Every techie guy needs a day off (or at least a couple of hours off) away from the computer screen and away from technology, internet connections and web and social websites. Although there is definitely nothing wrong with this lifestyle, there is a good chance that a sedentary lifestyle is slowly degrading your health.
Here are some tips you might want to consider to help you break off for a while if you are perched in front of your computer in Malta
1. Get out of the house and socialise. Forget viewing photos of your mates and family on Facebook, instant messaging, emails,Twitter updates and SMS messages for a day. In Malta, we’re lucky not to have to worry about commuting and time spent in traffic jams. Your real friends are probably no further away than a 20-minute drive. Go find your favourite watering hole, go and do some people-watching at a cafe’ or test your staying powers at Paceville. Engage in some real life contact and exercise your interpersonal skills.
2. Go walking. If you want time alone, we still have patches of Maltese countryside and some great sandy beaches where you can inhale and exhale properly. For the geek in you, try going for a photo walk, photographing stuff along the way (you can always show off your stuff on Flickr later). Maltese beaches are particularly spectacular in winter and spring.
3. Cycle. Now that the weather will start to cool off, get that chain oiled and head for the north of the island or Gozo, to get away from the madding crowds and even madder car drivers. Cycle on your own if you want to go at your own pace, or find someone at the same level as yourself. You can always stop at some village bar for rehydration during your ride.
4. Go on vacation. This doesn’t have to be the full-fledged affair. You can just take a 1 or 2 hr flight to some country close by. Malta is lucky to be in a very central European location and therefore it’s easy to travel for city breaks in Italy, Sicily, Morocco, Tunisia, Spain and France. For those who cannot afford a cultural and walking weekend abroad, we have our very own alternative in Gozo. Probably nothing beats Gozo for a totally relaxing weekend off-season.
5. Clean up your living space. This is a great way to exercise while doing something useful. Most techie people are efficient time managers, and therefore you can take advantage of excercising whilst doing stuff you should have done ages ago (instead of wasting time on a treadmill in a gym). As another Maltese summer draws to a close, do some house maintenance like re-painting and checking up on your roof waterproofing to get ready for winter.
6. Find a non-techie hobby. Anyone spending time doing web design should definitely try their hand at some real life art work. Painting with various mediums is relaxing and absorbing enough to take you away from your monitor to an easel or beyond. Or join a drama club: we are blessed with some great theatre companies that are always on the look out for new talent.
7. Exercise. And that means get down to doing some sports, as opposed to walking to your nearest fitness centre with a sauna. Any type of physical sport will allow you to loosen up from day to day stress. Apart from that, it’s an excellent way to shape up, build a strong bond with your team members and improve your group dynamics. It might not be as fun as conquering your opponent’s defences in an online game like Evony or World of Warcraft, but it could get quite close.