This post has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with SQL Server. It does, however, relate to your career as a deskbound, stressed-out IT professional. With that disclaimer out of the way, you may continue reading if you’d like.

A couple of things happened in the past week that led to this post. First, there was this post (also unrelated to SQL Server) on SQLServerCentral.com about bucket lists and life tracking. Second, while digging through some old photos on my computer, I came across this picture:

That’s me, exactly nine years ago. That’s 200 pounds of DBA right there, a guy who spent hours on end sitting in a chair or on the couch. That guy would often (OK, daily) eat lunch out, usually some fast-food joint (king-sized roast beef sandwich, jumbo-sized curly fries, and a gallon of Pepsi was a favorite lunch). That would be followed up by a dinner consisting, most likely, of some sort of meat and some form of potato, usually mashed. Most evenings ended with that guy crashed on the couch in front of the TV, suffering from a food coma and/or indigestion. I had forgotten what this guy looked like, and finding this picture was a shocking reminder.

In the time since this picture was taken, I’ve seen two co-workers, both doing the same work that I do, one the same age as me, one slightly older, both with similar habits, die. Yes, that’s right, die. Both from strokes. One mercifully went quickly, the other lingered for a couple of years, a shell of his former self. I am a fiercely independent person, and one of my greatest fears is losing my independence due to some mental or physical malady. Both of these deaths, the first one in particular, struck deeply at that fear, and served as a wake-up call for me to get off the couch and do something about “that guy”.

Identify The Problem

I started with a visit to a doctor to get a checkup. I don’t go to doctors. Ever. It just doesn’t happen. For me to voluntarily go see one like this was huge. His first words to me after the poking and prodding was over were “Well, your blood pressure’s awfully high”. I can still hear those words, and I can still feel the cold sweat that immediately formed when he said them. My mind raced, looking for some excuse to justify what HAD to be a false reading, or a one-time thing. Was it coffee? Am I sick? Dehydrated? “Nope”, he said, “you’re just fat and out of shape”. Not in those exact words, but he made his point. His instructions were to take fish oil capsules, watch my salt intake, and come back in three months for another check. Then we’d talk about medications. I haven’t been back since that first visit.

Collect Metrics

I left that doctor’s office feeling a bit shell-shocked, but also with a mission. I had a problem before me that needing fixing, and that’s what I do, fix problems. I needed more data on the problem, metrics that I could measure and track, some way to establish a baseline. I bought myself a home blood pressure monitor, and a Withings wireless scale. On January 18th, 2013, I also bought (I remember specifically the date, because I met Grant Fritchey for dinner that night) a Fitbit One. That little $99 gadget has been a constant companion since then, and I give it full credit for the change that has taken place.

Establish A Baseline

My “official” weight in the doctor’s office that morning was 191 pounds. My blood pressure was 143/104. I started religiously checking my weight each morning, and my blood pressure twice a day, morning and night. A “good” blood pressure reading is 120/80 or lower – I was getting readings of 150+/100+ almost every day, particularly at night. Not good.

Implement A Fix

As I said earlier, it was normal for me to eat lunch out almost every day, and always big, unhealthy lunches. If I didn’t eat out, I would often microwave some frozen entree of some kind. Those frozen Banquet pot pies were a favorite! Dinner wasn’t much better – lots of meat and potatoes, gravy, and typically two, sometimes three servings, followed by hours in front of the TV or computer, and then bed. Garbage in, nothing out.

I started using an app called MyFitnessPal to track every bite of food that I eat, paying attention not only to calories but also to salt intake. Those pot pies that I liked so much? Two of those alone exceed the amount of salt a person should have in a single day. And that was just for lunch. I came to realize that there are ungodly amounts of salt in every form of food that you don’t assemble yourself. Fast food, frozen foods, processed foods – basically anything that comes from a box or a restaurant is loaded with salt. It’s everywhere.

In addition to monitoring what goes in, I also started monitoring what went out. When I got the Fitbit, I set a goal for myself of walking 10,000 steps or more, every single day. In the 22 months that I’ve owned that Fitbit, I’ve taken 8.5 million steps, walked (or run) nearly 4,000 miles, and have climbed almost 9,000 flights of stairs.

The most valuable tool has been my redneck treadmill desk that I built. That has allowed me to combine computer time with walking time. I’ve spent hours on that thing. Days that I work from home, I can easily log 30,000 steps on the Fitbit.

Most shockingly, to me anyway, is that I’ve started running. Not every day, sometimes not even every week, but I do run. I used to always say “I only run when something’s chasing me” – ha ha, bad joke. No longer. As long as my knees cooperate, I’ve found that I actually enjoy running. I’ve run three official 5K races, dozens of unofficial ones (a nice 3-mile loop near my office), and have worked up to being able to run almost 6 miles at a time before my knees start complaining.

Monitor Progress

Goal number one was to address the blood pressure problem and to avoid going on blood pressure medication. For months, I checked my blood pressure twice a day, recording the results in a the Withings Health Mate app on my phone. I no longer check it daily, but since starting this in November of 2012, two full years ago, my blood pressure is consistently a healthy 120/80 or lower. Unless I eat a really salty meal – that will cause a clearly visible spike that lasts for a couple of days. Salt is a killer.

Goal number two was to lose some weight, drop the gut. I started at 191 officially that morning in the doctor’s office. I bought the Withings wireless scale two months after that and started weighing myself every morning. Roughly the same time every day, wearing the exact same clothes. Give or take a couple of pounds, I’m stable right now at 150 pounds.

My target is 140, but I’m comfortable at 150. I’ve gone down two shirt sizes, 1.5 sizes in jeans, and I feel a million times better.

Lessons Learned

As a teenager, and into my early 20’s, I was able to eat and drink anything I wanted with no obvious ill effects. I was always slender and fit. Somewhere along the way I started spending more time in a chair, up to the point where most of my waking hours were spent sitting. This, combined with age and a slowing metabolism, took its toll. The human body is not meant to sit, it’s built for movement. If you’re reading this, are you sitting down? How long have you been in that chair today? This month? Get up, take a walk, get the blood flowing.

It’s lunchtime now as I write this paragraph. I’m looking at the banana and greek yogurt that will be my lunch today, along with a handful of cashews. A far cry from the jumbo roast beef sandwich with curly fries from Arby’s that I still, to this day, like so much. By “behaving” myself and eating light for lunch, I can go home and enjoy a big bowl of homemade beef stew for dinner. Perfect for weather like this, when it’s 9 degrees Fahrenheit outside. And there’s little, if any, salt involved in any of it.

If you’re an I.T. worker, you deal with a lot of stress, constant complaining from the users that you support, bad food choices (somebody ordered pizza at the office? Again?), and you very likely don’t get up from your chair any more than necessary. This job can literally kill you – don’t let it.