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!

Rooftop Chores, Chutes and Ladders

Today's calorie burning adventure took place on the roof of my house.  As I was checking the mail a few days ago, I happened to look up and see that the entire north side of the roof was sprouting moss by the bucket load. Leaves were peeking out of the gutters, and the house magically added "home maintenance" to my weekly To Do list.

Mr. Kawaii and I headed up the ladder this afternoon when the sun peeked its head out from behind the fall cloud cover.  After a couple of hours of bending over to scoop sloppy leaves from the gutters, traversing the incline to sprinkle moss-killer across the shingles and hunting for loose or torn shingles we were left sweaty, soggy and proud that our rooftop is heading into winter prepared for Mother Nature's worst.

As much as I enjoy hitting the gym for a focused workout, I prefer the opportunity to burn calories while I work on an physically demanding project.  It makes me feel more accomplished, self-sufficient and proud of my own abilities.

So, how's your roof looking? ;)

... And We're Walking!

I got's me a workout buddy this week, and this morning we decided that in a break in the rain that we'd go for a walk.  Now, I'm not one to pick a fight with mother nature, but this rain thing is getting ridiculous. It's June for rice sake!  It's been raining since April, and I've had about enough of it especially since it continues to cut into the time I have available to be outdoors fighting slugs and spiders.

But I digress.

This morning we walked for over an hour, pushing one another to do quick bursts of speed at different points on the walk.  This is a great way to get your heart rate up and burn extra calories while improving your endurance!  Just good business all the way around.  After walking comfortably for a few blocks, we'd select one block to walk as fast as we can while swinging our arms as high and wide as possible to get our upper bodies involved.  The results are comical (I've always thought power walkers looked hilarious and it turns out they feel hilarious too!) and energy-charged.  Pooch got a good laugh at our expense and we all worked out those abdominals with a few reps of chuckle-giggle-smirk.

We were fortunate that the rain held off for the hour that we were outdoors, and it looks like maybe if we're lucky the clouds are lifting.  Although I'm sure they'll hang around for a while, I'm hopeful that the rest of the day is dry so we can get some more time outside and enjoy the flowers.