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Staying Healthy and Sane At a Startup

al3x.net

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Re: Staying Healthy and Sane At a Startup

#71

Post by adrianwaj »

timcederman wrote: post #46
adrianwaj wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's but one: Cholesterol: When dehydration causes too much liquid to be removed from inside the cells, the body tries to stop this loss by producing more cholesterol. http://www.care2.com/greenliving/13-symptoms-of-chronic-dehy...

Again, not talking about dehydration. What benefit does excess water consumption give, versus just having a drink when I'm thirsty?

You might be dehydrated even when your thirst is quenched. Dehydration is not just like being in a desert about to die. You'll need to engage in 'excess water consumption' to reset to a new non-dehydrated equilibrium for your body.

Re: Staying Healthy and Sane At a Startup

#72

Post by timcederman »

nzmsv wrote: post #49
timcederman wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What toxins? By the way, I mentioned specifically too much water. You only need to drink when you're thirsty. I'm asking what benefit you get from drinking water when you're not thirsty. By the way, "people are dehydrated a large majority of the time" -- citation needed.

This is an interesting question. The guideline I have heard over and over is 2L/day. I wondered what this is based on. Wikipedia says the 2L/day guideline comes from the EPA, and the corresponding British guideline is 1.8L/day. Following the links on Wikipedia I got to this article: http://www.aafp.org/afp/991115ap/2269.html It lists low fluid intake (as well as restricted access to a bathroom) as a risk factor in ki…

It doesn't need to be pure water to get benefits out of it. There was a study published on whether diuretic drinks (coffee, caffeinated sodas) provided equal hydration benefit. Pretty much, they do. Coke now uses it as part of their advertising campaign. http://www.dietcoke.com/wellness-balance/hydration.jsp

Re: Staying Healthy and Sane At a Startup

#73

Post by tremendo »

euccastro wrote: post #58
city41 wrote: post #28

I ride my bicycle just about everywhere: to the office, grocery store, restaurants, everywhere. It's a great way to get exercise and doesn't cut into your schedule all that much, because due to traffic lights you can often get to where you are going on a bike only slightly slower than in a car. Also starting the day after my 7 mile commute is fantastic, my brain is rocking and ready.

Does your city have a bicycle trail, has only light traffic, or are you hyperventilating on car exhaust fumes? I never really got why would people cycle/jog on busy roads.

Being knocked off my bicycle by a car door finally convinced me, after too many uncomfortably close encounters, that I was somehow invisible to drivers. Today I believe that for my well-being the risks of biking far outweigh any potential benefits.

Re: Staying Healthy and Sane At a Startup

#74

Post by tremendo »

dgallagher wrote: post #48

Exercise is basic necessary maintenance required by the human body. You either do it and have a happy/healthy body, or you don't. Eating healthy is just as important, separated into two categories: overall caloric intake, and nutritional content. Car analogies are a dime a dozen in computing, but they apply here as well. Not exercising is like changing the oil in your car every 10,000-15,000 miles, instead of every 3…

I'm not a doctor. I can't help but notice that when you mention the things your Father eats too much of, the problem may very well be the high refined carbohydrate content, not the saturated fat. It could very well be that the combined presence of both is more detrimental too.

In any case, it would be wise to actually measure arterial plaque over time, and other risk markers (Lp-a triglycerides, C-reactive protein, homocystein, etc.), especially if he's starting into a dietary change.

Track these variables over time, and this should provide a good assessment of whether you've put him on the right path, or not.

Re: Staying Healthy and Sane At a Startup

#75

Post by shashmundar »

nixme wrote: post #63
tmountain wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Without sufficient hydration, metabolic wastes stay around longer than they should. Most toxin removal is performed by the kidneys. Keeping your body hydrated assists the kidneys in their normal functioning and ensures that toxins acquired through food consumption are rapidly eliminated. At an optimal level of hydration, this occurs naturally; however, most people are at least somewhat dehydrated a large majority of…

> ...however, most people are at least somewhat dehydrated a large majority of the time. No. From sources described at http://www.snopes.com/medical/myths/8glasses.asp : Kidney specialists do agree on one thing, however: that the 8-by-8 rule is a gross overestimate of any required minimum. "The notion that there is widespread dehydration has no basis in medical fact," says Dr. Robert Alpern, dean of the medical schoo…

It's unfair to use supporting material out of context.

The first article mentions "widespread dehydration" ..that's an exaggeration at best of what's being discussed here.

People do get dehydrated. We, as a nation, have the means of staying hydrated and therefore we don't have a major epidemic. But, dehydration is definitely an issue--and always will be.

Re: Staying Healthy and Sane At a Startup

#77

Post by ztravis »

naner wrote: post #45

Just a small tip: don't stretch before strength training. You want the blood to remain in your muscles for the duration of your workout. Warm up by doing some cardio instead.

A good approach is to do an 'active warmup' - some light cardio, maybe ~5 min of biking or jogging, followed by a series of exercises done over ~20meters or so, going out and back:

pull your knee to your chest, quad pulls, lunges, high knees, butt kicks, shuffles, drinking birds, toe touches, karaokes, leg swings, others...

takes a little time, and sometimes looks a little funny... but is great for getting you warmed up.

Re: Staying Healthy and Sane At a Startup

#78

Post by tlrobinson »

It amazes me how stress can have physical, not just mental, effects. At the peaks of the stressful times I would get these really weird vague aches and pains. I saw my doctor (in the valley) and when I told her I was founding a startup she told me these were very common symptoms among our kind...

(granted my company was probably nowhere near as stressful as Twitter circa 2008-2009)

Re: Staying Healthy and Sane At a Startup

#79

Post by mkramlich »

al3x wrote: post #43
BrandonM wrote: post #31

I'm having trouble putting this all together. Let's figure 9 hours at work, 1 hour of commute, 1.5 hours eating, 1.5 hours exercising, .75 hours meditating, and 7.5 hours sleeping. That leaves less than three hours for showering, changing clothes, and a little downtime. When do you do chores around the house, run errands, visit family, and hang out with friends?

First off, I work from a coworking space that's a five minute walk from where I live, so I don't have a commute. Secondly, 90 minutes is probably on the high end for a workout for me. If I'm pressed for time, it's closer to an hour. Also, I don't know that I always work 9 hours a day. Realistically, I probably work a normal 8. I also often eat lunch at my desk, which shaves off half an hour from your estimated eating…

One of the attractions for me of doing contracting, telecommuting and/or startup work is the greater freedom to work from home or wherever, untethered, and having a zero-commute job. It's a great lifestyle.

I figure if I can get my total weekday required commute down from say 2 hours to 0-0.25 hours I save roughly 500 hours a year. All of which become hours spent on things which give me a better quality of life (more sleep, more exercise, more meditation, more relaxation, more friend time, family time, etc.)

I hope an increasing percentage of folks do it in the future, because I truly think it will help make the world a better place, especially through the indirect benefits of reduced traffic, reduced pollution, reduced vehicle accidents, fossil fuel consumption, miles-o-asphalt-culture, etc.

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