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I can't agree with this more. I despised gym and sports in high school, but in college I gradually took on more physical activity through a bit of martial arts

I can't agree with this more. I despised gym and sports in high school, but in college I gradually took on more physical activity through a bit of martial arts (I was still a total slacker when it came to showing up for training, but it was better than before...) and I really think there's something that all intellectuals can learn through the concentration and coordination required from some sort of intense physical exercise. It's just my theory, but I think that part of the problem for "hackers" is that we tend to have eclectic tastes and conventional sports don't always appeal to us. So, if you don't like the normal sports of baseball, football, etc., seek out something different that's still good exercise. Try ultimate frisbee, or kendo, or rock climbing. You're bound to like something.

gcheong 18y ago
For me, it was basically a question of "what is the simplest thing that could possibly work?". I started with just taking a quick lunch and then going for a walk, then I added some running around the block near where I live, and finally I added in some basic body-weight exercises (push-ups, sit-ups, etc).
patio11 18y ago
In my case it was a combination of factors, including a doctor advising I urgently make lifestyle changes to avoid premature death. Because nothing concentrates the mind like a well-written bug report with Issue: Programmer Dies flagged at the top. The actual changes turned out to be fairly simple. I bike daily now, pay a bit more attention to what I eat, and have 45 minutes chiseled out to exercise approximately twice a week. (I really wish I had discovered the Hacker's Diet about, oh, 16 years ago would have been great.) I've never felt healthier, never had objectively better readings on my annual physical, and my personal Trac shows Bug #666 closed. (Although I'll confess I have Feature Request: Abs still pending.)
jacoblyles 18y ago
As in hacking, it helps to have a goal and a project in exercise. I'm finally losing my office gut with Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu.
deleted 18y ago
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gcheong 18y ago

For me, it was basically a question of "what is the simplest thing that could possibly work?". I started with just taking a quick lunch and then going for a walk, then I added some running around the block near where I live, and finally I added in some basic body-weight exercises (push-ups, sit-ups, etc).

patio11 18y ago

In my case it was a combination of factors, including a doctor advising I urgently make lifestyle changes to avoid premature death. Because nothing concentrates the mind like a well-written bug report with Issue: Programmer Dies flagged at the top. The actual changes turned out to be fairly simple. I bike daily now, pay a bit more attention to what I eat, and have 45 minutes chiseled out to exercise approximately twice a week. (I really wish I had discovered the Hacker's Diet about, oh, 16 years ago would have been great.) I've never felt healthier, never had objectively better readings on my annual physical, and my personal Trac shows Bug #666 closed. (Although I'll confess I have Feature Request: Abs still pending.)

jacoblyles 18y ago

As in hacking, it helps to have a goal and a project in exercise. I'm finally losing my office gut with Muay Thai and Jiu Jitsu.

deleted 18y ago

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