4 ms·

Ask HN: How to stay fit?

3 points by snowse 11y ago

As software developers we sit many hours at a desk. How do you stay slim/fit?

davelnewton 11y ago
Eat real food, and exercise. Not exactly rocket science.
- base2 11y ago
  How to program: Just pick up a keyboard and start pressing keys? Not exactly rocket science either since, you know everything that isn't rocket science isn't rocket science...I think.
  - edwardm 11y ago
    Thing is, davelnewton is right. Eat right and be active and you'll see results right away.
  - davelnewton 11y ago
    Nope, that's not how you program. But what I said is how to stay in shape. Which is the confusing part? What constitutes "real food"? What are appropriate exercises? A half-hour on Google should clear that up real quick for you. Not a great analogy, really.
byoung2 11y ago
I've lost 50 pounds in 2 years. The first 30 I did with diet alone in a year. I started by cutting out alcohol, pizza, and fast food. The last 20 I lost with exercise. I hired a personal trainer and trained twice a week and worked out an additional 3 days a week on my own.
base2 11y ago
I train Jujitsu and I also sit a a lot. One of the things that can make it a little harder to stay fit is muscle imbalances that can occur from constant sitting. If your posture is out of balance it might be a little harder to keep an exercise routine if your body doesn't feel right. http://breakingmuscle.com/brazilian-jiu-jitsu/it-s-all-in-the-hips-hip-care-101-for-bjj-practitioners http://breakingmuscle.com/brazilian-jiu-jitsu/it-s-all-in-th... https://www.defrancostraining.com/joe-ds-qlimber-11q-flexibility-routine/ https://www.defrancostraining.com/joe-ds-qlimber-11q-flexibi... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B-3Khbht5s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B-3Khbht5s I'm in really good shape but if I don't stay stretched out and limber all of that goes out the window. I would say a good start to staying fit is minimizing the determent that siting does on the body.
throwaway_ghj 11y ago
Nike+ app. Use the built in coach (training programme). Half-marathon training, thoroughly recommended. Don't eat junk food too.
gjmulhol 11y ago
Set a performance goal. Don't focus on weight loss, focus on finishing a half marathon, swimming a mile, or something else you might like to do. Then set up a training plan 3-5 days a week and keep a calendar where you get to cross off every day where you follow through (off days are freebies). Don't Break the Chain: https://www.writersstore.com/dont-break-the-chain-jerry-seinfeld/ https://www.writersstore.com/dont-break-the-chain-jerry-sein...
- edwardm 11y ago
  I agree. Signing up for a race motivated me to train. I hated running. The first part was the hardest, but I learned to love it. My garmin device and online tracking has made it quite a fun and rewarding experience.
mindcrime 11y ago
For me, it's mainly about eating healthy and lots of bike riding. I had a heart attack last year, so I've been really focused on this stuff for the past year. I've recently decided to adopt a ketogenic diet (although I did break it earlier today). I started back doing a lot of bike riding again earlier this year, mostly mountain biking up until I fell and tore my rotator cuff. After that, I switched to mostly road biking until I have the surgery to get my shoulder fixed. The big breakthrough for me was when I decided to start biking to work a couple of days a week. It's a 12 mile ride (one way) so the days I ride I get a pretty good workout in. My goal is to eventually reach a point where I'm doing that 3 days a week pretty consistently. That'll put me right around 75 miles a week, plus any other random riding I do. Next year, after my shoulder is healed, I'll start backing with mountain biking and MTB racing again. I did one 6 hour MTB endurance race this year, but missed the rest of the season due to the shoulder injury.

3 points by snowse 11y ago

As software developers we sit many hours at a desk. How do you stay slim/fit?

davelnewton 11y ago

Eat real food, and exercise. Not exactly rocket science.

base2 11y ago
How to program: Just pick up a keyboard and start pressing keys? Not exactly rocket science either since, you know everything that isn't rocket science isn't rocket science...I think.
- edwardm 11y ago
  Thing is, davelnewton is right. Eat right and be active and you'll see results right away.
- davelnewton 11y ago
  Nope, that's not how you program. But what I said is how to stay in shape. Which is the confusing part? What constitutes "real food"? What are appropriate exercises? A half-hour on Google should clear that up real quick for you. Not a great analogy, really.

byoung2 11y ago

I've lost 50 pounds in 2 years. The first 30 I did with diet alone in a year. I started by cutting out alcohol, pizza, and fast food. The last 20 I lost with exercise. I hired a personal trainer and trained twice a week and worked out an additional 3 days a week on my own.

base2 11y ago

I train Jujitsu and I also sit a a lot. One of the things that can make it a little harder to stay fit is muscle imbalances that can occur from constant sitting. If your posture is out of balance it might be a little harder to keep an exercise routine if your body doesn't feel right. http://breakingmuscle.com/brazilian-jiu-jitsu/it-s-all-in-the-hips-hip-care-101-for-bjj-practitioners http://breakingmuscle.com/brazilian-jiu-jitsu/it-s-all-in-th... https://www.defrancostraining.com/joe-ds-qlimber-11q-flexibility-routine/ https://www.defrancostraining.com/joe-ds-qlimber-11q-flexibi... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B-3Khbht5s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B-3Khbht5s I'm in really good shape but if I don't stay stretched out and limber all of that goes out the window. I would say a good start to staying fit is minimizing the determent that siting does on the body.

throwaway_ghj 11y ago

Nike+ app. Use the built in coach (training programme). Half-marathon training, thoroughly recommended. Don't eat junk food too.

gjmulhol 11y ago

Set a performance goal. Don't focus on weight loss, focus on finishing a half marathon, swimming a mile, or something else you might like to do. Then set up a training plan 3-5 days a week and keep a calendar where you get to cross off every day where you follow through (off days are freebies). Don't Break the Chain: https://www.writersstore.com/dont-break-the-chain-jerry-seinfeld/ https://www.writersstore.com/dont-break-the-chain-jerry-sein...

edwardm 11y ago
I agree. Signing up for a race motivated me to train. I hated running. The first part was the hardest, but I learned to love it. My garmin device and online tracking has made it quite a fun and rewarding experience.

mindcrime 11y ago

For me, it's mainly about eating healthy and lots of bike riding. I had a heart attack last year, so I've been really focused on this stuff for the past year. I've recently decided to adopt a ketogenic diet (although I did break it earlier today). I started back doing a lot of bike riding again earlier this year, mostly mountain biking up until I fell and tore my rotator cuff. After that, I switched to mostly road biking until I have the surgery to get my shoulder fixed. The big breakthrough for me was when I decided to start biking to work a couple of days a week. It's a 12 mile ride (one way) so the days I ride I get a pretty good workout in. My goal is to eventually reach a point where I'm doing that 3 days a week pretty consistently. That'll put me right around 75 miles a week, plus any other random riding I do. Next year, after my shoulder is healed, I'll start backing with mountain biking and MTB racing again. I did one 6 hour MTB endurance race this year, but missed the rest of the season due to the shoulder injury.