Presented at CodeMash 2016

1. Program some health
into your life
CodeMash 2016
Stan Jónsson
@sjonsson
sjonsson.com

2. whoami
Nerd who accidentally got
interested in health & fitness
Software architect with family
of 5 and little free time
Found ways to fit health into
busy schedule
Want to share what worked for
me in hopes of helping others

3. Health at work

4. The sedentary Programmer
Why is sitting bad?
A lot of science links sitting to
decreased life expectancy
Increased risk of heart disease
Correlated with cancer

5. The sedentary Programmer
Simple solution!
Take a 5 min break every hour
and move around
Side benefit: increases your
creativity, attention span,
and ability to remember
new concepts
In total you need 60 min of movement
per day (20 min at brisk pace)
Tips
• Never use elevator
• Use restroom on another
floor!
• Park at far end of parking
lot
• Have phone/tracker buzz
you if not moved for 1 hour
Tweak daily routine

6. Nutrition Basics

7. Macronutrients
Carbohydrates
Fats
Protein

8. Protein
Crucial in building, maintaining
and repairing body tissue
Satiating & high thermic effect!
Opt for lean meat, seafood,
low-fat dairy products, eggs,
beans, nuts & seeds, soy foods
Avoid meat and dairy products high in fat
(Not right kind of fat & too high in calories)

9. Fats
Essential! Protects.
Brain is fat!
Opt for: Unsaturated
(poly- & monounsaturated)
Olive oil, avocado, fatty fish,
seeds & nuts
Avoid: Saturated & trans fats
Excessive animal fat &
processed food high in fat
Watch the calories!
Fats have more
than twice the
calories per gram
than protein and
carbs

10. Carbs
Main energy source
of the body
Opt for: Complex carbs
Avoid: Simple carbs
(white stuff)

11. The dangerous carb
Why sugar is bad for you

12. What is sugar
Simple carb - fast burning
High in energy (calories)
Zero nutritional value
(no vitamins, minerals or fatty acids)

13. We are stuck in this loop
while (true) {
• We eat sugar
• Body quickly turns sugar into glucose
• Glucose enters blood stream - bloods sugar rises
• Gives us energy - we feel happy
• Pancreas secretes insulin to drive glucose into muscles & tissues
• Blood sugar drops - energy dissipates and we feel lethargic & irritable
• We start craving sugar
} • Excess sugar gets
converted to fat
• Increased Type 2
Diabetes risk

14. Oscillating Day
Simple carbs
Complex carbs
Blood sugar
Time
Complex carbs +
protein + healthy fat
Tip
Craving sugar?
• Try drinking a glass
of water & wait 10 min
80% of the time, body is
just asking for water

15. How to lose weight

16. One law
to rule them all

17. “To lose weight, you must burn more
calories than you consume each day”
Law of Energy Balance

18. Law of Energy Balance
Level = Weight Maintenance
Scale tilts right = Weight lossScale tilts left = Weight gain

19. Guaranteed way to lose weight:
Tips
• Pre-create
common meals
• Use measure-
friendly serving
utensils
Use a calorie tracker to ensure a calorie deficit

20. Diet tips
• You can train yourself to eat (almost) anything if you give it a month
• Eat slowly - smaller portions
• Avoid drinking calories - they count a lot, but don’t fill you up
• Don’t be too aggressive in your calorie deficit - slow and steady wins the
race
• Read labels! Know what you are buying
• Don’t buy unhealthy food. If it is not around when hunger strikes, you
can’t eat it
• Slip-ups are going to happen! One bad day is fine. Get back on track!
Don’t use it as excuse to give up on your diet plan

21. Diet tips - Reading Labels
Regular Cheerios has 2g sugars and 6g protein

22. Exercise

23. Cardio
• Heart health
• Burn calories - advance
your weight loss

24. Consider Cycling
• Easy to get started
• Low impact on joints
• Bike for leisure
Explore neighborhood
• Bond with family
• Run short errands
• Bike to work

25. Weight Training
• Maintain muscle while losing fat
• Helps you lose weight
Time saving tips
• Do 1 set instead of 4
• Skip stretching
• Minimal warm-up (use
with caution)
• Exercise at home
Money saving tips
• Planet Fitness $10 a
month
• Dumbbells in basement

26. Weight Training
• Target major muscle groups
2-3 times a week
Tips
• Must progressively
increase weight
• Mix it up to keep
from plateauing
• Lots of routines
on YouTube
• In and out of gym in 1 hour
• Or 15 min a day at home

27. Sticking with the program

28. Track, track, track
• Keeps you honest
• Shows you progress
• Prevents slipping
Use fat mass,
not weight
to measure
progress
Tip

29. Social Element
Misery loves company
• Workout with friends
• Connect online
“UP members with 3 or more friends on their team, move 10 extra miles a month”

30. Gamification
Whatever it takes to keep
you interested / motivated!
Virtual Trophy Case! 6:31/mi
9:16/mi
•
•
6:34/mi
•
Guess when the zombies where about to catch me?!

31. References
Stan Jónsson
@sjonsson
sjonsson.com
Tip
Buy the audio
books & listen
during your
commute!
Stan Jónsson
@sjonsson
sjonsson.com

32. Questions?
Stan Jónsson
@sjonsson
sjonsson.com