Ask HN: What are your tips for healthy living for WFH alone/single people?
I've found over the past few years that I've gotten into some unfortunate patterns.
I basically need to re-write what it means to be healthy for me but am uncertain what new habits I should be considering and/or nurturing.
What are your practices/habits day-to-day while WFH? Lots of good advice for day-to-day. For week-to-week I would set aside two nights a week after work. One night for healthy exercise that is fun, it could be as simple as getting out and walking to a worthwhile destination, or more athletic activity like biking or swimming but it must be fun for you, to do something like this definitely once a week if you are not already at least this active. If you sometimes end up doing it twice in one week well you probably wouldn't hesitate to get twice as healthy since it would be twice the fun. Then another night for healthy socializing that is fun. This is the tough one since it has to be in person and you have to make a dedicated effort for this too, even if you just have one friend or neighbor over for a casual visit or get out and interact with interesting people in larger numbers. This has been missing for people everywhere for a while now and Covid may still not allow as healthy socializing as you need. But the outlook is beginning to seem a little better. These could be two different things or not, and it's worth experimenting with a variety of alternatives to be happy with just a couple things like this that you would look forward to each week. If your hours are very flexible you still probably want to do these things when it's "after work time" for other people, so you are not much different than them, just doing things after work sometimes. It can help get your mind off unfinished business if you do have a full productive workday planned and get a respectable amount accomplished that day before it's time for you to go out and leave it all behind for a few hours. This was quite satisfactory for a time when I didn't work similar hours or activities as other people, except for two days a week where the resemblance was intentional. Whatever you do daily adds up, good or bad. So simple course changes to your daily habits can make a difference. If you drink alcohol as part of your routine, consider deleting that whole thing. Make time for getting outside in the sun most days, even if just a half-hour walk. It depends where you are, but if you can get fresh relatively unprocessed food most days, like high end salads, it's good. If you don't have a partner, aim on getting one so you can help each other. If you have a partner that can't help you, aim on getting a better partner. a few years ago i accidentally deleted a habit of buying alcohol to bring home, without really setting out to do so. for me that was enough to eliminate routine drinking. i prefer the new routine of never drinking at home and maybe having a beer when out a dozen times a year, versus the old routine of going through a couple of bottles of red every week. might also be related to figuring out healthier ways to manage work stress. 1. Buy a dog.
2. Buy a dog. It will literally make you do all of the things that people listed here including give you a reason to exercise, socialize, not sit for long periods, and establish boundaries for work hours. If you’re a horrible person well then don’t buy a dog. Dogs deserve good people. You would think the recommendation would be "adopt" not "buy"... You typically don't get dogs for free, they aren't like cats. Exactly ;) You do, at a shelter. You usually do pay for a dog you adopt from a shelter. It's cheaper ofc. I paid 200, which covered his shots and vet bills that the shelter initially paid. Depends on the country. In here they are all free (Eastern EU) In the US you pay for dogs. Cats are free. No one likes cats; they kill birds. Dogs only injure hoomans. For me the components of a fully healthy life mostly fall in the following categories: - Social life. Both some new social experiences, as well as more intimate long-term social interactions are necessary. - Exercise. For long-term well being, having a healthy and fit body is really useful. It is also a great stress release and releases a lot of endorphins. It can give an easy sense of accomplishment, which is sometimes invaluable if other things aren't going great. - Nutrition. Also swings into the health side of things, and eating good food is a great pleasure. I personally think cooking is an amazing hobby due to the combination of creativity, technique, culture and, again, a quick sense of accomplishment. Eating well doesn't necessarily require cooling though if you have a bit of money. - Relaxation/meditation. I'm talking about meditation in a very broad sense, painting, listening to music and many other things can have a meditative component and leave you with a sense of relaxation and fulfillment. A lot of these things can also be combined. My "meditative" component is mostly fulfilled by running, and my social component is partially filled with bouldering. I think there's a massive difference between work from _home_ and remote work. It's not a great answer, but I solved it by expensing a membership to a nearby coworking space. It forces me out of the apartment, without the hassle and bs of commuting to a central office. Optimizing your diet is one of the low-hanging fruits (no pun intended). Cut out anything with low nutrient density: chips, anything with more than a few g of sugar, stuff loaded with palm oil or other added saturated fats. High fiber fruits and nuts like raspberries, apples, kiwi, almonds and walnuts are good snacks. Low carb, keto, mediterranean-whatever floats your boat-more important is: try to buy fresh, whole, local foods and high quality spices. Use them to prepare meals yourself if you have time. They will taste better and will be more satisfying. Do some exercise every day. Even if it's just 15 minutes of pushups & crunches, or a brisk walk. It will clear your mind and balance your mood. Quality sleep is extremely important. Try to get 8 hours if you can, and stop caffeine intake after 2pm. Set a timer to remind you to get away from work once in a while. Go outside and get some sunlight, it does more than provide vitamin D. Turn off all notifications (email, Slack, all of them) when you need to get work done and only check for messages when you want or need to. Get your coworkers used to the idea that you are not going to answer messages immediately, but you will answer a few times a day. Tune your working space so it does not harm your body (e.g., always looking down at a laptop). Get into the habit of stretching often. Think about the unfortunate patterns, how they developed, and what you should do instead; be aware of what is happening to you. Bed by 9.30pm - 10pm. Awake 6 - 6.30am - hit the climbing gym for at least an hour. Can you expand on that? I haven't the strength of body to endure climbing any more (though I do have a local indoors climbing wall). Why climbing? What does the rest of your WFH day look like? Climbing - because it's fun. And I need it to be fun to motivate me... There is a tonne of skill and technique behind it that has a lot of depth. I meet quite a lot of coders who are attracted to it for that puzzle solving aspect. I'm 45 - so no spring chicken. I started climbing when I was 40 - off a very low fitness base. I don't go all out every day (which is ill advised anyway) - just fairly easy bouldering routes just to get the body moving. Mebbe one or two sessions I'll try to go hard (but only with a very long warm up). Mostly it's just about the routine as opposed to achievement and crushing goals. Unless you are very old or suffering from injury or disability - there is no reason you can't start climbing now. Just take it slow. It will be difficult on your forearms at first for a few months. Regularity is key. Living near your gym is super important for me. Mine is a 3 minute walk away. I bought an apartment very close to my gym - and it was one of the biggest reasons for my choice. Rest of the day WFH - coding... till 5 - 5.30. Often down to the shops during lunch. I'll try and go for a walk before dinner if I can...Cook dinner... TV and chill before bed. Nothing exciting - but a routine that is working pretty well for me. I'm not the OP you're replying to, but if I may interject my own two cents:
Climbing doesn't have to be a massive route on a 50ft wall. I don't enjoy bouldering, but it's great because it's a full body movement that trains both strength and flexibility. One thing I really love about climbing is the focus- you can't think about Slack notifications while dangling on a wall, the clarity of thought and just being in the present moment is second only to skydiving in my experience. Meditation works as well, but I enjoy the physical aspect. Even just a few V0 / beginner problems get the blood flowing :) Word... Nothing matters but the next hold... Feeding myself well. Carla Lalli Music has great cooking tutorials on YouTube. WFH is ideal for becoming a great home cook https://youtube.com/c/CarlaLalliMusic123 Stretching, especially for whatever gets tight and slumped due to sitting down. I like Essentrics
https://youtu.be/U85YqRN0iy0 Weighted blanket and lights out before midnight. Having some kind of physical activity during the day several times a week is essential for me. Otherwise, I feel awful. One thing I need to get better at is respecting working hours for myself. With WFH, I basically live at the office. Instead of ending the day when the day is done, it's over when everything is done instead. I typically end up spending a few hours more per day in front of my work machine than I should. one trick is to cultivate a habit or ritual to mark the end of the day. booking some regular activity to attend in the evenings that you look forward to is one idea -- then there's a reason to clock off early to make sure you can get there on time, at least for one day a week. i've gotten into the habit of stowing all my work stuff somewhere i can't see it at the end of the day, and starting to cook a meal. less exciting but seems to work for me. That's a good idea. I'll have to try it out. Thank you Here are 2 important ones: -Get out of your home at least once a day. But I recommend Lunch and after your workday is over. Create a routine outside your home. -Set and keep a daily start, lunch and end of day times plus 2 breaks. Do not fall into bad routines. They will be next to impossible to break and contribute to bad health both mental and physical. Buy a bike, ride it and explore the city or your local by bike is an interesting experience. You can search for some workout exercise like push up, pull up, cardio... on youtube. Combine with a healthy meal plan will works. Exercising daily has really helped me. Buy a bike, rower, or just go for a walk. You have to make it a habit. You are in a trap. Years can slip by without you noticing it. 5 years. 10 years. ? It happened to me. About the only way out that I know is to quit your job and move somewhere else. The life you describe is unsustainable.