Ask HN: How do I get fit and healthy as a software engineer?

Download the first week podcast. Pick 3 days and times to exercise this week, 1/2 hour. Follow the program. In 9 weeks you will be able to run 5k.

Its basically music, with instruction to start running, or stop and start walking, over the top.

Theres loads of different podcasts that you can choose that implement it, here's one from the NHS:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/couch-to-5k-week-by-we...

This is how easy week 1 is:

For the runs in Week 1, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk, then you will alternate 60 seconds of running, with 90 seconds of walking, for a total of 20 minutes.

Once you can run 5k, pick a half-marathon 14 or so weeks out. Start a 12/14 week half marathon program. This will usually be 1 weekly 5k run, 1 weekly 20 minute other cardio, 1 weekly ever increasing distance run (5k, 6k, 7k, 8k, 9k, etc.) to the point where you'll run 20k the week before your half marathon.

Then run the half marathon.

A few months after this I started noticing how just walking the stairs got me tired, and how my general well-being deterioated.

I've certainly never been "fit", but walking to work is a great start. It also does not require much dedication , something which is hard to spare if you have a busy career.

1. Start with a morning walk, or jog or even run if/when you feel like it. Spend about 1h moving before work. Walking is great form of exercise as long as it gets your heart pumping. For me walking is plenty enough to get me on lower training heart rate zones, and that is where 90%-95% of all training should happen, no matter how fit one is.

2. Eat well. For me taking in about 1.6g of protein / kg of body weight works, as it keeps sugar cravings away. Although I've always been light/normal weight, the body composition has not been great.

3. Again, for me, a fitness tracker (fitbit) has been a great tool, as it has both motivates me (I have a step goal for a day) and the app helps me to count what I eat. I started by counting everything I eat, but found out that counting the protein has been enough, as I don't feel like eating junk after having enough protein (note: not excessive amount, just enough, or maybe even a little too much). I stopped counting when I became familiar with what works.

4. Start every meal with protein. Might be just a placebo effect, but I've seen studies that say eating protein first significantly decreases insulin spikes. So if I eat breakfast I start with something with protein in it and then eat the rest, and the coffee last. I believe this has had an effect on my diet, mood and again sugar cravings.

5. I am definitely performing better, have better stamina and brain fog is almost non existent. I think I've been in a denial about my actual shape and weight, as I'm almost back to high school weight now with absolutely no adverse effects, just better body composition and mood.

6. I think everyone has a way that suits them. I highly recommend walking, it is magical form of exercise that gets you 99% of the health benefits without demanding almost anything. All other forms of exercise are fine too, but walking is the king of low effort, high return exercises and is probably something even an avid gym goer or bicycler should do. Any human basically.

Being lighter than the average Joe is absolutely not a measurement of your health or fitness. I guess I've become "skinny fat" at some point without realizing it, and I absolutely don't care about being skinny or fat, it is just that the feeling I have now is so much better. All the best for you!

Just start small and keep it consistent no matter what - like running 1-2km per day NO MATTER WHAT (rain, snow, cold, w/e). Just do it.