A Bit of a Stretch

 

 

A Bit of a Stretch

Warming up the body and the database




Working out and Databases. Sometimes, the subjects can tie together very nicely. If you scan some of my previous blogs, I feel it's been decent work finding connections between the database world and activities in the gym. But this topic...I'm not sure about.  

Possibly the best thing you can do for your body prior to working out is stretching. Waking up tired and stiff joints, activating muscles alerting the receptors that hard work is imminent. Take your time and focus in on the muscle groups you plan to use in the workout. 

In the video that accompanies this post, I step through a typical routine used before a big leg day or in this case running and high intensity cardio training (Hyrox looms). It is by no means close to an extensive list and even after putting it together I thought of more that could've been demonstrated. It is purely an example of movements I've found to be helpful and getting ready in the morning.

How does this relate to the subject of databases? When you open up your query editor to begin a new report or procedure perhaps, do you dive straight in and just start writing TSQL willy nilly? SELECT * FROM RandomTable....  Not terribly effective. Rather you might go exploring through tables found in the database, see what's there, examine columns and their datatypes, look for foreign keys that tie to other tables and so forth. In a perfect world, the database is well documented and contains a data dictionary detailing all of this ahead of time. But let's be real, documentation? Come on.

In the same way when I enter the gym looking to do barbell squats, I don't head straight to the rack, load it up with 3 plates per side and hope I can lift it without injury. No, I take time to stretch and warm up. Even after that, I'll still start out with an empty bar and increase the weight slowly. Jumping straight to a max lift is just foolish. So it is when it comes to your data. Take the time to know where and what it is, don't simply rush to the maximum. Go slow and ramp up.

The bottom line here is take your time. Whether in the gym or your database, carve out time to prepare for the work to come. Knowledge is the real power in both of these realms. Understand the movements involved with your workout, stretch and warmup accordingly. There's a wealth of apps and information online or consult a personal trainer. I don't want to see you get injured.
Similarly, know your data and its structure. Take the time to prepare before banging out a query that might injure your system. 

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