April to August - Where Does Time Go?

I can't believe it has been 4 months since I last updated this blog!  This summer has been a busy one; filled with paintball, camping, expanding businesses, the upcoming publishing of my first novel (information here), remodeling at home and at the in-laws... lots and lots of activity!

I have been having such a great time away from my desk that I have completely forgotten to do regular updates here, and that is something I really need to get better at doing.  How else will you know that I am in the beginning stages of pulling together a 3-woman paintball team (a sub-team of Gearheadz Family Assassins), or that I'm debating whether or not to once again hit the pavement for the Great Columbia Crossing?

I will try to keep in better touch with this blog and keep you all updated.  Viva la small bottoms!

Family Paintball Fun

Our family has been blessed to be able to connect with one another over a game of paintball now and then, and yesterday was certainly one of the most enjoyable paintball days we've had together.  We headed up into the back side of J&A's property and several of us pulled logs, branches, wheelbarrows and other odds and ends out into a field to set up bunkers.  As soon as we had a manageable paintball field set up, we all geared up and played together for a couple of hours until the daylight started to creep away and dinner was ready to be eaten.

Doing active outdoor things, like paintball, with our family is one of my favorite ways to get a workout in.  Not only does it expend calories, but we all get to catch up with on another and pat each other on the back for a job well done.  Vive la paintball!

The Garden Is Growing

I spent a couple of hours out in the yard this morning with M, doing our best to chop through the overgrown bushes and rake up the leaves that have been hanging out on the ground since... October.  The time flew by, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch!  Although the dent in the yard work isn't a huge one, it is finally Springtime and so no longer is foul weather a valid excuse for failing to go outside and be in nature.

Today the bushes were conquered... tomorrow we head back outside for some paintball! :)

Paintball at Blackhawk Down

I am wiped out today after playing paintball yesterday down near Salem, Oregon at Blackhawk Down.  The day was filled with epic gunfights and battles (enough that I might just write an After Action Report on it once I get my head on straight again) and it was a great day for running, ducking, dodging and diving with temperatures that barely made it to 35 degrees mid-day.

Today is a day for relaxation and recuperation.  God bless Sundays!

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.

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!

Elves, Reindeer and Calorie Burn

Today was a day for the exercise books.  Not only did I get some running in, some squats, a bit of jumping and crouching, but I got to do all of it while shooting at elves and being backed up by my reindeer peers.  Heck, I even got to take photos with Santa!

No, I didn't bump my head on the treadmill and spend the day in a Christmas-themed coma.  I went to a paintball event called Elves Vs. Reindeer and got to play outside all day!  Happily, the rainy weather took a break this afternoon during the second half of the event, and there was a great turnout so there were plenty of folks to shoot paint at.  It was fun, and I burned a ton of calories!

Another big bonus is that my newest pair of paintball pants, which I had purchased a size too small (they were on major clearance a few months ago) fit perfectly now.  I was able to zip & button them up and run around in them all day without any pinching or "sucking in" of my tummy.  Exciting!

ReBooting the 21 Day Yoga Challenge

As it often happens, the day after I initially started the 21 day Denise Austin Fat Blasting Yoga challenge I came down with a terrible chest/head cold that kept me in bed for almost a full week.  Even though I've been up and about for a couple of days now, anything too strenuous was sending me into coughing fits and so I avoided exercise like the plague.

It wasn't until this morning that I felt confident in giving yoga another shot and re-starting the challenge to follow a 1 hour yoga routine 3 times a week for 3 weeks.  I blew my nose, grabbed a glass of water and very tentatively started the workout.  I made it through most of the hour, only having to take a couple of breaks to de-congest after hanging out in a downward-facing-dog position for a little bit too long, and surprisingly feel better now than I did when I woke up.  The tightness in my chest and back is still there from all the congestion and a week of coughing, but it is lessened and I feel much less stiff in my shoulders and neck as well.

I am hopeful that the gentle exercise will help to jump-start my ability to breathe fully again, and hopefully wipe out the remains of my cold before I head out to play paintball in the rain on Saturday.  The idea of shooting wet elves and reindeer with my paintball marker during a drizzle will sound much more appealing if I'm not having to blow my nose on soggy tissue paper the entire afternoon.

And More Paintball

Today was another fun filled day of paintball.  It was also day 16 of the 10 Pound Slimdown challenge, and today's focus was total body and core workouts.  I figure two hours of paintball probably fits the criteria for a core workout, and it definately counts as total body exercise.

It was a lot of fun, although it was hotter today than it was on Sunday.  We played six games total with a bunch of my husband's friends and everyone had a great time attacking and defending one another.  Luckily for me, I didn't get shot out as many times today as I did on Sunday and all the hits I received were on my gear so I walked away without any new bruises.

Plus, I totally had a couple of one-on-one shoot outs with Mr. Kawaii... good couple's therapy!

Paintball... PAINTball... PAINTBALL!!

By the time Mr. Kawaii and I finally rolled back into town, I was just too tired to update the blog.  Today I have just a little more energy... so I thought I'd pop on and give an update on the activities going on at the Kawaii household.

Yesterday we went out for another great day of family paintball.  If you've never played, here's a brief synopsis of the way the game is played.  Step 1: Get geared up.  Step 2: Wait in anticipation for the Referee to announce the start of the game.  Step 3: Duck, dive, dodge and run from bunker to bunker - do your best to mark your opponents with paint before you get hit.

We spent a total of 4 hours at the field, and of the 4 hours I probably spent 2.5 walking, running and crouching.  I got a full body workout, and so did everyone else that attended.  The best thing about outdoor sports like paintball is that you get your workout in while having fun!!  It's a way better time to play with family and friends than it is to jog on a treadmill facing a blank wall.

No matter what your sport is - if you have a chance to meet up with someone to play, take it!

 

The Paintball Exercise Routine

Today's physical adventures centered around a day of family paintball down at Warpaint International's outdoor field at Chemawa.  We woke up early and headed out in a caravan of anticipation and excitement to the field in Keizer, Oregon.  After getting everyone signed in, geared up, and going over safety rules, we headed out for over five hours of dodging, ducking, diving, dipping and dodging.  Our group of 12 all got an excellent workout as we hiked from field to field, hid from the zoom of enemy fire and rushed to attack the other team.

Although we took plenty of breaks for hydrating, getting more paint and sharing some of the best bar-b-que of the season (thanks to Papa S for bringing out a grill!) there was plenty of time to work up a sweat and work out muscles that have been dormant since our last paintball adventure in May.

The best part of the day was the opportunity to introduce most of our group to paintball for the first time.  Everyone had fun as they played between bunkers and burnt out vehicles, particularly one sneaky woman member of our party who hid in a dilapidated van and had the opportunity to wipe out many of us.  Whether getting shot out or opting to surrender when surrounded, we all battled it out in good fun and proudly compared bruises at the end of the day where we had become one another's target.

Now that we're back home, showered and napped (I was so tired afterwards!), it's apparent how much of a workout we really got.  I ache in my hips, knees and thighs from all the bending and twisting and I think I am going to take the day a bit easy tomorrow to let things rest and stretch out again.  Paintball is so much fun, and we can't wait to do it again!!