Outside the Fitness Box

I love this cool sketch of wireframes for a mobile app, by Fernando Guillen.

Today's post may seem a little off-topic, but when it comes down to it, it absolutely ties into my overall approach to health and fitness.

I've committed to this challenge to learn as much about Javascript and solidify my knowledge of HTML and CSS as I can in the 30 days of June. Basically, I want to build the skills I need to become an awesome web designer/developer.

How on earth does some computer programming possibly fit into the content of this blog? Well, for one... it's my blog and I can write about anything I like. ;) But, more importantly, I consider stuff like this super important to my personal development. Obviously that has been mostly focused on the physical, but as most of you probably know and understand, the mental holds equal importance. (Let's not also forget the emotional, but I'll save that for another post!)

I have always enjoyed learning whether I am being taught in a classroom, through online tutorials, or doing my own research and doing. My bread and butter is primarily earned working as a graphic designer, and for the dozen or so years I've been at it, my main focus has been on print design. I've dabbled in web design over the years and have worked on a few sites; I know my way around HTML and CSS well enough... but I have never felt as comfortable with it as I do designing things that get printed on paper, like brochures, books, postcards, etc.

I love my current job but I also want to think about future endeavors. When I think of the future in terms of graphic design, I think about things like websites and apps. And I want to really know how to kick ass at that kind of stuff, if only for my own satisfaction, but certainly for more career options down the road.

For the past week or so, I've been studying a little bit already on sites like Skillcrush and Treehouse and Codecademy and Skillshare, so this will carry on perfectly to this challenge. (And even if I am super achey and tired or if it's raining outside, I can still do it! LOL) Just 10 minutes a day of working on these new skills is all that is required to participate in the challenge.

When I learn something new and start to master it, I get a supreme sense of satisfaction – don't you? It's similar to the adrenaline rush that I have become addicted to after a run. In this way, it makes me feel powerful and strong, not to mention smart and confident! Is there anything much better than that? You can see now how it all relates to my overall health and fitness goals, except that it's my brain getting a workout, not my muscles! (Though my typing skills may improve somewhat...)

What new skill or activity would you like to work on for the next 30 days, and will you sign up for the challenge? How does it relate to your well-being and health? I'd love to hear about it!