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

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

#51

Post by wdewind »

Kiro wrote: post #41
wdewind wrote: post #9

Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…

Since you didn't mention muscle size once... do you think I'm a loser for lifting weights primarily for hypertrophy?

Not at all, but this was a thread about fitness not aesthetics. Overall I'd still recommend a few months of strength focused training before shifting into a more hypertrophy focused program. For a novice you're going to experience a fair amount of myofibrilar hypertrophy doing a strength based program anyway, and when you shift over to a body building focused program you'll be able to get much faster sarcoplasmic hypertrophy due to increased weight you'll be able to do for reps.

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

#52

Post by wdewind »

gadders wrote: post #19
wdewind wrote: post #9

Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…

This, except 4x a week and doing a modified 5/3/1 (but Starting Strength is better for a beginner).

5/3/1 is a great intermediate/advanced program, but yep, agree SS for the beginner.

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

#53

Post by gt565k »

wdewind wrote: post #9

Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…

I think most people will find Strong Lifts 5x5 to be a better choice than Starting Strength, as it does not require power cleans, which are usually forbidden in most gyms. They are both more or less the same though, and focus on compound lifts.

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

#54

Post by johnnyn »

junto wrote: post #4
thorin wrote: post #2

I've started noticing this since having kids. Not got a concrete answer but try some of the following: * Drink as much water as you can and try and eat a mixture of freshly prepared food when you can. * Work out and pick something you enjoy - currently I go kayaking, go to the gym and do yoga during the week and try to get out at the weekend into the countryside. * Walk when you can, get outside and breathe fresh air…

Thanks for this. I've also noticed my energy level reduction since having children. I guess that is just par for the course. I guess your children are older? Mine are still young, so I wouldn't have the time to go kajaking at the moment (although I would love to)! I think I also need to get out and do some sport. Do you find yoga helps a lot? A friend suggested this to me too.

My children are also young (two under 5). It is incredibly difficult to find time to exercise. I play soccer one or two nights a week after the kids go to bed. It can be exhausting to do after a long day of work and kids, but it's worth it. I think yoga is a great idea too.

Other ways I try to maintain my health:

- I keep a pull up bar in the bedroom. It makes it really convenient to do any sort of physical activity. Even if it's just 10 pull ups a day.

- Spend time with your friends and family with and without the kids. This is the best thing for my emotional and mental health.

- Flexibility with my job helps my energy level exponentially. Being able to work from home and minimize my commute is incredible. And the ability to help my spouse (she works part-time) with the kids throughout the day instead of cramming it all into a few hours after a long day of work when you are already exhausted.

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

#55

Post by lazyjones »

kaoD wrote: post #38
lazyjones wrote: post #24

I had my blood analyzed and discovered a severe Vitamin D deficiency - so I take supplements. I also bought a treadmill and try to watch TV only while running or at least walking on the treadmill. It's less boring that way and gives me a little less of the feeling that I'm just wasting time when watching TV. I know there's a bit of a 'treadmill desk for programming' fad right now (since Linus announced his), but I fi…

> I had my blood analyzed and discovered a severe Vitamin D deficiency - so I take supplements. I'm sure you've been told before, but just in case: consider exposing yourself to more sunlight if possible. Most Vitamin D deficiencies I've seen around me are from white-collar workers not getting enough sunlight exposure. My SO had to avoid sun due to a medical condition and she developed a deficiency too. Sunbathing on…

> I'm sure you've been told before, but just in case: consider exposing yourself to more sunlight if possible.

Yup, that was exactly the problem - and it's not easy to change habits radically to facilitate that to the point of getting from less than 1/4th of the recommended level back to normal. Since higher dosages are considered safe now, I guess it's safest to keep taking supplements (as well as trying to get out more).

I've even considered buying one of these Osram lamps for reptiles with enough ultraviolet light to help Vitamin D levels: http://osram.com/osram_com/products/lamps/specialty-lamps/ul... - but 300W is a bit much (heat, brightness, limitations of typical luminaries).

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

#56

Post by wdewind »

gt565k wrote: post #53
wdewind wrote: post #9

Strength training 3x a week. Why strength? Strength is the most generalized adaptation there is. Training to be strong improves every component of fitness: strength (duh), power, agility, balance, flexibility, endurance (all 3 types) and coordination. I would also make the argument that in day to day life strength is the most important attribute of fitness for someone in the western world. The ability to carry a bunc…

I think most people will find Strong Lifts 5x5 to be a better choice than Starting Strength, as it does not require power cleans, which are usually forbidden in most gyms. They are both more or less the same though, and focus on compound lifts.

I think the point about power cleans is fair (although if you read the book they aren't really required, many reasons why you wouldn't do them), but the 5x5 progression is way too much volume way too early.

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

#57

Post by Kiro »

So everyone is talking about weight training for strength only. I've done StrongLifts and Starting Strength and while it's probably effective for building strength it is also really boring in my opinion.

Nothing beats the pump you get from doing some isolated biceps exercises. It's really addictive and makes you hunger for the gym.

I would also argue that you release more endorphins when doing hypertrophy training (nothing but anecdotal evidence to back this up though). If you work out in the morning you feel high the rest of the day. This never happened when doing heavy SL or SS.

I also like the fact that I can see myself getting bigger by each day when looking in the mirror. It's almost overwhelming to realize that you're looking at yourself. I don't understand why wanting to look good has almost become taboo. Or are muscles not fashion anymore?

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

#58

Post by Gnarl »

#1: Reduce your exposure to wireless radiation. It causes severe oxidative stress load and Rapid Ageing Syndrome.

#2: Regard sleep as sacred! Switch off all wireless devices when you go to bed and avoid mains-powered clock radios etc. in your sleeping room to minimize disruption of Melatonin production in the body.

#3: Get enough anti-oxidants through your diet and/or supplements (they get rapidly depleted due to #1).

#4: Exercise moderately.

#5: Meditate.

I'm aware many will have a knee-jerk reaction to down-vote this because I dare mention wireless radiation in a negative context. Do so if you must, but honestly, #1 is the best health advice you'll get.

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

#59

Post by rickdale »

wdewind wrote: post #48
rickdale wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Starting strength is OK, but I feel like the best start for strength training is to start by training your grip with http://www.ironmind.com/ .. And then I would get a kettlebell and do 1 handed swings, goblet squats, and turkish get ups. Specifically, do up to 5 sets of 5, with 5-10 minutes of active rest in between. Active rest meaning you can shake your muscles you just worked out in a relaxed way. I'll jump rope…

Grip training is good, but I'm not sure it's necessary for someone who is untrained. You'll get a fair amount of grip training by doing deadlifts. Kettlebells are also ok, but pretty suboptimal. They are harder to incrementally load, the technique is more complicated, less of an emphasis on strength etc. Turkish get ups have absolutely no place being recommended for novices/untrained population, sorry to disagree the…

So rather than a basic gripper, you would rather have a 'untrained' person start with deadlift? Deadlifting is one of the most complex weight lifting movements there is.[0]

I know its tempting to defend beliefs and I like Rippetoe as well. I have done starting strength. My point is just be open enough to listen to Pavels ideas. For Pavel its not about building muscle and adding weight, for Rippetoe it is. And there is a big difference. Pavel is talking purely about strength. Not adding to the engine, just making it run optimally.

[0] From Pavel on podcast listed in above comment.

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

#60

Post by _ywdj »

jenskanis wrote: post #43
tomhoward wrote: post #40

I've tried a lot of stuff over the years, particularly focused on the physical: strength training, running, nutrition, paleo dieting, gut biology support. Any benefits were short-lived until I started focusing on mental/emotional wellbeing, particularly relating to the subconscious mind. I've learned that our propensity for fatigue, burnout and physical decline is heavily influenced by our subconscious perceptions of…

Care to share your techniques/methods?

The technique I now use is my own fork of a technique that comes out of the chiropractic professional called Neuro Emotional Technique.

I'm a little reticent to talk much about it here, because hey everyone knows chiropractors are all charlatans right? :) Actually I kinda do too, but this technique is pretty powerful, and several very skeptical, conventionally-minded people I know have tried it out and found it very beneficial.

Things like meditation, mindfulness and hypnosis can be very effective for some people, but where they don't yield results, NET can offer answers.

If you want to know more about the science of how this stuff works, I recommend a book called The Biology of Belief by Bruce Lipton, a former Stanford researcher in cell biology who observed the way cell health responds to environmental (including emotional) stimuli.

The basis of the approach is that most of our core behavioral traits are somehow "hard-coded" into our minds at an early age - as the saying goes, "give me the child up to the age of 7, and I'll give you the man". Some of these traits may be linked to early life traumas or unhealthy value systems picked up from parents or other influential people, and some of them may lead to self-sabotaging behaviour in later life. To fundamentally change behaviour after this age is difficult, unless you can use one of these techniques to deprogram the undesirable beliefs and replace them with healthier ones.

I've also seen my rate of improvement increase since I started doing a form of yoga called kundalini. It seems to be very effective at strengthening the core and lower back, which makes a big difference to overall health.

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