Health for geeks
Feel better, save money, live longer
| Author: |
Nicola Larosa |
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| Email: | nico@tekNico.net |
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| Conference: | EuroPython 2012 |
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| Where: | Florence, Italy |
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| When: | 2012-07-04 |
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Take care of your psychophysical well-being and be efficient about it.
You do not need to:
- be hungry (well, just a little bit)
- do lots of exercise (well, just a little bit)
- spend a lot of time and money (well, just a little bit...)
Uhm, there seems to be a pattern. :-)
No, the human body is not "a machine", as it is often said: it's much more
complex than that. Nonetheless, knowledge of a few facts, some guiding
principles, and some tech tools (we are geeks after all, are we not? :-) )
can definitely improve your life.
Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, and this talk is not medical advice.
Get the advice of a qualified doctor/physician before changing your diet
and/or your physical regimen.
Neither I nor the conference organization will be liable for any injuries
or illnesses you may incur by however applying the concepts discussed in
this talk.
Get this
Go to the O'Reilly desk outside and ask Josette for this book.
That's it: I just gave you back half an hour of your life.
Questions?
Just joking... :-)
What is health
The most important thing of all.
Emphasis on cure rather than prevention.
The human body is not a machine:
- partial knowledge
- approximate models
How it works
Matter flows in and out of our body all the time:
- we absorb air, pollutants and food
- we transform them
- we throw out what we do not need
Energy gets in with food and heat, and we spend it. Then we need rest.
Matter/energy budget
Food: biological material for body's ongoing renewal.
Also energy for metabolism and activity.
Balance needed between energy input and output:
- more out than in: body consumption
- more in than out: excess stored as fat
Being fit
Not too much excess fat.
Regular activity, muscles in working order.
Both things reduce risk of disease.
My physical activity
No gym.
No running.
No outdoors.
Ok, my physical activity
Elliptical trainer.
Swimming.
Nintendo Wii Fit Plus:
Moving while working
Stokke rocking chair.
Standup work.
Kettler side stepper.
Food
Macronutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fats.
Micronutrients: vitamins, minerals.
Water, fiber, antioxidants.
My diet
I avoid cooking whenever I can.
Lots of fruits and raw vegetables.
Little refined starches.
"Magic powder": flax seed, turmeric, cumin, ginger, coriander, black pepper,
red pepper, garlic.
Proteins
No meat: omega3 vs. omega6 fatty acids, antibiotics and hormones.
Fish: omega3, small species that accumulate less mercury.
Eggs, dairy: yogurt vs. kefir.
Legume: peas, beans, lentils, chickpeas.
Tofu, seitan, nuts, chocolate.
Tracking eaten food
Custom spreadsheet, in Italian.
This sheet is a daily diary of eaten food, weighted before usage.
Tracking eaten food (2)
A second one lists hundreds of foods, with the main constituents' values.
A third one tracks the body weight (hence the shown graph).
Done with Gnumeric, which can use Python for scripting. ;-)
Shedding weight
I shed 18kg last year.
The hard part is not shedding them, but avoiding to regain them.
Sleep
You need enough, regular sleep.
Easier in dark places, at night.
Melatonine, circadian rhythms.
Air and pollution
Do not smoke (too much).
Do not live in a polluted place.
Be careful with substances you put on your body.
Hormesis
Controlled stress:
- sauna plus icy water bath
- physical exercise
- massage
- fasting
- some alcohol
- vaccines
Fitness for Geeks
Out three months ago.
Not deep but comprehensive.
Covers lots of gadgets and services.
Fitness for Geeks (2)
Additional draw on Thursday afternoon.
Prizes will include this and other O'Reilly books,
and a fitness gadget.
Go to the O'Reilly desk, give Josette a card with your name
and this secret code (shh!):
FN4GX
Anticancer
David Servan-Schreiber was a French neurologist.
He died of cancer one year ago, after battling it for twenty years.
This book is partly why I am here today.
Famous guy
Another, more famous guy died of cancer too.
When he said that, he left out an important part.
Third guy
Luckily, a third guy got it right, and is still going strong.
Stay alive
...and take care of yourself.
About this talk
Presentation done with S5 via Docutils (Python again! ;-) ).
Hover the cursor on the lower right corner and click on the Ø sign.
The document will turn into a web page with additional notes.
Questions?
For real this time. :-)
Thanks!