It's really hard to approach fitness as yet another obligation, unless you happen to have a laid back lifestyle. My advice: find some kind of exercise that you enjoy, don't stress about whether it's the optimal program. Use the time as a mental break from your day at the computer, or to get some energy in the morning or to unwind after work. Don't focus on results at first - then, after it becomes a habit, you can optimize.
Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
141–150 of 370 posts
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#142I quit a decade of pack a day smoking last August.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#143Earlier quoted context omitted.
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 i…
Deadlift is not complex. Stand close to the bar, bend over and pick up the weight with your back flat. Press, clean and jerk, and snatch are certainly complex, but deadlift not so much. Turkish getups are a great way for a beginner to drop a kettlebell on their head. From my experience being a gym rat, a majority of beginners have decent deadlift form with minimal training.
I think you are underestimating how easy it is to get injured while performing the deadlift with improper technique. Naturally with little weight the technique isn't as critical, but load the bar and it's an entirely different story. I think the squat is on par in technicality, which lift is more technical I think is irrelevant.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#144Fitness and nutrition are those kinds of topics that no one ever agrees on. Everyone thinks their way is the "right" way, as exemplified by the enormous number of unique replies to this thread. This could be attributed to the ignorance of the commenters, or that everyone just finds different things work for them. It is probably a combination of both, with an emphasis on the former.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#145Eat well, sleep enough and walk plenty. Sleep is something which is seriously overlooked in general. From personal experience, getting enough sleep and eating well are requirements that need to be met first before exercise. There is nothing is worse than exercising whilst you are deprived of sleep and mal-nourished. Speaking about exercise, don't get hung up on dogmas and "this is the only way" personality that is co…
As someone who loves to walk, loves beer, and has been going to bed early, but doesn't necessarily make a point to exercise, your post is encouraging! ...but I really should also make a better effort to exercise.
I agree that its neccessary to make a better effort to execise, but I've seen the older you get, the more walking feels like a strenuous exercise. Especially if you don't walk plenty.
So don't sweat it. Keep on walking and enjoy life!
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#146taekwondo ( or any martial art that is not aimed at neutralizing )
It gives good exercise, focusses the brain and is also good for discipline.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#147I would say three things are really important in the following order:
1. Sleep.
2. Diet.
3. Acitivity.
Sleep: If there's one thing that you can change to make you feel a lot better its going to be this. Always get whatever your body needs, for me thats around 7-8 hours. (see: http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20459221,00.html)
Diet: Drink lots of water and eat healthy i.e. lots of veggies and fish. Avoid sugar and junk foods as much as possible. I was skeptical about the sugar too, but I've noticed a huge boost in energy and overall alertness once killing the sugar habit (see: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/your-brain-on-sugar) There are also specific foods that are better than others, but the main thing you want is to make sure you're getting all the essential vitamins your body needs - and not by taking a multivitamin supplement. Here's a good list of the health http://www.realsimple.com/health/nutrition-diet/healthy-eati...
Activity: This doesn't mean working out hardcore or even 3x a week or whatever. Just find a routine that works for you - make sure its regular - and do it. For instance, go swimming once a week, or take a hiking trip the first of every month. Just pick something active that interest you and make it into a habit. Also make sure you life style in general is a pretty active one. Are you watching TV every night? What if you finally started building that workshop you've always wanted instead?
Here are some other tips I've noticed that help me feel WAY better:
1. Don't sit at a computer all day long :) Find a time period that works for you and if possible work in intermittent sprints - for me I can have peek performance and concentration for between 2-3 hours after that I start fading. So just take a break then, go shopping, mow the lawn, read a book, whatever needs to be done. I realize this is hard to do if you have a 9-5 but still even a 10-15 minute break to drink tea and listen to some music can be enough to give you a boosting refresh.
2. Do everything you can to minimize stress in your life. If you have a stressful job or work environment seriously try to change that, (see: http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/features/10-f...)
3. Don't live a repetitive lifestyle. Do something new at least semi-regularl. Go to a meetup for a first time then maybe give a talk, go rafting on a weekend or just read a fiction book you've been wanting to read for a while. I've noticed that doing new things can really give your mind and body a fresh start and help out with the every day grind of things.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#148Crossfit.
I started about 1.5 years ago and it has been great. Strength training + cardio, planned by someone else, on a schedule, guided by a coach, with peers that encourage and motivate you. It pretty much addresses all of the psychological reasons people normally quit going to the gym after a month.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#149It really helped me to be employed somewhere that has a gym on-site and working out is part of the culture.
While I worked at EA, it was easy to stay in great shape because I played full-court basketball every day at lunch. They also had daily soccer matches, spin classes, personal trainers and so on. I frankly had no idea what a huge impact leaving the company would have on my fitness. I've since worked out a plan for staying in shape without it, but that workplace benefit is noteworthy to this end.
Re: Ask HN: What are you doing to improve your health?
#150I walk to and from BART most days to get exercise.