As I get older, I realise I should probably start earnestly looking after a body that I too often leave just sitting in my desk chair for hours. I'm not unhealthy or unfit; I eat well, I see doctors when I should and I walk everywhere. But I rarely decide to exercise.
So what do others in this tech-focused, often sedentary community do to stay fit?
24/7 gym open so I have no excuses No alcohol, only espressos. No snacks, only lunch + maybe dinner, sometimes meat, if there are sugar cravings only honey on rice cakes.
Lost 22 kilos since October with 7 more to go, everything is so sweet to me at this stage and I have no need for sugar.
Most significant life improvement I have ever had, even better than using vim + tmux
> No snacks, only lunch + maybe dinner.
As someone in their 40s who writes code for a living, I've discovered that eating three reasonable-sized meals is actually way too many calories for me. These days, I often only drink water till lunch.
> even better than using vim + tmux
Indeed, I'm confident that exercise provides long-term returns that exceed even this dynamic duo.
That's me. Without needing to compete with manufactured junk food fruit practically becomes candy.
- VR with games that make me move (Beat Saber, Thrill of the Fight - especially this one)
- Swimming. I really enjoy being in the water and swim any chance I get
- Pickleball. I always wanted to learn tennis but with my clumsiness I never could master it enough to be enjoyable. Pickleball is a great inbetween sport that is played in the open air or on a gym court similar to tennis
- e-bike. I know that many consider power assisted bikes to be lame but when I'm at my summer place in Europe it is a great way to do some excursions to nearby towns and sweat much less than with a regular bicycle
Straight Leg Dead Lifts paired with Skull Crushers Upright Rows paired with Split Squats Bench Chest Flyes paired with Lat Pullovers Curls paired with Forward Squats Bent Over Rows paired with Pushups
Paired with meaning as soon as I finish the set of the first exercise, I go into the second, as it is designed so that each exercise uses a completely different set of muscles, so it makes it quite quick to work into a busy day. Beyond this I walk a few miles every day and run a few miles a few days a week.
I switched to this route over my former routine of kettlebell swings and turkish get ups, as I've moved to a more sedentary job, and the goal stopped just being maintain and build strength, but more build on actual muscle bulk. This of course means eating appropriately for the goal, so I shoot for about 160 grams of protein a day, and start off with oatmeal mixed with casein protein, TMG (Betaine), and createine, and make sure to get a vegetable heavy lunch.
All of this I work into workdays in my work from home office, with pretty minimal equipment and minimal time commitment. Gives me something to do when I'm catching up on podcasts.
Oh, and I guess I should also throw in rec department pickleball in spring, summer, and fall. Definitely helps on keeping the weight in check.
That's the thing, I'm not sedentary, though you don't have to go to a gym or run 5 miles to keep from atrophy and decline.
Try standing to work. The restless moving around is actually good for you, and can be channeled into a quick dozen rep. Do a different exercise every day.
The trick with anything is normalizing it as your habit. We are habitual creatures.
Two days, two weeks, two months, two years, and then for your decades. Make your basic care a part of your lifestyle and you will live well. Strength, energy, even a healthier look.
My weekly "sport" schedule: - 2× 14km (8.7 miles) run - 2× gym (strength training, full body training, compound exercises) - 1× 1 hour swim (1.5-2km)
My recommendation to someone who wants to start is to find something you like, no matter how trivial it seems, and try to do it consistently until it's no longer a chore. Then, try to build up and add more things to complement that. I started running three years ago and going to the gym two years ago. The first year of the gym was very inconsistent. Started swimming 3 weeks ago.
There are some "nasty" habits that I avoid (based on my own personal experience) to keep myself motivated: - I run no matter the weather. It's more satisfying to finish a run during a shitty day (snow, rain, slush) - I don't expect continuous improvement or any improvement at all. It's all ups and downs (weight at the gym, speed when I run, etc.). Staying consistent is key. Imperfect progress is still progress, and everything you do eventually counts. - Keep trying things and see what sticks. I'm currently trying push-ups and cardio after the gym when I wake up. I do not know how long I will do them, but I'm trying.
I also do intermittent fasting by skipping breakfast. Weekdays I keep to a strict diet while weekends I eat whatever. I’ve been doing this for 30 years and it works pretty well. I like the hourlies because it helps break up my work day and take short breaks, and I struggle personally with focus so keeping a very strict routine helps me in other areas of my life.
What’s important is figuring out what kind of activities you may like or manage to get into (going to the gym, running, group fitness, video based classes, etc.).
I’ve never been able to follow a routine by myself. What works for me are video based workouts where I don’t feel as if I’m doing it alone and I also get a good variety.
Another thing that helped me a lot is getting an Apple Watch and closing the rings everyday honestly. There are three activity rings to close each day — one for activity, one for exercise minutes and one for standing and moving a bit each hour. You can set each ring to whatever levels you’re comfortable with (increasing or decreasing or keeping it the same). You don’t need to keep going up or competing with others. The longer you keep your “streak”, the more motivating it is to keep it going.
If you like video workouts, check out the free Nike Training Club app. There are various other apps with free workouts.
If you get a new Apple Watch, you would also get a free trial of Apple’s Fitness+ service.
Apart from this, in the past I’ve also very much enjoyed game based workouts like Wii Fit Plus, Ring Fit Adventure for Nintendo Switch, etc.
A good starting target is getting moderate to intense exercise for about 30 minutes a day.
Rest and recover and slowly get into it.