workouts at the end of my fast at mid-day before eating.

Diet: My meal right after working out is a giant multi-ingredient salad with a bit of protein. After that I pretty much eat what I want but make sure to get solid protein with evening meal and generally another fruit or vegetable. I do eat dessert two or three times a week. I rarely snack between meals. I drink soda maybe once a week and then only 12 oz. or less. I basically don't drink alcohol except for an occasional toast or one beer at a party. I drink lots of black coffee (no sugar or cream) I used to call this my vice and then the Harvard epidemiologists decided that black coffee and tea are both essentially health drinks - lucky me.

I feel stronger and better than ever as an adult - though I cannot run as fast as I did in my twenties. But admittedly my exercise program emphasizes strength much more than speed.

Mental well being: keep learning - that is almost a given for developers but I sometimes need to do something really different.

Relational well being: I take pretty good care of my wife of 31 years and she takes care of me. Lucky to have 4 great kids that enrich my life as well.

Spiritual well being: I actively participate in a local church which challenges me to think deeply about spirit and life. It also helps me get involved in helping others, giving to the poor and such. It also provides access to a rich circle of friends who share one or two things in common with me but are otherwise quite different.

These are the things that seem to really work for me. Hope it is helpful.