Fit Friday: Mango Chutney Shrimp Salad

Hey Luvs!

As I mentioned during my rant on Tuesday I would like to incorporate some fitness post onto the site. And, last night’s dinner reminded me of that thought. This is why I just had to share this quick and delicious recipe with you amongst other things.

The Recipe (This is a little something my coworker and I created as I walked out of the office yesterday with a craving for shrimp.)

Ingredients 

• 2 bags of Bumble Bee Super Fresh Lemon Shrimp with Garlic & Herbs
• 1 jar of Stonewall Mango Chutney
• 1 bag of Fresh Spinach

Instructions

1. Prepare shrimp according to instructions on the bag

2. Reduce heat and slowly add the entire jar of Stonewall Mango Chutney.

3. Stir shrimp and chutney together. Be sure to mix the two very well.

4. Remove shrimp from stove and serve over fresh bed of spinach. 
Like this....

My Fitness Story

By no means am I the typical person most would want to receive weight loss advice from. I've spent my whole life as a skinny girl who always ate what I wanted whenever I wanted. A collegiate athlete that really didn’t take my fitness and nutrition serious because, my God given talent had my back. Let’s not even talk about how I dropped my baby weight like a bad habit, and for the most part look like I never had a child. All that being said, my fitness story is more about feeling fit rather than looking it. I totally get that from the outside looking in I'm fit. Truth be told I've actually struggled with my mom body, I'm literally not used to the skin I'm in. How do I tell people this as a skinny girl? I don’t. Because, when I do most people dismiss the thought saying things like; I don’t know what you are talking about you look great. Girl you’re tripping. Ummm I’m going to need you to get over it. Or they’d simply rather discuss how they wish they had my body. As flattering as that may be it doesn’t change how I feel or the fact that since I was always the skinny girl I’ve never really had to deal with body related issues.

While pregnant I decided that I truly wanted to enjoy the experience. This for me entailed a few things like eating what I wanted (I ate something sweet daily), not exercising, and enjoying as much rest and relaxation as I could. In turn I gained almost 50lbs (most people couldn't tell but my doctors and I knew it was there lol) not realizing the consequences of my actions. Naturally, I figured I could drop the weight with no problem. However, I had no clue that dropping the pounds didn't mean it wouldn’t stick to me in all the wrong places (mom pouch). I had no clue my skin wouldn’t just fall back into place and I’d develop a skin related smut (small gut), and because of it I'd look at the physcial me differently. This is when I quickly learned it wasn't just a weight thing it was also a self-confidence thing. I'd heard about all this but couldn't really relate until now....I TOTALLY GET IT. Now, I spend my days trying to find my athletic spirit within my mom body, and it's a daily struggle. Most of the time I'm too exhausted to work out, and would rather eat something unhealthy. But, I’ve decided it’s time to go all in on operation fit momma. I just really needed to get creative so that I can put my words into action. That's why I'm hoping that by posting my fitness goals, progress photos, meals, workouts, and other tips and tricks I find here. As a community you all can keep me accountable for reaching my fitness goals.

Fellow Heartbeats...

You all are welcome to join me on this fitness journey by sharing your story and goals here as well.  And hopefully we can all uplift and motivate one another. If you are willing join me email me (externalheartbeats@gmail.com) the details on your story and I'll be happy to post it.