We all know health is wealth and we can only enjoy our wealth when we are healthy😉. As a Health worker in the developing world, I have come to realise that a lot of my normal healthy routine/pattern has been disorganised, due to the fact that I have to meet up with a deadline or debug or stay up to get inspirations.

This article is not intended to make you feel guilty about your lifestyle, but to make you see some of the dangers you might be causing to yourself unknowingly.

IT Professionals face a lot of physical and mental health challenges in today’s world. Whether it’s wrist and back pain, migraines, eye strain, loss of motivation, or trouble focusing.

Here are a few tips to take care of yourself and keep your mind and body in excellent shape.

TAKE A WALK

We’ve probably all sat in front of our workstations for hours at a time. It causes your back problems, straining your eyes, and sapping your energy, and it’s probably why you have a migraine.

A recent study has shown that adults who walked for 40 minutes three times a week for a year literally grew their hippocampus! The hippocampus is the part of your brain that helps create new memories. It also helps regulate the autonomic nervous system, as well as your mood. In addition to the cognitive benefits, walking for 20 minutes will cause you to burn an average of 70–140 calories. On top of that, walking’s a great way to prevent back pain

40minutes might seem like a lot, but you can always break it down like this after 1 hour, get up and walk around the office, or the house if you work remotely for five minutes—stop by the kitchen, speak with a coworker, or use the restroom even. when you sit back down, you’ll find yourself refreshed, happy, and able to focus better. Get lunch outside the office, somewhere 10 minutes away. By the time you’ve walked there and back, you've got half your walk time for the day. 😎TRY THIS TODAY AND LET ME KNOW IF IT WORKED.

SLEEP

I know you laughed hard when you saw this, most developers hardly sleep and they believe its a norm, no dear it isn't, you are not mortal. Sleep is especially important if you're still in your teens, twenties and thirties. pulling an all-nighter is something that won't kill you, but will screw up your health if you're not careful. The older you become, the longer it takes to recuperate from sleepless nights. Burning the midnight oil may be necessary on occasions, but respect your health by not making it into a habit. Studies have shown that getting enough sleep significantly boosts your focus during the day, improves your immune system, and even enhances your memory. Studies have shown that getting enough sleep significantly boosts your focus during the day, improves your immune system, and even enhances your memory.

POSTURE

Bad posture is a common problem these days. Even if you're office is equipped with comfortable, ergonomic chairs and desks, it's important to be conscious of your posture. It may seem unimportant when you're in your twenties, but the number of young people suffering from chronic injuries caused by bad posture is alarming—and climbing.

Studies have shown that sitting at a desk for long periods of time isn't healthy for a variety of reasons. You can solve this by using a standing desk.

The standing desk also helps you burn calories at work. secondly, if you work remotely a foldable workstation is also vital for you to work. you can always switch positions from your chair to your bed, it's super comfy and it keeps your posture in good shape.

MANAGING YOUR BLUE LIGHT EXPOSURE WITH F.LUX

F.LUX is a software that makes the colour of your computer's display adapt to the time of day, warm at night and like sunlight during the day. If you’re a designer or doing colour-sensitive work, f.lux includes an option to disable it for an hour, or even until sunrise. secondly, Optimize your monitor setup Your monitor setup goes a really long way toward preventing Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). CVS symptoms can include: Headaches Fatigue Blurred vision Neck pain Red eyes Dry eyes Irritated eyes Eyestrain Double vision Vertigo etc. position your monitor between 20 and 40 inches away from you. This is roughly the length of your arm.

STOP TAKING CAFFEINE OR SODA

These are some of the side effects of caffeine

-Anxiety

• Insomnia
• Digestive issue
• Muscle breakdown
• High Blood pressure
• Rapid heart rate
• Addiction

Caffeine is addictive and it's all too easy to relapse into drinking coffee when you need that bit of extra energy. But why would you want to cut out caffeine? The most important benefit is that you will sleep much, much better. Another major benefit is that you are no longer dependent on caffeine to function. Do you need extra energy? Go for a run. You'll be surprised by the amount of energy you get from something as simple as a five-mile run.

BALANCE

Let's use my personal life as an example, aside from being a front end developer I run a 9-5 as a health worker, I have a personal business I'm growing and I have to attend to people on all social media platform, I also do modelling jobs as a sideline.Having to do all these and still trying to balance my work life and personal life gets so overwhelming, sometimes I cry, breakdown and get discouraged. But what do I do... I take some time off to decompress and relax. Making a clear distinction between work and life can really help recharge your batteries. You'll be able to spend time with your family without being distracted by work. Put aside your phone and don't check email when spending time with friends and family. It truly helps recover from the day and prepare for the next

HEALTHY EATING LIFESTYLE

A healthy eating lifestyle simply means being conscious of what you eat and when you eat it. IT professionals live a very sedentary lifestyle. The fact that you are not moving, exercising or eating as well as others, further contribute towards having a strict diet plan. For those who are active, having a larger intake of food can be possible without gaining weight. But that’s not the case for most IT professionals. below are some of the food/food nutrients you should add to your meal plan.

• OMEGA 3 FATTY ACIDS- Food that is rich in omega 3 includes oily fish, such as trout, salmon, sardines, and mackerel, flax seeds (For vegetarians), walnuts and other such food items are great for improving concentration. They also help improve cognitive functioning, which means it can help the programmer’s ability to process and think. Such items are generally anti-inflammatory, and keep cells functioning optimally which helps improve the functioning of the brain.

• FOOD RICH IN VITAMIN D- IT professionals are sedentary desk workers that don’t move around that often. Hence, a Vitamin D deficiency is on the cards for those in this profession. Food items like egg yolk, certain mushrooms, cheese, Soy products and other such items have a high concentration of Vitamin. These products may even help with the flow of blood to the brain and supplies the brain cells with more oxygen. Since these products are also anti-inflammatory, they help the brain function optimally.

• FRUITS AND VEGGIES- For most of the day, we will have to sit in front of a screen to complete his tasks. Because of this, we are prone to straining our eyes. Carrots, beetroots, leafy vegetables, almonds, and other citrus fruits come as an aid to us whose eyes are under constant strain. Ideally, our diet must include fruits and vegetables every day. Food items that are very spicy, oily, or even fried should be scrapped, as they tend to result in weight gain, which in turn could lead to various other medical conditions.

Finally, cultivate the habit of drinking water. you need to stay hydrated in order to stay healthy; and staying healthy is key to keeping your energy levels up, maintaining a good mood, and accomplishing your best work.

If you can follow these steps every day, you will enjoy the benefits of feeling happier and healthier. let me know what you think about this article in the comment section and if you want me to keep writing health-related articles on my blog, let me know. you can connect with me on Twitter @_khadeeejah