I  used to think the gym was my therapy. I would come here to unload the bullshit of my day, feel angry, "release" my frustrations with people, work off something I ate or punish my fat body into obedience to be slightly less fat. Fitness is cheaper than therapy, right? We all heard that and I used to agree. Gym used to be a place to further deepen and praise my way of living in emotional unintelligence. I came here when I didn't say the things I needed to say. When I would not feel the feelings I needed to feel. When I was frustrated with myself, with the unfinished business of empty emotions everywhere. Because iron would always understand. The dumbbells somehow "got me" as they were smarter than humans (I still believe it's true at times). It's the furthest thing away from the truth. When I hurt my shoulder I started running to channel my negative energy. Then I started training for ninja warrior and hurt my shoulder even more. After that I ran a Spartan as if it made sense. Then who the freak knows what I did. Until I started working around my injuries, I caused my built up emotions to push too hard, run too fast, do too much at once. Like I'd come to the gym and go "let's workout what doesn't hurt today ... maybe let's just walk then". Therapy is therapy. Emotions are emotions. Fitness is fitness. Body is body. All different. What is fitness/movement all about? Love. Showing yourself love, respect, care for your sacred temple. Workout because you love your body. We only have ONE MF ONE BODY. That's the one you have, you might as well love it and appreciate it and listen to what it's telling you. Not what your head is saying about a crappy day but how your body wants to move. What feels good today? Fitness is different for everyone. Move in a way that feels good to you. Gym, weights, yoga, movement is not a path to boil up your emotions and release them later. That's not how you show love to your body - that’s how you run into an oblivion, injure yourself, and when you get "happy", you stop because there is nothing to release. Being able to exercise is a privilege. Say what's left unsaid. Feel what feels unfelt. Share what needs to be shared. Go to therapy and then workout. To help you achieve a sustainable lifestyle shift, get my book here:  www.sexyfit.com/book With love, Zlata FREE RESOURCES: Sexyfit Private Community on Facebook. Surround yourself with people who believe in you, become a part of Sexyfit Group today. Join in at www.sexyfit.com/community

Ep #138: Hidden Truth Behind Using Fitness as Therapy

My name is Zlata Sushchik and I am the host of the #Sexyfit Podcast. Ready to get the fitness results that last? Tired of conflicting advice for how to get in shape? DONE wasting money on gimmicks, pixie dust and magical weight loss pills? Finally want to feel sexy in your skin? Congratulations, you are in the right place! I'm an ex-fitness competitor, lifestyle coach and founder of the Sexyfit method, which has helped women lose over 6500 pounds to date ….(and counting). I teamed up with world- renown nutrition and fitness experts to bring to you no nonsense, no BS, actionable strategies so you can live a healthier, happier and sexier lifestyle. Get the inspiration, motivation and information you need to achieve your aspiring fitness goals, get in the best shape of your life and feel confident in your skin. #UncoverYourBestSelf

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Hey sister, You’ve probably seen “Instagram models” promoting “fitness” or “detox” tea all over your  feed. Thigh gaps here, big booties there, ab cracks everywhere! Is it then not surprising that at least 30 million people in the United States, of all genders, suffer from some sort of eating disorder? Yeah, not surprising at all. Today we are bringing a whole new topic to the podcast with my new soul sister and inspirational counselor, Andrea Wachter. Andrea is the author of  The Don’t Diet, Live-It Workbook and Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Breaking the “I Feel Fat” Spell so you can identify disordered behaviors in our loved ones and ourselves. Here’s What We Talked About:  Understanding the roots of eating disorders in teens and how to prevent your teen or yourself from catching the “I feel fat spell”.   How to recognize the top,very vivid, behavioral patterns in teens and how taking responsibility can change their life for the better. Why your best life is in the present moment and how to catch yourself in the present to create a healthy relationship with your body.  Catching The “I Feel Fat Spell”: The biggest root of eating and body image disorders is cultural and (you guessed it) media. Instagram isn’t really helping alleviate this issue #fitspo. We have all had our natural relationship with our body, food, and movement taken away from us because the culture has sooooo many rules on how we should look like, feel like, and what we should be eating. Sister, you know what I am talking about. We’ve all felt “not enough” at least once in our lives. (If you are ready to start loving yourself and end your negative self-talk, check out Ep #150 Overcoming Judgment and Radical Self Love). Andrea calls this “catching the spell” and we catch this spell from the cultural messages regarding perfect bodies and perfect diets. And the culture doesn’t only send you one message, but it is constantly sending these messages. Additionally, we get these messages from family members and friends who also received the same messages from the culture. A mom that is dieting, a dad that is overeating, aunt Susie that just has to drop comments at every family gathering (yes, I am still single aunt Susie). We get it from the culture, our friends, our families, coaches, etc… The culture spreads it around like mono on a college campus. It’s everywhere. Sister, we are all different breeds. We all have different levels of sensitivity. A lot of us that suffer from body image issues just happen to be born a very sensitive breed and maybe are a little more sensitive to criticism and praise than others. We take things differently and this affects how we eat, feel, and connect with people and this makes it very difficult to know how our comments are affecting others. We don’t see their suffering so we don’t think there is a problem. Pay Attention to the Patterns: Does your teenage daughter show signs of disordered body image? Here is how to spot the symptoms:  Negative self-talk. Changing how they act around their bodies. Changing their behaviors around food. Extreme behaviors with exercise.  There is no set look to an eating or a body image disorder and this makes figuring out whether a loved one needs help and is going through a rough time. Healthy and unhealthy look different on everyone. There is no set weight for an eating disorder and some the healthiest looking of us may be struggling with an eating disorder or negative self image. It has nothing to do with our weight but our relationship with food. If a teen has talked at all, negatively, about their body or food, we can use their language to address the issue and if they are open to talking about their struggle. It really starts with us as an example. We can take the responsibility to have this very important conversation. But how do we actually have this talk? We use their language. "I noticed you ________ and you've been calling yourself_______. Would you be comfortable talking about _________?" You can relate to them and let them know about your own struggle, not too detailed, but enough to let them know they are safe having this conversation. How to Nip These Habits in Your Daily life so Your Teenagers Don’t Pick Up on Them: We often live in our heads. We are thinking about the future or we are thinking about the past. When we have a healthy relationship with our bodies, we spend more time in the present and our mind is silent. It seem simple but it’s difficult to achieve, it is so easy to just get lost in our minds. Catching ourselves in the present moment, here and there, just beginning to catch ourselves in the present moment. It also looks like treating our bodies like we would somebody we love. We wouldn’t starve somebody we love and we wouldn’t call someone we love fat, right? Seeing ourselves as a loved one shifts our attitude toward our body toward positivity. Looking at ourselves with kinder eyes and asking ourselves what we need is so counterintuitive to us in the culture that we live in. But if we can spread the love we have for others or hobbies, or whatever it is we love (coffee), we can bypass the mind and create a feeling of love for ourselves from the inside.   It is rare and radical to find somebody that LOVES their body. Culturally, we are immersed and we to fit in, we engage in fat chat. In this culture, loving ourselves is radical. Be rebellious!   Sister, if you are struggling to train your mind on the way to your transformation and do not ever want to exhaust your mind and body with another diet, then checkout The Sexyfit Method for real results that will keep you happy and full with real foods. With love,  Zlata

Ep #157 Practical Tips to Finally Ending Your "I Feel Fat" Spell with Andrea Wachter

Hey there Sister! I am so extraordinarily excited for multiple reasons. The number one reason is that Mother’s Day is right around the corner. We are always trying to create the ultimate experience for our mothers because that’s just what good daughters do but what is more stressful than finding the perfect gift? Nothing! That’s what. Today I want to offer a different way to really look at Mother’s Day, in terms of gifts, in terms of doing things right, leaving your mother happy, and getting yourself excited. Let’s do this! Here’s What I Talked About:  Why we feel like our efforts go unappreciated and how to give the gift that our mothers actually want and will appreciate. How understanding the five love languages can lead you to the perfect gift and make this your mother’s best Mother’s Day ever! How we can apply the five love languages to ANY relationships in our lives and use them to boost harmony and appreciation.  What are the five love languages? If you are not familiar with the five love languages, it is a method created by Gary Chapman (not to be confused with the five romance languages, sister, you do not have to learn French today. Phew). Check out his book here (will insert link). Gary realized that there are five key ways that we express love. Depending on how we match up with our loved ones, it could really cause a lot of friction. No bueno, sister, no bueno. We could be giving them gifts, spending time with them, or giving them kind words, and still feel like they are not appreciative of our efforts. In reality, our love languages may simply be different from one another. When we truly understand just how love languages work and the love language of those we love, we can apply it to any of our loved ones not just our significant other. It is a truly amazing method.   Okay, but What are These “Love Languages”:  Quality time Acts of service Touch Gifts Words of affirmations  We can see that these are drastically different. If your mom appreciates gifts and physical touch, then washing her car and spending all day slaving over the stove will only make her uncomfortable and leave you thinking “why is she so ungrateful?” (Does your mother appreciate quality time? Check out Ep #142 Dining Out Tips You Will Love to stay on track to your transformation through your Mother’s Day date night) Does your mom constantly call you just to talk? That’s quality time. Does she complain that no one ever thanks her? Words of affirmation. But if you buy her some gifts, candles or perfume (whatever she likes), and get a massage together, it would mean the world to her. Do you see how it isn’t lack of appreciation but just a dissonance between how you show and receive love? It’s like saying “I love you” in German to a person that only understands Spanish. If you can show your appreciation in the love language she understands, then Mother’s Day gift giving becomes a piece of cake.   Getting Down to the Core: Come on, Mother’s Day is all about the gift giving, right? What does your mom love? As women, we love being heard and appreciated. We love sitting and talking and creating that experience together. My mom is bilingual in love languages, and she speaks gifts and words of affirmation. I write her a thoughtful and thorough card, usually a Chihuahua on it (we love our puppy, Zeus!). She likes candles and perfume, and those are always fun for me to give. Thoughtfulness goes a long way, sister. Seriously. With a lot of thought, I include stories and anecdotes that show how much love and appreciation I have for her. My mom loves this way more than a car wash. Unlike a car wash, the card and thoughtful gifts make her feel GOOD, happy, and warm. We want them to feel this way down to the core and truly make her feel loved and appreciated. That is the entire point of Mother’s Day, to make her feel loved and appreciated. For those of us that perhaps don’t have that mother relationship in our life, I urge you to truly spend some time honoring her with your thoughts, investment of energy, and truly spending time with her. We can celebrate the beautiful time that she was able to be with us. Honor your mama and all the beautiful gifts she has giving to  you in your life. I just wanted to share something different with you for this Mother’s Day gift giving procedures. I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day. Celebrate your mothers, celebrate yourself, and give a lot of hugs. Sister, if you are looking for delicious and healthy recipes for Mother’s Day dinner or feeling like you need a boost of motivation in the kitchen, check out the Sexyfit Method book. It is packed with delicious recipes that will keep you on track to your transformation and still taste AH-MAZING. With love, Zlata P.S. Want to know how you are using pleasure in your life? Take Caroline Andrew’s free quiz to find out your PERSONAL pleasure factor and  how you are using pleasure in you life. Sister,  this quiz is the first step to experiencing more joy, more radiance, and more turn on.  Take Caroline’s quiz here! What are you waiting for?  

Ep #156 The Ultimate Mother's Day Gift Giving Guide

Break Out of the Endless Dieting Cycle, Overcome Fear of Food so You Can be Confident, Feel Comfortable in Your Skin with Samantha Skelly

Hey sister, Today I am excited to introduce you to my fellow soul sister, Brittany Brown. Brittany is the founder of BeatBingeEating.com, Women's Empowerment Leader, Speaker, Author, and Master Coach. Her company helps women that struggle with body image and food. Brittany helps women return to their innate nature so they can live fully and share their gifts with the world. And all of this isn’t coming from someone that hasn’t been there. Brittany has been there; she has struggled herself with unhealthy relationships with food and body image, and now she is helping women overcome the same issues she has had to overcome herself. HERE’S WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT:  How to maintain a healthy relationship with food regardless of your emotions and how to eat and actually feel satisfied without affecting your weight loss goals. How dieting is tricking your brain into craving and bingeing behaviors and how to put and end to this once and for all so you can reach your long term goals (hint: you should actually enjoy carbs). Reprogramming your brain to work for you and help you reach your transformation sooner than ever before.   The Feels Emotional eating; we have heard of this over and over again. You feel anxious? You eat. You feel stressed? You eat. However, this isn't the entire story. You don't have to have everything in life sorted out before you can have a healthy relationship with food. That is empowering! Weight off our shoulders. Is sorting out your emotions important? Of course, but it doesn't have to affect your eating habits negatively. Would it be ideal to not come home from work stressed? Yes, but that doesn't imply that food should be the fallback. You can establish healthy eating patterns regardless of how you are feeling. The secret - ninja brain super powers! Your brain's wiring has a lot more power over your eating habits than your emotions. Brain Power, Baby, Brain Power  When we are dieting or restricting food in anyway, we trigger survival mechanisms in our brain. This is essentially a binge eating switch. It decreases leptin in the body which makes you eat more without feeling full. Low calorie or low carb diets flip that switch on and prime the brain to binge (because I needed another reason to eat that croissant). That switch is there to keep us alive, so we don't starve. When we are  in survival mode,  we can engage in out of control behavior that isn’t really us. Our brain rewards the eating and this pattern becomes ingrained, like programming yourself to binge eat. The good news? We can reprogram your brain. We can shut down the survival mechanisms by fueling your body and actually get hunger cues and actually feel full. (Wanna know more about this cavewoman instinct? Check out  Ep#146 Food as Sex, Overcoming Stress Eating Addiction and Smart Solutions for Our Food Trigger with the Father of Paleo Trend Robb Wolf ) Three Phases of Overcoming Binge Eating: Phase 1: This phase is gaining awareness of the brain patterns running our hunger cues and understanding the survival mechanisms our bodies are using against us. No diet or form restriction will work because that survival switch is activated. You are not you when you’re hungry (this podcast is not sponsored by Snickers, although we wish). When you’re body isn’t fueled with nutrient dense foods, an addict like behavior appears. To switch off that mechanism,  it is suggested to eat and fuel your body adequately. Eating balanced meals, having protein, veggies, carbs, and being present in your meals can help you turn that switch off. The point is to feel satisfied. Phase 2:  Now that we are aware of what is causing our hunger cues,  we move on to reprogramming our brain to be objective and realize that we are separate from those urges. Understanding that the more we separate from those urges,  the more likely we are to break the bridge that takes us to binge eating. I know, I know, easier said than done and to be honest, this might be the hardest part of the process but it has to be done, and you will be so much better off mentally once you can master this separation, sister. Phase 3: This is a perspective shift and dives a little deeper than eating more and being objective. It requires us to change the way we see the relationship with ourselves and our bodies. If you had a romantic relationship that was on the rocks. How would you restore it? Would you make him miserable until he gives in? Or would you try to nurture the relationship and make him feel loved? Treat  your relationship with yo’ self like you would treat a relationship with anyone else that is important to you. Date yo’ self if you have to but nourish your body and love yourself intensely enough to know that your body is a temple. It can totally feel like our bodies are working against us on our journey to our transformation but we can still get there strong! Are you willing to do whatever it take to reach your transformation and be your happiest and sexiest self, sister?   Make sure to check out my Sexyfit Method Book for more on training your mind for transformation success and tons of delicious recipes to help you get there. You can secure your copy here. With love, Zlata FREE RESOURCES:  Free 5-Step Audio Training for Food Freedom Forever: BeatingBingeEating.com/audio-training Free Beating Binge Eating Blueprint Video Training: BeatingBingeEating.com/video-training Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/beating_binge_eating/ (@beating_binge_eating) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brittanybtv Twitter: https://twitter.com/brittanybtv (@brittanybtv) Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/brittanybrowntv  

Ep #152 Beating Binge Eating: Phase by Phase Guide to Shut Off Craving and Beat Binge Eating with Brittany Brown

Hello, sister and welcome back to the Sexyfit Podcast! Sister, women ask me all the time if we can really ever actually love our bodies. The answer is HELL YAHS. I am not saying that it’s easy but accepting yourself in a world that profits from your insecurities and your self-hatred, is as courageous as it is necessary. There are so many misconceptions about what accepting yourself really means and how to actually achieve radical self-acceptance. Sister, today I will be talking about:  How acceptance does not mean complacency and how you can still reach your transformation while accepting yourself at any point in your journey.  Why you cannot hate your way into self-love and how to set yourself up for long term success instead of failure.  The importance of forgiving yourself for the years of negative self-talk and torture in order to reach your transformation stronger than ever.  Accepting Yourself Does NOT Mean Complacency: For a lot of us, a lot of times, we tend to think that acceptance means complacency. That we stop doing, stop trying, or stop subscribing to any kind of hope for ourselves when we decide to accept ourselves. Sister, this couldn’t be further from the truth. It is no coincidence that we have such a difficult time with the word “acceptance," and we think that acceptance means giving up all our efforts and all that we have worked for. You can still work on your transformation AND still know that you are sexy goddess that deserves love. You CAN’T Hate Your Way into Self Love: I was a slave to my routine when I trained to maintain 110 lbs on a  5’4’’ frame and actually accept myself. In order to get there, I had to torture myself. It started to sound ridiculous; it broke my health, and it was exhausting. I realized that it wasn’t necessarily what health is and that there had to be a different way.   Have you ever thought “I will love my body when I can wear ______”? Or have you ever thought that it must be so easy for the women promoting healthy body image to actually promote loving themselves when they already have the “perfect body”?  “Oh yeah, I’ll love myself when I look like them.” The reality is that we cannot hate ourselves into loving ourselves and that we can’t judge ourselves or compare ourselves until we are “happy” with ourselves. Sister, that is like trying to turn water into wine by simply hating water.  (Are you sick and tired of dieting? Check out Ep#116 Make Peace with Food and Never Diet Again with Mel Wells) Forgive Yourself Like You Mean It Imagine looking at your kid and saying: “honey, you are a fat cow, and until you lose ten pounds, I am not going to love you. I am also not going to feed you and I am going to make you run around the building until you lose those fat thighs of yours. Not really going to love you until you figure out your muffin top.” Harsh, huh? Well, you say this all the time to YOURSELF. Love yourself like you would love baby Angie or sweet pumpkin Johnny. You love your children regardless of their appearance, right? You want them to grow, to learn, to reach their goals. You can also love yourself regardless of where you are now and still let yourself grow, learn, and achieve. If we accept ourselves the way that we are, with the extra pound, what’s the worst thing that will happen? Radical acceptance starts with forgiveness. Looking yourself in the eye and forgiving yourself for the years of negative self talk, throwing up, starving, and that one time you drank only vegetable juice for a week. (There is a GREAT book called Radical Forgiveness by Colin Tipping, you can get your hands on it here.) I know that the concept of accepting yourself is as foreign as vegemite. You love your body, it’s a beautiful body, and it is the body that you are going to grow from. In a world that profits from our insecurities, it is courageous to love yourself. Sister, if you feel like you are having a tough time reaching food freedom and training your mind to create healthy relationships with food and your body, you can find helpful tips and strategies in my book The Sexyfit Method. You'll also find tons of delicious recipes like soulful pancakes and caliente chicken tacos. Sister, what are you waiting for? You can get it here. With love, Zlata FREE RESOURCES Sexyfit Private Community on Facebook: Surround yourself with people who believe in you, become a part of Sexyfit Group today. Join in at www.sexyfit.com/community

Ep #138: Hidden Truth Behind Using Fitness as Therapy

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