Keeping it simple. The two main principles: 1.) you can't out-run a bad diet; 2.) effort trumps everything else. Eat cleanly ("if it doesn't go off, don't eat

Keeping it simple. The two main principles: 1.) you can't out-run a bad diet; 2.) effort trumps everything else. Eat cleanly ("if it doesn't go off, don't eat it", etc). Exercise: a mix of weights and conditioning; I favour short, high-intensity workouts for conditioning, with steady-state aerobic running occasionally for variety. Others have mentioned crossfit which is certainly good -- I've been basing my workouts around http://www.rosstraining.com http://www.rosstraining.com for a while, with great results. Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 routine is great on the weights side of things, and you can find most of the info on it in this interview: http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/how_to_build_pure_strength http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_train... Routines help; as a hacker it's likely you have at least mild obsessive-compulsive tendencies (maybe that's just me, but it seems common in hacker friends too). Being obsessive means that you're less likely to skip a workout, eat badly, go to bed at irregular hours, etc. +1 for the mental relaxation (including rest/deload days if you're exercising seriously) mentioned by others as well.