The only thing that has ever worked for me is gamifying it. Ring Fit Adventure, Oculus Move, Apple Watch competitions, etc.
Ask HN: How do I get fit and healthy as a software engineer?
141–150 of 213 posts
Re: Ask HN: How do I get fit and healthy as a software engineer?
#142Earlier quoted context omitted.
5km??? Isn't this a big effort for beginners?
Yeah. For sure. I may have gotten excited there. Don't focus on the numbers so much. 1km is better than 0km. Walking 5km is a pretty doable though. I'm just so dang amped at people starting! WOOOOO!
When I started running I found this guide to be helpful and realistic for my starting point as a beginner: https://i.imgur.com/iWVU9vc.jpeg
Basically working your way up from "I can't run for longer than a minute" to "I can run 30 minutes nonstop".
Re: Ask HN: How do I get fit and healthy as a software engineer?
#143Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah. For sure. I may have gotten excited there. Don't focus on the numbers so much. 1km is better than 0km. Walking 5km is a pretty doable though. I'm just so dang amped at people starting! WOOOOO!
When I started running I found this guide to be helpful and realistic for my starting point as a beginner: https://i.imgur.com/iWVU9vc.jpeg Basically working your way up from "I can't run for longer than a minute" to "I can run 30 minutes nonstop".
This looks great. Do this people!
Re: Ask HN: How do I get fit and healthy as a software engineer?
#144A lot of programmers get bored with normal exercises, but a lot of us seem to have affinity for both dance (especially swing) and rock-climbing. The correlation is uncanny, in my experience. Both of these are more mentally stimulating than most exercises, so it makes a certain amount of sense, though dance might be difficult right now with covid. Personally I also enjoy just taking walks. I can daydream the whole tim…
Maybe I've simply doing it wrong, and while I never went rock-climbing properly, but I've been going bouldering regularly for a long time and basically... I've not felt any change except a little bit of increase in arm/hand/finger strength, but also only for the muscles used in bouldering and nothing else. Nothing for stamina or general fitness, more like doing a single strength exercise with dumbells every day.
With bouldering routes it is almost never your biceps or abs giving in, but usually the stabiliser muscles or your forearms and fingers.
So yeah, these muscles will get used and improve a little bit, but if you want to get really fit with bouldering, you need to end your session with dips, pull ups, push ups and something for abs.
Ironically, my bouldering improved immensely after switching to a workout that had less bouldering and more targetted exercise in it, and I was finally able to crack the 7c (V9ish).
Stamina is not improved by bouldering, but having stamina improves bouldering. I think some cardio just makes your body function better in every way.
Re: Ask HN: How do I get fit and healthy as a software engineer?
#145Yo! My time to shine. I'm a partner in a gym. I'm fit. I'm a full time software developer. People think I'm an athlete. You're trying too hard. You need to develop a habit to get fit. Consistency > intensity. Sooooo! Here is my tip. Go to the gym. Win the day by doing really easy stuff. Everything should be easy. Then finish your session before you are tired or sore. Go get food. A shake is perfect. You need to win.…
Definitely agree with everything you've said here. You've got to build the habit first, and you have to make it easy enough to not give up early. Once the habit is established it gets a lot easier.
One thing I'll add is that I believe the strength/mobility side of things is generally more important for software engineers, or at least you should not ignore this as walking/running won't counteract a lot of the ill effects of sitting in front of a computer all day. This could be my bias because I always maintained some baseline cardio as a bicycle commuter, but I had some nagging RSI / back issues that didn't really get fixed until I started lifting.
The main tip I have for lifting is to find a good coach to observe and correct your form early on. I tried lifting weights here or there during my whole life, but like the poster it never stuck. Not until I was 40 did I actually find a trainer who was skilled enough to really observe and teach me how to squat, deadlift, and even pullup/press correctly. Body mechanics and how to execute the movements and engage all the right muscles are key to avoiding injury and getting all the muscle groups evenly. It's especially tricky when you have some weak muscles that you aren't used to using, so your body does all kinds of compensations subconsciously, especially if you focus on numbers. It doesn't matter how many videos you watch if you have bad habits and you don't know what it feels like to do it the right way.
Re: Ask HN: How do I get fit and healthy as a software engineer?
#146By a peloton, use it most days.
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Re: Ask HN: How do I get fit and healthy as a software engineer?
#147Even the slowest-starting suggestions here are too ambitious. If you are really starting from scratch, walking 20 min a day can be a lot. If that is too much, start walking 10-20 min per day, three days per week. You'll need the day to recover.
A key to habit formation, and motivation in general is the anticipation of a reward (not the reward but the anticipation). So have a reward planned. I usually use a piece of chocolate. Then really savor it when you are done. You might find that the next time you don't want to walk, the thought of that reward will be enough to get you out there.
Another thing missed by most of the posts is that it helps to have really compelling "why's". Why do you want to do this? There are likely many reasons both logical and emotional:
To get at the emotional after you have exercised, how is your:
- energy level
- body feeling
- breathing
- mood
- anxiety
- focus
- ability to take on the day
- well being
Think about the "why's" regularly. Motivation is 80% of it.
Re: Ask HN: How do I get fit and healthy as a software engineer?
#148Diet and exercise. They work together, don't try to do one without the other. A good diet gives you energy for exercise, and exercise makes your body naturally want to eat a good diet.
For exercise start with something really small and easy that you will do every day. It doesn't matter if it's too small to make an impact, the point is to get in the habit of exercise every day. Once you're consistently doing it every day for a couple weeks then you can gradually dial up the intensity. If you miss a day don't get down on yourself and quit, instead forgive yourself and get back on the wagon the next day. To satisfy your software developer instincts your can use an app to track your progress. On Android I recommend Regularly and FitNotes, both free.
For diet, don't try to eat less bad food. Going hungry sucks, and bad food tastes good! Instead of eating less bad food, eat more good food. For example, stuff yourself with healthy snacks even if you're not hungry. When you're served a plate with a mix of food, eat all the healthy stuff first. Filling up on good food will leave less room for bad food.
This is what works for me.
Re: Ask HN: How do I get fit and healthy as a software engineer?
#149Personally I also find exercise very boring, my favorite activities are swimming and playing badminton.
Re: Ask HN: How do I get fit and healthy as a software engineer?
#150I found a gym that has a pool and built swimming into my habit. For me it's great -- anaerobic and aerobic workout combined into a single activity. Being in the pool means I don't get sweaty or hot. Started in Jan, lost 25 lbs and have gained lots of muscle. Low risk of injury, which was an issue for me with other workouts.