Health is wealth
You would have countered this quote many a times in your life but as we grow up and start working we forget the message of this quote.
Same was my story, Before I graduated from High School I was a sports enthusiast, who played a lot and my fitness at that time was really great but now after about 6-7 months into web development. I have seen a great downfall in my fitness which I feel bad about, I have gained a lot of belly fat and now my body is turning from an athletic body to an obese body.
This was the time when I started realised that how much effect programming can have on, not only our physical fitness but also mental health and I thought of talking about these problems faced by me and others in their development career and provide some remedies that I am also following.
Let's first have a look at what kind of health problems a developer faces while working.
Health Problems faced by Developers
Excessive Weight Gain
The desk job and work from home or the ease to learn online while staying at home are good for our comfort but has a bad impact on our weight and results in excessive weight gain. This usually happens when we are eating unhealthy food and such food requires a lot more time to digest and we as developers work most of the times sitting on chair with hands on the keyboard resulting in slower digestion of food and ultimately weight gain. These results aren't over night but can be observed after 2-3 months.
Pain in Neck, Back and shoulders
While working developers sit for long hours and we all know that no one can sit for a very long time maintaining a good posture and this is also true for developers which results in neck, back and shoulders pain as we are constantly looking at screen and there is not much movement of neck, back and shoulders. These small pains daily can also lead to some serious health issues like ...
Poor Vision
The most obvious health issue that everyone points out as being a developer which is a result of long screen time is weakening eye sight as we developers are not only creators, creating things for others but we also are consumers, learning and using about those products which increases our screen time even more than the general public.
Fatigue and Stress
Sitting for longer duration results in tiredness. Most developers also get stressed as we constantly keep on finding solutions to our problems aka bugs even while we are doing something else in our daily routine. This also affects our sleeping cycle resulting in stress.
Other Mental Health Problems
Developers also face many other mental health problems like depression and anxiety. With new technologies coming everyday, developers face dilemma that they might fall behind others which results in anxiety and depression.
Now these are some Health problems that most of the developers face in their day to day life but how can we counter these problems.
Remedies to these Problems
Most of the remedies listed below require a mere 30-40 minutes of your day and some people might argue that they are busy a lot and don't have time for these things but as I started the article I shared the quote "Health is Wealth" and I believe if you cannot manage few minutes for your Health then you will be missing a lot of benefits in the long run.
Exercising
There is nothing better than doing workout, if you are having any kind of health problems. Doing an intensely focused bodyweight workout at home has many benefits like increased productivity, less tiredness, good body posture, reduced stress and many more. I am recommending some exercises that you can do and remember to do proper stretching before and after doing workout.
If you have any kind of severe fractures or any other kind of serious health problem. Kindly consult your doctor prior going for any kind of workout exercises.
- Army Push Ups - Link to video
- Sit Ups - Link to video
- Squats - Link to video
- Plank - Link to video
These are some of the exercises that mostly will cure your problems. Although you can find many other exercises on youtube and apps like Home Workout.
Meditation
Focusing on your breath while keeping your eyes closed in sitting position helps you attain a lot of focus, reduces your stress levels. It also has a great impact on your digestion. If you always get panic or you always have some kind of thoughts going on in your head then you should definitely practise meditation to calm your soul and body.
Running or Jogging
People who work from home and other learners who are learning online to become developers spend a lot of time at home, making them sit at a single place and ultimately resulting in lack of creativity, fatigue and stress. A quick jog or run across a park in the morning or evening can calm your thoughts and increase your blood circulation across the body which lowers your stress levels and also increases your creativity.
Yoga
Yoga as exercise consists of various asanas (postures) which can help you gain mental and physical well being. Yoga helps to increase your flexibility, cure for all kind of muscle pains, increase stamina and lesser fatigue and stress. There are a lot of asanas (postures) in yoga and suggesting a few best fit for everyone is difficult as some asanas (postures) are difficult to be perform and some are easier. So you should try exploring different asanas (postures) and get best fit for you and your problems.
Conclusion
We should not risk our health for anything because if we are well we can achieve anything in life and without it nothing is achievable. These were some of the problems that I myself had faced in my development career till now and I have suggested a few remedies to them. If you have any other problems and cures. You should share them below.
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