from Hacker News

Ask HN: Health Advice for a Tech Person

by sujayk_33 on 10/13/24, 12:52 PM with 10 comments

• by pizza on 10/13/24, 10:21 PM

  - Maximize the speed at which you observe and adapt to internal sensations; e.g. when tired, rest, when in great spirits, do something with it, when stressed, disengage, etc.

  - If you find yourself overstimulating yourself with constant work and entertainment and diversion-seeking, your ability to read yourself will get worse, which means your ability to track your well-being will get worse, which means your health will get worse.

  - Post-meal walks are pretty good

  - Run away from people who couldn't give less of a shit about your well-being and won't compromise whatsoever

  - If you don't find yourself "just doing things" when you want to, you might be depressed. There's good news and bad news about that. The bad news is that you're depressed. The good news is that, since depression warps your estimates of how difficult tasks are to accomplish, exiting depression is probably literally significantly easier and more rewarding than you can even imagine.

  - Many people have acid reflux without realizing it and it can cause some symptoms you never would have guessed, eg tightness in chest, elevated heart rate, swallowing difficulty, inability to burp.

  - Being obese is a contributing factor for something like 200 diseases, so becoming not obese is one of the best things you can do if you are obese. GLP-1 medicines have made the probability of significant improvements in health due to weight loss something like an order of magnitude more likely, so they're quite effective at that, as well as eliminating addiction cravings. They have some cons, but they're generally significantly outweighed by the pros.

• by xu3u32 on 10/14/24, 2:39 AM

  I hustle but have learned to balance it with regular exercise. I started taking care of my body five years ago. Since then I've run 4 half marathons and recently my first triathlon. I work out about 2 hrs a day, 6x a week. If care about yourself, you'll make the time. Chase lofty physical goals and work towards them consistently.

  Book recs: Outlive by Peter Attia, Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter

• by boundless88 on 10/16/24, 2:50 AM

  At first, nice question. I've gone through the same issues several years ago. I suffered from the back pain after finishing work everyday. I have tried lots of solution, such as sleep early, running, skipping, etc. I believe regular exercise is the best way to stay healthy. The key points are choosing the right exercise and sticking to it. I prefer to exercise in the morning, so I choose activities that are not too intense to avoid being sweaty all day. I practice Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese exercise. It's gentle but helps relax and stretch the body. I've been doing this for 3 years, and it works for me. Consistency is important. If I skip exercise for more than three days, I feel uncomfortable. So, make a plan and stick to it. I hope this helps you.

• by helph67 on 10/13/24, 9:48 PM

  Suggest you research (and follow) the Mediterranean diet, people who do so tend to live long healthy lives. Also restrict your consumption of sugar and get plenty of regular physical exercise. I speak from experience. https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/04/health/mediterranean-diet... https://www.elle.com/beauty/makeup-skin-care/tips/a2471/suga...

• by AnimalMuppet on 10/14/24, 12:52 PM

  If you like doing it, you're more likely to do it. Find something you like to do. Bike. Hike. Play ultimate frisbee. Whatever.

  And then, do it regularly. Make room for it in your schedule. Plan to do it.

• by nicbou on 10/14/24, 7:46 AM

  I bike everywhere. It helps a lot.

• by idontwantthis on 10/14/24, 3:11 AM

  The best exercise is the one you stick with. Just get some, every day if you can. I can offer suggestions if you’d like. Also, get sleep. Whatever you’re working on instead of sleeping you will probably finish 10x faster in the morning.

• by mjomaa on 10/13/24, 9:56 PM

  Sleep.

• by tracer4201 on 10/14/24, 12:45 AM

  Get a gym membership. Learn to squat, bench press, do some pulling motions.

  Drink plenty of water.

  Walk. You don’t have to do cardio exercise but try to walk every single day. At least 20-30 minutes. If you take a bus, get off earlier or later so you can walk.

  Floss your teeth. If you get gum disease it’s permanent. It’s not that hard to get. Once your gums are diseased, they will recede slowly (or fast), and it will be painful to eat certain foods.

  Seriously, please take care of your physical/fitness health and dental health.

  No matter how much you love your work, the more you put in, the more others will take advantage of you if it suits them. Draw healthy boundaries. Don’t work every night or weekend. Use that time to read, go into nature, learn about the world, travel, and so on. Anyone who tells you money isn’t everything or “we don’t want people just in it for money” can fuck off. They’re there for MONEY. You don’t need to obsess with money, but your career is a means to financial freedom. Don’t kill yourself especially if your hard work is getting others promotions and making them rich while you merely just stay employed or get meager raises.

  Also prioritize family and having a kid earlier than later. You won’t understand until you have a kid, but your children are your most valuable treasure. Once you have child, you’ll do anything for him or her. Bring that joy sooner than later.