Ask HN: Worried about health | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Worried about health

9 pointsjorgecurio14 comments

Hey guys so I've been spending a lot of time in front of the computer working on my SaaS for the past two years.

Mainly I'm concerned that this sedentary lifestyle is having health impact.

I also have aspergers and what I can explain as avolition. Like I can't even take care of myself, neglecting food while coding or just overall spending too much time working or just playing pc games, reddit & youtube.

So what mind hacks or even work out furnitures did you introduce in your life to be more proactive?

Like this time I want to actually address being healthier, I'm 28 and having some health issues I believe caused by being a shut-in and working on my SaaS for like two years straight before making any money.

View on HN

Some things that will help:

Nulroute via hosts reddit/youtube/etc. Maybe setup a cron job to do this automatically at fixed times.

Make it a habit to leave the house at least once a day. I used to approach this and think about it like taking myself out for a walk, just to get some natural sunshine and talk with other people in meatspace.

Start exercising. Get a copy of "Starting Strength" or just start "Couch to 5K" (a great free jogging program) or go on /fit/ and look for a simple workout routine. Do something to get your body moving...it helps with depression, anxiety, and just general relaxation.

Stack something on your desk to make it a standing desk. This can be helpful if you're worried about slouching over too much. You can be a ghetto as you want here; even a bunch of books is better than nothing.

Stock basic cooking ingredients. Make it super trivial to go from "I'm hungry" to "I'm cooking". It's not too hard to, for example, make healthy meals out of eggs and avocados or salads.

With regards to the standing desk, I find that for me (5'11"), placing a tabletop on top of 2x IKEA Billy Bookshelves (41.75" H x 31.5" W) does the job perfectly; it easily supports a dual-monitor setup (1x 32inch, 1x 24inch). Add in a anti-fatigue cushioned mat for your feet, and you're good to go!

> Stack something on your desk to make it a standing desk. This can be helpful if you're worried about slouching over too much. You can be a ghetto as you want here; even a bunch of books is better than nothing.

Do pay attention to ergonomics when you do this. I have a desk that I can raise at work, but it doesn't go to quite the right height. If I try to type at this height, I start noticing my wrists quickly. I do not want to deal with any repetitive stress injuries.

That said, it's awesome to work in a different posture sometimes.

holy shit those are actually really good and applicable, thanks!

If there is one piece of advice I can give you which will solve a disproportionately large amount of your problems, it is this: Get some exercise.

So simple yet so hard (although it really isn't that hard in comparison to the benefits it yields). You probably already know it but don't want to hear it, so you are hoping for other quick fixes like furniture or mental hacks.

Just start small if you've never done it before, run for a minute then go back home, and do the same next day, until you start to improve your form (which will happen surprisingly quickly if you're starting from zero).

Think of it this way, if you can't muster up the discipline to go out and exercise, how are you going to be successful in your project when it comes time to do some of the things you don't enjoy? Use it as a proxy for your project's success.

I've read about people who work from home, who get up every morning, dress for "work", and walk around the block to get to "work." That walk in the morning, or two or three blocks, would go a long way to keeping you healthy.

If you've been spending two years in front of your computer working on your SaaS, then you've missed some crucial benefit for your SaaS. You need to spend time not thinking about your project, so your brain can sort through things on its own. You'll get more and better ideas by not constantly thinking about more and better ideas.

I suggest exercise first. Even semi-regular exercise will help stimulate your appetite and need for sleep, making both of them harder to ignore or neglect. Then, of course, there are the benefits of exercise.

I believe the means by which you choose to exercise is extremely important here. Based on my interpretation of your post, I'm going to divide exercise into the two categories.

1.'Exercise hacks': intermittent, low-impact physical activity that optimizes for your convenience and proximity, and done well goes almost undetected in your day-to-day. Usually, this type of exercise splits its time with another activity. Examples: use a treadmill desk while working; do five pushups every time you enter your kitchen; choose stairs over the elevator.

I do not recommend this category for you. I believe you would be disappointed and unlikely to improve your overall health, and the things in between, by a meaningful and rewarding degree.

2. Activity performed as part of a group class that occurs during discrete, recurring periods of time. Exercise, a safe space for person-to-person interaction, accountability, and opportunities to laugh at yourself are all pleasant byproducts. Examples: beginner salsa or swing dancing; rock-climbing; parkour; whatever.

I think you'll find this form of activity to be a lovely surprise and very rewarding. I urge you to give it a try.

Solo dev working from home here - my main lifehack is that I don't have a car. That means when I need to do shopping, I have to walk to the shops & carry it back, enforcing a minimal level of exercise each week. Since I can't carry as much as a car could, I have to walk to the shops more often. (When I do need a car, I use Uber or Uber Black.)

I allow myself to eat fast food / McDonalds whenever I want - but if I want it, I have to walk the 3km / 2 miles each way to get there. That gets me walking & out of the house. I also take my laptop and work from cafes often, or work outside in a park to get sunshine.

Joining a gym is a great idea, and when you have enough cash saved get a personal trainer. You might need to go through a few trainers to find one that you click with. Right now I'm a member of a 24-hour gym & workout at night when I have the gym all to myself, great alternative if you're shy or feel socially anxious at times.

I'm hesitant to recommend hacks, but I do have some URLs permanently blocked on my router and have used Mac apps like Concentrate [1] and Vitamin-R [2] to help me focus on work. Try RescueTime [3] if you need to identify which sites you should block. I love my Herman Miller Aeron [4] chair (helped with back problems), a Bosu [5] is amazing for doing pushups / crunches / plank at home, I use the hotspot on my Nexus 5 so I can work at cafes & parks, and I wear my Bose QC25s at the gym with a Spotify running playlist to get about 10 - 20% extra speed out of myself. (But you don't need toys & hacks, self-discipline & self-motivation is more important.)

[1] http://getconcentrating.com

[2] http://www.publicspace.net/Vitamin-R/

[3] https://www.rescuetime.com

[4] http://www.hermanmiller.com/products/seating/performance-wor...

[5] http://www.bosu.com

Neglecting things is a big issue which needs to be addressed first. For your fitness regiment start simple At home When you get up (Look at youtube videos if you do not have a clue what these are) - Stretch - calisthenics

In the office Use a timer and every 90 minutes go for a 10 minutes walk. You could also do chair exercises but that would depend on your sitting configuration.

Wake up at 6AM every single day. Walk for an hour every single day. It's easy to wake up early if you go to sleep early. And it's easy to take a walk if you have something interesting to listen to.

This seems to be enough to "bootstrap" a more active/healthy lifestyle and stave off the shut-in funk.

Pick a healthy hobby that is also as addictive as screen time. For me, it's martial arts. I look forward to my work outs, and it drives me to eat better so I can win. Yes there is winning in the gym! Well, at least there is still losing :)

Maybe consider doing comprehensive medical testing? If everything is okay it will help reduce your anxiety about it. If not it will probably help more than any amount of exercise ever will.

> it will probably help more than any amount of exercise ever will.

Unless the issue is solely anxiety-based, exercise would in most cases help a considerable amount. Especially for smaller medical concerns (not sleeping well, aches, mild anxiety), doctors usually cannot really help. Medical intervention generally does not make sense until something is really wrong, and a proper exercise habit is a very good way to help prevent many types of conditions. Before I had experience with doctors, I thought they would be able to solve any medical problems, but I learned the hard way that with many problems they often cannot help a significant amount, if at all. Medicine is still a very crude science. Plus, it would be a folly to think a doctor cares as much about your health as you do. If you care about yourself, you need to do your part with diet and exercise.

start walking/hiking/running. It has one benefit in that you can think about your SaaS with the added circulation helping the mind.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com