ReBall!

Well, I'm back home after an evening of playing ReBall.  I got in a good six or so games; running, squatting, ducking, dodging, dodging some more... It was a lot of fun to get out on the field and fire off a few rounds with friends and family.

I also took the opportunity to help reorganize the Gearheadz Paintball warehouse, which was another workout all its own.  It's shaping up to be a pretty good setup though, and that's what matters most!

I think that's all I have to write for now.  I'm a little bruised, and a lot tired.  I think I'm going to go catch a few Zzzzzzs.

Walking and Contemplation

I haven't been doing a great job of blogging (obviously), but I have been trying to get a little activity in as my back has been healing.  Gettting in a few squats here and there, burning calories cleaning up the house after my time stuck in bed and taking short walks have helped me to feel less like a bump on a log.

During the clean sweep of the house, I managed to find a very old roll of film that has been floating around the house for years, and after many reminders from my mom I was able to finally remember to drop it off to get it developed.  After another week, I finally remembered to pick UP said pictures from Walgreens and Mr. Kawaii and I sat down to go through them last night.

The photos ended up being from waaay back during the first Christmas Mr. Kawaii and I spent together (4 years ago).  It was fun to look back to the beginning of our relationship together, but inevitably the thing that I paid the most attention to was how thin I was 4 years ago.  I've gained a solid 50 pounds from that Christmas, and at first I got a little down on myself for my "failure" but on my walk this morning I re-thought my stance.

Back when those photos were taken, Mr. Kawaii and I had only been together a few months.  Just a year before, I had gone through a terrible divorce.  I spent months walking between 3 and 6 miles a day in addition to going to the gym and doing an hour of yoga every morning... I worked out constantly because I was miserable and quite honestly couldn't afford to do anything else.  I was in great shape, but I was unhappy.  I had no friends, no money, was at risk of losing my apartment and was very unsure of whether or not I'd get another paycheck.  Life sucked, and although I fit into some really cute size 8 jeans back then, there is no way I'd want to go back.

I reminded myself again that I haven't gained any more weight in 12 months - which is a huge improvement to where I was, gaining 15 to 20 pounds a year.  All I have to do is keep focusing on finding time in my schedule to get exercise in and continue eating appropriate portions and I'll be able to watch that waistline start to shrink.  I can do it!

Outdoors Again!

Shortly after my last posting here a tragic accident involving a shampoo bottle, my left arm and the top of my head left a string of muscles in my upper left back pulled and painful.  It's taken me several days... almost a week... to recover to a point where picking up a glass of water or strapping a seatbelt onto my fragile body doesn't hurt.

Being pretty active in my daily life with errand running, housekeeping exercise and work, trying to keep still has been a struggle this week.  Mr. Kawaii can attest to me forgetting I'm injured and trying to do something silly (like put away the dishes) instead of staying in bed or on the couch like I am supposed to, but overall I've tried to tone it down a bit so that I could heal.

Today I finally felt like I had enough mobility to take Pooch out for a romp, and we walked about a half mile around the neighborhood.  Not enough to break a sweat, but at least I finally feel like I had the opportunity to get outdoors and do something good for my body.  Hooray!

Let this posting be a lesson: Never underestimate the power of shampoo.

It's Raining! It's... Sunny?

I had a strange walk this morning, 2 miles around the block through what seems to have been a wide enough loop to go through a couple of weather cycles.

It was nice and warm this morning (a balmy 53 degrees last I checked) so I headed out into the world to get a walk in before buckling down for a consultation with a tax accountant.  I'm trying to get myself psyched up for a chat about tax filings, exemptions and deductions and I figured I should put my best face forward.  So, to get clear-headed and pumped full of energy I hit the pavement in what started out as a light sprinkle.

About halfway through the walk I was suddenly drenched as the cool, calming sprinkle turned into a sudden downpour.  The benefit of the downpour was that it inspired me to walk faster... and I apparently walked so fast that I escaped the cloud altogether because the skies broke loose and sun spewed forth!  My walk ended with me wet, warm, sweaty and wondering... is Mother Nature off her meds?

Game On in 3...2...1!

Tonight's exercise was a ton of fun playing Reball in a local church gym.  I am not very fluent in speedball / hyperball, but it was still a good time and I got to learn a new style of playing paintball.  If you aren't familiar with Reballs, they're a synthetic paintball made out of silicone rubber.  They don't break on impact, can be washed with soap and water and be re-used over and over.

I only lasted 7 or 8 games before I threw in the towel, but I did take an opportunity to help clean up after the event which burned a couple hundred more calories digging and hunting for stray reballs.  It was a lot of fun, and I had such a great time that Mr. Kawaii and I are planning on going back again next week.  Hopefully next time I'll do a little bit better!

Three walks in a single week - It's a trend!

On my third trip around the neighborhood for the week, I realized how far I've come in the scheme of things.  I beat myself up a lot for not working out as much as I'd like, not making getting a gym membership a priority and not eating exactly right 100% of the time.  But really, when putting one foot in front of the other on a cold January day, it is amazing to think about everything that I've accomplished in the last year.  Since it's all fresh on my mind, I figure I'll list everything I can think of here:

1) Quit my day-job to write full-time and support my husband's business.
2) Began writing weekly for sites like Associated Content, Yahoo!, Examiner, Rivals and more.
3) Managed three blogs (almost) weekly.
4) Started an exercise routine.
5) Moved my mom in with me and my husband.
6) Helped my mom move back out on her own.
7) Finished writing a novel.
8) Started writing a second novel.
9) Began submitting writing to contests, magazines and journals (still keeping fingers crossed that those pan out someday).
10) Kept up with friends and family as best I could.
11) Went to Disneyland.
12) Went to Legoland.
13) Went to Dragon*Con.
14) Played paintball more times than I can count.
15) Suffered a death in the family.
16) Had to put a pet down due to illness.
17) Started reading again.
18) Started sewing again.
19) Started crocheting again.

The list goes on, I'm sure.  It's a lot - much more than I thought could possibly fit all in one year, but there it is. 2011 is shaping up to be even more jam-packed, and I am glad that I've been able to stick to my desire to live a healthier lifestyle through it all.  Of course, I'm not perfect, but the changes to my well being have stuck and that is what matters.

On that note, I'm off to do laundry for the first time this year.  Thank goodness for clean underpants!

Round Two!

Lo and behold, I was able to make another trek outside today!  Another mile down on the road to fitness, and another great burst of energy that has helped me through a hectic day at the office.  One thing that I have noticed is that even after taking a couple of weeks off of my quest for a smaller bottom, going a mile just doesn't take very long.  Roughly 15 minutes or so and I'm done!  This got me thinking today; as someone who seems to never take the chance to take a "real" break from work, perhaps I should push myself to do a 15 minute stroll 2 or 3 times a day to get my labor-laws taken care of AND my workout at the same time!

Should do... but will I?  Only time will tell.

Back in the Saddle Again...

After taking a 3 week vacation from the workout circuit, I have slowly begun feeling like I'm moving a bit slower and having a more difficult time getting going in the morning.  The need to get up and do something has been building like a pot about to boil over on an unattended stove and finally today I gave in and got outside.

I didn't dive headfirst into a "too much too soon" workout though.  I've done that in the past and have finally learned that doing so leads to disastrous results.  The last thing I want to do now that I'm ready to get back into my workout is to pull a muscle or stretch a tendon.  No, instead I headed out the door with Pooch (he looked far too comfortable sleeping on the couch) at my side and the two of us plunked along on a mile walk around the neighborhood.

The walk was amazing despite the cool weather and foggy mist that left my sweatshirt drenched after 15 minutes of moving around in it.  Just being out and moving coaxed my body into releasing some of that pent up energy and now I'm feeling ready to tackle the rest of my "to-dos" with gusto.

If you have gotten back into the rut of taking too much time away from your workout... take heart.  You aren't the only one feeling the guilt and shame of replacing afternoon walks with 5lbs. of fudge.  Now that the holidays are over, it's time to put down the ladle of gravy and put on those sneakers!  Let's get back in motion before Valentine's Day rolls around.