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Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

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Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#51

Post by maxawaytoolong »

I worked at startups for 10 years and the only thing I got out of it was 50 extra pounds of bodyfat and an anxiety disorder. One of the best things I have done for my health is getting an easy, but high-paying quasi-corporate job and reducing the number of hours I spend at work. Sitting in front of a computer 12 hours a day is bad for mental and physical health. It can't really be compensated for by switching to diet soda and 30 minutes on the treadmill. My goal now is to continue to recuperate and lose 20 more pounds and save up enough money to do a complete career change. I'm not sure what yet, I'm trying to figure out something where I can use my mind but also not be chained to a desk all day.

That might be a tough pill to swallow for the hacker news crowd, so here are things I did to fix my health, and lose 30 pounds while I was still in startup mode:

- pilates fixed a lot of back and flexibility problems

- break up the work day in to two halves. between those two spend an hour walking or working out at the gym

- walk, bike or skateboard to work. My job is 4 and a half miles away.

- swimming

- sprinting at the track

- I tried to stand up and do work whenever possible.

- Used one of those swiss exercise balls instead of an office chair

- avoid the typical beer & pizza binges after a release

- avoid eating all "office food" (chips, pretzels, candy, soda, etc)

- cut out sugar and most refined carbs, except for special occasions like when grandma bakes cookies. but even then, only eat a couple and give the rest away.

- eat salads, berries, almonds,lean meats, egg whites for most meals.

- started drinking seltzer. I love carbonated drinks, but most of them are bad for you. Seltzer is great, it's just carbonated water. Now I don't drink soda and drink about 1/10th the amount of beer I used to.

- bought a blood sugar meter. It turns out with all the carbs and sugary stuff I was eating I was making myself pre-diabetic. After 2 months with limited carbs and no sugar, my blood sugar was down to 70-80. (instead of 100-120)

- one day a week don't use the computer at all

- weekends try to spend at least 8 hours outside, cycling, biking, walking around

- make friends with people outside of internet messenger

- spend less time on hacker news!

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#52

Post by brown9-2 »

kingkongrevenge wrote: post #49

This trumps absolutely anything else you can do: avoid starch and sugar. Eat only meat/fish, vegetables, and fruit. Simply don't eat sugary drinks, cereal, oatmeal, rice, potatoes, bread and so forth. This way everything you eat is nutrient packed. Eggs and dairy are the best foods I know of. I normally eat four eggs a day (scrambled in lots of butter) and have a large glass of half and half, or sometimes I even drin…

You do realize that you might have just gotten lucky in the genetic and metabolic department, and that others who might not be so lucky in their genetic makeup do need to work out 5 hours a week (or more) to get the same results as you?

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#54

Post by modelic3 »

Latest research shows that oxidative stress that results from cardiovascular exercise is the kind that is most beneficial to physical and mental well being. So I usually go running during the week but I don't stick to a schedule or a minimum distance quota. Listening to how your body responds and acting accordingly minimizes damage and improves recovery times. Since my goal is to improve overall well being I've found that this kind of setup works quite well.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#55

Post by kingkongrevenge »

chipsy wrote: post #36

Paleo diet. Cleared up my skin, ended headaches and tiredness, decreased my caloric intake and body fat without any overt discipline, lowered my blood pressure, and increased my strength and stamina. Downside: No grains, beans, dairy; that means no coffee, no chocolate, no soy, no cheese, no bread or noodles or pastries. (Plus sides: bacon, sausages, eggs, figs, dates, walnuts.) I gradually fell into this diet by car…

I wouldn't say "no coffee" is a paleo thing.

Also, I would say experiment with dairy. Dairy makes me feel great. Full fat yogurt is a fantastically cheap and healthy central component to a meal if it agrees with you (I think ethnicity is relevant here). Yogurt has minimal lactose. So what if cavemen didn't have it.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#56

Post by tdedecko »

Exercise: Cycling is my default. I enjoy it and happen to live in a great place to engage in it. I try to do short rides on week days (~30 miles) and longer rides on weekends (~70 miles). In two weeks I'll be doing my first century ride. Besides cycling, I play Ultimate at least once a week, goto the gym 3 to 4 times a week, rock climb and hike when I have time. At times I throw into my regime some running, tennis, or soccer. Essentially, I try to be as active as possible.

Food: I eat mostly vegetables, rarely red meat. Typical meals are: Breakfast (2 egg scramble with pepperjack and salsa; with some juice), Lunch (sliced turkey, pepperjack and a tomato on whole grain bread, with some fruit), Dinner (usually some sort of vegetable stir fry, pasta vegetable combination, or rice and beans with vegetables). Between meals I either eat some fruit or some cereal or granola with soy milk or yogurt. Throughout the day I drink lots of water and usually some juice.

Caffeine: I am in love with tea my default being loose leaf jasmine green. Coffee is a rarity. Red bull is never an option.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#57

Post by kingkongrevenge »

brown9-2 wrote: post #52
kingkongrevenge wrote: post #49

This trumps absolutely anything else you can do: avoid starch and sugar. Eat only meat/fish, vegetables, and fruit. Simply don't eat sugary drinks, cereal, oatmeal, rice, potatoes, bread and so forth. This way everything you eat is nutrient packed. Eggs and dairy are the best foods I know of. I normally eat four eggs a day (scrambled in lots of butter) and have a large glass of half and half, or sometimes I even drin…

You do realize that you might have just gotten lucky in the genetic and metabolic department, and that others who might not be so lucky in their genetic makeup do need to work out 5 hours a week (or more) to get the same results as you?

It's true I've never been fat, but the changes in my health and body composition as I shifted to eating this way were undeniable. Likewise my health also improved as I phased out a distance biking habit in favor of short, hard lifting routines.

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#58

Post by jacquesm »

kingkongrevenge wrote: post #49

This trumps absolutely anything else you can do: avoid starch and sugar. Eat only meat/fish, vegetables, and fruit. Simply don't eat sugary drinks, cereal, oatmeal, rice, potatoes, bread and so forth. This way everything you eat is nutrient packed. Eggs and dairy are the best foods I know of. I normally eat four eggs a day (scrambled in lots of butter) and have a large glass of half and half, or sometimes I even drin…

> Demand a full body picture of anybody purporting to give lifestyle health advice

Indeed. So ?

Re: Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

#60

Post by ax0n »

I ride my bike to work, and have been for the last 3 years. I lost about 50 pounds quickly (I was about 250 at the time) and then kind of hit the wall around 190. I'm still fat, but my lungs and heart are in great shape. My round-trip is about 29 miles, but I also have several multi-mode options that involve mixing bicycle and bus, shortening the bicycle part of my trip to anywhere from 2.7 to 7 miles each direction. This time of year, it's not uncommon for me to ride to the bus on chilly mornings and soak it up with a 14-15 mile homeward ride.

At this point, I'm suffering from T-rex syndrome. Massive, muscular legs, good overall health, and very little upper body. I started 100 pushups a while back ago, then dislocated a shoulder. I'm about ready to start it back up again. Pushups were really working my core and arms. Cycling and pushups seems like a good start at full-body workout without a gym membership.

Oh yeah, and watch what you eat, I guess.

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