Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Kickin' it with the Hoars

As I've mentioned in passing in some other posts, I play on a kickball team. It's more social than exercise, but that's why most of us are there. But then we have games like last night, when we only had one extra person (and only four women, which is the minimum, so we got to play in the field every inning), and there's so much more running around. And I got up to kick three times (and scored once, woohoo!).

Most of the exercise comes from foul balls. You kick the ball foul, but you still have to run, just in case it turns out to be fair. And when you're on base and the kicker kicks it foul (on the ground), you still have to run just in case it's fair. And then there are the superspeed intervals, when you're on base, the ball is popped up, but the fielders drop it and you have to streak to the next base before they get the force play on you.

The other part of the exercise is the fact that it's just so damn cold that you have to jump around to get warm (ok, so maybe I was the only one dancing around and doing jacks, but hell, it was damn chilly, even through a long sleeved shirt, fleece, and team shirt!).

Our game last night was really fun. It was the best kind of kickball - everyone is really good natured and having a great time (even the team that got crushed, which thankfully wasn't us this week). Because smiles burn more calories than frowns right? I'd rather lose a game and have fun than win a game and not have fun because everyone got so super-duper intense. Thankfully, we had fun AND won last night (17-2), which is just the best of both worlds.

Then at the bar afterwards there are the bicep curls in carrying beer pitchers and flip cup (if you do enough of them, maybe it's even a full set!).

So here's the exercise spin on kickball, but really we're all just there to have a good time. And we've got a great crew, do us Hoars (team name= Horatio Alger, aka the Hoars. This becomes interesting when you're eating dinner with the folks and just out of the blue, total non-sequitur say "I'm a Hoar." Everyone just freezes, forks halfway to mouths, thinking "WHAT did she just say?!" What can I say, I like shocking people on occasion ;)

7 comments:

Hoarse Whisperer said...

First you write:

"Because smiles burn more calories than frowns right?"

Then you mention:

"beer pitchers"

Doesn't losing calories from the first activity gained back through the second activity?

I am just kidding, of course :)

The Lethological Gourmet said...

Well, I suppose it would...but then, you've got the bicep curls, the adrenaline from trying to win, and the smiling while you're playing...I'll just look the other way and assume it evens out ;)

Charlotte said...

That's the best way to exercise, IMO! Moving around and having so much fun that it doesn't feel like work. I bet the laughing alone gives you a decent ab workout;)

romny said...

that's hilarious!

Anonymous said...

HOW FUN.

I wonder if Id miss the angry woman with the whistle around her neck constantly berating me for how much I suck?
(aka my old gym teacher)

Clare2e said...

That sounds super fun! I used to play touch football in Chicago for the same reason- in on every play, and after freezing the chichis outside, that tavern stop feels so well-deserved.

Anonymous said...

Some of us end up getting more of a "burn" from those foul balls than others ;) Wileen wore me out a couple of weeks ago!

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