Ask HN: How do you stay (somewhat) healthy?

This is what I do:<p>- run 5x per week every morning (~30 miles a week; more if I'm training for something)<p>- stretch, dynamic before, static after. Essential to prevent injuries<p>- weight lift 3x per week (bi/tri, chest/upper-back, abs/lower-back/shoulders)<p>- take rest days<p>- sleep 9-10 hours a night, going to bed at the same time (EDIT: every's needs here are a little different)<p>- eat 1 salad per day<p>- eat lots of fruit (apples, pears, banana's, raspberries, cantaloupe, etc)<p>- avoid processed foods, and overall eat healthy<p>- keep stress levels low (figure out what stresses you and then you can manage it)<p>I use to be very obese (5ft 10in, 240 pounds), but lost the weight through calorie restriction about 10 years ago (6ft 0in, 160 pounds now, muscular, etc). Later I got into running which made me much healthier. That begot eating healthier, which eventually begot weight lifting. Now I can do some crazy stuff, like run up all the stairs in Porter Square. You feel like superman all the time.<p>The human body needs maintenance. Like a car you can abuse it in the short-run and it's still gonna run. But eventually it catches up with you. Problem is, if a car dies at mile 100,000 because you didn't change its oil often, you buy another car; but you can't buy another body.<p>It takes time to get into a healthy lifestyle. One-step at a time is the right approach. If you're overweight, focus on calorie restriction. If you're a healthy weight but want to get fit, pick an activity that you'd enjoy. Some people like solitary stuff (running), others like social (team sports or workout classes). If you're not eating healthy, get a book about nutrition and change your diet (Google "Nancy Clark"). You'll eventually find that one healthy step leads to another.<p>Lastly, keeping healthy is like having a second job. Carving out time and prioritizing it is key. You'll find that friends, employers, bosses, spouses, what-have-you, try to steal this time away from you. You've got to fight back and remember that you're investing in your future. Especially with jobs; would you rather be rich, prestigious and unhealthy, or poor, unknown and healthy? A "good" job or startup will let you be all the good and none of the bad.

Paleo diet. Cleared up my skin, ended headaches and tiredness, decreased my caloric intake and body fat without any overt discipline, lowered my blood pressure, and increased my strength and stamina.<p>Downside: No grains, beans, dairy; that means no coffee, no chocolate, no soy, no cheese, no bread or noodles or pastries. (Plus sides: bacon, sausages, eggs, figs, dates, walnuts.)<p>I gradually fell into this diet by carefully noting which foods made me feel bad ~15-30 mins after. I did this over a process of many months starting sometime in February. Finally, just a few days ago, I concluded that I was basically drifting into Paleo of my own accord, and for me to be at my best I had to go from reduced intake of the banned foods to complete removal. I'm still going to cheat every now and then, but I know I'll feel it every time.

Get hobbies that correspond to the lifestyle you want to lead. If you aren't having fun, you won't keep with it.<p>As a corollary, if you have an active hobby and any sort of drive to be good at it, you will train yourself as such. So if you take up say rock climbing and like it, then you will get lots of exercise as a direct result of climbing, and lots more to train yourself to get better.

I'm working towards triathalon. I got back into running exactly a month ago, and ran a half-marathon last weekend. This weekend I went swimming, running and cycling at the gym both days. I've had to teach myself swimming and Sunday was the first day that I felt like I had the breathing in some form of control. It's fabulous to be so in the habit that it's easy to go. My trainer advises doing big stretches, biut that keep heartrate low.<p>I'm spread very thin at work between support, sysadmin and development. I do my best work on focus stuff (development and production sysadmin) at strange hours after several cups of tea, and am unhealthy on this count.<p>The food advice I've seen elsewhere here is good. Avoid sugar and starch (chips are tasty but terrible), always have breakfast. I used to be one of these geeks who didn't have breakfast, I've no idea how I survived. Some food in the morning is critical. Vegemite on toast (it's popular in Australia) is a killer breakfast - easy and consistently good.<p>UK have deals at the moment to get cheap bicycles through work. Also everyone's broke, so gyms are less busy, which has worked out well for me.

I'm a writer so I believe my priorities are very similar, but somewhat different than your average hacker:<p>1. Try to eat breakfast; the reason here is two-fold, first is that it's good for your metabolism and the second is that it helps if 5. fails.<p>2. Eat Smart; the brain likes omega-3's but the omega-6's will kill you. 'Healthy' is very different for 'smart', you want foods that help increase your efficiency and concentration, not make you run to the toilet every 5 minutes because you're downing pro-biotic yogurts and bran muffins.<p>3. Weightless exercises; I'm guessing everyone here has a few extra pounds on them, squats and crunches can be done anywhere and at any time, you don't need to lug around a few 20lb weights to get your sweat on. If you do it frequently it can help boost your metabolism.<p>4. Get a good sleep routine, being exhausted can kill an entire day of productivity.<p>5. Avoid alcohol (at least before 5pm), alcoholism seems to be a non-genetic inheritable disease in writers, so try not to have a drink in the morning. Make sure you observe #1, because forgetting #1 and #5 means you're hitting the bed by 11am.<p>6. relax a little, play games, read some HN, but don't slack off. It's good to keep your stress levels down, not only does it help your creativity and productivity, but you also don't have the urge to break #5.<p>7. this follows on from #6, but is much more important in the long run, having a day off helps prevent a burn out, AKA writers (coders?) block.<p>9. Drink tea not coffee. Research shows that coffee can increase stress, decrease work performance and can decrease your confidence in your work. Tea however decreases stress, not only through drinking it but due to the ritual and the time taken to make it (you don't get a tea maker, you get a kettle and have to wait, waiting generally means relaxing).<p>Overall I just try to be productive and hope that in the long run I don't end up an alcoholic like 1/2 of writers.

Here are a few guidelines I try to abide by:<p>1. Always eat breakfast<p>2. Don't eat past 9pm<p>3. Get 7 hours of sleep<p>4. Walk 30 minutes a day<p>5. Shop for food on the outer walls of grocery store<p>6. Drink 60oz of water a day

I know it might seem intimidating, but try some abbreviated Crossfit workouts (<a href="http://crossfit.com/" rel="nofollow">http://crossfit.com/</a>) to get in shape quickly and then stay there.

I ride my bike to work, and have been for the last 3 years. I lost about 50 pounds quickly (I was about 250 at the time) and then kind of hit the wall around 190. I'm still fat, but my lungs and heart are in great shape. My round-trip is about 29 miles, but I also have several multi-mode options that involve mixing bicycle and bus, shortening the bicycle part of my trip to anywhere from 2.7 to 7 miles each direction. This time of year, it's not uncommon for me to ride to the bus on chilly mornings and soak it up with a 14-15 mile homeward ride.<p>At this point, I'm suffering from T-rex syndrome. Massive, muscular legs, good overall health, and very little upper body. I started 100 pushups a while back ago, then dislocated a shoulder. I'm about ready to start it back up again. Pushups were really working my core and arms. Cycling and pushups seems like a good start at full-body workout without a gym membership.<p>Oh yeah, and watch what you eat, I guess.

Work (and life) is a marathon, not a sprint. No redbull|snacks|coffee|ramen here.<p>Eating: "Eat to Live", mostly produce:<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Live-Revolutionary-Formula-Sustained/dp/0316735507/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&#38;s=books&#38;qid=1254703990&#38;sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Live-Revolutionary-Formula-Sustain...</a><p>Exercise: jogging, stairs, body weight exercises:<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pushing-Yourself-Power-Ultimate-Transformation/dp/1932458018/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&#38;s=books&#38;qid=1254704416&#38;sr=8-2" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Pushing-Yourself-Power-Ultimate-Transf...</a><p>Heavy hands:<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Heavyhands-Walking-Book-Leonard-Schwartz/dp/0929962001/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&#38;s=books&#38;qid=1254704455&#38;sr=1-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Heavyhands-Walking-Book-Leonard-Schwar...</a><p>Perhaps the hacker's favorite (this is hilarious, but it really works):<p><a href="http://shovelglove.com/" rel="nofollow">http://shovelglove.com/</a>

P90X satisfies both my inner nerd and my inner extremist. I started with a roommate last year. I really need to get back into the swing of it this year before I start flabbing again.<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/P90x-Extreme-Home-Fitness-Horton/dp/B000TG8D6I" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/P90x-Extreme-Home-Fitness-Horton/dp/B0...</a><p>EDIT: Also, thanks for posting this! You inspired me to finally set up the pull-up bar I bought last week. Having it outside the bathroom will hopefully prod me into starting up again.

When I can, I train Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu three times a week. I add in a day or two of serious strength training as time and my body permits. If I can't do regular BJJ, then I do four to five days of serious strength training a week.<p>I train for competitions, and I take it seriously. My strength training tends towards the Crossfit style.

Weight lifting 3x a week for a little over an hour each time. Going to the gym can be daunting if you have never done it and/or don't have a buddy. "I don't know how to use the equipment", etc. I read Starting Strength and afterwards felt confident enough to get in there and try it out.<p>Strong Lifts follows the same philosophy as SS, but has modified the workout some. The stronglifts site does cover nutrition (calorie/protein intake) to some extent, which SS does not.<p>I would do some research on your own first before starting a routine. There is a lot of controversy as well as misinformation about the topic.<p><a href="http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-training-program/" rel="nofollow">http://stronglifts.com/stronglifts-5x5-beginner-strength-tra...</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-2nd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0976805421" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-2nd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp...</a>

I lift weights 3 days a week, first following the program laid out in the book Starting Strength and more recently following "The Texas Method" as described in Practical Programming for Strength Training by the same authors.<p>More recently I've started following the Zone Diet and doing a medicine ball workout 3 days a week (lifting MWF, med ball TuThS). Google "med ball 400".<p>After a year of that I'm starting to look like a heroic Greek statue (my wife likes that), I feel <i>awesome</i>, and my productivity is through the roof. All in 30 minutes max per day (with one day a week off).<p>I bike around town, walk a lot, and run occasionally. I find that the strength training makes running and fast cycling easy when I do it.<p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-2nd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp/0976805421" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Strength-2nd-Mark-Rippetoe/dp...</a>

I'm terrible at sticking with a regular workout commitment, but I try to do whatever seems fun - and, most importantly, try to never turn down a chance to exercise (sports, workout, whatever) with friends, because that's always a lot more fun.<p>Over the last two years, I've done: rollerblading, soccer, jogging, P90X, tennis, frisbee, golf (driving range), swimming. I'm far from good at any of them, and I do occasionally go for a couple of weeks or even months without doing much, but I figure every bit helps. Fun is the key - as well as doing as much as possible with friends.<p>P90X is great for someone looking for a hardcore solution - it's hard, but it WORKS, if you actually stick with it (it's not a small time investment). I only did it for about a month, and I could feel the difference - now that winter's coming, I might start it up again.

I really like rowing regularly on a Concept 2 machine. It's my favorite exercise.<p>- uses a lot of the body, upper and lower<p>- low impact, doesn't aggravate any of my injuries (eg knee)<p>- not weather dependent (running track gets icy in winter around here)<p>- high tech, you can race others over the web<p>- good online community<p>- accessible (for me, they have several machines at the gym)

Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full.<p>It sounds obvious, but it is really difficult. Avoiding social eating and resisting the urge to clean my plate has been one of the hardest things I have ever endeavored to do, but it has vastly reduced my digestive symptoms.

- No liquid calories, ever. Your daily caloric limit is too low for you to waste it on Coke and Pepsi.<p>- Watch what I eat. Go for high-fiber low-fat foods. Nothing fancy here - stick to low fat and high fiber and your diet generally doesn't require thought.<p>- Photography. I hate exercise for the sake of exercise, and have never been able to commit to a gym schedule despite many tries. My photography, though, keeps me walking and biking a <i>lot</i>, all over the city. The quest for the next great picture keeps me moving, and that's pretty awesome.

I've never been big on exercising for the sake of exercise, but I do regularly go to a rock climbing gym. It's good exercise, but more importantly it's fun, unlike lifting weights. It requires the use of your brain: a good climb is like a puzzle you solve with your whole body. Great way to meet people, too.<p>The only concern for hackers would be strain on the wrists. If you have wrist problems climbing probably isn't for you, but personally I feel like climbing has strengthened my wrists and actually been beneficial.

oh, and <i>dont drink fucking red bull</i>

Keeping it simple. The two main principles: 1.) you can't out-run a bad diet; 2.) effort trumps everything else.<p>Eat cleanly ("if it doesn't go off, don't eat it", etc).<p>Exercise: a mix of weights and conditioning; I favour short, high-intensity workouts for conditioning, with steady-state aerobic running occasionally for variety. Others have mentioned crossfit which is certainly good -- I've been basing my workouts around <a href="http://www.rosstraining.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.rosstraining.com</a> for a while, with great results. Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 routine is great on the weights side of things, and you can find most of the info on it in this interview: <a href="http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/how_to_build_pure_strength" rel="nofollow">http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_article/sports_body_train...</a><p>Routines help; as a hacker it's likely you have at least mild obsessive-compulsive tendencies (maybe that's just me, but it seems common in hacker friends too). Being obsessive means that you're less likely to skip a workout, eat badly, go to bed at irregular hours, etc.<p>+1 for the mental relaxation (including rest/deload days if you're exercising seriously) mentioned by others as well.

After a lot of research, I put this plan into action for myself.<p>Diet: Lots of plants, ~15% of total kcals from meat (very little red meat, more chicken + fish), ~15% kcals from dairy. I'm not exact about it. Eating a diverse group of foods, getting good amounts of fiber, yogurt, and complex carbohydrates helped shed some pounds.<p>Exercise: 30-45 minutes 3 to 5 times a week of time spent running at 60-80% of max heart rate. body weight exercises focusing on core strength (a good resource for those here <a href="http://www.combatfitness.co.uk/" rel="nofollow">http://www.combatfitness.co.uk/</a> ). Stretching, yoga, whatever, stretching is exercise too. I also go sprinting and lift weights via dumbbells to get some more in.<p>Meditation: Lots of different ways to do this. I picked one that worked for me and moved on to other things. I started doing muscle relaxation techniques, since I'm sitting so often. More on those here: <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/relaxation-technique/SR00007" rel="nofollow">http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/relaxation-technique/SR0000...</a><p>I lost 50 pounds over the past year and a half--feels great. :)

Exercise: Cycling is my default. I enjoy it and happen to live in a great place to engage in it. I try to do short rides on week days (~30 miles) and longer rides on weekends (~70 miles). In two weeks I'll be doing my first century ride. Besides cycling, I play Ultimate at least once a week, goto the gym 3 to 4 times a week, rock climb and hike when I have time. At times I throw into my regime some running, tennis, or soccer. Essentially, I try to be as active as possible.<p>Food: I eat mostly vegetables, rarely red meat. Typical meals are: Breakfast (2 egg scramble with pepperjack and salsa; with some juice), Lunch (sliced turkey, pepperjack and a tomato on whole grain bread, with some fruit), Dinner (usually some sort of vegetable stir fry, pasta vegetable combination, or rice and beans with vegetables). Between meals I either eat some fruit or some cereal or granola with soy milk or yogurt. Throughout the day I drink lots of water and usually some juice.<p>Caffeine: I am in love with tea my default being loose leaf jasmine green. Coffee is a rarity. Red bull is never an option.

Health is much more than "routines to stay in shape". Consider what you eat, your exercise, how you sleep, and how you manage stress. Personally, I go for lots of plants, 30-45 minutes a day, 6-7 hours solid a day, and re: stress, a variety of "getting things done" type techniques to stay on top of my work, which is my main stressor.

I worked at startups for 10 years and the only thing I got out of it was 50 extra pounds of bodyfat and an anxiety disorder. One of the best things I have done for my health is getting an easy, but high-paying quasi-corporate job and reducing the number of hours I spend at work. Sitting in front of a computer 12 hours a day is bad for mental and physical health. It can't really be compensated for by switching to diet soda and 30 minutes on the treadmill. My goal now is to continue to recuperate and lose 20 more pounds and save up enough money to do a complete career change. I'm not sure what yet, I'm trying to figure out something where I can use my mind but also not be chained to a desk all day.<p>That might be a tough pill to swallow for the hacker news crowd, so here are things I did to fix my health, and lose 30 pounds while I was still in startup mode:<p>- pilates fixed a lot of back and flexibility problems<p>- break up the work day in to two halves. between those two spend an hour walking or working out at the gym<p>- walk, bike or skateboard to work. My job is 4 and a half miles away.<p>- swimming<p>- sprinting at the track<p>- I tried to stand up and do work whenever possible.<p>- Used one of those swiss exercise balls instead of an office chair<p>- avoid the typical beer &#38; pizza binges after a release<p>- avoid eating all "office food" (chips, pretzels, candy, soda, etc)<p>- cut out sugar and most refined carbs, except for special occasions like when grandma bakes cookies. but even then, only eat a couple and give the rest away.<p>- eat salads, berries, almonds,lean meats, egg whites for most meals.<p>- started drinking seltzer. I love carbonated drinks, but most of them are bad for you. Seltzer is great, it's just carbonated water. Now I don't drink soda and drink about 1/10th the amount of beer I used to.<p>- bought a blood sugar meter. It turns out with all the carbs and sugary stuff I was eating I was making myself pre-diabetic. After 2 months with limited carbs and no sugar, my blood sugar was down to 70-80. (instead of 100-120)<p>- one day a week don't use the computer at all<p>- weekends try to spend at least 8 hours outside, cycling, biking, walking around<p>- make friends with people outside of internet messenger<p>- spend less time on hacker news!

I bike to and from school and work. I was doing yoga for a while, but fell out of it once I moved. I keep telling myself to start going again, but I always put it off.<p>I try to hike and boulder whenever I can find people to go with me. I really wish we had a rock climbing gym here. If we did, I'd probably be there every other day as my current climbing spot is a 30 minute drive followed by a 30 minute hike in. 2 hours transit isn't really worth it for me unless I have a couple buddies with me.<p>I'd definitely suggest yoga to anyone that wants to build some core strength and calm their mind. It's a lot more difficult than it looks.<p>I was a vegetarian for about 5 months, and some of those habits have stuck around (less fast food, more fruits and green stuff). I should probably get back to that, seeing as how I've never felt better than when I wasn't eating meat.

Well let's see, don't drink redbull, hold off on snacks, no coffee, and make your own noodles instead of ramen.<p>Basically cook your own food, don't sit around <i>all</i> day. This at least works for me, but I think I have a high metabolism or something.

One of the most fun active sports that I have played in a long time is racquetball. Very physical and very fun. Get a standing game going every week with some friends and you will notice your cardio benefits quickly. I also have a blast doing it because there is so much action going on that you don't have any time to think about breaking the build or anything else really.<p>I will also second the rock climbing gym as a fun exercise too. While it is physically demanding it takes longer to get physically drained so that could be a consideration. (3 hours vs. 1 - 1.5 hours for racquetball).

* No liquid sugar. Stick to black coffee (or better yet, tea) and water.<p>* Do something physical. A lot of hackers seem to like martial arts. I do karate.<p>* Pick times to go to sleep and wake up, and stick to them. Even on weekends.

I don't have time to fanaticism over health. Easy to say while healthy, but heck, I live to do what I want.<p>That said, I rarely drink, I don't smoke, I've never taken drugs, I drink a TON of water. I'm overweight but blood pressure is good and other signs are good (as of last full checkup). So I don't find the caffeine and chocolate addictions too much to deal with.<p>At least half the people round my way seem to be smoking, drinking every day, or carrying a lot more weight than me, so merely being "average" in the health department is OK for me right now.

Mastering discipline is as much of a factor in staying healthy as it is in startups. Sticking to a workout schedule, pushing yourself to work harder, and not giving in to excess food uses the same mental fortitude that founders use to keep costs down and output up.<p>I spend the majority of my waking hours sitting, either in lecture or at a computer. I counterbalance the sedentary nature of studying computer science by exercising at least 3 times per week, cooking simple and nutritious meals, and drinking copious amounts of water and tea.

For me, there are two aspects to it:<p>(1) Make your diet decisions at the grocery store to remove temptation at home.<p>(2)Find exercise that you think is fun. I personally can't run for more than 2-3 miles without getting incredibly bored, but hiking for 30 strenuous miles over gorgeous terrain is enjoyable. So too is chasing a little black ball around a squash court or running after a frisbee. Each person will enjoy different kinds of exercise, but once you find the one you like it'll turn "having to exercise" into "getting to go _play_ &#60;x&#62;".

UnderWater Hockey and Salamander Wrestling--the new twister! <a href="http://salamanderwrestling.tumblr.com" rel="nofollow">http://salamanderwrestling.tumblr.com</a><p>edit: used to be 4-court roller tennis with our dog on defense. my husband and i love to make up games. activity keeps my energy and spirits up, makes it easier to focus. plus, the walks are useful for us to discuss and plan for our startup. walking around is a great way to pull your thoughts together and be more creative. same with taking a dump or shower ;-)

About 3 months ago, when the scale said 204 lbs, I decided I need to do something. I'm just over 6'2", but that weight was not muscle.<p>So: I stopped eating crap out of habit. Ate less at each meal. Started walking/jogging/running ~2.5 miles 2 out of every 3 days.<p>Much improved. Not that hard (once I get my ass out the door), doesn't take a lot of time, good results. Now at 190.<p>I also occasionally play Wii games as well, often wearing wrist weights (depend on the game), jogging in place.

Vitamin B-Complex tends to help my fingers from feeling numb when typing all day. (Told to me by a doctor many years ago when I came to him with numb finger tips).

I try to eat not a lot, and mostly stuff that doesn't come in a wrapper. I climb two to three times a week and some weekends, for 2-3 hrs at a time. I supplement climbing with two to three 30-45 minute lifting gym sessions. I used to run, but not anymore, something I have to start again. I also try to do pull ups every night as I'm competing with my room mate.

There's lots of 5-minute exercise routines:<p>- walk up a couple flights of stairs, around the block<p>- do some yoga poses or pilates core strengtheners on the floor<p>- anti-RSI things: these powerweb and DynaFlex things I'm always shilling (they work, my wrists are ok after lots of pain)<p><a href="http://www.fitter1.com/Catalog/Category/35/HandWrist.aspx" rel="nofollow">http://www.fitter1.com/Catalog/Category/35/HandWrist.aspx</a>

It's important to realize the body is a machine : you have particular protein, fiber and calorie requirements. Meet them. I take a protein shake every day and a large quantity of veggies and skimp on carbs. I make sure to keep in mind caffeine is a drug and I monitor my dose. I do pushups and situps and as soon as my damn knee heals, I am back to running.

Two rules: plenty of vegetables/fruit with every meal, and 4 miles of running every day. Everything else seems to sort itself out.

Refuse to use any type of drugs other other than the occasional aspirin. Of course, unless my life is really depending on it.

The hacker's diet: <a href="http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/" rel="nofollow">http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/</a>

I run a half-marathon twice a year which motivates me to train and run frequently. Also, I eat clean 6 days a week Mon-Fri,Sun and eat anything on Sat. If I do drink soda, it's diet dr.pepper. I try to limit alcohol consumption to Sat.<p>Summary: Eat clean 6 days a week, run/cycle/swim at least 2-3 days a week, and take a multivitamin daily.

buy this book: <a href="http://www.thechinastudy.com" rel="nofollow">http://www.thechinastudy.com</a>

Easy.<p>- no sugar if it wasn't grown as part of a vegetable or fruit<p>- get your heart pumping<p>- eat fat! not processed shit, but avocados and fatty fish like salmon!<p>- when you're doing your cardio, do it intensively for 6 seconds. then, take it easy for the next 9. rinse and repeat.<p>- water. you need it. you really, <i>really</i> need it.

I moved next to a big park and got a dog. The dog park is about 1 mile away and I take my dog (rather she pulls me there) there about 5 times a week so that's about 10 miles I end up walking/jogging each week.<p>and this doesnt include the regular walks we go on.

honestly?:<p>- eat crap one day, eat healthy other.<p>- don't own a car/walk and take the stairs rather than lift.<p>- avoid public transport (where possible).<p>- work hard.<p>- get a good full 4 to 9 hours sleep per night.<p>- do some light weights every other day (or when bothered).<p>- drink lots of juices and waters and avoid fizzy drinks.<p>- alternate drinking beer and shorts without mixers.

Count calories and do 15 minutes of exercise in the morning. It doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. <a href="http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/" rel="nofollow">http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/</a>

I make an active decision to (most of the time) eat good food, and to not eat bad food. I drink mostly water and try to exercise a few times a week. Easy on the coffee, almost no energy drinks.

Don't eat junk.<p>Try not to overeat.<p>Definitely don't drink sugary drinks.<p>I'm jogging 3 miles a day every other day. Worked up to my first 5K over the summer (following "Couch to 5K" program, google it), hoping to work up to 10k next soon.

Biking.<p>I chose this activity because it integrates my commute time and exercise time. Together, are about 120 - 150 minutes daily but separately they used to be anywhere from the same to 3.5 hours.

Jogging in place, 3-4 hours a week, 15-45 minutes per session<p>It doesn't have to involve jogging pants and running shoes -- you may do it barefooted and pajamas in the bedroom, before dinner.

I count calories and try to stick to a consistent limit, and bike around 8 miles Monday through Friday. It's probably the 8 miles of biking that provides the benefit.

I have discovered racquetball since arriving to a college campus. It's phenomenal. Find someone that plays on an equal level with you and its a blast. Great cardio.

Learn to be comfortable eating while walking, spend your lunch time walking around exploring and observing... This happens to be good for the mind as well

I stick with "no carbs" diet. Nothing else.

Stick to a fairly strict healthy diet and regular sleep schedule.<p>Only broke this rule when working on a big deadline.

Would you guys be interested in a site that contains various workout programs?

What sort of reading on health do you recommend for a newbie that wishes to learn how to stay healthy? I'm beginning to worry about my health, but I'd hate to just follow some or another fad diet, even if recommended by fellow hackers. First, I wish to understand how my body works.

cycle to work. walk lots. eat lots of leaves. fruits for snacks.

bicycle riding, healthy marriage, and sometimes whisky instead of IPA, lentil stew w/ turkey sausage instead of hamburgers.

Jog at the very minimum 9 miles a week.

Run. (a la Merlin Mann: Most Days.)

By being a vegetarian.

Taekwondo.

Latest research shows that oxidative stress that results from cardiovascular exercise is the kind that is most beneficial to physical and mental well being. So I usually go running during the week but I don't stick to a schedule or a minimum distance quota. Listening to how your body responds and acting accordingly minimizes damage and improves recovery times. Since my goal is to improve overall well being I've found that this kind of setup works quite well.

This trumps absolutely anything else you can do: avoid starch and sugar. Eat only meat/fish, vegetables, and fruit. Simply don't eat sugary drinks, cereal, oatmeal, rice, potatoes, bread and so forth. This way everything you eat is nutrient packed.<p>Eggs and dairy are the best foods I know of. I normally eat four eggs a day (scrambled in lots of butter) and have a large glass of half and half, or sometimes I even drink straight up cream. Full fat yogurt is a fantastic food. I try to dominate my calories with saturated fat. The research is now clear that this is perfectly healthy. It's also a very efficient way to eat because I can very comfortably eat only two meals a day about half the time. Fat sticks with you.<p>Take vitamin d3 every couple of days. The research that has come out in the last few years on vitamin d is fairly shocking. Most people are deficient and it's a huge risk factor for infections and cancer. We are built to spend almost every day outside in the sun, generating vitamin d in the skin, but people don't do that now, so supplement.<p>As for exercise, sprint work and brief, intense strength training sessions are the best. Two 20 minute lifting sessions a week are sufficient exercise if that's all you can afford, but you must do it intensely. I frequently dry heave a bit in the shower after. Jogging and cycling are much inferior from a health perspective. You do want to build muscle mass and increase growth hormone and testosterone levels. Muscle buffers insulin. Jogging basically just burns calories and temporarily ramps up metabolism. It has minimal benefits compared to other forms of exercise. When I do go out biking and running I'm always amused by how fat the vast majority of runners on the trails are.<p>Don't take health advice from people who look like shit or work out like it's their job. I'm always shocked by the number of dough boys pontificating who get taken seriously. Demand a full body picture of anybody purporting to give lifestyle health advice, and if they pass that test make sure they aren't some freak wasting five hours a week working out. I'm 5'10 with a 29 inch waist, noticeable muscle mass, a six pack, and a very low body fat percentage. I spend at most two hours a week in physical activity and often nothing at all. I have turned a couple other people on to eating and exercising this way with very good results. Avoid starch/sugar, work out very hard infrequently and on an empty stomach, and you will get cut and healthy. The high saturated fat intake is optional, but I personally recommend it.<p><a href="http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2009/6/28/1-eliminate-sugar-and-refined-carbohydrates-like-white-flour.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.paleonu.com/panu-weblog/2009/6/28/1-eliminate-sug...</a> <a href="http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/latest_articles.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.second-opinions.co.uk/latest_articles.html</a> <a href="http://www.arthurdevany.com/2005/03/an_introduction.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.arthurdevany.com/2005/03/an_introduction.html</a>