Ask HN: Any health tips? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Any health tips?

45 pointsseymores66 comments

What works for you and what don't. Lets hear it.

I don't know about you guys but vitamin b complex really helps in my ability to focus and mental acuity.

In my view, we are physical/emotional/intellectual creatures and harmonious functioning of all three centers leads to exponentially increasing productivity.

Physically, I treat the body as a machine that runs on macronutrients (fiber, protein,carbs) and micronutrients. I looked up daily requirements of each macro and I make sure I get them. Micronutrients come from a vitamin. A cornerstone of my diet is the protein smoothie - orange juice, brown rice protein, probiotic yogurt. Muscles are made of protein and they grow by stressing them until they breakdown then letting them regrow bigger. So, I do cardio every day and weights alternating upper/lower 5/7 days.

Emotionally, the key for me is minimizing lying and living according to my principles. I also make sure to take time to take pleasure and relaxation. This does wonders for my motivation. I also try not to express or fixate on negative emotions, rather to take them as a signal that change is required and then let them go by as unnecessary wastes of energy.

Intellectually, I am merciless with myself. I use lists and lots, really a lot, totally excessive numbers of tests to make sure that I'm not seeing what I want to see.

That's about my philosophy of living a healthy life.

I'm curios about the tests. Can you expand?

nothing particularly interesting really. most of them are in junit. otherwise, it's simple stuff like marking off when I stick to schedule or violate it, estimating times and then checking those estimates.

Drink enough water. Even slight dehydration causes fatigue, emotional discomfort, and loss of focus. (There's an easy way to tell if you're hydrated: your urine will be nearly clear.)

Get enough sleep.

Eat a balanced diet: lots of veggies and fruit, some lean meat and dairy, and the right amount of carbs to keep your blood sugar consistent without adding too many empty calories.

Keep your body moving. Sitting in your chair staring at a screen for 8 straight hours is stressful. Get up and take a short walk while you're thinking through a problem. Pick up a hobby like biking, swimming, or martial arts.

But taking vitamin B complex make my urine bright pretty yellow :-)

Stay away from ALL fast food. Even their "healthy" choices are designed to maximize profit margins, and there's just something unsavory about decades of processed food.

I stopped eating fast food about 3 years ago, and I have felt healthier ever since - I didn't change any other significant part of my diet/living situation - and I've only gotten sick once or twice, my migraines have decreased despite the added stress of college, plus I've become a better cook.

-Fruit is healthy\quick\convenient\delicious and is always a great standby. Try to eat a little fat with them though (walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts are great) to stabilize the blood sugar impact and absorb any Vitamin A.

-Cook with coconut oil or olive oil

-If you don't like eating your veggies, try them with more garlic. Or add spinach in with whatever you're cooking, it gets a good flavor once heated and even works with pasta.

-Vitamin D supplement is extremely important if you are moderately nocturnal, you also can't absorb any calcium without it (look into this late-night coders)

I went low-carb three weeks ago and have lost c. 6lbs (edited!) since. I gave up alcohol a week later (still have the occasional one though). Feeling much better, sleeping better, more energy, etc. I have always been skeptical of "fad" diets but this one is working fine for me. "Good Calories, Bad Calories" by Gary Taubes was the starting point for all this.

That much weight loss (6 Kg) sounds great! Good job. Be careful with loosing too much too fast, that could leave you with skin folds (excess skin hanging loose). I seem to remember 1 kg per week is the safe amount. Ask a physician.

Ack! I meant 6lbs, 3Kg!!

My understanding is it tails off after a few weeks, but thank you for the advice. I think it has something to do with fluid loss in the early stages or something like that.

Yes. Glycogen is branched, polymerized glucose, and has a strong affinity for water. When you go low-carb, you reduce your glycogen stores, and thus your water stores. This type of weight loss is rapid but temporary (insofar as it's not a reduction in what most people want to lose: fat).

Avoid fads. Overdoses of this or that trendy food or supplement are surely a bad idea. Support healthy eating by daily outdoor exercise. Get more sleep than you have been getting recently.

I think almost everyone I know in the IT industry underestimate how important it is to get enough sleep.

Until you get older. I recently came to the realisation that I need three days to overcome the fatigue of a 3 hours night sleep. That means I can't afford a short night every week, else my productivity will drop dramatically.

I believe strongly in the power of supplements to structure the rest of diet. Here is my current supplement structure:

Multivitamin + 6000 IU Vitamin D + Calcium

Omega-3

Whey protein(at approximately the bodybuilder-style "one gram per pound bodyweight" level)

For meals I mostly eat in a low-carb/paleo fashion - because I find the fatty foods easier to digest, overall. Protein, fat, fiber, are what I look for(and quality fats too, a lot of the cheap vegetable oils seem shady and give me bad reactions). Adding the whey protein really helped because it nullified a lot of the cravings that would make me break the meal plan. Discovery: if you eat like a bodybuilder, even without training you're going to start looking sort of like one.

The other supplements are general health measures to help my mood, alertness and immune system. My GF, who has not yet bought into clean eating, recently got the same bug as I did at about the same time. I barely realized it was there and was over it in three days. She was taken down for about a week with some vicious "can't-do-a-thing" days in the middle. I've only been with her a short while, so I hope I can encourage her.

Why rely on HN's anecdotal advice when you can use scientific evidence?

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/play/snake-oil-supplem...

A cup of tea and 5-15 minutes of meditation always helps to start my day.

Daily exercise (biking, running, or swimming) has greatly increased my overall coding productivity. I'm able to work longer hours with a higher level of focus.

Just one, exercise.

I try to exercise at least 3 times a week, I do some cardio and then exercise with weights. After a month or so, your food intake will likely change and you'll start to realize what you need in terms of nutrition. Your body will also become stronger and you will sleep much better and the exercise itself is great for stress relief.

As far as supplements, I don't like them. Even the case of taking multi-vitamins is getting mixed reviews from physicians.(I take a vitamin D supplement on Dr's orders)

I had a bad cholesterol profile: low HDL and high LDL and triglycerides. I really didn't want to take any statins because of the dangerous side-effects, so my doctor prescribed niacin instead: Niaspan. I had taken over-the-counter niacin before with no results, but the Niaspan gave me the niacin flush that first night, and after a few months my LDL, triglycerides, and total cholesterol were all in well inside the healthy range, and my HDL was just below the healthy range. I just had my six-month followup blood tests, but I haven't gotten the results yet. I'm expecting to be in pretty good shape.

I've taken between 1000mg and 3000mg per night, adjusting based on my body's response. At first the flush happened within an hour of taking the pills, then it either stopped or it was happening while I slept. I ramped up the dosage as the flush effect weakened and I stayed at 3000mg for a while, but now that's too much. It seems like my body only needs 2000mg now for the full effect, but I don't flush until about six hours after I take the pills. Based on my blood test results, I may ramp up again to get the flush faster or back off to reduce it.

The flush itself lasts about an hour. It's not comfortable, but it's not bad either. You get hot, red, and kind of itchy. I understand that it's part of the healthy effect of the niacin: expanding your blood vessels and washing out toxins through your skin (which causes the itching).

If you want to try this, you need to get the prescription stuff. The OTC niacin is definitely not the same, at least not here in the US where vitamins are unregulated food products that generally don't contain what they claim to contain.

"Furthermore, the American Heart Association and the National Cholesterol Education Program both take the position that only prescription niacin should be used to treat dyslipidemias, and only under the management of a physician. The reason given is that niacin at effective intakes of 1500–3000 mg/day can also potentially have severe adverse effects. Monitoring of liver enzymes is necessary."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niacin

Niacin has toxicities, just like statins. Except for niacin's flush (which is not indicative of any harm, but can be quite uncomfortable), I think the absolute risk of dangerous toxicity for both statins and niacin is very low. Taking both, in supervised fashion, is reasonable.

As an aside, I agree with you re: getting prescription niacin. If you do go with the over-the-counter stuff, make sure it is not "no-flush". The evidence is not consistent with the notion that no-flush niacin has any lipid-modifying effect.

Any drug can cause problems, and you should always inform yourself before you take them. The niaspan information is here: http://www.rxabbott.com/pdf/niaspan.pdf

From what I've read, it's tough to overdose on niacin, especially the sustained-release forms. There are also apparently no deaths or long-term harmful results from overdoses either. However, they warn against using niaspan if you've already got liver or kidney problems or if you're taking statins too. I also read a warning that ER doctors can misinterpret the symptoms of a niacin overdose as an allergic reaction and give a treatment which does a lot more harm than the niacin would on its own.

I don't have any handy references about statins, but I've read that the side-effects are both more common and more dangerous; so much so that it's questionable whether or not they should be allowed on the market at all. They're also less effective than niaspan, I believe. The anecdotal evidence I have is that my mom was taking a statin for a while. It improved her cholesterol, but she also developed the bad heel pains that supposedly indicate a dangerous side-effect from the statin is occuring. When she stopped the statin, her heel pain went away. Since then her cholesterol hasn't been bad (though it did get somewhat worse after stopping the statin) but if it gets bad again I'm going to insist she try the niaspan instead.

For what it's worth, I don't work for the company that makes Niaspan. I'm just a very satisfied customer.

Sustained-release niacin is well known to cause hepatic toxicity. This is reported both in the label that you reference, and in the primary literature. These problems do not occur with immediate-release preparations - only with sustained release (such as Niaspan). So that is worth being aware of.

Statins are among the safest drugs ever used - so much so that most medical people talk about trying to give them to more, not fewer, people. Like niacin, statins can lead to insulin resistance. Statins don't appear to increase cancer risk, which was in question for awhile. There is some literature supporting the notion that reduced LDL may lead to increased cancer, but this is not dependent on the mechanism of cancer, and this conclusion is not yet supported by enough data to make it a concern for anyone. Heart disease is what will kill most Americans, so this is still the primary concern.

Quit drinking soda.

Go to bed and get up at the same time every day.

Don't do anything in your bedroom except sleep and sex.

Take a fish oil supplement and a multivitamin.

Eat as little as you can get away with allowing you to control your weight (up or down!), and do everything you can to reduce your stress levels.

Over the last 6 months I've lost a little over 20 lbs by eating healthier and exercising.

I tracked what I ate with an iPhone app and joined the gym. Tracking food intake was tedious but helped me unlearn bad eating habits. I've gone from panting after 5 minutes on the treadmill to running 4 miles in about 35 minutes. I feel like I've found a sustainable, enjoyable pastime that will keep me in good health for years to come. Support from my wife was crucial too.

I have read no books on Vitamin D and only a couple asthma-related articles on its benefits. My lungs were in severe pain and I had been looking for anything that could help, so I tried it. WOW. HUGE difference. Turns out D is extremely important and being deficient can impair and damage many things. It has helped with focus, agility, and I feel MUCH better. It has really help with my depression and lack of focus, which were very serious issues (I was unable to work.. seriously).

Try it for yourself and judge. Not the puny 400IU a day. Take 10,000IU a day for a week (it's not toxic) and see if you feel better.

I have hypothyroid and this perpetuates D deficiency.. I desperately needed it. But most people need more Vitamin D, and its effects are widespread and largely unknown. You can do your own research, but please don't tell me its toxic because of the FDA. Try for yourself and pay attention to your body. Just know 400IU is worthless.

(organic) vitamin D helped me this winter because there is less sun during these months (in Canada).

I also sit a lot less in front of my computer since i've read http://www.businessweek.com/print/magazine/content/10_19/b41... (thanks HN for this) .

Adopt a program of RSI prevention, whether you have it or not.

Don't forget your teeth. Dental health is correlated with general health, and some dental problems are not reversible (I have severe erosion because I used to drink soft drinks all day).

Apart from diligent tooth brushing (give the inside of your teeth as much time as the outside, and brush at least 2 minutes) eating habits are very important for dental health as well.

- Limit the amount of times you eat (it is better to eat 6 candies in one sitting than it is to eat 4 pieces of candy during the day) - Don't drink soda, but realise that for your teeth apple and other fruit juices are just as bad, so severely limit them as well. - Don't brush your teeth immidiately after eating. - Eat xylitol mints or chew xylitol gum after meals

Avoid all wheat, oats and soy products for a week. See how you feel.

Turned out I had a gluten sensitivity for the longest time, and I felt loads better going off all gluten.

Soy also acts as a phytoestrogen in the male body - could potentially be counteracting testosterone production.

Someone taught me a philosophy "Eat Well, Move Well, Think Well", which i am trying to implement in my life right now.

Eat Well - Other than the obvious, this also related to your environment, in terms of the quality of the water you drink, the detergents you use and their harmful effects etc

Move Well - Its not just about plenty of exercise, but more about the right kind of exercise. Anything that stimulates the correct response from your spine which feeds back to the brain

Think Well - Having a positive, can do attitude as well as performing visualization exercises of yourself in a healthy state, since the mind cannot differentiate between reality and imagery in the brain.

Plenty of exercise. Try hundredpushups.com for a nice, easy-to-start program.

Be careful that pushups can get hard. I had shoulder pains after doing more than 50 pushups a day for a few weeks (down to 30 now).

Vary exercise, and particularly do aerobic exercise, walking, biking, running, swimming, skipping rope... The best is to do some exercise every day.

Plus, strengthening/tightening the pectoral and forward deltoid muscles is not really a good starting place if you are going to be sitting hunched over a keyboard all day. Exercise that focuses on good posture (read: strengthening of back and abs) and cardio is probably a better starting place.

I was having some back pains while sitting, but after I started running, and lost some weight (205 lbs -> 180 lbs) they stopped. And they stopped more, I think, from the running than from the weight loss.

Your shoulder pain is not the result of the pushup program, but more the result of bad form, disbalances in your body (one muscle group is stronger and has to support the other one -> more tension on the weak) or other health issues.

Oh yes it is. I had ankle and knee pain running more than 40 km a week, too. I'm simply getting too old for more than 2 hours of intense sport a day, I had to get back to 60 to 90 minutes.

Plenty isn't as important as high-intensity exercise. The hormones you're looking for are released in relation to intensity, not duration. You're much better off with a 20-minute workout that leaves you gasping than you are milling around the gym for an hour and a half.

Pay attention to macronutrients (carbohydrates/protein/fat) and eat them in proportion to each other. You'll need to do some reading and a bit of experimentation to find what fits your needs best. Getting the right balance of macronutrients will postively affect your mental acuity. That and exercise. If you're getting enough exercise, it's much easier to get good sleep. Once these big picture things are in place, then worry about micronutrients (vitamins).

My uncle lived to 106 and until he was about 102 he had more energy than me. Apart from his good genes (alas, he was an uncle in law), I think his two main secrets were:

1. He loved life. Really loved it. He kept active, doing the things he loved until he died. 2. He seemed to live pretty much stress free.

* Stay far away from microwaves

* Don't drink soda

* No fast food

* Have fruits and veggies daily

* Lots of water

* Exercise daily

* Stretch daily

* Meditate/Yoga

thanks to the person voting this down. i must have said something extremely horrible. much appreciated for the wake-up call.

Is the microwave myth still going strong here?

If you have problems with insomnia or even a tiny bit of seasonal depression: http://www.amazon.com/Philips-goLITE-BLU-Therapy-Device/dp/B...

Wasn't there a blog post by someone within the last few weeks re: some sort of "hacker workout schedule" involving x pushups, y crunches and z something else?

That looked intriguing to me, but I forget where it was.

Following health tips you found on internet discussion sites (even ones as interesting as HN) is a bit like chewing gum you found on the sidewalk.

Seriously: "What works for you and what doesn't"? Science.

A foam roller. Awesome for relaxation.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/24888-using-foam-roller-ba...

Despite the ad-peppering, http://www.simplefit.org/ has some good info and a very manageable workout/nutrition schedule.

I was told to take vitamin b complex by a doctor because my finger tips were going numb (I thought it was something worse). I don't think it helped my focus.

As a medicine doctor and a former president of USA I advice you not to seek health advice from anonymous guys on the internet. Btw, yerba mate kicks ass.

Get enough sleep; eat fresh / organic meats, veggies, fruits; exercise (training for amateur competition is good); try to stay as positive as possible.

Don't eat such large portions, and cut back on the caffeine. Both of these things help me stay mentally sharp.

Give up smoking. Really.

don't drink soda. eat more vegetables, eat less meat.

Get to bed by midnight & get up when you wake (no alarm clock).

Only eat wholemeal wheat.

Eat plenty of greens - broccoli, kale, savoy cabbage (high iron stuff)

Eat an apple on your way to the office.

Coffee only before mid-day

Welcome to BODYBREAK, with Hal Johnson and Joanne McCloud.

Greens+ extra energy eliminates the need for mid afternoon naps, and as a side benefit you may not need to drink coffee anymore! Piracetam/Aniracetam has personally proven effective for focus, memory and mental acuity. ZMA can increase the quality of sleep as well as assist muscle growth and testosterone production. Exercise improves mood and many other health factors. We recommend trying this workout: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/timothyf.htm Tim Ferris also has a diet designed for losing weight: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-...

SEX. Lots of it. reduce your stress and practice good fitness emotionally and physically. I read something interesting this morning that stress can cause increases in abdominal fat, which is the worst type of fat in terms of it's long term health detriment. http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/cortisol.htm

Have a healthy attitude, stay positive, and remember KEEP FIT AND HAVE FUN!!!

I guess this message would of been better conveyed in video format.

It would have been better if it didn't read like an infomercial.

Sometimes I forget everyone is not Canadian. Bodybreak was a series of educational ads on Canadian TV in the 80's. For ex: Here's an exercise you can do sitting down. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1p6K0xGKd0&feature=relat...

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