I'm all for exercise, but having various physical conditions that have made it harder to exercise in the last 7 years (slipped disc, coccydynia,muscular pains,bone pains, severe headaches, etc) it's not necessary to exercise in order to not have a serious weight problem. I am probably more immobile than most of the world - I do all my work reclining on my bed, and spend 99% of my week at home.
The key to not putting on weight is how much and what one eats. I keep to a minimum the foods I eat that have been prepared by someone else. I don't eat potato crisps, or cookies, or cakes, or doughnuts, or pizza, or pies... you get the picture. I only eat when I'm hungry. I'm not fanatical - I do eat fried bacon and egg sandwiches, but only about once a week. I don't add fat to food, but I do eat peanut butter.
Of course having gone from someone who went to the gym 5 x a week for years (and walked or cycled to work 6 miles a day), I'm flabbier and I've put on weight. But in 7 years of inactivity I've put on about 20 pounds. Last year I made a huge effort and did Pilates twice a week. Now that I know Pilates I can do an hour of strenuous exercise without even leaving my bed.
anonymous
· 10 months ago
Like many people, I find working out in the gym to be extremely boring. If you have the discipline to do it, more power to you! However, there are alternatives. Instead of the gym, I go outside, perhaps to the park, and ride a bike / skate / etc. The sun and nature does me a lot of good and there's nothing better than zooming around on a nice day.
Stan
· 10 months ago
I'm all for exercise. I think we'd all be happier if everybody exercised more. But I have trouble with the Programmer Meme:
"Surprisingly, bodybuilding and programming have a lot in common: Both require extreme amounts of dedication to become successful ..."
Just today, I've seen bodybuilding, music, wood carving, drawing, and foreign languages compared to programming. Please, is there any field which, at this vague level of generality, can *not* be compared to programming?
knome
· 10 months ago
When you're turing complete you're turing complete... : )
anonymous
· 10 months ago
classic picture! funny how there's a jar of vasoline next to his chair. good times...
george glass
· 10 months ago
that's the best thing i've read all day...thanks!
John Bender
· 10 months ago
Great post. I remember hearing on NPR that the only way they (the people being interviewed, neuroscientist) found to increase brain synapse connections was to exercise for at least one hour 5 times a week.
I've been struggling to stay in the gym, but I'm still in good shape. Of course I don't hack as much as most.
me
· 10 months ago
Let's see your guns, and then we'll know whether to listen to you or not.
Shawn K
· 10 months ago
I'm only 24, but I've put on about 80 pounds since I graduated HS in 2003. It's not terribly bad, I was super skinny in HS, but it's painfully apparent to me just how out of shape I am (mostly from not playing basketball every day anymore), yet I still struggle to get the motivation to go and exercise. This post is a great reminder of what I could still turn into.
aimxhaisse
· 10 months ago
Great post!
I'm not yet fat, but I think it's a question of time, just because I also love A* algorithm, I'll move my ass to try making some exercises :)
Chris Kottom
· 10 months ago
I'm usually skeptical of anyone who says, "The key to X is Y," but when it comes to fitness, the key is consistency. The two worst mistakes you can make when getting started with an exercise regimen are overestimating your capacity and looking at getting in shape as a project with well-defined start and end points. You have to start with something that you can do 3-5 days a week minimum and build up from there as you get stronger (which will happen faster than you would think if you're consistent). And perhaps more importantly, you have to look at it as something you're going to do for life, not something you're going to do until you reach a certain weight or can run such and such distance.
The connection between development and fitness is a little loose, as Stan points out, but I've heard it said and found it to be true: "The way you do anything is the way you do everything."
anonymous
· 10 months ago
I am the opposite, the skinny nerd, I'm under weight but health is still a problem and you are correct about all the other benefits of regular exercise. I used to commute by bus/train and walk to work and I had a lot more energy than when I was/am working from home, just walking around getting fresh air will clear your head and help in all sorts of ways, but its still a struggle to drag myself out the door when I do not strictly have to.
Cairo
· 10 months ago
Got a photo of when you was a bodybuilding contestant?
leftnode
· 10 months ago
Sure, I put one at the end. Be gentle!
nobb
· 10 months ago
mens sana in corpore sano, it goes
Jyothirmayee
· 10 months ago
you should check out http://lifemojo.com, may be u can join the other nerds there to spread the word more effectively.
Michael
· 10 months ago
I feel the same way, 2 years ago I was in great shape lifting 2 hours 3 days a week and running off days. I then found that I had an aptitude for programming started hacking away night and day and gained 25 lbs. I feel like I'm losing my aptitude because I can't concentrate quite as intensely, I have less energy, and much less motivation. Nice article!
Raam Dev
· 10 months ago
Wow, congrats! I too have made such a transformation. I went from 233lbs and 33% bodyfat down to 160lbs and ~15% bodyfat:
All Comments
The key to not putting on weight is how much and what one eats. I keep to a minimum the foods I eat that have been prepared by someone else. I don't eat potato crisps, or cookies, or cakes, or doughnuts, or pizza, or pies... you get the picture. I only eat when I'm hungry. I'm not fanatical - I do eat fried bacon and egg sandwiches, but only about once a week. I don't add fat to food, but I do eat peanut butter.
Of course having gone from someone who went to the gym 5 x a week for years (and walked or cycled to work 6 miles a day), I'm flabbier and I've put on weight. But in 7 years of inactivity I've put on about 20 pounds. Last year I made a huge effort and did Pilates twice a week. Now that I know Pilates I can do an hour of strenuous exercise without even leaving my bed.
"Surprisingly, bodybuilding and programming have a lot in common: Both require extreme amounts of dedication to become successful ..."
Just today, I've seen bodybuilding, music, wood carving, drawing, and foreign languages compared to programming. Please, is there any field which, at this vague level of generality, can *not* be compared to programming?
I've been struggling to stay in the gym, but I'm still in good shape. Of course I don't hack as much as most.
I'm not yet fat, but I think it's a question of time, just because I also love A* algorithm, I'll move my ass to try making some exercises :)
The connection between development and fitness is a little loose, as Stan points out, but I've heard it said and found it to be true: "The way you do anything is the way you do everything."
http://blog.raamdev.com/2004/03/07/changed-for-...