3 ms·

As a developer, I sometimes ask myself how I can get more exercise. My commute is 1.5 hrs each way. So 8+3= 11 hours of sitting related to work. By the time I

by nojvek 10y ago

As a developer, I sometimes ask myself how I can get more exercise. My commute is 1.5 hrs each way. So 8+3= 11 hours of sitting related to work. By the time I get home I am almost super tired and hungry to anything else. Averaging 16,000 steps is very impressive. Feels like a distant dream.

tomjen3 10y ago
Honestly that is one very long commute. You really can't get anything closer, even factoring in how much it costs you to drive that much, and the value of your time?
mrfusion 10y ago
Have you considered a treadmill desk? I really want to try it but they're so heavy to get moved in. I bought a motorless one but it turns out you have to concentrate on walking to make it work so it's not conducive to intellectual work. I still use it during phone calls though or when I'm stuck on a hard problem.
harlanlewis 10y ago
That is a very long day of sitting. When I was younger I had a similar duration commute, with a couple transfers each way. I was fortunate that each line could carry a bike, so I skipped a bus on one end by sacrificing a few minutes to bike a few miles. I would have been in bad shape (mentally, physically, ...) without it. That said, this was one of the unhealthiest periods of my life, and it didn't really get better until I stopped commuting such a distance. The time and effort that commuting saps seems pretty deeply incompatible with an active life. Not a hugely useful observation unless you have the freedom to change it, which many developers do in some way if willing to prioritize it. I know other people who hit the gym at 6am to fit it before the trek into the office, but I've never been one of those. Making exercise a subconscious part of the routine, even if it isn't the most efficient method, has always been the most effective way to get me to actually do it.
wsc981 10y ago
About 1,5 years ago, I worked for a company that had company showers. And nearby was a nice, green area. So often I would bring my jogging gear and run for about 1 hour during break time. At that time, my commute was about the same, perhaps a bit longer even. Sadly my current company doesn't have showers and I am sure my colleagues wouldn't appreciate a sweaty smell.
pm90 10y ago
As a kinda lazy developer myself here are the things that motivate me to workout: 1. Being more attractive. This is probably the no.1 reason, as facetious as it may sound...helps that I am single. I have certainly noticed people of the gender I like begin to notice me more, and that is an implicit but powerful motivation to stay in shape. Don't worry about looking like models from Men's Health: you just have to look/feel like you take care of your body. 2. Having workout possibilities close at hand. I live in a residential neighborhood and my gym is far away, so I got into outdoors running. So after work, I put in my bluetooth headphones, play some tunes and just run. I'm too lazy to go to my gym regularly, but since I can just step out of my house and start running, it reduces the barrier to doing that. I'm planning on moving to an apartment complex that has an in house gym because of the very same reason. 3. Eating healthy and mindfully. Your diet can have an out sized impact on your ability to work out. Personally, I found that I need to wait for a couple of hours after my last meal before I start an active workout; otherwise, my tummy is full and busy digesting food. Also, perhaps the food digests by that time because I feel a surge of energy...which brings to my last point: 4. Point 2 is useful because there will be peaks and troughs in your day, energy wise. You might get up at midnight and feel full of energy, or may have a planned workout at 7pm and feel completely exhausted. Having the ability to run/workout closeby helps here, because you can then use your body's natural inclinations in your favor. Anyways, full disclosure: completely personal experience, I am not a certified anything. Hope you find something that works! It may be a personal thing, but I find my productivity and creativity peaks when I live a healthy lifestyle.
keithpeter 10y ago
2000 steps per mile or slightly more depending on your height/ I'm assuming that your commute is car based: any chance of parking about 1 or 2 miles away from work location and walking?
lawpoop 10y ago
I had the same problem, and came to this solution: Could you park near work, and bike the rest of the way? Some 5, 10, 02 20 minutes?

by nojvek 10y ago

tomjen3 10y ago

Honestly that is one very long commute. You really can't get anything closer, even factoring in how much it costs you to drive that much, and the value of your time?

mrfusion 10y ago

Have you considered a treadmill desk? I really want to try it but they're so heavy to get moved in. I bought a motorless one but it turns out you have to concentrate on walking to make it work so it's not conducive to intellectual work. I still use it during phone calls though or when I'm stuck on a hard problem.

harlanlewis 10y ago

That is a very long day of sitting. When I was younger I had a similar duration commute, with a couple transfers each way. I was fortunate that each line could carry a bike, so I skipped a bus on one end by sacrificing a few minutes to bike a few miles. I would have been in bad shape (mentally, physically, ...) without it. That said, this was one of the unhealthiest periods of my life, and it didn't really get better until I stopped commuting such a distance. The time and effort that commuting saps seems pretty deeply incompatible with an active life. Not a hugely useful observation unless you have the freedom to change it, which many developers do in some way if willing to prioritize it. I know other people who hit the gym at 6am to fit it before the trek into the office, but I've never been one of those. Making exercise a subconscious part of the routine, even if it isn't the most efficient method, has always been the most effective way to get me to actually do it.

wsc981 10y ago

About 1,5 years ago, I worked for a company that had company showers. And nearby was a nice, green area. So often I would bring my jogging gear and run for about 1 hour during break time. At that time, my commute was about the same, perhaps a bit longer even. Sadly my current company doesn't have showers and I am sure my colleagues wouldn't appreciate a sweaty smell.

pm90 10y ago

As a kinda lazy developer myself here are the things that motivate me to workout: 1. Being more attractive. This is probably the no.1 reason, as facetious as it may sound...helps that I am single. I have certainly noticed people of the gender I like begin to notice me more, and that is an implicit but powerful motivation to stay in shape. Don't worry about looking like models from Men's Health: you just have to look/feel like you take care of your body. 2. Having workout possibilities close at hand. I live in a residential neighborhood and my gym is far away, so I got into outdoors running. So after work, I put in my bluetooth headphones, play some tunes and just run. I'm too lazy to go to my gym regularly, but since I can just step out of my house and start running, it reduces the barrier to doing that. I'm planning on moving to an apartment complex that has an in house gym because of the very same reason. 3. Eating healthy and mindfully. Your diet can have an out sized impact on your ability to work out. Personally, I found that I need to wait for a couple of hours after my last meal before I start an active workout; otherwise, my tummy is full and busy digesting food. Also, perhaps the food digests by that time because I feel a surge of energy...which brings to my last point: 4. Point 2 is useful because there will be peaks and troughs in your day, energy wise. You might get up at midnight and feel full of energy, or may have a planned workout at 7pm and feel completely exhausted. Having the ability to run/workout closeby helps here, because you can then use your body's natural inclinations in your favor. Anyways, full disclosure: completely personal experience, I am not a certified anything. Hope you find something that works! It may be a personal thing, but I find my productivity and creativity peaks when I live a healthy lifestyle.

keithpeter 10y ago

2000 steps per mile or slightly more depending on your height/ I'm assuming that your commute is car based: any chance of parking about 1 or 2 miles away from work location and walking?

lawpoop 10y ago

I had the same problem, and came to this solution: Could you park near work, and bike the rest of the way? Some 5, 10, 02 20 minutes?