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I have to add a second priority: get enough sleep. For me sleep is more important to my productivity than exercise (though of course exercise helps with sleep).
I don't know if everyone is as dependent on a good night's sleep as I am, but I feel the effects of waking up even 30 minutes too early. Its like night and day (intended).
My experience is that with ridiculously much exercise, I can do with less sleep and still feel excellent.
However, that usually means trading one hour of sleep for one hour of additional exercise. And I'm lazy, so sleep it is! :-)
The thing I'm jealous at you US people for most of all (except those from Maine and Alaska) is the ability to wake up with the sun each morning. Here in Northern Europe, the seasonal differences are simply too large.
I live in Maine now and lived in Alaska before. Actually, with Maine the sunrise is earlier than everywhere else because of how far east the state is, especially if you live on the coast like I do. Of course we pay for it at sunset. In AK the days are short, but for the most part people aren't exercising outside during those months anyhow. Keeping sidewalks plowed seemed to be at the bottom of the list in Anchorage.
Most of the US isn't like that. I live in Seattle now, and the winter days are quite short. Even when I lived in Mississippi, I didn't wake up to sunlight in the winter unless I got up late. It'd be light when I left the house, but not when the alarm went off.
Maine isn't all that far north, actually, especially if you consider that the inhabited part is mostly in the south, along the coast.
Couldn't click "Up" enough times on this.
The difference in productivity between a day preceded by a good night's sleep and one where I stayed up late then got up early are probably 50-75% for me.
Diet, exercise, weight loss, meditation, walking, music, etc. etc. etc... nothing has as much an effect on my mood and mental performance as sleep does.
I can literally eat butter until my knees buckle and as long as I get a good night sleep I'm good to go the next day.
I know none of this is cool like the people that are energized by a quick 13 mile run or 40 mile bike ride at lunch time... I'm not sure why I was dealt the hand of "sleep is the best thing ever", but I've learned to optimize for that and it has helped a lot.
Diet, exercise, weight loss, meditation, walking, music have long term cumulating effects. Neglecting them wont impact you the next day, but after a few weeks you ll feel it. And it will take more than a one day to get back into shape.
I concur. If I don't get at least seven, eight hours of sleep the day before, I find myself staring at the screen blearily the next day (at work) or succumbing to a mid-day nap (if the next day isn't work day).
Sleep for sure is good and important, but in a pinch good 20 minutes of cardio will send enough fresh blood to your brain to energize you for the rest of the day and you can still hit the sack hard at the end of it.
This is one of the reasons our development team is located on Vancouver Island. We could have set up shop in the middle of Silicon Valley's startup culture, but instead, we set up shop in the middle of world-class mountain biking, hiking, surfing, rock climbing, and snowboarding. Collectively, our team gets no shortage of exercise!
Incidentally, outdoor activities provide a great environment for generating creative solutions. We do some of our best problem-solving out past the break, or on the uphill side of a downhill ride.
I just moved to the bay area last December so I don't know all the best places yet, but you can do everything you just described very easily in SV.
I have heard California described as the mecca of rock climbing, and of course there's plenty of surfing if you get yourself south. Santa Cruz mountains are famous for their mountain bike trails.
Snowboarding is a tad out of reach with the drive to Tahoe, but not undoable. (Yeah, it looks quick on the map, but OH GOD THE TRAFFIC)
CA is amazing for everything described above, and doable from the SV, but it is muchless convenient than I imagine Vancouver Island is. Living in Seattle I can be actively engaged in any of the above with a 45 minute drive or less. From the SV, you are likely looking at a trip to Tahoe for any good climbing, hiking or skiing. It's doable, just not as convenient. (Note: I hate to appeal to authority, but I lived outside Sac for 4 years and Seattle the last year, and it is definitely easier here.)
As a Seattleite who has spent time out that way, I'm curious where on the island you are? A beautiful place!
A practical way to get exercise anywhere is to arrange to live about 20 miles from your office and cycle to work every day. Convenient way to get exercise, wake up in the morning, and de-stress after work.
20 miles each way is 2 hours total for a very fit cyclist. It's 3 hours or more for most people. And you'll need a shower when you get to work (and home, really). I don't think that's convenient for most people.
I do a similar thing, but I live a few miles away and walk to work. A bonus: Crossing the grid diagonally allows me to vary my route frequently without any additional time penalty.
I currently work full time and do full time uni, so my time is stretched as far as it can go. I've sat down an analysed my productivity over the day and noted that from when I finish work at 5 or 6 until after I finish having dinner at around 8-8.30 I rarely get anything done, I try, but end up being distracted. So I decided to write that time off, and go do exercise to refresh myself for the late night stint.
I always used the excuse that if I'm going to be up really late tonight working, how can I justify half an hour of exercise, but once you sit down and be honest with yourself you'll realize that you waste many half-hours being distracted/on HN/Facebook etc, and those half-hours don't have the benefits that exercise does.
Honestly, this is one of the reasons I quit my job to launch a startup.
If I'm feeling blocked, I can take the day off, go for a 200km bike ride, and reboot my brain in the mountains. And no-one call tell me not to (ok, except the wife).
It's a potent combination of meditative thinking time, vitamin D, & suffering-induced endorphin high.
Exercising for 30 minutes every morning has certainly had a good impact on my life I think. And because I do it in the morning it means that no matter how poorly the day goes, at least I've managed to do something positive for myself.
Conversely, though, I am very very grumpy when I don't get to exercise in the morning for whatever unavoidable circumstance.
Since blood pressure is higher in the morning, it's better to do exercise in the afternoon.
According to the mayo clinic website[1] blood pressure actually peaks in the afternoon in healthy individuals. If your blood pressure peaks in the morning, they seem to be saying you may have a health issue.
In my experience diet is WAY more important than exercise. I bike to work about 3 miles so I get some moderate exercise but not a great deal. What really changed my body is when I decided to go vegan. I eat far healthier than I ever have and literally feel like my body can breathe again. I recommend everyone try to get more vegetables and fewer animal products into their diets, even if they don't really want to make the commitment to veganism.
Processed white flour has always been the worst for me.
Definitely true that whole grains > processed flours. Oily and fried foods are also to be avoided where you can.
I lost ~50kg over a few years from a plant-based diet and minimal exercise.
I have taken up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu(BJJ) for about the last 4 months and it has done wonders for me. My energy levels are higher, my mind is sharper, and my confidence is better then its has ever been. Not only its a nice break from my day but it has become my second passion in life. 4 classes a week hour each is not a bad investment in one's self.
I'm taking classes too. And in the last couple weeks I've been off because off classes and overwork.
Maan, this is bad. I need to get back.
And about BJJ, I'm really enjoying it. Its wonderful how its making me more confident and active.
Do you have any concerns about hurting your hands? (I'm guessing you are a developer). I'm interested in starting BJJ this summer.
The beauty of jiu jitsu is you can visit new academies on business trips. It's a social sport.
Concur.
Walk to work instead of driving if you can, walk somewhere a little farther away for lunch, whatever it takes.
Would that more of us spent even a fraction of the time we spend developing our minds on taking care of our bodies.
Exercise is one aspect of health - while it is indeed valuable, I do think that many people (especially obsessive/highly-driven people) over-emphasize it. Sleep, relaxation, proper diet, healthy relationships and mental health are all as important. Hyperfocusing on one aspect of a a complex art strikes me as unwise.
Intense exercise has real negative side-effects. Cardio, prolonged weight-lifting, and lack of proper R & R all release cortisol, which is completely counter-productive to most people's exercise goals - http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/losing-muscle-cort.... I've seen intense exercise stimulate people's appetites to the point where they make shitty eating decisions completely counteracting any benefits. And just anecdotally, a lot of gym rats seem tired or unfocused to me. Heavy exercise can make blood-pressure unnaturally low, which can lead to poor concentration and depression.
I'm in the best shape of my life and exercise is an enjoyable part of my life more than a "Priority". I do two or three intense strength exercises (I have pullup bar and a compact rack of adjustable dumb-bells in a spare room) while I wait for the bathtub to fill - enough to get my heartrate going and work up a little perspiration. I take long walks (barefoot, but that's an issue for another day) and/or rollerblade while I listen to podcasts or music. I try to eat a lot of vegetables and limit my portions of everything else. "Work smart, not hard", as in many things.
Tim Ferriss made some excellent observations and developed methods on how to optimise your time related to work and personal time. I ve tested several his hypothesis and they did have some impact on me.
I just bought the 4 hour body and I can see this same thinking of his this " 80 / 20 " Paretos Law. I think if you can read both these books , snythesis Body and Lifestyle using his principle based on the 80 / 20 you will see great changes.
Richard Branson is role model to many of us but he is very wealthy and as he mentions in the video that he has an Island that helps, Ferriss guide offers a perfect low cost alternative.
Recommend !
Hate to burst anyone's bubble but Tim Ferriss is selling snake oil.
The 4 Hour Body is roundly and deservedly mocked on bodybuilding forums. Its claims are completely delusional. Among them:
# How Tim gained 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days, without steroids, and in four hours of total gym time
# How to sleep 2 hours per day and feel fully rested
# How to triple testosterone and double sperm count
# How to go from running 5 kilometers to 50 kilometers in 12 weeks
# How to reverse "permanent" injuries
This kind of stuff only fools people who don't have prior information to compare it to. For example, the "incredibly high" level of testosterone he is talking about is in the 600 ng/dL range, which is a normal level. It is an expected number, and the variation he observes is completely within the range of natural fluctuations. Testosterone peaks and falls.
It is also impossible to gain 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days with that level of testosterone. In fact, it would be impossible for anyone other than a professional bodybuilder coming back from a layoff (it's quicker to regain if you've already achieved it before) WITH high doses of anabolic agents including testosterone, pushing massive weights.
(Injectable testosterone esters have long carbon tails which means the molecules take much longer to be broken down. This jacks up testosterone levels 24 hours a day, without the peak/fall of the normal cycle. This vastly increases the window for protein synthesis.)
Just look at the claim: 34 pounds of muscle in 28 days, which is over a pound a day, in less than 4 hours in the gym. This is almost 9 POUNDS OF MUSCLE per one hour of exercise. Completely ludicrous.
Sleeping 2 hours a day? Sure. Forget 8-minute abs, we've got... 7 minute abs!
Being able to run 30 miles after 3 months of training? Are we onto this BS yet?
Those injuries you've got, they aren't "permanent"! Note the scare quotes. It's just in your head, and if you don't get these fantabulous results, it's your own fault. Lazy bum.
There are similar problems with the 4-hour Workweek. Just look at all the publicity for it -- it was a CONSTANT media blitz where Ferriss was working around-the-clock to promote himself. And he's been doing that for a long time; his self-promotion is a full-time job in itself.
It's the same old story with all the so-called financial gurus. They ALL get rich by selling you a book about how you can get rich quickly and with barely any work.
Anyone who's ever done any programming or writing knows how little 4 hours is. As a weekly investment, that is NOT the path to mastery or startup success.
You can't even be a successful snake-oil salesman with 4 hours per week, as evidenced by Ferriss himself. It takes lots of work and dedication.
Definitely agree, it's not just the health benefit of exercise but the attitude that comes with it. You become more energetic, proactive, etc. Such positive attitude will diffuse into the rest of your life!
Agreed.
I've also written about exercise and its benefits (or really, the benefits of exploring other areas of life that one might enjoy outside of work): http://mschade.me/be-a-better-entrepreneur-be-a-little-selfi...
Great post. Should be combined with healthy eating too!
I can't exercise as much now because of health reasons, so I find that doing little things also helps like parking further away which forces me to walk more or taking low intensity exercises or group exercises which are more social as well.
Great points. Lately I've been cramming workouts right before work or lunchtime. Lots of general health ane energy benefits.
For boring married folks like me, I would add family time every day is important.
Very true. It is apparently clear when I let myself go even a couple of days without running. Well said.
Agreed that is why I always walk to work and rarely bring my car.
It's a trade-off for me. For the most part, exercising every other day has good short term and long term benefits for my productivity. But sometimes, just saying "fuck it", not eating, not exercising, and blasting through code for a few days gives serious short term gains.
It's not sustainable, and I've now learned when to quit, but the gains I get during those periods get are something exercising and being healthy just can't measure up to. Maybe I'm delusional
I don't think that's delusional - the same approach has certainly worked for me - when it's been necessary. Sometimes you just have to go into crunch mode and make shit happen.
Exercise is important, but I find the effects are way more beneficial when you do it early in morning as opposed to evening. It disrupts my sleep if I exercise too late
I never exercise. I hate exercising.
I do dance several times a week, however, and like to walk around/be jittery so I hope that helps me stay in shape. I don't stay in the house much -- it makes me depressed.
Essentially I'm getting a kick out of using my body to move me around, make it do things. And I keep a daily chart of weight that helps me intuitively feel when to stop eating. Right now I'm at around 78 kg at 189cm which feels good.
My new favorite exercise would be punching people who tell me to eat more in the face.
Dancing = exercising as far as I'm concerned. Walking too. Being jittery I'm not so sure.
I second that. I'd better read an article on "How to avoid exercising all together and still rock on"
because I ming bogglingly hate the concept.
I love doing things. I like climbing hills, swimming seas, walking cities. But I HATE HATE HATE just being in the room and doing funny things with my limbs until you die of boredom.
Running is not okay also unless you're running from someone scary.
> I keep a daily chart of weight that helps me intuitively feel when to stop eating
You're relying on a chart to dictate your eating... surely this is the opposite of intuitive?