Does a sedentary coder's lifestyle actually impair health?

Question

Programming

The question is more addressed to those who have been coding for more than 5 years...
Do you, good gentlemen, have a remark in your health about minuses from working at a computer?
And how do you fight/befriend them?
It is extremely interesting if there are people who have been coding for more than 10 years and they have no prerequisites for being overweight and it is not weak to take a log on their shoulder :-)
I would be grateful for any thoughts on this matter.
PS Please, if you write thoughts without +5 years of experience - mark it in the message, they say - "I only think so, have not yet tested it in practice"

Answer 1

I have been coding for 5 years at a computer + before that I was engaged in circuit engineering at a computer for 7.5 years.
Overweight appeared when I graduated from the institute, started working, got married, that is, when I began to eat more or less regularly and high in calories, I stopped smoking.
At some point, when the weight crossed the psychological border, I realized that it was time to do something. He began to run in the morning and limited himself to food. Minus flour, minus obvious fats, minus sweets, minus soda juices. After 20.00 did not eat. I ate a little five times a day.
Total for 3 months minus 13 kg. Lightness in the body. But my knees hurt. Shock load on the knees when running due to overweight, improper running technique and, as it turned out, flat feet. I stopped running, switched to a sports step.
After a year, I did not engage in physical education and did not particularly follow the food. Again gained 5...7 kg.
I went to a fitness club, where I still do. Now the weight is about the same as it was before all the weight loss, but, according to the sensations, I gained about 50/50 muscle / fat. There is a noticeable belly, but the posture is good. Breathlessness does not hurt. The cardiovascular system is working. Deadlift - 100kg, Squat - 100kg, bench press - 80kg. This is not for once, these are workers. The last workout with a 16kg kettlebell on a wrist heart monitor: 1h20m, avg. heart rate 150, max. heart rate 190, kcal 1200.
The coder forms a lifestyle for himself. It doesn't have to be seated. I have two fellow programmers who arrange bike rides for 70 ... 80 km on their day off.
And progressive overweight occurs when the amount of calories coming from food exceeds the amount used. Plus, the quality of incoming calories is, of course, also important. Carbohydrates should be obtained from cereals (low glycemic index), and not from rolls. More protein. Controlled - fats.
And if you don’t eat very high-calorie or you’re naturally lucky with metabolism, but you’re not friends with physical education, then the figure of a pregnant grasshopper will still threaten. When the back muscles are not developed, its own weight will twist into a stooped squiggle. But the musculoskeletal system is not the sum of individual muscles. All muscles/bones are connected to each other. Here you will pump over - the muscular imbalance will turn you in the other direction. Ideally, you need to work harmoniously. And consciously.
In general, physical activity is needed, although we have achieved a lot in the modern world: a lot of food in the store, medicine, cars. Evolutionarily we are still not ready for this. We would have to move: run after deer, bring down mammoths, and we sit in our caves and get fat. It is necessary to level this imbalance between scientific and technological progress and our own evolution. This is a vital necessity. But you can, of course, move horses at 50 from a heart attack: it's a matter of choice.

Answer 2

Yes, a purely sedentary lifestyle worsens health.

Answer 3

The weight is slowly gaining, because I love sweets. Thanks to Dmitry Makarov for the advice with cereals, but which ones?
If you don’t move at all, then due to stagnant processes, blood circulation is disturbed and, as a result, the kettle cooks poorly. As well as pain in the back and neck. Lazy intestines. Discomfort in the legs.
Running on the street is not fun. There is no big. Skiing is rare and generally only in winter. Here is my solution:
Run 30-40 minutes + stretching exercises + dumbbells/abs/pull-ups + cool showers. At best, I manage in an hour.
The head works great. I sleep 6 hours a day, I don't get tired. By the way, the sleep mode is 5 hours + 4 * 15 minutes during the day.
Once a quarter I hire a masseuse for my back, shoulders and neck. 10 sessions.
On the monitor on the wall, I watch movies or series while jogging. You can also read books there, but I prefer to read paper books and make notes in the margins.
Smoothly blinking light fiber in front of the eyes allows you to relax your eyesight. On the table, the 2 * 18Wt lamp is very bright. Under the ceiling 4*20Wt 4200K daylight.
Two air purifiers with ionizers. One cleans the indoor air with ultraviolet light. The second, supply, cleans the street air. There is no air conditioner.
I play (very, very rarely, for various reasons) the XBox Kinect. Specially I play only kinektovskie games, mobile. "Star Wars" stretches the arms a lot, and "Adventures" stretches the legs and back.
I work standing up part of the time. The laptop is on the lid of the terrarium, and I am nearby.

Answer 4

The chair heals, everyone else lies.

Answer 5

Now everyone works day and night at the computer, not only programmers. And programmers have health problems not because of this, but you yourself know why. They just fell into doing something, and they don’t consider it necessary (including me, because everything is ok with me).
But, for some reason, it is programmers who really like to blame the chair, mouse, keyboard, what else is non-ergonomic in them?) Maybe because it’s easier to buy an expensive chair, come up with working while standing, lying down, buy a powerball, a slanted keyboard, a silicone mouse pad and calm down, they say, now let's live?)
Here I have no problems, absolutely. 8 years already a programmer.

Answer 6

Yes, I have been working for over 10 years. There is a little extra weight. But you just learn to take breaks, to do a warm-up. As in the first class "we wrote, our fingers were tired." You approach the equipment of the workplace with more responsibility, so that the posture is straight, the knees are bent 90 degrees.
Vision suffers the most - EyeLeo and F.lux programs come to the rescue .
To lose/maintain weight and strengthen muscles, I recommend walking.

Answer 7

Of course it hurts.
Take the profession of a driver - this profession has existed longer than the profession of a programmer.
Doctors have long identified typical diseases of this profession: prostatitis, hemorrhoids, osteochondrosis, radiculitis, overweight, cardiovascular diseases, male infertility, etc. The programmer sits the same amount, if not longer.
It is not a fact that this whole bouquet will definitely be at once. Rather, a person leading a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle will be predisposed to these diseases. Therefore, even if there is nothing like that now, you should not forget about prevention.

Answer 8

Too lazy to look for a photo ...
In general, everything is too lazy ...
So there, in the photo, on the desktop, only the space of the rug is free for the mouse (she needs to actively run - I'm still a gamer).
And in front of the keyboard, there are all sorts of pieces of paper for sketches, sketches, and so on, for notes.
And along the perimeter ... Some empty bottles from under the dark! Some bags of chips, etc. nonsense.
There are also bottles around the table, under the table and on the speakers. (since the monitor is not obstructed)
Encoder since the early 2000s.
Age 37 years.
Height 175.
Weight 58-63.
No wife for 7 years.
Headaches.
Apathy.
I sleep a lot and anyhow.
Forever hungry.
The feeling of being unfulfilled in society.
Very similar to ... Radion Raskolnikov!
(Already ready to rob and kill)
(in vain in the late 90s I decided to quit with criminal prospects.)
Now I would be with a walker, with tattoos - people would respect!
Would have a business - "Money for a house" or something like that.
In short, computer technology is a dead end branch of human development.
About what the cartoon Wall • e.

Answer 9

Here, many write about weight, back, eyes ...
But not everything is as simple as it seems. Visible and seemingly easily reversible symptoms either entail more serious consequences, or negative processes occur on their own that will not come out soon.
The older the age, the worse the regenerative functions of the body. Lack of movement, hypodynamia, first slows down the metabolism, and then violations occur. This can easily result in:
- hypertension
- prostatitis
- kidney stones
- gallstones
- gastritis
- a general decrease in immunity and tone
In general, you need to force yourself to move while you can. With age, the consequences of hypodynamia become more severe and more expensive to treat.

Answer 10

As I began to earn a lot, I began to eat more
And also move less
As a result - + 12 kg in 5 years (but I have only been sitting at the computer for 2 years, before that I worked as an enikey worker). And I don't drink or smoke.. For 2 years of sitting at the computer, my back also began to curve.
Now I decided to balance my diet, for the sake of posture I went to the pool (I noticed how my back became stronger and I can sit more evenly longer than before). Of course, you still need to run or go to the gym to get in shape, but so far too lazy.
It’s a pity that I didn’t realize before how sad everything can happen - I would eat less, move more.
Although there are people who have also been eating fast food for 5 years, drinking beer, smoking and have remained in shape, and these are not athletes. A lot depends on the metabolism, I'm here to what.

Answer 11

First of all, you must remember that your stock of health depends on genetics, innate health, environment (air quality, water quality), nutrition, and HOW you spent your entire life today. Of course, living your whole life breathing fresh sea air is more useful than sitting at a computer. However, we will not go into extremes and despondency.
Himself for > 12 years at the computer in different roles. My observations and experience - the state of health is highly dependent on:
1. How much you smoke and drink. If you want to be healthy - drink a minimum, do not smoke.
2. What kind of physical activity do you give the body. Sport is good, but weightlifting combined with anabolics is not very good. Do you understand the difference? The ideal sport for us is swimming. I also add a bicycle without fanaticism (there may be problems with my knees during long mountain riding), running, general physical. training - gym, uneven bars. I would single out the horizontal bar separately. Since our back is a risk zone - pull yourself up, stretch your spine on the horizontal bar, this is useful at any age!
3. What kind of air do you breathe and what kind of water do you drink.
4. How you eat. Doshirak, kebabs, croutons with beer, etc. do not add health. There is a lot of information about this on the Internet, so I don’t think it’s worth describing in more detail.
5. Numbers of positive emotions. Do not immerse yourself in the virtual and games. Get outdoors more, travel, go to concerts, do what you like with who you like.
6. Strive for continuous development and avoid depression, increase your self-esteem and always be motivated. Admit your mistakes, but don't tell yourself, "I was wrong, that's why it turned out to be such a shit", say "how interesting it turned out, but next time I'll do it right", for example)
You can write more, but this is the main thing. Who mastered - all the best!

Answer 12

Hint: you can lie ;)

Answer 13

I write without 5 years of experience. But I have a lot of years behind my back) I used to go in for sports very often, played, walked. As soon as I sat down at the computer about 2-2.5 years ago and started doing layout, programming, then of course there was not much time for sports (+ laziness), so I abandoned everything.
And over these 2-2.5 years, I seriously noticed how my health became worse. So I started to catch up again ... So I advise you, program as much as you like, but at least spend an hour a day on running, push-ups, press, etc.
And yes, besides that, I gained +8 KG. So even 1 thought about three chins immediately starts to motivate :)
p.s. coding while working is often 8 hours a day at work. In addition, anyone can spend in front of the monitor every day for 15 hours. so this comment
is inappropriate here. I have a friend who is 30. His day is = Get up, make coffee, smoke -> Dota -> Sleep. xD

Answer 14

Worked sitting at a computer for more than 9 years. Hernia in the initial stage and severe pain in the lower back. Once he leaned over sharply and then could not walk for a week, his back was shooting. Now my workplace looks like this:
Source: Article “Severe lower back pain during sedentary work”
If you work while standing, your knees hurt a lot, your joints wear out. I haven’t saved up for Altwork Station yet, so for now, an intermediate option is an orthopedic chair.
Of the exercises, pull-ups, yoga for the back (from the Yoga application for ipad) and the classic warm-up from Wushu help the most: tilts around the lower back, twists, waves.
There is a killer YouTube playlist on this topic from a dude who, in childhood, almost lost his collarbone and his back is simply not in working order. Recommend.

Answer 15

Yes, that's a fact. The back and working wrist suffer the most.
For the back, you need a good office chair - when I worked in offices, it usually was like that, now I work at home, and I won’t buy a chair in any way. But you can code lying down with a laptop.
For the wrist, you need a simulator, just today or tomorrow they should bring Powerball - I'm going to try it out. Other options are less mouse use, ergonomic keyboards, and all that. I don't recommend anything specific here.
So it’s weak to take a log on your shoulder, but my health has always been not very good.
5 years encoder.

Answer 16

All programmers in one way or another suffer from cervical osteochondrosis, and coupled with constant mental stress, this leads to disastrous results.

Answer 17

coding for 10 years. 1s development.
height 183 weight was 74, now 78.

Answer 18

Comfortable ergonomic chair, a prerequisite for the absence of back pain!
Everything else (mouse, keyboard) is just a matter of convenience.
I run 12 km (3x4 km) a week and also work out 30 minutes a day with 20 kg dumbbells.
I think to go to the gym and adjust the diet a little, because I'm starting to gain weight.
I think that you should not ignore sports and there will be no health problems.

Answer 19

I didn’t set a goal to fight, I just accidentally found a sport (in my case, a bicycle trial), which I enjoy doing, and therefore I’m not too lazy.

Answer 20

As he began to lead a sedentary lifestyle, his legs ached, the stomach began to work worse. I want to buy a bike so that I can exercise.

Answer 21

I would advise you to buy a roller - in my opinion, ivlar company, medium hardness - even if you don’t do sports, but you feel that the tin is on your head (pain, as if it swells) - then ride it - kneads all parts of the spine very well.
In terms of nutrition, cereals in the morning, the main carbohydrates are up to 4 hours, then only complex ones (buckwheat, pasta of TV varieties, brown and wild rice), I don’t advise fatty fish and beef, it can be hard to digest if there was no special physical. activity, there will be poor sleep (although this may be individual).
I'm not even a coder yet, I'm actively involved in powerlifting myself, but I'm learning Java (although who cares?)

Answer 22

Harmful if only sit and all. Sports are needed. Lying is even worse.

Answer 23

Same answer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fdGOl-N-SA ))

Answer 24

I work at the computer all the time, about 8-10 hours a day, I don’t get fat, my back doesn’t bend, I lost weight, I pumped up - I began to look much better than before, I became more enduring, I got more strength = and all you need to do is go to fitness 3 times a week club, and other days try to walk.
And of course not everything.

Answer 25

sometimes my neck hurts and crunches, and my back is a little bit, but so far everything seems to be relatively in order, except for the weight of 110 kilograms, of course, but there is a small correction - I am a weightlifter in the past

Answer 26

this doc film shows a sedentary lifestyle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e81VFoJnfMY

Answer 27

In addition to all of the above, there is such a thing as "economy class syndrome".
minus5.ru/articles/1531
Relevant for any sedentary worker.

Answer 28

Need to do sport! Even simple walking: 30 minutes of fresh air, if available in your area, is helpful.