Latoya Shauntay

Haven't managed to push myself for a run outside yet but I am pretty consistent with my at home routine. I'd love to throw in some weights but I'll never hear the end of it from my coach 🤣. Been seeing a lot more fitness posts and it's been kinda dope. I've been getting inboxes from some who feel disappointment that they're not able to move during this moment. There's nothing wrong with stillness honey. The world of social media makes things look real amazing when you can chop segments into a post. I guarantee you that this struggle is real AF and some of us ain't as interesting in real life as our curated content. Some days I move on auto pilot. Don't let these posts disillusion you. There's not enough conversations about the struggle even before this pandemic. People just feel comfortable putting up appearances of having it together. Let me break that thought process: Most of us have an idea of what we want to do and accomplish but encounter periods of not knowing what the hell we're doing. Even your favorite celebrity, fitness personality or your friend don't have it together at some point. That makes us beautifully human. Being able to apply makeup the same way everyday doesn't make you "goals;" it makes you a robot. Breathe easier: All of us have something that we're struggling in and if you move slower than others, embrace that being in the back of the pack is not always a bad thing. There's something that each of us are working through. Compete against yourself and hell, give your reflection a break sometimes too. #runningfatchef #fatrunner #diversitymatters #plussizeathlete #athlete #hokaoneone #timetofly #womenwhofly (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-0WURQnolY/?igshid=12pijluwqtdm0

Been in a crap mood on and off today. I feel off and it's a day where I'm really tired of being in the house but nervous about going for a run. Sometimes I dread social media for the reminders of people who are no longer here with us. I feel an indescribable weight that rests on me whenever I log on, particularly Facebook. I can honestly say this is the first time in a long time that I'm happy to see "pretty little pictures" and videos on a screen. I can elect to be one of those people who don't read captions when it's too much. But because I'm not that person, it's hard. My brain reads everything and feel shit that I don't want to feel. It's hard when your form of metaphorical oxygen can literally kill you. I fucking miss running without worrying if I'm going to catch something or be the reason why someone's not here if I am a carrier. Practicing patience. Practicing calm. Practicing grieving. Practicing loss. Drowning all of my feelings into creating bright dishes and pushing my bike painfully hard these days. If cooking was yoga, I'd be zen AF. Anyways, here's dinner: Asian Ground Beef Rice Bowl (or Bibimbap minus the egg and kimchee) #runningfatchef #fatrunner #food #foodie #foodporn #foodslut #beef #groundbeef #eatarainbow #fiveaday #cheftalk #yeschef #ricebowl #bibimbap #quarantinemeals (at Quarantine 2020) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-vaQCEnc_H/?igshid=o843ttsunki7

Before I try to capture anyone's attention, I had to learn how to seduce myself. Circa February 2020 | Philly | 📷 @esnelldesign Space provided by @clevecoryephotography + @b_brian_blair (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-s8E4GHrOk/?igshid=nwrh8mn71j86

I heard it takes 21 days to form a habit so I'm wondering why I'm not accustomed to doing so many at home workouts yet. 😂😭 While I am not thrilled about staying indoors most of the time, I am feeling less antsy about it. Some days I adjust and then there's others where I lose it for a hour. Typically I go light an incense and cook something. Outside of watching a documentary, a few reality TV shows and something outlandish like Tiger King, I'm not much of a lounge on the couch person. I thought I'd be reading more books by now, being extra productive in my writing but sometimes I just want to be friends with a scoop of ice cream, bag of chips and get sad about not doing runs over 13 miles because I live in the epicenter of this pandemic. And you know what: That makes me feel okay. Going out later to hit my longest mileage to date since this quarantine: 15K. I have a Hot Chocolate 15K medal sitting in my house that I haven't earned yet. I'm working past my anxiety, figuring out a safe route away from people to practice social distancing and try not to trip over the lack of runs in my Strava. When it's all over, I can safely say that I did my part in staying home as much as possible -- even when I'm grouchy about it. #runningfatchef #fatrunner #athomeworkouts #quarantineworkout #hokaoneone #womenwhofly #stayathome #productivity (at Brooklyn, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-r1g_wnQAb/?igshid=17puesqhoiqr4

I've been asked if I'm transforming my Instagram into a food account and this makes me chuckle. For those who are unaware, I run a blog called Running Fat Chef -- a self ran food and fitness blog about being a fit + fat athlete. In short, the answer is no. I'm not turning my IG into a food account. This is literally me sharing layers of myself. If you've been following me long enough, this is nothing new; COVID-19 gifted and cursed us all with a bit more home time. I hate most takeout and I'm a light control freak when it comes to flavors. Besides, most athletes love eating a dope ass meal after pushing their bodies to the limit. Some of us like more than salt, pepper and water. If you're looking for a space where I talk about food like I love it and want to skip the diet commentary b/s, check me out. It is a space where I can combine my previous career as a sous chef in restaurants, life as a food photographer, food stylist, catering and corporate dining to my semi new career in fitness. And anyone who don't like it better shut up and eat these mashed potatoes honey. Yesterday's Dinner: Seared Pork Chops | Mushroom + Garlic Pan Sauce | Roasted Corn on the Cob | Herb Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes #runningfatchef #fatrunner #blackchefs #food #foodie #foodslut #foodporn #porkchops #potatoes #cheftalk #yeschef #fuckthescale #quarantinemeals #fuckthatsdelicious #foodblogger (at Quarantine 2020) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-pv4nTneo3/?igshid=15a6d1t7yymr4

I took a few days off to clear off my mental. Describing the last few days as rough is an understatement. Opted to move and find some normalcy. No better way to do that than do this upper body torture fest that coach crafted for me. I added in my @moveloops for some of the workouts as an extra challenge to swimmer's calisthenics routine and worked heavily with resistence bands for my dryland exercises. I chose 10 of who knows how many workouts that I did last night; the burn is definitely here this morning. Yesterday's Workout: Rowing: 647 strokes (Distance Unknown) Cycling: 8.68 miles, 35 mins, 15.1 mi/hr Swimmer's Calisthenics Routine: 24 mins Dryland Exercises: 24 mins #runningfatchef #fatrunner #hokaoneone #womenwhofly #stayathome #homeexercises #drylandtraining #calisthenics #quarantineworkout #quarantine (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-mUHf_ngmq/?igshid=1v9drh921th9t

When this is over, I'm literally going to throw a party. Is it 2021 already? Late ass brunch today because life: Salmon | Kale Chips | Scrambled White Cheddar Eggs | Cherry Blistered Tomatoes | French Toast | Fried Potatoes What's your plans after COVID? What's the first thing that you're doing once you break out of quarantine? I'll be hugging my esthetician because these eyebrows and my baby five o'clock shadow is not treating me kindly -- Happy Saturday. #runningfatchef #fatrunner #food #foodie #foodporn #foodslut #salmon #brunch #breakfastofchampions #breakfastfordinner #fiveaday #eatarainbow #covid19 #quarantinemeals #quarantine (at Brooklyn, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kt8uhnAPT/?igshid=lloz27ke2hy

You are as blessed as the ones you keep around you. The woman on the left might hit me for putting up a picture of her on the internet -- sorry mom. But the woman on the right is the person who I consider an extension of my family. If not for her, I may not be here to tell this story. I met Audra in the lower level of my family home. She was smoking a cigarette in the downstairs kitchen with my mother in law. I could always hear this woman laughing while I was trying to sleep -- I was 20 years old and was working sixty thousand jobs. One of those days, I decided to see who the hell was cackling so much. And let me tell you that this woman said something slick out of her mouth. I knew we'd be friends after that. She loved her coffee and a cigarette. Hated bananas like hell. Could talk more shit than a little bit. Would side eye you harder than most. And most of all, she loved hard. Not that tell you kinda love but show you how much she care but don't get mushy about it. Audra, thank you for every ER trip you tagged along with my stupid ass while pregnant breaking doctor's orders. Thank you for being the godmother to my son. Thank you for helping me, Eric and the kid settle in our upstairs floors while I looked like I was carrying twins. Thank you for telling me about myself when I wouldn't listen to anyone else. Thank you for sacrificing your birthday to be my right hand woman for my wedding reception. Thank you for helping me on one of the hardest days of my life: Laying my father to rest. Thank you for showing me what true friendship looks like and how you can choose family. Thank you for the term "fuck shit." And for being there in the room when I lost my shit on the medical staff when my water broke. For the birth of my son. For being my mentor. For making sure I didn't catch a case in my 20s for my crazy temper. For teaching me by example to be who I say I want to be and don't ask a damn person permission to be anything else. Thank you to infinity because without you, I'd still be that lost person you met 15 years ago. Hold a seat at the table for me. I love you sis. Sunset: April 2, 2020 (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-h0XA7HYMc/?igshid=1st75qdmaokdb

If you're like me, you might not be sold on religion. And if you are, there's nothing wrong with resting faith into something or someone higher than us. I wish I did at this moment but it would be fraudulent to say that I believe in anything. I can say that I do believe in deep conversations with the universe; some might call that a prayer -- that's cool. Well, my "church" is the kitchen and when I visit, I put all of my feelings and emotions there. Most times without words but I have a variety of soundtracks that play from my devices. I drown my deepest fears, accomplishments and testaments there. Tonight I slow cooked a meal for my family and I can't really remember what ingredients I placed in. I lost one of my closest friends this morning. Until touching the kitchen, I didn't leave my bed. I feel lost and numb. And angry. Irrational. Depressed. I was hoping that this meal would fix it. My family enjoyed it and their smiles felt therapeutic but I'm not hungry tonight. I just want to sit across the table from her, watch her light up a cigarette that I tolerated the smell and listen to her talk shit. I owe my life to her and I'll never get the chance to show her how much I am thankful that she was there for me at my highest and lowest moments. One of my potty mouthed friends is gone. Save a seat at the table for me. You can even bring your cigarettes. I love you A.P. Dinner: Soy Mirin Braised Chicken | Egg Noodles | Asparagus (at Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-gGmIOnwL4/?igshid=ipfhywjuv2fz

Chef Tip: Make use of your root vegetables by creating hearty dishes that'll last more than one day. Most times they're pretty cheap, loaded full of vitamins and will hold over for a long time. Larger cuts are great for stews. Smaller cuts are perfect for a quick stir fry or saute. And if you're not sure when your vegetables are done, remember that your vegetables snitch on themselves when they turn bright and vibrant. If they start to lose too much color, you're probably overcooking your vegetables. Embrace your senses and cooking will feel super intuitive before you know it. Tonight's Dinner: Beef Stew | Asparagus | Herb Rice | Roasted Corn on the Cob What's your quarantine meals looking like? #runningfatchef #fatrunner #food #foodie #foodporn #foodslut #beef #beefstew #fiveaday #eatarainbow (at Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-bKf8_nwhi/?igshid=180h11fxr408m

Being home is forcing me to dust off some old knives and get deeper into my culinary roots. It makes me miss the industry so much. In the meantime, my family members are the only customers being served in my kitchen. Tonight's Menu: Soy Marinated Pork Chops • Asparagus • Green Beans • Vegetable Fried Rice #runningfatchef #fatrunner #culinary #eatarainbow #fiveaday #friedrice #porkchops #food #foodie #foodporn #foodslut #stayhome #staythefuckhome #quarantinemeals (at Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-YbiCaHDse/?igshid=ud4joqisz0v0

At one point or another, I ask myself how did I get here -- being a road and trail runner. As if I haven't told this story enough, my adventure started off as a fight to save my own life in 2013. I thought weight loss was the only way that I could do that and at first it wasn't a terrible thing. After all, it led me to running. My mindset shifted once I lost track of why I was doing it. My obsession with the scale stemmed from outside noise and the perception of what a "real athlete" should look like. I allowed the advice from a friend to lead me down a vicious eating disorder. In April 2015, I had a wake up call while in ER that changed my entire perspective. I asked myself again: How did I get here? In turn, I decided to rewrite my own story by using fitness as my muse to feel powerful. Changing my own language and narrative afforded me the opportunity to become an athlete that I never thought I'd be or frequently saw in the media. Through running, I became my own superhero. Nobody can tell me that I'm not small enough, fast enough, strong enough or able bodied enough to be taken seriously. Redefining my personal definition of being an athlete allows me help others see the warrior within themselves. So what's your story? How did you get here? Support the #EveryBodyEveryAthlete movement with your own post and check out all of the Body+ episodes now live on olympicchannel.com (link in bio) (at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Xs682Hym5/?igshid=5tnpkrr7nbie

My saving graces stem from an assortment of things daily. You can cage in the physical form but the mind is meant to roam freely. Some days I grow nervous about the uncertainties but I elect to focus my energy on this moment. My endometriosis pain had me in my feelings a bit yesterday and patience slightly tested. Reminding myself to deliberately breathe and slow it TF down even when things feel like they're moving snail paced is not only helpful for surviving this pandemic but as a life's goal. Can't speak for everyone else but one of the most uncomfortable parts of this process is surrendering to the idea that there's no answers or solid solutions at this moment; just a bunch of suggestions and requests to have faith while people are heightened. Leave it to the internet and everyone has a solution to how to process everything. Certain things are being recycled and regurgitated at an annoying rate that we're all becoming antsy. Some of the unsolicited suggestions that I received are the following: Be creative. Sit still. Don't do this. Don't do that. Smile. Cry. Laugh. Panic. Stay home. Compare. Contrast. Make memes. Be a voice for others. Personally I'm electing to be still and move at what works for me and my family. I'm not doing much out of the ordinary aside from moving less or working more for others. I'm working on myself without others' input with the hopes of being a better person. Might not make me money or society's view of "successful" but it feels warm and normal to me. What you do for you is your choice. What I'll do for me is my personal growth, hiccups included. 📷 @reversecurvemedia for @ikorlabs (at Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-XkHk6H68N/?igshid=12gx81rfbvxhh

Broke in a new pair of sneakers to do my first virtual duathlon for @newyorktriathlon. The March Madness Duathlon was 2 miles of running, 12 miles of cycling and 2 extra miles if running. Originally I was scheduled for a 2 hour cycling session from my coach with a 30 minute run -- decided to commit to both. My endometriosis flare up caused me to have a really late start. Kinda thankful this was a virtual race. Social distancing was a breeze since I ran at night and I took my cycling section indoors on my trainer. Admittedly it's not the same without the cheers and crowd but it felt good to run again. My medal will be available once all of this stuff is over. In the meantime, I gifted myself some wild salmon before bed. Today's Workout: Run: 4 Miles, 1 hour, 3 minutes|Cycling: 28 miles, 2 hours (including 7 to 8 minute bathroom break) #runningfatchef #fatrunner #diversitymatters #representationmatters #hokaoneone #timetofly #womenwhofly #sponsoredbysuperfithero #virtualrun #virtualrace #socialdistancing #covid19workout #endometriosis #chronicpain #duathlon (at Brooklyn, NYC, NY, USA) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-WMFOBH6jz/?igshid=1c0fik6nroba8

Last night's quarantine meal looked a little something like this: Fried Whiting, Sauteed Shrimp, White Cheddar Grits and Herb Seasoned Fries Ended yesterday's unexpected rest day + deep clean in my office space well worth it. #runningfatchef #fatrunner #food #foodie #foodporn #foodslut #fish #fishandchips #quarantinemeals #culinary (at Quarantine Kitchen) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-Uez94nGMa/?igshid=70t86kvmz27c

Getting in a Friday afternoon yoga flow while keeping it indoors. I moved intuitively with the asanas that I know and regularly practice. #runningfatchef #fatrunner #diversitymatters #plussizeathlete #yoga #vinyasa #fatgirlmagic #yogapractice #sponsoredbysuperfithero (at Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-QZeBxnkA3/?igshid=1vsjysd4eki3h

After so many race cancellations and postponements, I opted to take on a virtual race that matches my training for this weekend. I'm freshly signed up for the March Madness @newyorktriathlon Tri. Still figuring out what I'll wear, safe hours to take on the run outdoors and if I'll do IG/ Facebook stories like I used to do with traditional races. All I do know is that I needed something to make me feel "normal" or close to it. Nevertheless, check out today's workout from @coachmorgonlatimore. I feel nice and tired after that workout. I did 5 rounds and 25 minutes on the bike. Feeling pumped and excited once again. Anyone else signed up for virtual events? #runningfatchef #fatrunner #diversitymatters #representationmatters #hokaoneone #timetofly #womenwhofly #covid19workout #covid_19 #athomeworkouts (at Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-OL5J8HP5J/?igshid=553t59zgdk72