Sessions at RubyConf 2011 about Health on Thursday 29th September

Two years ago, I was about to turn 30. I was working constantly. And I was in the worst shape of my life. I weighed almost 270 pounds. My back, hands, and wrists ached constantly from repetitive stress and poor posture after working long hours. A full eight hour day or programming left me exhausted and irritable.

I got on a plan to get in shape and lose weight, and given enough time and good habits, it worked. I lost a ton of weight and feel great. Along the way, a funny thing happened: I became much more effective as a developer, getting more done in less time. Work is more fun, my repetitive stress injury is gone, and eight hours of pair programming doesn't destroy me like it used to.

This talk will discuss pragmatic ways to improve your health, reduce stress, and improve focus, all without a gym membership or dreadful treadmill sessions. We'll touch on modern science that demonstrates the importance of the mind/body connection, and cover some hacker friendly diet and exercise plans.