Geek’s Guide to Getting in Shape: 13 Surefire Tips
So you spend all day confined in a dungeon in front of a couple glowing computer screens, coding C++ and eating McDonald’s for lunch? You definitely need to lose a few pounds and put on some muscle, but don’t know where to start? All of us computer geeks could stand some exercise. This guide will give you some practical tips on how to get started getting in shape!
1. Set Goals
Just as with anything else in life, you’ll go nowhere without goals. Set short-term, and long-term goals for yourself. Make them reasonable and attainable. Don’t get discouraged if you’re behind. Simply rededicate yourself to your goals and keep plugging away.
2. Get out of the office!
I know what it’s like sitting in front of a computer all day at work, then coming home and working on your own projects. Its hard to get away from it, but you need to make some time for yourself and get away from the computer and T.V.
You don’t necessarily need to go to the gym, just try to get 30 min of (strenuous) physical activity every day. Whether its power walking with your dog, or running on a treadmill, or lifting weights, get up and get moving!
I suggest doing something that you love for exercise. If you force yourself to start jogging or lifting weights and you hate it, you’ll quit within in weeks or months. Instead find something you like doing and force yourself to do it on a regular basis. (Sex doesn’t count. Come on, I know you’re not getting laid).
I’m a huge proponent of martial arts for getting in shape. Not only are they fun, they are great for burning calories, learning balance, self-discipline, etc. Boxing and kickboxing are great cardio workouts. You may also want to look at Kempo (Chinese Karate), Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (Submission wrestling), or Tae-Kwon-Do (Korean Martial Art).
3. 20% exercise, 80% diet
You have to exercise to lose weight, so get over it. But let’s be clear about this: it is mostly about diet. If you’re not getting the results your looking for you have to adjust your diet.
I suggest seeing a dietitian and explaining your goals to them. Also you may want to check out eDiets. They put together a diet for you and give you a grocery list so you know what to buy.
4. Pack your lunch / cook
An easy way to start losing weight immediately is start packing your lunch. Fast-food is a big no-no. Start brown-bagging something everyday.
5. Get a partner
A good way to stay motivated, and to really push yourself is to find a workout and/ or diet partner. There is strength in numbers.
Don’t get a lazy workout buddy. That could backfire, because they drag you into their laziness.
6. Set a time that’s right for you
My philosophy is not to do anything out of the ordinary when starting a new workout program. If your new schedule change or workload is too radical you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Hence, don’t commit to wake up a 4:30 in the morning to workout because its not likely to happen. Make time during the day to workout. You don’t need to dedicate more than 30 – 40 minutes, but find sometime in your current day to get some exercise in! Try to be consistent and go at the same time everyday.
I already know what you’re thinking: “I’m too busy.†And I know that is just an excuse not to exercise. Make it a priority and make time to work out. I know your kids need your attention too, but they also want to see their parents live longer and with less stress, right?
7. No fad diets - EVER
I hate fad diets (Atkins, Southbeach, etc.). These may work temporarily, but they are not long term solutions!
The golden rule I use is: calories spent > calories taken in.
Burn more calories than you eat and you’ll be on your way to losing weight.
8. The right way and the wrong way
To safely lose weight and keep muscle you only want to lose 1-2 pounds per week. I know this doesn’t sound like a lot but it really is a much better way to lose weight. It also encourages continued success through a longer period of time, rather than not eating for a week, losing 10 pounds, and then putting it right back on.
For those who are more than 30 pounds over weight you may to consider somewhere around an 1800 calorie diet to get started. See a dietitian for a diet that suits your needs.
If you’re trying to bulk up you should increase your calories by about 500 a day in order to gain 1 – 2 pounds per week. Again, you don’t want to gain anymore than this because you’ll be gaining fat rather than muscle.
9. Drink lots of water throughout the day
You can burn calories just by drinking water. A Calorie is actually a measure of heat that your body uses. When you drink water your body heats the fluid up to 98.6 degrees, causing you to burn heat / calories.
10. Don’t eat before bed
This is another weight loss tip. When you go to sleep your body slows down metabolizing. If you eat right before bed this metabolic slowing may cause extra weight gain.
11. Don’t listen to your parents
I hated when my parents told me I couldn’t leave the table until i cleared my plate. Sure enough it came back to haunt me. Its a bad habit that most people have to this day. Eat only you are semi-full to full. Don’t gorge yourself and don’t feel like you have to finish everything on your plate. This can save your from eating many, many extra calories.
12. Do your homework
There are plenty of resources out there about diet and exercise. Educate yourself. Also remember to take everything you read or hear with a grain of salt. Just because somebody is a bodybuilder doesn’t mean they know what they are talking about, or that what they are doing will work for you.
13. Be committed
This is the toughest one by far. But remember nothing good comes without hard work. Commit yourself to your goals, and achieve them. I know you can do it.
(Bonus tip: I write my goal weight on a Post-It note and stick it on the bathroom mirror. That way achieving my goal is the first thing on my mind every day. )
More diet and exercise resources:
- http://bodybuilding.com/fun/index.html (Don’t be turned off by the name. This site has a lot of articles that apply to getting in shape not just bodybuilding.)
- http://www.thinkmuscle.com/articles/index.htm (Bryan Haycock does a great job of explaining diet and exercise in a scientific manner.)
- http://www.everydiet.org/ (Diet Encyclopedia)
- http://www.drgourmet.com/health/fastfood/ (Eating healthy at fast food restaurants)
Tags: Discount Dental Plan
on November 18th, 2006 at 9:29 pm
Nice tips!
I’ll be sure to digg, share, and make use of these.
Thanks,
Nick
on November 18th, 2006 at 9:39 pm
http://www.sixpacknow.com/
http://www.calorieking.com/
Some good references also. If your looking for good exercise, buy a bicycle. Cycling for 60 mins at 27kmh burns burns 900+ calories on a 200 pound male, and has alot less impact on the leg joints than jogging. Also, try and join a local sporting club. Basketball gives you a good sweat.
Mat
on November 18th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
…, how bout work out, thats it
on November 18th, 2006 at 10:49 pm
Fuck ediets.com…commie bastards want $3.99/wk - and they already scared me, telling me i’m GOING TO DIE.
on November 18th, 2006 at 11:35 pm
Nice article. Geeks need to be in shape too!
on November 18th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
I like your post. Respectfully, though, I think you have left out one BIG tip:
14. Examine why you overeat.
People don’t overeat just to overeat. There is a reason for it. Boredom, emotional comfort, whatever… Oftentimes, overeating is just a symptom of some other cause.
I know for me, I overeat because of emotional reasons: it’s comforting, food doesn’t talk back, it’s something I have already retreated to when stressed/upset/scared/etc.
on November 19th, 2006 at 1:22 am
Good basic recommendations. I’d also like to add the following tips:
1. To loose weight you’ll want to balance cardio with free weight traning. About 30 min cardio and 15-30 min free weight traning in each training session is the optimum in my book.
2. Aim for three of the above training sessions each week. And then mix in 30 min of walking into your daily routine. It’s not much - you can do it.
3. Start slow - it takes at least a month before an untrained body has become used to what many would call “normal exercise”. 120-130 beats per minute is a good starting point. Use light weights and 20+ repitions when lifting weights. Listen to your body - muscles may hurt during exercise but anything else shouldn’t hurt. If you’re tired and sore then rest.
4. There’s no such thing as dieting. There are however bad lifestyles that lead to bad health. Change how you live fundamentally, and for the long run, if you want the change to stick. Eat a healty breakfast, avoid sugar, eat whole grain foods, eat slow carbohydrates, eat lean meat, you can hardly eat too much vegetables or fruit, drink lots and lots of water. Try to eat many small meals instead of one or two really large. You can eat more than you think and still loose weight but it has to be healthy food.
5. It’s not a race - take it slow. Top athletes and body builders have spent many years - often decades - getting to where they are today. Don’t expect instant change. In fact - don’t expect any change at all for the first two months or so. Change take time - let it take time. But when the rewards finally come they will be sweet indeed and then you won’t want to quit.
Good luck!
on November 19th, 2006 at 1:38 am
Never would have looked here for this but it came through on my feed from Newsvine. I am a health professional (PA) and counsel patients on these issues constantly but this is a great summary and very good advice. I get to 1-5 easily but raqrely can get to #6 or more - people just tune you out. Now I will do 1-5 and refer people here. Thanks for doing some of my work for me.
on November 19th, 2006 at 1:50 am
[…] To see the guide, head on over to the Dental Resources Blog. Posted by Hobo Filed in Humor […]
on November 19th, 2006 at 3:17 am
Burpees are an excellent all round exercise.
Doing them at a fast rate is a good cardiovascular exercise along with working most of your muscles.
http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/burpeeclip.htm
on November 19th, 2006 at 5:26 am
” hate fad diets (Atkins, Southbeach, etc.). These may work temporarily, but they are not long term solutions!”
IMO, any temporary diet will fail as a long term solution.
Your body weight is a function of your diet (amongst other factors). If you change your diet temporarily, your body weight will change…. temporarily.
Also, any abrupt changes in your diet may cause a reaction by your body.
My advice: adapt your diet slowly, but permanently.
on November 19th, 2006 at 6:01 am
[…] So you spend all day confined in a dungeon in front of a couple glowing computer screens, coding C++ and eating McDonald ’s for lunch? You definitely need to lose a few pounds and put on some muscle, but don’t know where to start? This geared-to-geeks guide will give you some practical tips on how to get into physical shape.read more | digg story […]
on November 19th, 2006 at 9:06 am
homeowners insurance quote . We promise constant linux reseller hosting for your websitesExercise is sold here as a way to lose weight - nobody ever mentions how much better you FEEL. You sleep better, have more energy, think more clearly - everything’s better when you’re fit. And nobody mentions that as hard as it is to START, once you’re on the right track it becomes a lot easier - after the first month exercise isn’t nearly the chore it is when you begin. I think fitness would be more popular if it wasn’t so badly mis-marketed. I don’t really care about my body shape (I’m married, don’t need to worry about attracting anyone now!), but I love being able to run up 5 flights of stairs without breathing hard, especially when my day-to-day work involves just pushing buttons.
In response to specifics - the “eating before bed makes you gain weight” is a myth I thought was long since busted. Individual differences among people mask the effects of any such alleged “rule”. The skinniest person I know eats nothing but candy and fast food, never exercises, and smokes and drinks heavily - if her digestive system absorbs calories the same way mine does, I’ll swallow a Honda. The fattest guy I know is still fat 2 years after a gastric bypass, and I’ve never seen him eat at all. Guess what folks, everyone’s different!
And for the person who wrote:
> People don’t overeat just to overeat. There is a reason for it.
Don’t they? I’m a guy who has been to Vegas twice a year for a decade simply for the buffets. I love stuffing my face to such an extent I can’t even look at food for another 24 hours. Maybe this doesn’t count as a daily habitual problem, but sometimes “a cigar is just a cigar”…?
I’m just saying - enough with the rules and blanket statements. But for most people there’s something about their lives which could stand some attention and/or improvement, and most of the time it’s fitness.
on November 19th, 2006 at 10:36 am
The water tip is a bit deceptive. Food calories are actually KILO-calories. So a liter of icewater only burns 66 calories.
on November 19th, 2006 at 11:34 am
Thank you for freely sharing this great info.I’ll be sure to link to this info on my site to provide my site visitors access to this info provided that this site owner edit the foul comments left by others.
on November 19th, 2006 at 12:03 pm
What helped for me is finding the right exercise. I definately hate going to the gym. But i really love martial arts or rope skipping. The nice things about these are, they are both fun to do even though you’re really really tired. You will lose weigth really fast if you do it twice a week.
ps. by ropeskipping, i don’t mean the girly way, but adding tricks to it and trying to keep up with the music on your ipod.
on November 19th, 2006 at 12:46 pm
Tae KWON Do (not Tae Kwan Do)
Fantastic tips! Thanks for posting!
on November 19th, 2006 at 12:50 pm
Have you considered joggling? Real geeks multitask.
http://justyouraveragejoggler.com
on November 19th, 2006 at 9:40 pm
Such nice language here in some of the replies … :(
Also worth mentioning, is most webmasters have very poor dental hygiene too, which can lead to illness, bad breath, gum disease, bleeding gums and various other health problems … so many of us need a change in diet, exercise, and BRUSH AND FLOSS our teeth at least every morning and night.
on November 20th, 2006 at 5:46 pm
I’ve lost over 50lbs in the last six months by doing two things: exercising and eating fewer, better calories.
I purchased a recumbent Schwinn bike and over the first three months found myself increasing both the time spent on the bike and the resistance levels. Now I can ride 30 miles in a night, three to five nights a week. I’ve always been muscular, but it’s like my legs have been reborn.
Eating fewer calories is easy if you can get over the discomfort of hunger. If you’re going to faint, your body is telling you something. Many people mistake hunger as a sign that they need to eat, and act accordingly.
The hardest part, as step 13 says, is the commitment. The rewards, be they obvious or subtle, make all the difference. When people notice the changes it’s a huge reinforcement. Clothes fit different and your attitude will change for the better.
Start now.
on November 21st, 2006 at 8:03 pm
Thanks for the great tips. I’ve found an excellent online community for getting in shape called Traineo. The site uses a system of motivators to help keep you going in your journey to better health.
on November 22nd, 2006 at 3:08 pm
Great article! Another free diet site I like is SparkPeople.com. They have calorie counter, meals, recipes, exercise, and a ton more.
on November 22nd, 2006 at 7:54 pm
Zero to Superhero has some good diet and fitness tips, and FLEX magazine is the best source for bodybuilding.
on November 23rd, 2006 at 12:13 am
I just think this is a really great idea.
Im starting now
on November 24th, 2006 at 9:44 pm
[…] Geek’s Guide to Getting in Shape: 13 Surefire Tips […]
on November 25th, 2006 at 11:36 am
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on November 28th, 2006 at 5:05 pm
30 minute meals…
Interesting post. I came across this blog by accident, but it was a good accident. I have now bookmarked your blog for future use. Best wishes. Rachael Ray….