This certainly isn’t something specific to those who work in Microsoft Dynamics; neither is it specific to developers. Anybody who works a desk job knows the perils of sitting down all day and poor diet. Studies show that sitting for extended periods can lead to diseases such as type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer and early death. Bad diet can have similarly negative effects. That said, there are plenty of ways to counter this. If the basic health benefits aren’t enough to persuade you, then the thought of being a better developer should. Follow our advice and you’ll be more alert, and less likely to miss a mistake.

1. Be active more often

A medical experts group chaired by Professor Stuart Biddle suggested that you should take an ‘active break from sitting every 30 minutes’. The emphasis here is on little and often. Nobody expects you to go for a jog around your office every hour, but getting up, even to make a drink or to have a meeting, every 30 mins will keep the blood flowing and fight off the negative effects of sitting all day.

2. Set daily activity goals

Aiming to be active for a cool 30 minutes is one of the recommended routes to combatting the negative impact of sitting all day long. If you can get your heartrate up for this amount of time, and couple that with standing every 30 minutes, you’re well on your way to a healthier lifestyle.

3. Change basic daily habits

It’s the small changes to your lifestyle that will help you to meet your daily activity goals. A few great places to start are:

• Always offer to do the drinks round
• Speak to somebody rather than email them
• If your office hot desks, hot desk and swap around
• Buy lunch from the second closest shop
• Park your car in the furthest parking spot from your office

4. Brain fuel

The right diet won’t just give you a better body, it’ll boost your brain power, too. Programming for long stretches involves puzzle solving and the application of rigid, meticulous logic. Some of the best foods for boosting your brain power are:

• Tomatoes (full of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant)
• Pumpkin seeds (high levels of zinc, magnesium, B vitamins and tryptophan)
• Broccoli (full of vitamin K, known to enhance brain function)
• Oily fish (includes essential fatty acids, such as omega-3 fats)

5. Stop drinking coffee

There are plenty of benefits to cutting out your coffee intake. If you’re currently on 4 a day, cut it down to 3, then 2, then 1. While you’re still drinking coffee, we’d recommend switching over from dairy milk to soya, as it’s better for your cholesterol. Making this change will increase your hydration, your patience and mean you’re more likely to drink more water.

6. Drink water. Lots of water

Drinking plenty of water is so essential to a healthy mind and body. It keeps your body hydrated, but it also helps your metabolism to work optimally, meaning you’ll be light on your feet, but you’ll keep your mind sharp, too.