12 minutes 100 calories

When was the last time you played kickball? I'm guessing you can't answer that question, and up until last Thursday...neither could I. Now, go ahead and ask me again (when was the last time you played kickball?). My answer - Last Thursday!

Admittedly, I am a creature of compulsion. I love hiking, running, biking, outdoor activities in general. But the compulsive side of me mandates I stick to a relatively routine exercise schedule. By routine, I refer only to regular workouts, based on a loose structure; almost all occur in the gym. From weight training, to cardio, to stretching, to Kung Fu. Most of it occurs in the gym.

Too often I limit myself to the cardio equipment in the gym. This is against my better judgment, outdoor activity is superior...no arguments, no questions. I just find that little calorie counter helpful, and satisfying to that compulsive little guy that sits inside my head. So as a side note...get outside and do your workouts! However, when I do exercise outside I find it far more enjoyable and satisfying. I even found a little Google gadget (Search "google pedometer" on google) that I can use to measure my distance traveled, enter my weight, and calculate calories burned.

To that end, I joined a kickball team. Deciding last week to make kickball my cardio for the day. I played hard. Some of the other players took a more recreational view of the game sipping on some beer, and enjoying the summer evening. I chose to view this as an all-out, full-throttle, battle royale between me and myself. I sprinted hard from base to base, I fielded fast, I kicked with force. I did not want to win, nor did I necessarily care to lose...but I definitely wanted to burn calories and fat. I had no idea how many calories I would expend, how much fat I would burn, or even how I might feel the following morning as I arose.

Take a fast-forward with me from Thursday evening to Friday morning. I can barely stand up. I can't cross my legs to tie my shoes, rising from a chair takes a combination of sheer determination and a rather audible grunt. The soreness in my legs and core is an excruciating, yet welcome, reminder of the previous evening's battle.

I had become so focused on quantifiable results, calories burned, minutes spent sprinting, repetitions completed, total weight moved, that I forgot what it was to really enjoy my fitness quest. To be fair, I love weight training...cardio a little less; but I had genuinely forgotten how fun a child's game could be. The soreness weaseled its way around, to those muscles you can only use when you're outside the gym, outside that contained universe. It lasted for days.

It wasn't until Sunday afternoon, during a perfunctory flip of the pages in an exercise magazine, that my eyes picked up on a small factoid: "12 minutes 100 calories...Kickball". As if divinity swept my fingers across dozens of other pages, only to rest on one line, of one page. Thinking back, we had played for hours. Excitement tingled across my teeth.

I went for a hike-walk yesterday, rather than to the treadmill. The compulsive little guy in my head is a bit quieter now.

Like I said...When was the last time you played kickball?

--BA
Fit2You Fitness, LLC
www.fit2youfitness.com
Philadelphia and Main-Line In Home Personal Training, Yoga, Nutrition and Corporate Health and Wellness