Stay Healthy as a Developer
Tags: productivity, career, discuss, psychology
Published: 2019-06-02 21:03:04

This is a personal guide for staying healthy. It is by no means an official guide, and I am by no means an instructor or trained to teach in this field.

I started working full time as a developer a few years ago. Since then, I have become more weak and have got a small belly. I have seen several of my colleagues getting back problems. **I do not want that!** I will in this simple personal guide show a training program, calorie intake and a meal plan. I hope this can inspire a few developers to start getting healthy habits.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Remember, your mental &amp; physical health comes first 🤕❤️ <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DeveloperCommunity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DeveloperCommunity</a></p>&mdash; ✨✨ Steffen ✨✨ (@mrsteffenp) <a href="https://twitter.com/mrsteffenp/status/1134888558362333184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 1, 2019</a></blockquote>
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## Training Program

Here is my training program with exercises, that I am currently doing. I am myself somewhat of a beginner. It is therefore a good idea to focus on the basics, and to perform the exercises properly. This will by far provide the best foundation in the long term.

| Monday               | Wednesday      | Friday             |
|----------------------|----------------|--------------------|
| Squats               | Deadlifts      | Squats             |
| Pendlay Rows         | Pull-ups       | T-bar Rows         |
| Bench Press          | Incline Press  | Chest Dips         |
| Overhead Press       | Upright Rows   | Overhead Press     |
| Skull Crushers       | Zottman Curls  | Kick Backs         |
| Standing Calf Raises | Lateral Raises | Seated Calf Raises |
| Cardio               | Cardio         | Cardio             |

These exercises are inspired by [Buff Dudes](https://www.buffdudes.us/). You could of cause find another training plan, that suits you better. I also improvise on some exercises. I usually go 5 x 5 on each exercise and around 30 minutes of cardio. I often do the cardio on other days.

A few months back I worked out in the morning before work. I am not really a fan of that, because it can take some energy off work. Now I am doing it after work, and it actually works 😉

## Calorie Intake

What you eat is crucial, if you want a healthy lifestyle. It is important to know your calorie intake, and the amount of calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight. From there you navigate whether you want to build muscle or lose fat. I want to build muscle and maybe loose some fat 💪🏻🐷. I am not fanatic, and this is a learning process. It is also important to know the balance of protein, carbohydrate and fat. 

My personally maintaining calorie intake is about 2800 calories a day. Here I will add 500 calories, so it will be around **3300 calories a day**. Maybe I won't go that far because of my small belly. People have different numbers based on age, weight and activity levels. Don’t forget to use a [TDEE calculator](https://tdeecalculator.net).

I will use a split of **40%** carbohydrates, **40%** proteins and **20%** fats. I will eat lower carb, because my body reacts quite quickly to it. It is important to point out that all numbers are indicative.

## Meal Plan

I find pleasure in having a specific plan to follow to achieve my goals. I will try to follow a plan, but not be totally strict about it.

### Breakfast ☀️
| Food  | Protein | Carb | Fat | Calories |
|-------|---------|------|-----|----------|
| Skyr  | 27,5    | 10,0  | 0,5 | 158      |
| Protein  | 21,0    | 3,0  | 22,5 | 117      |
| Müsli | 3,3     | 18,0 | 2,0 | 109      |
| Honey | 0,0     | 7,5  | 0,0 | 30       |
| Muffin | 18,2     | 31,6  | 14,5 | 266       |
| Total | 70,0    | 70,1 | 39,5 | 678      |

At breakfast I will around 250g skyr, 30g müsli, 10g honey and two healthy muffins. Skyr is an Icelandic cultured dairy product. It has the consistency of Greek yogurt, but a milder flavor. We eat it a lot here in Denmark.

### Snack 🍽
| Food       | Protein | Carb | Fat  | Calories |
|------------|---------|------|------|----------|
| Banana    | 1,4    | 29,7  | 0,4  | 125      |
| Almonds | 2,5     | 2,6 | 5,9  | 69      |
| Total | 3,9     | 32,3  | 6,3  | 194       |

I usually eat a banana and some almonds at work.

### Lunch 🍽
| Food       | Protein | Carb | Fat  | Calories |
|------------|---------|------|------|----------|
| Chicken    | 24,0    | 1,5  | 1,9  | 119      |
| Egg    | 8,1    | 0,6  | 6,5  | 93      |
| White rice | 3,5     | 36,6 | 0,4  | 169      |
| Vegetables | 0,9     | 6,0  | 0,2  | 27       |
| Chili mayo | 0,2     | 1,9  | 1,8  | 26       |
| Total      | 36,6    | 46,6 | 10,8 | 433      |

At lunch I will eat 200g chopped chicken with some white rice, egg, vegetables and a tablespoon chili mayo.

### Afternoon 🍎
| Food       | Protein | Carb | Fat  | Calories |
|------------|---------|------|------|----------|
| Muffin | 18,2    | 31,6 | 14,5 | 265      |
| Total | 18,2    | 31,6 | 14,5 | 265      |

In the afternoon I will eat two healthy muffins.

### After workout 💪🏻
| Food           | Protein | Carb | Fat | Calories |
|----------------|---------|------|-----|----------|
| Protein powder | 42,0    | 6,0  | 45,0 | 234      |
| Total          | 42,0    | 6,0  | 45,0 | 234      |

After workout I will eat two scoops of protein powder.

### Dinner 🍽
| Food   | Protein | Carb | Fat  | Calories |
|--------|---------|------|------|----------|
| Dinner | 40,0    | 30,0 | 10,0 | 550      |
| Total  | 40,0    | 30,0 | 10,0 | 550      |

Dinner will differ, but I will try to keep it around these numbers.

### Late night 🌙
| Food  | Protein | Carb | Fat | Calories |
|-------|---------|------|-----|----------|
| Skyr  | 27,5    | 10,0  | 0,5 | 158      |
| Protein  | 21,0    | 3,0  | 22,5 | 117      |
| Müsli | 3,3     | 18,0 | 2,0 | 109      |
| Honey | 0,0     | 7,5  | 0,0 | 30       |
| Muffin | 9,1     | 15,8  | 7,3 | 132       |
| Total | 60,9    | 54,3 | 32,3 | 545      |

I just love my skyr and muffins 😬

### Total 📈
| Subject        | Protein | Carb  | Fat   | Calories |
|----------------|---------|-------|-------|----------|
| Daily          | 271,7   | 270,9 | 158,4 | 2900     |
| Energy balance | 38,8    | 38,7  | 22,6  |          |

My numbers are not perfect. I will try to adjust them along the way. Maybe I will add or subtract calories.

## Supplements

I use a few supplements to optimize my exercise and my overall mood with vitamins, but without being fanatic. I use protein, BCAA, Vitamin D and Omega-3. BCAA is definitely not a must!

---

I really want to point out, that this is just my take on being healthy. My main goal is to get stronger. Maybe yours is more focused around mental health.

Thank you for your time!

If you liked this, then please ❤️ and [*follow me on Twitter*](https://twitter.com/mrsteffenp).