I didn't fall off... promise!

Woah Nelly! It's been a hot minute since Chunky Diva checked in! Yikes!! Not even a week in and I'm already slacking! I've got to do better!

Let me just say this. I haven't been just sitting around eating bon bons. I've actually done some running, or tried to. I have been having terrible shin splints. OUCH! So I have been nursing that while trying to still be active. I have not been able to run as much as I had been, but still at least going!

Tonight though, I skipped my run. BUT let me tell you WHY!!! I went to an amazing workout at the local gym. Tuesdays and Thursdays they do these awesome mini boot camp type of workouts. First hardcore workout in over a year for me. The water bootcamp was awesome and fun, but this was intense!! Talk about sweating! We did all kinds of stuff! We did 2 minute rotations. Inside and outside. We would be inside with V and did things like jumping jacks, burpees, jumps up onto a platform, crunches, planks and my brain is mush right now so I can't really remember what all else. But it was a lot!! And then we would go outside and do stuff with Robert. He had us doing stuff with those big ropes. Boy I forgot how heavy those suckers were! We did just the waves. We did lunges and squats while waving them. We did burpees with them. Man. It was tough! And just when I thought we were done, we had to run! It was only maybe a quarter of a mile.. but it was so hard after that workout! I was proud of myself though. I did run over 3/4 of it without stopping. 

Phew! But I made it. Now, if I can make it out of bed in the morning will be a different story. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is what I want. This is what I am working for. You can't just get what you want overnight. It took a few years to put on this weight, so it is going to take time to get it back off. Gotta keep on truckin'. I'm just glad I got back on the saddle tonight and have such an encouraging group of ladies to workout with. They are such an inspiration and motivation to me!

Way to go, Chunky Diva. Way to go!

Time to beg?

No1Obviously, I forgot to post last night. However, I did get in some good exercise.

My inlaws came down yesterday for a visit. With all of the rain we've had lately, the river has really been up. That means the lake is up. Areas north of us have still been getting a lot of rain, so they have the gates open at Kaw. We took a drive down to check it out. What the heck does any of this have to do with my exercise? Well once we got to the Dam, we hiked up a bunch of steps to get to where we could see better. Oh man that was a killer butt workout! Then of course we had to do the same to get back to the car. Then before we were leaving, Little Diva was to take this other path. So we hiked up it. My buns were really feelin it!!

Even with that exercise, I still wanted to run. Only thing was that I had a little problem. Hubby was out at the river and I was home with Little Diva. It was getting late and I can't just leave her home alone... so I told her she could ride her bike along with me. Wow. I didn't realize how much work that would be for me. Haha. First, I tried to jog as she rode along with me. But it was had for me to pay attention to her, watch for traffic and run. So I ended up walking most of it. We went up to the Dollar General to turn in our Redbox movie then set off on my route. Even with walking and having the Little Diva with me, I managed to get my full route in and even a bit more!

1.51 miles
30 minutes 26 seconds

Not a great time, but I managed almost half of a mile longer than before! Now keep in mind that this time includes waiting at the Redbox and waiting for traffic while trying to cross Main street. And having Little Diva on her bike.

I have come to the conclusion that I need a bike of my own for nights like this when hubbybis gone and I still want to get some good exercise in. Maybe if I beg the hubby and tell him it would be something I could do with Little Diva and exercise at the same time...

Time to beg, Chubby Diva. Time to beg.

Naughty Diva!

Well. Today was my day of rest. I feel guilty. I should have done something. Anything!!

But instead, I spent some quality time with my Little Diva and handsome hubby. Little Diva starts 1st grade next week and hubby took some vacation days from work so we just hung out. We did some fishin. That is our favorite thing to do as a family. We did some back road drivin. I love it! And most importantly (at least to the Chunky Diva) we took some new family pics. We haven't had a real family pic in about a year. I was so excited that my little family actually cooperated with me this evening and things went pretty smooth. Hubby even smiled!!

Actually, reflecting on this day, I probably did more than I realized. Sure I didn't have a proper workout, but I was active. I did a lot of walking. I also did several sprints while taking pics. See th5r hubby bought me this really awesome camera and he refuses to pay someone to do our pics so I do them. I set up the camera on my tripod and set the timer and had to sprint over to where we were doing our pics. No wonder I got sweaty!! Lol.

Tomorrow is another day and I will be ready to run! I can't believe I actually feel guilty for not running and skipping out on V's class tonight. Oh well. Everyone needs one day of rest. Maybe I will wake up early and run tomorrow morning. Haha! Who am I trying to fool?

Tomorrow, Chunky Diva. Tomorrow.

Mid Week Slump

Well, well, well. Day 3 and this Chunky Diva is already screaming for a break! Ok, so I didn't run today. But I did go swimming! And I even did a lot of the exercises that we learned in aquatic boot camp! V would be proud!! And I plan to do some abs and arms stuff later this evening.

Since there isn't much to report on the exercise, let me go ahead and tell you a few other things I've been working on. When I found out about the aquatic boot camp and decided I would do it, I gave up drinking pop. Now, I have done this before. And it lasted a long time! But one day when I was at my part time gig, I had a craving for a pop (stress much??) and I gave it and had one. And man was it delicious! So I got hooked. Again. My amazing hubby is so very sweet and he does love his pop as well. So that adorable man would bring me home pops all the time. I was drinking 2 or 3 44oz pops a day! YIKES! So I went cold turkey. No pop. That was 5 weeks ago! WOW! And you know, I don't miss it one bit!! I even crave ice cold water now! It's so refreshing! 

Yay, Go Chunky Diva!

Another thing that the Chunky Diva has been working on is eating better. As a Chunky lady, I do love me some food! I feel like if I was to go on a diet, it would be a disaster. I would probably cheat and end up doing no good. So what I have been doing is just cutting back! Making healthier choices! I have been eating a lot of grilled chicken cooked on the ole' Foreman grill by my dear dear hubby. I love that man! I've also added in a lot of fresh veggies that are most generally steamed. I don't eat a lot of snacks or junk food anymore. I was so bad about just eating junk all the time. The junk is the good stuff! Instead, I have been buying a lot of fresh fruits. When I need a snack, I have several healthy options to choose from. My Little Diva loves to bake (and so does the Chunky Diva!). We have made one batch of brownies. And I only had 2! That's an improvement, folks! I don't want to NOT enjoy food. And if I want to indulge and have a dessert, I'm going to. But not everyday. So, while I am not going to go on any specific diet, I feel that for me, moderation is the key!

Keep on making those healthy choices, Chunky Diva!

Is progress supposed to hurt this bad?

Well, I lived through my first night of "training" for this 5k. I didn't fall over and die like I thought I might. This is progress. But is progress supposed to hurt this bad?

My body is so sore! I did my first run last night and after that, I did 100 crunches. I'm taking this serious! But, even being in pain, I sucked it up and decided I was going to run again tonight! Just as I was ready to run, it started pouring down rain!! I waited until it wasn't raining as hard, then I put in the earphones and cranked up my favorite Pandora station and hit the road. 

I must say, it didn't seem much easier tonight. My legs were so heavy. It was still hard to breathe. But that nice, cool rain felt so good! And it really was nice that the temperature had dropped! I had my mind set on a mile. No matter what! It was going to happen! I really had to push myself hard. I did feel that I ran more than I walked tonight! Progress, Chunky Diva, progress!

I checked my Nike Running app, and the official stats:

1.06 miles

17.53 minutes

Well I did it! I made it a mile! As soon as I heard the Nike app come over Pandora and say "You have ran one mile" I was done! I walked the last block home. I was so proud of myself for making it that mile. It might not seem like much, but to me, it was a HUGE accomplishment. Sure, my time slowed, but I made it. And, I have to keep in mind that this is only my second run. I know I will not be a marathon runner over night. Who am I kidding? I will probably NEVER be a marathon runner!

Just as I got home, V posted some good stretches to cool down with after running. Perfect! So I did the stretches and I must say, they felt AMAZING! Ahhh! Hopefully I won't be as sore tomorrow! 

Way to go, Chunky Diva! Way to go! 

Training for a 5k

Eeeek! What have I got myself into? Oh ya, this is what I wanted!!!

I started training for my first 5k on Monday! I haven't ran since boot camp over a year ago! I have never been much of a runner. Freshman year in HS, we had to run a timed mile, and I was always one of the last ones to finish. 12-13 minutes was good to me. I didn't care. I couldn't run the full mile then, so I shouldn't be surprised that I can't now, right? 

Monday I put my headphones in and clipped on the phone with Pandora cranked way up. I headed out to the street and was on my way. I made it about 2 blocks before I had to walk for a minute. A friend of mine had told me her strategy of running for 2 blocks and then walking for a block. That sounded like a good plan to me. The first few blocks started out ok. But the more I went, the less I could run. I would pick a spot up ahead and focus on it. I would run until there, and if I made it, pick a new spot. That focus, paired with the music, is what got me home that first night. Man, I really wanted to make a mile!

I have the Nike Running app, so it tells me all of my stats. The official results of Night 1:

.77 miles

12:21 time

I went about 9 blocks. I would say I ran about half of that, so about 4.5 blocks. I was a bit disappointed in myself. I really wanted to make that mile. Oh well. You have to start somewhere, right? I was just proud that I got my Chunky self out there and did it!

Next time, Chunky Diva, you can make it a full MILE!!!!

The Beginning of the Chunky Diva!

Hi!! It's the Chunky Diva! Welcome to my journey to becoming that "skinny bitch" you all know in your lives. Actually, let me just say that my goal is not to become a size 0 or to become model thin. My goal is to be at a healthy weight. Having a very active 6 year old and being the Chunky Diva just doesn't mesh well! I have never been super thin, and honestly I don't find it very attractive. But I also don't find my state of Chunky attractive, either. So sit back, relax, and follow me as I am on a journey.

Let me just start off with a little background info on myself. I am a 28 year old mother of one precious little diva. Little diva is very active and involved in so much! She is an amazing soccer player!! She sure keeps me busy! I have been married to my amazing hubby for 4 years. He is the best guy I could have ever asked for!! He loves me for me. He doesn't mind me being the Chunky wife, but I know deep down, he would be happy if I could get back down to that skinny bitch I used to be. He is such an amazing support and pushes me to do my best.

My journey started a couple of years ago. Of course I had put on some "baby weight". But my "baby" was going into Pre-K in 2011. She was almost 5 years old!! I had been a stay at home momma for 2 years and just slowly put on the weight over time. Looking back, I am so sad I did!! Now, when I first had Little Diva, I lost quite a bit of the 60 or so pounds I had gained during pregnancy. At her first birthday, I was lookin' pretty good! I didn't feel that way at the time, but looking back, oh yeah. So, my baby went to Pre-K and I was home alone. I was depressed.

 A friend of mine had got me to start working out with her at our local gym. We found out about some classes they were offering, and we started Kickboxing. Man I loved that! I was so out of shape, but it was so much fun! During that time, I also did some of my own workouts at the gym as well. I was so proud of myself for sticking with it, even when my friend had quit going. My loving hubby always encouraged me. Gosh I love that man! As the kickboxing class was winding down in the spring of  2012, our instructor V told us that they were going to do this boot camp. It would be 2 days a week for 1.5 hours each time. I thought I would die, but V encouraged me to go ahead and do it. Oh man. It was hard, I'm not going to lie. But it was worth it!! I saw such huge improvements in myself. I was able to do things I never thought I could do! I was flipping tires, doing Burpees, running with weights, and even RUNNING! 

It was the last week of our boot camp, and we were running like usual, and somehow I slipped off the side of the road and really hurt myself pretty bad. I was able to limp back to the gym and it wasn't looking good. Later that night, it only got worse. By about 2 am, I couldn't move. My left ankle was so swollen and I couldn't even begin to move my right knee. I just knew it meant surgery. After that miserable night, I called my Dad to come get me and Little Diva and take me to the see the Dr. I couldn't believe I was being carted around in a wheelchair... how embarrassing! Well, I got the good news that nothing was broken. I got some pain meds and some very expensive braces and healed up over time. But that darn ankle still would swell up even if I walked to much on it. Something just want's right! It still hurt a lot and just felt like it needed to pop. All of my hard work down the drain.

It would be almost a year before I got back into working out again. V had posted on Facebook about an aquatic boot camp they were going to be doing. It was a short 4 week class. I thought that could be a good stepping stone of trying to get back into my goal of the being that "skinny bitch" again. So, I took a giant step and signed up! She wasn't kidding, it was like boot camp, but in the water! It was such a good workout! Who knew you could sweat in a pool? Halfway through the boot camp, Little Diva, my mom and myself went on a mini-vacay to see my grandparents in the southern part of the state. While there, they took us to some natural springs to swim in. That place was so cool! There was a little rock waterfall that you could slide/jump off of into a deeper swimming hole. It was awesome! Little Diva of course wanted to swim, so I tried to get down in there with her, but it was ice cold! Yikes! So I tried to make my way down to sit on this rock area so she could swim right around me. Well, in stepping down, my left ankle popped! Oh man it felt soooo good! Finally, after a year of pains and swelling, it popped! So I get back to aquatic boot camp, and swimming is a lot easier now!

Well, I made it through that mini session. What now? How about a 5k? WHAT?