Living the 'geek lifestyle' and keeping healthy: How do geeks go about it? Any tips?

I would consider myself as living somewhat of a 'geek lifestyle' in that i'm in doors allot and on the computer or on the console, it is something i'm wanting to change however especially since i now have the Retina Pro i can take it outside for long periods to enjoy the sun and thanks to the new screen glare isn't much of an issue. The only problem has been the weather lol Anyway, i want to get a bit healthier so i'm improving my diet by eating healthier and trying to cut my calorie intake over the week to loose weight, problem being it's not easy to do that with this lifestyle. I've bought a treadmill and i'm doing short amount on it each day on an incline to burn some extra calories and to ease my way into exercising something i've always hated and led to me being very unfit. I've been an asthma sufferer for twenty years which has always deterred me from exercise because it ramps up the difficulty over what a normal healthy person would experience and it's having an impact on my exercise now as my asthmas has got worse in the last two years but i will stick with it. I'm also thinking about taking up archery so i have a sport to keep me active, it's something that builds physical strength and i tried it for a few months when i was young and loved it, unfortunately my local club had no one below the age of 40 there so a 13 year old it's not a 'cool' place to be lol bit of a shame but i think it's a problem allot of fringe sports have, not enough young people taking it up partly because no one their age is doing it.

What i want to know is how you stay healthy and in shape when living a lifestyle that largely revolves around physical inactivity? Are there any tips you can share on how to shed some weight or maintain your weight without having to sacrifice the lifestyle you enjoy, at least to a point? Would be good to hear if there are any asthma suffering geeks on here who have the same problems who also want to make a change.

excercises lifestyle healthy geek health asthma

asked Aug 05 '12 at 05:15

mutley2209
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edited Aug 08 '12 at 18:18

Fogarty ♦♦
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7 Answers:

oldest newest most voted

The only advice that I have for you, and I am not trying to sound like a jerk, is to work your butt off in the gym for at least an hour every day or at least five or six days per week. I work out for hours every day and that how I've stayed muscular and athletic since I was 13 (I'm almost 18 now). On the bright side, when you first begin to transition from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one, you will lose very much weight in the first few months. I wish you well!

answered Aug 07 '12 at 01:02

TheAnnoyingLife
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And just in case you're wondering, I also live the "geek lifestyle," as I spend at least five hours daily online building blogs and producing content, and when I'm not doing that, I'm reading a lot of self-help books. Also, I forgot to mention that participating in sports at your school will also help a lot as it helped me greatly. I started wrestling in the 7th grade and I lost 40 pounds by the end of the season that year; that's what a lot of wrestling practices and a dad who's crazy about healthy food can do to you.

(Aug 07 '12 at 01:07) TheAnnoyingLife

The thing I always try to do when I'm working on something behind the screen, I always get up every hour to stretch my legs. I try to walk every day and I also watch what I eat (although I have my bad moments). The only thing I still need to do is quit smoking! Although I don't smoke behind the screen anymore, I still smoke too much... Nasty habit I still haven't overcome, yet...

answered Aug 06 '12 at 21:46

TheDutchGuy
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0	The things most people do to stay healthy is just walk daily, and drink a good amount of water. Do THAT. Since I started, I have lost a substantial amount of weight. answered Aug 10 '12 at 01:55 Caelan 1.6k●317●336●364

Changing the way you snack can help. I make my own mix and sometimes chose fruit or vegetables. I still eat sandwiches but I changed to whole wheat and multi-grain bread. I'd suggest trying dry roasted edamame too; it's light and crunchy and good for you especially if you can find it unsalted. It's really good in a mix.

answered Aug 10 '12 at 07:04

ClosetFuturist
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0	Breathe, eat, drink, sleep in the correct proportions ...... and get a dog! answered Aug 10 '12 at 08:36 dunfiddlin 1.2k●4●18

i've been averaging 500 calorie intake a day without feeling hungry in large part because tuna has become a large part of my diet so far, good thing about tuna is it's low in calories but high in protein and protein takes longer to digest/breakdown using more energy in the process. I'm balancing that with some fibre from oats or low calorie whole meal bread and either a salad or veggie burger for dinner, also drinking plenty of water & diet coke along with some exercise on the treadmill although not as much as i should be so i will try to do more this coming week.

Since starting this thread i've lost two and a half pounds :) i know the body will loose water first during a diet so i expect this level of weight loss to level out but hopefully i can keep it up so i can loose 3-4 pounds a month which is more healthy. Managed to get outside this week as well as the sun was out, caught the in just one afternoon and that's to my shirt it looks like i have the Batman sign on my chest lol anyway i'm doing good and not having to sacrifice the lifestyle much at all, still on the computer most of the day :3

answered Aug 11 '12 at 17:43

mutley2209
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500 is not enough. Anorexics commonly consume more than that. Keep that up and you won't be feeling hungry on account of what you won't be feeling anything!

(Aug 11 '12 at 18:16) dunfiddlin

it's all reletive to how much energy you expend, as the thread states it's loosing weight while living a Geek lifestyle which largely revolves around inactivity. Your body needs X amount of calories each day to perform it normal functions regardless of what you're doing from sitting down all day to being fairly active at work. I'm not a very active person as i described so 500 calories a day for me isn't a bad target at all, it's enough to give my body what it needs including protein, fibre and vitamins while creating enough of a deficit to loose weight which of course is the ultimate goal of any diet plan. If i were however to become far more active on daily basis they i would of course increase my calorie allowance as it would be unhealthy for me not to and counterproductive as it would affect my metabolism.

Like i say though, good amount lost so far but it will slow down as most of that was probably water the body retains so if i keep it up i should level out to loosing 2-3 pounds a month which given i want to loose about four stone it will take me about 18-24 months give or take a month.

(Aug 11 '12 at 19:34) mutley2209

0	Walking at a moderate pace should help make your lungs strong. Fit in as much exercise as is practical. Mall walking, walking in a park in daytime are safe choices. answered Aug 12 '12 at 15:23 gnomie1 26●1

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