How exercise can help you become a better developer!

I made a post on my Instagram the other day about a few reasons why as a developer you need to be active and it got me thinking about how i really watned to expound on the topic so lets talk about the different types of exercises and how they can positively affect you as a developer and overall.

Intro

First off I am not a personal trainer this is simply reaserch I've done and and my personal experiences which will be scattered throughtout this.

Types of exercise

There are a few types of exercise that we can talk about however the main two I'd like to talk about will be

• cardio
• resistance training

So let's start with cardio first off, When ever you head the word "cardio" you probably think of running, walking, cycling, swimming and more but for some they head "fat loss" while this is a common misconception that cardio is only good for fat loss we are going to talk about the benefits of it for a developer.

resistance training - This is more commong known as "weight lifting" or the process of lifting heavy things in order to get bigger muscles think my universe, big names like Ronnie COlmena, Arnold Schwarzenegger and so on... So how does that benefit a developer?

Cardio

This may be intimidating to some and to others its a "take it or leave it" situation I want to bring to light the fact some thing as short as a 30 minute walk can make vast improvements to your overall brain health!

Let's list a few things that this can really impact.

• Decrease feelings of anxiety
• improves focus and concentration
• promotes the growth of new brain cells

Linked in this study here "How much cardio does your brain need? Research continues to explore this question, but it may depend on your fitness level. A 2015 study found that 20 minutes of moderate exercise produced the most significant cognitive boost for nonathletic people"

When we put this into perspective that means only 20 minutes of walking a day can be beneficial but let's take that a step further how does this help as a developer? Glad you asked! and this snippet here For instance, cardio activates a molecule called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). BDNF helps repair brain cells and make new brain cells. It’s also been associated with a larger hippocampus, the brain region that stores and retrieves memories.

Now when we look at it like that it seems to make a bit of sense right? As developers our main biggest assest is our mind and our ability to learn, create and recall memories.

Resistance Training

This is the process of lifting heavy things in order to build muscle so how can this help us as a developer? Let's take a look!

• Manage your weight
• Manage chronic conditions
• sharpen your mind

Let's get into this, a lot of people think of being a body builder when you talk about lifting weights I on the other hand challenge you to think of only using to get fit enought to be "healthy" yes this is a subjective term hear me out.

Manage your weight

We already know that being a "healthy weight" can be benefiial in many ways most of all we spend a lot of time sitting and thinking. We are subjectively more sedintary at this point in human existance than ever before we sit at work all day then sit on the couch and watch tv...

Where am I going with this keeping your weight down putting on a bit of muscle can help prevent chronic illness like heart disease and diabetes which are on the rise.

Manage chronic conditions

Back pain anyone? I'm sure we don't all have the best posture for 8, 10 or even 12 hours a day while coding. Improving your muscular and skeletal structure from weight lifting will naturally help with posture and things like back pain, arthiritis, joint pain, besity, heart disease and even depression... I've never met a developer with depression though! (sarcasm by the way)..

Sharpen your mind???

Some research suggests that regular strength training and aerobic exercise may help improve thinking and learning skills for older adults. How does this work though? Well look back on the cardio section where we talk about BDNF(Brain derived nueurotropic factor) which is the creation of new brain cells which helps with learning and memory cognition!

Bonus points

Lifting weights is naturally know to increase self confidence "imposter syndrome" anyone? WIll this eliminate the imposter syndrome altogether? No! Absolutely not what it will do is by increasing how tou feel about your appearance it will also improve how you feel about yourself overall which will lead to a healthy mindset.

Conclusion

Just a simple 20 minute walk a day can increase the ability to learn, create new memories and recall that informaion later as a developer this is paramount to our job sand should not be taken lightly.

Something as simple as weight lifting a few times a week can help boost confidence and in my opinion help somewhat with imposter syndrome.

If you'd like to join the community and make your own posts on here and share your experiences Reach to me VIA social media or Email and I'd be more than happy to feature your writings!