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My reply is a little off-topic but I wanted to share as it is Flight Simulator related. Last year an old boss and friend passed suddenly. He had only just turn

My reply is a little off-topic but I wanted to share as it is Flight Simulator related. Last year an old boss and friend passed suddenly. He had only just turned fifty but the years of poor eating and sitting caught up with him in his late forties. He was a Flight Simulator addict. He held a private pilots license as well and would fly small aircraft. Took us up a few times which was amazing. Very different to a regular airplane. He had an amazing setup with, I think, six screens, proper chair, and controls. We once got him a pilots cap for a birthday for him to wear :) So when I saw the new Flight Simulator announced during Microsoft's E3 event the other week my first thought was how he would have loved this. He had moaned for years about Microsoft killing it off so this would have excited him like nothing else. It really hit me in my gut and my heart just how much I miss that guy. If you are having some small health problems please get them checked out and take your health seriously. My friend was there one day then the next found sitting in his god damn home office with work documents still on the screen. He left behind a wonderful wife and two teenage kids. Rest in Peace my friend.

conroydave 7y ago
thanks for sharing this. sorry for your loss.
- satysin 7y ago
  Thank you. It was a total shock. Even more so as it was my wedding day so I found out in the evening :( He had been trying to get healthier for the previous two years after being diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure but the damage was already done. The thing is though he wasn’t huge. Yes he was larger than he should be but you didn’t look at him and think heart disease or diabetes. He thought he could make up for the years of unhealthy lifestyle by exercising and eating well once he had a problem but it doesn’t work that way. I am in my mid-thirties and it was a slap to the face that I needed to sort myself out now before I end up the same way.
  - antisthenes 7y ago
    My friend passed away at 30 due to high blood pressure complications. Sort yourself out asap. The best time for exercise is like planting a tree - 10 years ago. The 2nd best time is now.
    - satysin 7y ago
      That is awful. I am very sorry to hear that. Was there an underlying/undiagnosed issue or simply poor lifestyle?
  - m23khan 7y ago
    similar thing here -- I am in my mid 30s and I have just quit eating chocolates, junk food, sugary stuff, sodas, etc just 2-3 weeks back. It was painful, I still get headaches but I know its worth it. Next phase is exercising more frequently. Everybody has a time they will go but how you go can be controlled to a degree and that is what I am striving for. I am just glad that I am only few kilos (less than 10) overweight so can see light at the end of tunnel.
musha68k 7y ago
Long periods of sitting are actually very hard on your system and one of the reasons why so many quit doing what they love. Also tight deadlines and other maybe less obvious constant stressors might exacerbate pernicious effects. For that reason even junior and intermediate developers should think twice about fair/sustainable remuneration. Ageisim diclaimer: That doesn't mean that there aren't lots of people with exceptionable health and/or consistent exercise / eating discipline of course.
- vturner 7y ago
  What other areas do people with technical backgrounds move into that don't require so much sitting? With degrees in physics and applied math, I'm not sure where I can go and not be at a desk (or take a huge hit in $$). Just 3 years out from school, and I can definitely notice the difference in my physical health and mental agility. I have taken up gardening to get me outside and eat decently well. I can still feel the effects, scary.
  - jimktrains2 7y ago
    Mind you, I'm not a health professional, but here are some ideas. Take a walk at lunch. Try hobbies that aren't simply sitting. Even something like woodworking or gardening would have one standing and moving; it's not aerobic exercise, but it's still better than sitting. If you do do woodworking, you could build a little stand for your laptop or keyboard to convert your desk into a standing desk :)
  - ska 7y ago
    I think it's pretty hard without a radical shift in career. Your training correlates well with sitting/standing & thinking, then writing/typing things. What worked well for me though was to be quite intentional about a few things: * started at minimum walking to work - I know this doesn't work for everyone, but some variation (e.g. part way) might. This meant that regardless of how crazy my day got at the very least I had 1 hour of brisk walking - I moved to a 30 min walk from my office. * got out of the office for a walk of at least 15 min at lunch, pretty much every day * sit/stand desk and used it, changing position 4x a day usually (i.e. sit for a while, stand for a while, lunch, sit, stand) * got intentional about some meeting scheduling. e.g. this is going to be a whiteboarding exercise, put it at 10am to break up the morning sitting. * have a proper fitness routine, and stick to it. Could be activities you like or could be the gym or whatever, but don't let yourself "get busy" and miss too many days. It should be somewhat intense, and somehow cover core & hips & shoulders
vturner 7y ago
Thank you for sharing and I'm sorry for you. A professor who inspired me toward applied math and computational sciences passed away a few weeks ago from a heart attack. He was 47 and had several young children. Health is no joke.
- satysin 7y ago
  I am very sorry to hear that. My thoughts are with you and of his young children.
maccha 7y ago
Made an account simply to share that your post had an immediate impact on me. I was originally planning on canceling a physical therapy consultation I had scheduled to address the problems I inevitably have due to my software engineering job, figuring "It's not urgent, I should do more work instead, it can wait," but after reading your post, I decided to prioritize health and keep the consultation. I'm so sorry for your loss.
- satysin 7y ago
  I am very happy to hear you made that decision. I hope your problems are not long term and that by dealing with them now you are able to make a full recovery. I wasn't sure about posting my comment if I am honest. I even closed the tab. I am glad I decided to do it now though as it has started an interesting discussion and, more importantly to me, it got you to keep your appointment of which I am very happy to hear :) Take care of yourself maccha, nobody else will or can and you only get the one body.

conroydave 7y ago

thanks for sharing this. sorry for your loss.

satysin 7y ago
Thank you. It was a total shock. Even more so as it was my wedding day so I found out in the evening :( He had been trying to get healthier for the previous two years after being diagnosed with diabetes and high blood pressure but the damage was already done. The thing is though he wasn’t huge. Yes he was larger than he should be but you didn’t look at him and think heart disease or diabetes. He thought he could make up for the years of unhealthy lifestyle by exercising and eating well once he had a problem but it doesn’t work that way. I am in my mid-thirties and it was a slap to the face that I needed to sort myself out now before I end up the same way.
- antisthenes 7y ago
  My friend passed away at 30 due to high blood pressure complications. Sort yourself out asap. The best time for exercise is like planting a tree - 10 years ago. The 2nd best time is now.
  - satysin 7y ago
    That is awful. I am very sorry to hear that. Was there an underlying/undiagnosed issue or simply poor lifestyle?
- m23khan 7y ago
  similar thing here -- I am in my mid 30s and I have just quit eating chocolates, junk food, sugary stuff, sodas, etc just 2-3 weeks back. It was painful, I still get headaches but I know its worth it. Next phase is exercising more frequently. Everybody has a time they will go but how you go can be controlled to a degree and that is what I am striving for. I am just glad that I am only few kilos (less than 10) overweight so can see light at the end of tunnel.

musha68k 7y ago

Long periods of sitting are actually very hard on your system and one of the reasons why so many quit doing what they love. Also tight deadlines and other maybe less obvious constant stressors might exacerbate pernicious effects. For that reason even junior and intermediate developers should think twice about fair/sustainable remuneration. Ageisim diclaimer: That doesn't mean that there aren't lots of people with exceptionable health and/or consistent exercise / eating discipline of course.

vturner 7y ago
What other areas do people with technical backgrounds move into that don't require so much sitting? With degrees in physics and applied math, I'm not sure where I can go and not be at a desk (or take a huge hit in $$). Just 3 years out from school, and I can definitely notice the difference in my physical health and mental agility. I have taken up gardening to get me outside and eat decently well. I can still feel the effects, scary.
- jimktrains2 7y ago
  Mind you, I'm not a health professional, but here are some ideas. Take a walk at lunch. Try hobbies that aren't simply sitting. Even something like woodworking or gardening would have one standing and moving; it's not aerobic exercise, but it's still better than sitting. If you do do woodworking, you could build a little stand for your laptop or keyboard to convert your desk into a standing desk :)
- ska 7y ago
  I think it's pretty hard without a radical shift in career. Your training correlates well with sitting/standing & thinking, then writing/typing things. What worked well for me though was to be quite intentional about a few things: * started at minimum walking to work - I know this doesn't work for everyone, but some variation (e.g. part way) might. This meant that regardless of how crazy my day got at the very least I had 1 hour of brisk walking - I moved to a 30 min walk from my office. * got out of the office for a walk of at least 15 min at lunch, pretty much every day * sit/stand desk and used it, changing position 4x a day usually (i.e. sit for a while, stand for a while, lunch, sit, stand) * got intentional about some meeting scheduling. e.g. this is going to be a whiteboarding exercise, put it at 10am to break up the morning sitting. * have a proper fitness routine, and stick to it. Could be activities you like or could be the gym or whatever, but don't let yourself "get busy" and miss too many days. It should be somewhat intense, and somehow cover core & hips & shoulders

vturner 7y ago

Thank you for sharing and I'm sorry for you. A professor who inspired me toward applied math and computational sciences passed away a few weeks ago from a heart attack. He was 47 and had several young children. Health is no joke.

satysin 7y ago
I am very sorry to hear that. My thoughts are with you and of his young children.

maccha 7y ago

Made an account simply to share that your post had an immediate impact on me. I was originally planning on canceling a physical therapy consultation I had scheduled to address the problems I inevitably have due to my software engineering job, figuring "It's not urgent, I should do more work instead, it can wait," but after reading your post, I decided to prioritize health and keep the consultation. I'm so sorry for your loss.

satysin 7y ago
I am very happy to hear you made that decision. I hope your problems are not long term and that by dealing with them now you are able to make a full recovery. I wasn't sure about posting my comment if I am honest. I even closed the tab. I am glad I decided to do it now though as it has started an interesting discussion and, more importantly to me, it got you to keep your appointment of which I am very happy to hear :) Take care of yourself maccha, nobody else will or can and you only get the one body.