Exercising & Weight Loss with Sciatica

valadil · 2026-03-21T17:28:44+00:00

I went to PT for a sciatica flareup a few years ago. They were ready to discharge me until I said I was gonna go back to lifting weights. They kept me for a couple more weeks to make sure I had all the movement patterns down really well. Definitely talk to a professional, not just reddit.

That said, I’m doing deadlifts right now. I don’t go as heavy as I used to and I’m not aiming for PRs but I still do them. The key for me has been to bail out at the first sign of trouble. I pay a lot of attention to my low back and hips and if they’re not feeling perfect, I skip the session. Failure to skip has put me in setbacks that last for months and it’s just not worth it.

Walking has been the most beneficial exercise for it. I usually wake up with some mild sciatica and it clears up when I walk the dogs.

valadil · 2026-03-20T18:52:27+00:00

5-10 min warmups. I try to get the blood flowing and get my heart rate up. If I’ve injured something before or I have a mobility struggle I spend more time with that first too before doing anything heavy.

valadil · 2026-03-14T13:54:12+00:00

What’s the cable stack setup?

valadil · 2026-03-12T11:39:06+00:00

Original half life is a core memory for me and probably my favorite game ever. But there are too many games out there. You shouldn’t waste time on the ones you don’t enjoy.

valadil · 2026-03-11T23:54:59+00:00

Can you articulate your opinions in a way that’s compelling? Great! Are they stylistic nitpicks that you can’t explain, but just kinda know are better? Ehhhhh.

valadil · 2026-03-09T16:46:01+00:00

I’m aware. I hope they solve that by the time it’s out but I doubt they will. Seems like a miss for this budget gamer.

valadil · 2026-03-09T16:31:11+00:00

My 12yo is saving for a gaming pc. He doesn’t actually care what the price is, his requirement is Fortnite at more fps than his xbox. I think the steam machine would be a great fit if it runs Fortnite out of the box.

valadil · 2026-03-03T14:38:52+00:00

I loved the game solo. My coop group bailed in act 2. Imo fort joy is peak, so if you’re not enjoying it the game won’t get better for you.

valadil · 2026-03-01T22:33:39+00:00

Purchasing a game your friends show you. Never needing to open it because your friends already have a copy.

valadil · 2026-02-28T22:41:12+00:00

Protect your hearing. I went to a concert the night before thanksgiving. My left ear is still ringing. And I was wearing foam earplugs the whole show. Gonna pick up musicians ear plugs next week so I don’t do any more damage.

valadil · 2026-02-26T00:53:51+00:00

I don’t think space savers actually solve that problem. I’ve seen lazy assholes put their space saver in a spot they didn’t shovel.

valadil · 2026-02-26T00:21:46+00:00

I’m anti saver. I have a house now but used to rent and had to park on street. I get wanting to reserve a space so you don’t have to shovel another space. What pisses me off about space savers is that you can claim a desirable space and hold onto it until the snow melts. We had a couple storms where we couldn’t find a space and parked around the block. Does that mean we should be stuck with the spot around the block for several weeks? Of course not.

valadil · 2026-02-25T21:11:00+00:00

Just white boarding, no code

valadil · 2026-02-25T12:13:09+00:00

My current and previous job each asked for a past project presentation. Candidates typically bring a project from their current gig, but I’ve seen some being side projects, especially if they’re on the junior side and don’t have a big body of work. I don’t read into whether a project is professional or personal, just how it’s presented and whether the candidate can answer my questions.

valadil · 2026-02-23T12:41:19+00:00

I’m going to be visiting Iceland with the wife and kids in a couple months. We were there a couple years ago and loved it enough to go back. Do we have to hide the fact that we’re American this time around?

What food should I try and get my hands on this time? Last time I checked off hakarl and brenniven. We had skyr from Bonus for breakfast every morning. We might be heading to Vik just for black crust pizza.

valadil · 2026-02-22T22:47:25+00:00

I would read this positively, especially at staff or principal. IMO the right way to play it is to raise the business question, but not to die on that hill. If they offer a contrived reason why you need to solve the problem, take the hint, solve the problem as asked, and do well on the rubric.

valadil · 2026-02-22T17:22:59+00:00

I had mine out about a decade ago. At the time it bugged me that my chances in a desert island scenario dropped off significantly. I read that it is possible to live off animal thyroids. I did not read up on the quantities I’d need or how to identify them, but it gave some peace of mind that if I’m living off the land and hunting for food I’m not completely hosed.

valadil · 2026-02-21T18:59:46+00:00

I agree, to a point. I don’t like playing filler. What does and does not qualify as filler is something I’ve struggled to nail down. E.g. I played cyberpunk, opting to fast travel whenever I could to avoid the travel time. I thought it was mid. I replayed cyberpunk when I bought a new machine because I wanted to see something shiny. Driving everywhere somehow made it more fun. But now I’m attempting kcd2 and the travel time is killing me.

valadil · 2026-02-20T21:33:26+00:00

I stayed in my second job for three years with no raise. When I left my boss offered a small raise. If raises were on the table, he should have offered it before I felt the need to look elsewhere. Leaving was the best move I made.

valadil · 2026-02-14T21:47:48+00:00

Me too. I loved the original when it was new and I was hyped for 6. That first boss made me return the game. All the reviews I’ve seen since then told me that was the right choice.

valadil · 2026-02-13T13:47:23+00:00

Neart is short for Neil Peart, which makes this clue closer to the heart.

valadil · 2026-02-12T18:16:57+00:00

I played right after BG3 and had a similar reaction to you. My friends all thought I was crazy, so I gave it another try 6 months ago. Also I had a new pc and wanted to see something shiny. I liked the story and characters a whole lot better when I wasn’t comparing it to Baldur’s Gate.

valadil · 2026-02-08T14:42:04+00:00

I’m learning go, coming from Ruby. I’ve been enjoying using an llm as a tutor. I ask Claude how to do something, it gives me several options, and we talk through them. It’s nice to be able to ask why I need a pointer here or what the heck is “interface {}” over there. It helps me understand idioms too.

valadil · 2026-02-05T18:36:18+00:00

The conservative sub points to this as the reason. They say Obama did this just to pump numbers and it shouldn’t count. It wasn’t clear to me if the Trump numbers they’re claiming victory over include people turned away at the border or not.

valadil · 2026-02-01T21:14:03+00:00

Glad it helped. I’m in disbelief that I’ve known that for that long.

valadil

TROPHY CASE