Best Life-Saving Exercise You Can Implement Now as a Developer
Your work demands unimaginable hours of sitting and coding. Sitting and coding while sipping your coffee or snacking on the side.
That’s just how it works.
Things that make you stand are meetings, trips to comfort room, getting something to eat or drink.
Work with me here, in average how many minutes are you moving from your seat? How much of your day does your ass kiss your seat goodbye?
Mine was 20 minutes tops for the whole day.
The remaining 7 hours and 40 minutes, I’m stuck at my seat.
You know when you’re in the mood to code. When you’re feeling like the protagonist in this crime-solving movie. And you can’t stop finding out why, who and what caused this bug!
You’re in a different world like time is nothing.
This goes on and on for hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades? Don’t let this happen to you. The result of that is a weak and overweight developer.
And it takes time, slooooowly but surely. Until the effects are irreversible.
Do you have one of these annoying watches who reminds you to stand up every once in a while? I do. It reminds me to stand up for a few minutes every hour. It was annoying as sometimes the train of thought is there. And you’re eager to finish it but you get interrupted by this stupid watch!
Hey, it can wait. Your health is on the line here. It’s your number one priority.
Or you’ll have to stop coding earlier than you expect.
Walk around the office. Or walk outside the office. Complete one round around the block. That’s even more fun and beneficial.
And hey, sometimes the best ideas and insights come when you walk it off. Walk the problem off and the next thing you know, you solved the problem just before you arrive at the office.
(This applies to real life problems too hehe)
Why is this beneficial to you?
Walking or moving. Staying away from inactivity for long periods of time. (Which is always tempting for you developer). It stimulates blood flow to your brain and other parts of your body.
It’s not rocket science.
Come to think of it. Our primal ancestors (who have figured out how to live optimally under selective pressures of drought, winter, etc.) have been walking all day. You haven’t seen a picture of a primal body that isn’t fit right? They all look good to me.
So why not imitate this behavior of theirs? Besides, they are moving at low-intensity. Not running, sprinting or lifting heavy weights all the time. Just walking. Breathe in and out like you always do. There’s no air-gasping that has to happen.
You’ll produce better code by taking a break once in a while.
Spread out some walk breaks within your day. Being stuck is a good indicator to take a break and just walk it off.
10-minute walk after each meal sounds good. It has other benefits like allowing your body to manage your blood glucose levels. Or you could walk your way to the office, and when going home. This one thing will elevate your body and mind. More than conventional developers of today’s day and age.
I’d love to know where this gets you!
Live optimally,
Jona
Jona is passionate about empowering developers to gain a healthier well-being. She lost control over her own health. But developed a sustainable lifestyle after 4 years of trial and error. With a lot of misinformation around health, she educates people by writing articles weekly in Medium.
