Software development and health I

In one of my periods away from programming, I did two Yoga teacher training courses. With software development and music being my main interests, I have spent most of my life sitting in front of a computer monitor or reading sheet music.

The practice of Yoga made me aware not only about my own body, but about unsuspected relationships between body and mind. On the other hand, it made me understand that effort pays off, that every grain of sand counts, and that results always come when you are constant. With time and patience you can transform anything.

Of course, these learnings are not exclusive to the practice of Yoga itself. That is, the purpose of Yoga is not only to achieve complicated postures, and the benefits obtained from the practice can be extended to any matter in our personal or professional life.

So it was that in a few years I lost around 130 pounds, raised my stress threshold, improved my concentration and increased my productivity.

This post is the first in a series where I am going to share some tips to avoid premature deterioration of health, improve the quality of life and, why not, our work.

• Move!
  A sedentary lifestyle is the number 1 enemy of physical and mental health. Taking active breaks several times a day, getting up from your desk, walking for a few minutes, going out in the sun, doing a series of push-ups… any brief activity that allows you to return to your routine refreshed can make a huge difference and you will surely feel it. At the end of the day, and over the years!
   
• Breathe
  This may sound stupid, but sometimes we forget to breathe. When we are hyper-focused on a task, perhaps working under a tight deadline, we may begin to use a passive breathing pattern, where there is virtually no air entering our lungs. Consciously inhaling and exhaling through the nose has a highly positive impact on anxiety, digestion, eyesight, and posture management.
   
• Take care of your eyes
  Staring at a screen for hours at a time makes our eyes strained to maintain focus at close range. Ideally, you should look away from the monitor at least once every forty minutes, and rest your eyes on the farthest plane possible for a minute or two. It is also essential to keep the eyes lubricated and use drops if necessary.
   
• Watch your posture
  It is impossible and even not recommended to maintain the same posture all the time. But it is good to have a position to return to. That posture should consider using a chair with a back to keep your spine comfortably straight, your shoulders relaxed, and your legs uncrossed. It's not that it's bad to cross your legs, but if you find that you've been cross-legged for a long time and you start to build up tension, go back to your "zero position."