Category: Engineering

How to stay healthy as a software engineer or IT professional?

I am a software engineer like you and by my second year I started feeling the unhealthy behavior of sitting down and coding for long hours.

1. Exercise regularly: Exercise can help you maintain physical and mental health. Engaging in regular physical activity can help you reduce stress, improve your sleep, and boost your mood.
2. Eat a healthy diet: A healthy diet can help you maintain your energy levels and focus. Make sure to eat a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and limit your intake of processed and sugary foods.
3. Get enough sleep: Adequate sleep is important for maintaining physical and mental health. Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
4. Take breaks: It is important to take breaks from your work to avoid burnout. Step away from your computer, stretch, and take some time to relax.
5. Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and maintain your energy levels.
6. Manage stress: Chronic stress can have negative impacts on your physical and mental health. Find healthy ways to manage stress, such as through exercise, meditation, or talking to a therapist.
7. Practice good posture: Poor posture can lead to muscle strain and fatigue. Make sure to sit up straight, with your feet flat on the ground and your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.

By following these tips, you can maintain your physical and mental health as a software engineer.

Below are the steps that I took:

1. Avoid sitting down for more than 1 hour without getting up for a walk.
2. Stand up for 15 minutes every hour to code.
3. Take multiple short walks outdoor during working hours.
4. Avoid elevators unless you have no choice, use the stairs to go up and down if your office floor is lower than the 5th floor.
5. Avoid drinking sweet drinks or too much coffee during work hours.
6. Avoid eating chips or almost anything while working.
7. Instead of spending long hours reading manuals and documents on your computer, print them out, then take a walk and read them somewhere quiet while standing.
8. Stretch often while working (extend your legs, arms, rotate your neck).
9. Take short breaks of 2 to 5 minutes every 2 hours to read something different from your main topic. It can be news, sports, entertainment, or anything else you like. I read or write on Quora during my breaks.
10. Change your position frequently and don’t hesitate to stand up at your desk from time to time while working.
11. Make sure that your chair is always comfortable. Don’t hesitate to upgrade or get a better chair if necessary.

Here are the steps that I took to stay active and healthy:

1. I am committed, no matter what, to playing at least 2 competitive games of soccer or basketball a week, either in an amateur team league or at drop-in sports leagues. Check out one of my drop in league chapter in your city at ShowUpAndPlaySports chapters – Djamga – ShowUpAndPlaySports
2. I volunteer to organize soccer and basketball games every week via Home – Djamga – ShowUpAndPlaySports
3. I walk regularly at lunch time, and try to get as much sunshine as possible.
4. I visit a chiropractor once a month to adjust my back and neck.
5. I visit a certified massage therapist regularly to work on my neck, back, hamstrings, and feet.
6. I visit a pedicure clinic once a month for a good pedicure and foot massage.
7. I eat a healthy diet of mostly vegetables and fish (mostly salmon).
8. I drastically reduced the carbs in my diet. Every morning, I take one cup of coffee or tea with no sugar or milk and a small cake. Then, I am covered until dinner time. In the evening, I have a large meal of vegetables and fish, usually salmon.
9. I drink plenty of water.
10. I don’t drink alcohol or smoke.
11. It is very important to sleep well; sleep at least 6 hours per day.
    You spend about 25% of your life in your bed, there you need to invest on your mattresses, pillows, bed furnitures and upgrade them regularly.

After adopting these habits, my efficiency came back. I was able to work as hard as when I was a student . I even lost weight!

Now, I can go toe-to-toe with young players and students in their twenties on the soccer field. I easily work more than 60 hours per week and still have enough time to play with my kids and enjoy a fulfilling life with my family.

I highly recommend these life-changing habits to all IT professionals and engineers so they can remain healthy and effective as they get older and busier.