Embarrassing Story. Moral: Take Care of Your Health

I did a spree of hacking last week, but came away very healthy. It was about 72 hours, and I only took breaks to eat and sleep. I follow a few basic rules, I would encourage you to do the same:

1) Find a comfortable chair with a comfortable desk. I refuse to work on a wooden chair, it's just distracting and like you pointed out, it isn't healthy.

2) Take breaks and eat decent food every once in a while. I went and got Subway and drank lots of green tea (has tons of antioxidants and some caffeine, which keeps you awake and helps your immune system deal with the lack of sleep). You cannot overdo caffeine because your body will quickly build tolerance. You have to sleep at some point. If you're tired while drinking caffeine, go to sleep.

3) I slept in two 4.5 hour chunks throughout 24 hours (biphasic sleep cycle) and it worked really well. Some people do polymorphic sleep cycles, and some do really weird uberman cycles. I suppose it depends on how much control you have over your schedule. I don't like monophasic because 8-10 hours at a time seems to have a recovery curve from waking up to being fully ready to go back to coding.

4) Work with friends. Preferably on the same project.

5) Play classical music (I recommend sky.fm solo piano station). Caffeine makes it difficult to learn new material because you're too energized (or at least it has that effect on me), but classical helps me focus.

EDIT: because of the shorter sleep cycles, I remembered more of my dreams. I had some really weird dreams during this time (robots assembling themselves and teaching each other how to subclass).

I don't think anyone stresses just how much damage can be done by sitting immobile for long periods of time can be.

Whilst I have no problem with 'piles' and was not hacking as the OP was. I was slim and athletic - used to walk 5 miles a day, do weight-training and cycling, etc. Then 6 years ago I moved in my chair in the office and had a feeling like an electric current travel up my spine. It was months before I could turn my head without pain, and in the following years I've suffered terrible back, pelvis, and hip pains, and it's getting worse. I cannot really sit upright, and now even have trouble walking. No doctor can explain how all this began or even if the various problems are connected - and even when they have some 'treatment' the odds are even as to whether it makes matters better or worse.

So please, if you value a normal life, take care of yourself and don't sit too long without breaks. It won't matter how much money you make if you can't enjoy an evening at the cinema or can't go for a walk when on holiday.

FYI, you might want to check into acupuncture for that neck and back pain. It worked great for my shoulder pain. Good luck

I had something far worse a few years ago as a result of a bad diet. A bout of gastrointestinal bleeding which combined with mild hemophilia almost did me in - seriously. I went running 5 miles every evening, so lack of exercise wasn't the problem.

I've switched to fruits and unprocessed grains since then but it took me another few years to realize the other serious dietary problem I had - not chewing food enough.

Now it's a lot, lot better and I can focus on work instead of my stupid digestion.

I tend to wolf my food down without thinking. How did you consciously solve your issue?

Well, I'd moved to Singapore for about six months and I returned (to India) a few months ago. Like the dog that didn't bark in the night, the time in Singapore was perfect - speaking of my digestion - without any special effort. But after I returned, the same old bloating and hard stools (sometimes quite painful) recurred. Obviously, these conditions became sufficiently irritating that I was forced to analyse.

After a bit of thought, I realized that the Chinese-ish diet in Singers was mostly soup-like with lots of hot water, whereas back here at home it's stiff grains like wheat and corn with lots of husk, with much less liquid ingested. So I figured I should try to make what's going in be of similar consistency to what I knew worked. I decided I would try it for a week, strictly, and it worked wonderfully. And so I've stuck to it.

One tip is to avoid putting your wallet in your back pocket and sitting on it. This tilts your pelvis a tiny bit that adds up over time, and can lead to lower back pain.

Another thing that is helping is that our employer signed us all up for virgin health miles. Just having a simple pedometer and the ability to track how much you walk in a day is getting more and more people out of their chairs (at least at our office). http://www.virginhealthmiles.com/

Hurt my lower back coding years ago on a wooden chair so here are my tips.

- Eat healthy, plenty of greens and veggies and as little sugar as possible. If you're young get in this habit and you won't need to break it when you're old (late 20's being old)

- Switch up coffee and caffeinated beverages for green tea.

- Get up and move around often during the day. Might hurt the end LOC numbers but being away from a problem can help you come up with a solution. Plus it gets you away from your desk and be social for a bit.

- Exercise. Seriously. I don't care what your deadline is, you can put aside 60 minutes to run/walk/shower. If you can't, then go for a longer walk and find a more realistic goal/job. You'll gain health and be able to stay awake longer without aides.

Nothing is more important than your body. Take care of it you only get one.

Sometimes I forget to drink anything but coffee and I end up dehydrated and with a headache. This impairs my productivity, to say nothing of quality of life. I try to avoid this by keeping one of those disposable water bottles (I like the Glaceau SmartWater ones best) close at hand. I'll use the same bottle for weeks or months, just refilling it from the tap. I try to drink at least three per day. Eating fruits and vegetables and exercising helps me feel better and stay focused too but I don't do those enough.

Be careful when reusing water bottles. A recent study found that re-using a disposable plastic water bottle a few times raises bacteria and fungus contamination beyond the threshold for acceptable drinking water.

I used to use a Nalgene bottle. I wonder why a Nalgene (or other) reusable bottle would be safe but a disposable bottle would not? Possibly: wider mouth facilitates washing? It's a good point but I'm a little skeptical - if the study was sponsored by bottled-water sellers then...? In any case I'd like to look into it more. How to test easily for bacterial/fungal contamination?

A little googling turns up a lot of discussion about reusing water bottles. The fear of bacterial and fungal seems to come largely from a single study of Canadian elementary-school students and the contamination may have come from their hands. There seems to be a consensus that if you occasionally wash the bottles with soap or let them sit with water containing a spoonful of bleach then reuse is okay.

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

The same thing happened to me. I had a nice Aeron and desk, but had moved to the couch with the laptop for several day hacking sessions. I wasn't as afflicted as you, but it was extremely unpleasant. My diet wasn't bad, but my posture was.

Invest in (and take advantage of) a proper work environment!

For your eyesight: The 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away from the monitor to a spot at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Special computer prescription: You can get a special prescription for computer work based on your current Rx that will help with eye strain issues.

RSI: Swimming (the TotalImmersion way). Beware that any pain in the lower arm extremities may be a symptom of problems upstream (e.g. shoulder/back - try rolling your shoulders)

Roids: Splash cold water on affected area, ideally right after you-know-what

Favorite healthy snack: Formula = Carbs + Protein (e.g. whole wheat no-preservative bread with natural Trader Joe's peanut butter or apple slices with peanut butter)

I usually think of peanut butter as fat, not protein. Does it really have a sufficient amount of protein?

It's a protein staple for many vegetarians (who aren't allergic to peanuts, like me :-/)

I am guessing junk food played the largest part in bringing forth the problem.

I too have had multiple problems since taking my web company full time about three years ago. I've had the tingling, muscle knots and I've also had prostate pain and frequent urination. I'm not sure if the prostate thing is related but my doctors have not found any other underlying cause.

I've recently found a couple of things that help:

1. A book called "Pain Free at Your PC" http://www.amazon.com/Pain-Free-at-Your-PC/dp/0553380524

It has special stretches, some yoga inspired, to counteract the problems developed from sitting for long-periods.

2. A got a think called a "butt-cushion". I was skeptical when my friend suggested it, but felt some relief almost immediately.

Hope these ideas help someone.

Not that I've tried it, but I want to: http://images.google.com/images?q=treadmill%20desk

A few other tips to add here beyond the other great ones already mentioned. I had to learn about these the hard way.

1.) Massage.

You may not think it's the manliest thing ever, but if you can afford it you should find a good local masseuse and get yourself an hour session. Even if you go once and never go again, you'll get an education in just how kinked up your back and shoulders probably are.

I tweaked my back lifting a lawn mower out of my car a couple years ago and didn't think much of it at the time. Over the next few weeks I started to have all kinds of shoulder problems and other various pain to the point where my arms were getting tingly and I couldn't sit and code for more than 30 minutes at a time.

Long story short, I went through a few doctors before I finally just decided to see a masseuse and see if it helped. I was lucky to find someone that knew what they were doing and helped get me straightened out. It took about 5 sessions over 5 weeks, but I've never had problems since.

2.) Trigger points.

Learn what they are and how you can fix them. This was my problem that the masseuse turned me on to. Trigger points are essentially little micro-knots in your muscle fibers that can add up to cause big problems for you. For me, lifting that mower was really just the straw that broke the camel's back. It just exacerbated all the trigger point problems I'd been creating over years of coding and not stretching out my back and shoulders properly.

If you know where the common trigger points creep up and how to get rid of them you can save yourself a lot of pain and downtime (not to mention massage bills).

Buy these two things: The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook (http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Tr...) and a TheraCane (http://www.amazon.com/Thera-Cane-Theracane-TheraCane/dp/B000...)

The book will show you how to identify and treat the trigger points all over your body, and the TheraCane will help you reach the places on your back that you can't reach yourself.

3.) Yoga.

Once you get all your issues straightened out, yoga and/or a good daily stretching regimen can help keep you kink free.

Hopefully some of this advice is helpful. I was really messed up for a while until I figured all this out. Again, echoing what others have said, please take care of your body. It's the only one you have.

I second yoga. It is the only exercise that I know of that is built around the back and posture. It does wonders for people who sit at desks all day. I have only done it occasionally over the past several years, but it has helped every time.

The other important exercise is walking. As imperfectly designed as our bodies are for bipedal locomotion, walking turns out to be one of the best exercises for them. For example, the disks in our backs don't have blood vessels bathing them in oxygen. One of the only ways to oxygenate them well is to walk (due to the back and forth motion).

A healthy spine, back muscles, etc. will go a long way to making your 8+ hour stints in a chair bearable. Think of it as the penance that our body demands for our hacking.

pilates is great for back strength - it focuses on your 'core' muscles that keep your back straight.

I second Yoga too.

I particularly recommend the "Sun Salutation" exercise : http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=yuvfHTaftLQ (she's an expert, but you can do the movements as far as you can)

YC admins, please compare IP addresses to find out who this is. J/K.

Get an exercise ball to sit on, I can't recommend it enough. Had lots of problems with my back, which vanished soon after using such a ball.

"it strengthens your core."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TS3xP-tOWM

Drink plenty of water, eat plenty of healthy foods, exercise a lot. And don't wait to make it a new years resolution.

Uhhh...call me crazy but as someone who has been programming since the age of 8 and am prone to such excursions...I've never once had a bad chair.

Even before I had a job I would fight tooth-and-nail to get one of the better seats in the house which I would then enhance with pillows and blankets.

These days I just sit in a nice chair that is nicely padded and older than I am. No roids.

How old are you now?