It is no secret that software developers spend a lot of time on their asses.

We sit… and we sit… and we sit… We eat… and we eat… and we eat… All those hours of work start to carve at your physical energy levels and at the end of the day you are to f-ing tired to do anything. What are we supposed to do?

What exactly is it about being a nerd that makes unhealthy behavior so acceptable? You have to look no further than the old footage of the NASA Mission Control guys at their consoles. Smoking like chimneys, stress through the roof, junk food, cup after cup of super sweetened coffee; It’s part of our DNA. It’s tradition. I guess?

Smoking

Throughout my career I have only known a few developers that did not have a moderate to severe smoking habit. I have been guilty of this too in my earlier years! It’s such an easy situation to fall into. When you hit a road block, you go out for a smoke. For some reason, that clears your head and you are able to focus. Perhaps it’s just a simple relief from the stress of the deadline or the demands of the customers. Maybe going for a walk would have done the same thing? Nah, I need nicotine!

Eating Unhealthy

Since developers are always pressed for time, we have no time to waste preparing a meal. We need fast food or some sloppy messy sh*t we pulled out of the fridge. We need something quick and dirty. This attitude is contributing to a lot of other issues such as high blood pressure, and lack of energy. It is hard to break this cycle once you’ve started.

Post Work Laziness

After sitting in my cubical all day working out very complex problems, the last thing in the world I want to do is SOMETHING! I just want to come home, eat dinner and turn my brain off. The most activity I want is slouching on the couch and clicking away at my laptop goofing around.

This is an issue that we as developers need to address. Obviously this is not a “holier than thou” statement because I am just as bad as those I am criticizing.