As a software developer, I have a sedentary lifestyle because of that I got belly fat. Drinking coffee with sugar and sitting 10-12 hour is usual for me and all other bad habits you can guess - late night, churning snacks in the night.
I go for running alternate days but it is not helping with my belly fat and I feel a little lazy after work.<p>What tricks did you have found and adapted and have for software developers to maintain their health?
You don't need to go to a gym, But you do need to workout. Push-ups, sit-ups, and buy a curling bar with some weights--nothing crazy. Do a couple of sets of presses, some curls, and two other types of weight lifting exercises consisting of what ever else you want. Do it fast, and a lot of reps. 3 or 4 times a week is enough, and once you get into it only takes 20 - 30 minutes.<p>Also, walk fast; really fast, and run up the stairs whenever you can. I work at a big campus so that helps with the fast walking.<p>Eat vegetarian a few times a week, and as others have said; don't drink sugar, and be wary of the bread and potatoes.<p>Not bragging here but I'm 59 years old and Friday morning I banged out 140 pushups; a set of 30, a 40, and then I did 70 (my most ever. Typically I do a set of 30 and two 40's, but I will do 50 for the last set at times if they are coming easy enough. And I'll max out once in a while--formerly 60 was my high).<p>I only got back into working out around 2.4 years ago so its never too late.
* I have a £200 sit-stand desk and alternate at least once between sitting and standing.<p>* most mornings, I put on death metal and do a 15-minute run while I imagine myself carrying a defibrillator or fighting orcs or something dramatic. I intersperse pushups, squats, and pull-ups in that.<p>* I have an Instant Pot and a chest freezer and a kitchen setup to reduce the cognitive cost of cooking. I usually eat leftovers for lunch.<p>* For snacks, I try to go with apples or carrot sticks for the satisfying crunching feeling.<p>* Most months, I go contra dancing at Cecil Sharp house, which is healthy simultaneous dose of physical touch, social interaction, monofocused mental stimulation, and aerobic exercise.
I've replaced regular Cola with Cola Zero (yeah, I'm aware that it's not healthy as well but..) while keeping eating one or two candies while drinking black coffee and I've stopped gaining fat. Once I've started working out (running, ~5km, 1-3 times per week) and doing some pushups (nothing fancy, just 10 of them at the end of the day before shower) and here I am, one year later, feeling much better, with 13kg less :)<p>(before: ~93kg, now: ~80kg)
Pay close attention to your diet and sleep. Try avoiding sugar and high carb foods. Try journaling your sleep quantity and quality, your moods and food you eat. Try finding pattens in the journal and keep experimenting till you find a combination that works for you.<p>I tried to fix my sleep few months ago. Written more about it here: <a href="http://avichalp.me/2019/04/06/debugging-sleep.html" rel="nofollow">http://avichalp.me/2019/04/06/debugging-sleep.html</a>
I do not work longer than 8 hours a day. I have a regular sleep schedule (10PM to 7AM), do strength training 3 times a week. I _try_ to eat properly, stay away from the company fridge which is stuffed with sugary drinks and beer. I try not to drink coffee after 1PM or so to not affect my sleep.
I also try to not write any code after work hours, unless it's low work intensity in the office around that time.
I don't use this, but I recently saw the StrongLifts 5x5 [1] workout plan mentioned in an HN comment. Looked interesting, straightforward, and approachable for any level of practice.<p>[1] <a href="https://stronglifts.com/5x5/" rel="nofollow">https://stronglifts.com/5x5/</a>
I set some personal rules:<p>Sleep
- I go to bed at the same time every night (10pm).
Exercise
- I go to the gym 3-5 times per week (every other day).
Diet
- No junk food. I can't stand the wasted plastic or the calories. Di
- No coffee after noon.
I go for a short walk at the end of every hour. I have found my fitbit pretty useful in reminding me to do at least 250 steps every hour. The number might be small but i usually end up doing more than that once i get going.
A few of the things I do have the most impact: make sure I lift / exercise regularly, skip breakfast / cut food off at a certain time, and avoid drinking calories (stick to black coffee, no soda).
I got it too. there was a time when I was happier, having lots of sex ( like light aerobic exercise ) , and just naturally eating less.<p>my theory is that it starts with the mind. happy mind, light exercise, naturally eat less, and I lost weight.