The Fit & Free Podcast: Recent Episodes
Laura Swingler
The Fit & Free Podcast is for the women who want it all. To feel strong and confident in their bodies as well as enjoying a sneaky marg on a Friday night. I'm an exercise physiologist and sports nutritionist, here to teach you how to achieve your body goals without food and your body controlling your life.
This episode might be one of the most important episodes you listen to related to your fitness journey, losing fat & building muscle with complete food freedom, and yet...
...it's got nothing to do with exercise or nutrition!
...At the end of the day: we all know we have "eat enough protein, fibre, fruit and veg, go to the gym"...bla bla bla...but if it was that easy, then EVERYONE would be kicking body composition goals left right and centre, and I wouldn't be a coach helping people with this journey.
SO this episode is all about MINDSET. I'm gonna be going over things that are stopping active women from reaching their goals, OFTEN without them even realising that this is the thing holding them back....
...and that's FEAR. I’m gonna talk to you about the fears that held ME back from living in alignment with my values for years, and in turn, from reaching my goals...How I was trying to protect myself, but actually making myself feel worse in the process.
How you do 1 thing, is how you do everything, and so if you’re living in fear in 1 part of your life, I can guarantee you’re doing it somewhere else too, so by the end of this I want you to be able to reflect on your own life and see where elements of fear are holding you back from things you really want.
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P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. No idea how much and what to eat to lose fat & build muscle? Wanna find out EXACTLY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, and tone your body ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
This episode is a little vulnerable, as I share my own story of increasing my calories. Why vulnerable? Well, I lived the first 25 years of my life believing that eating more meant gaining weight, and that gaining weight meant that I would gain weight/look fat.
I was so afraid of increasing my calories, and so afraid of what would happen if I did.
I know for a fact that there are still so many women that believe this, too. I mean, it's what I coach women through daily. So in this episode I want to share a behind the scenes look into my own journey of increasing my calories, all my struggles along the way, and what it was really like for me during that time, so that you can understand that you’re not crazy for thinking the way you are, that there are ABSOLUTELY other women going through it as well, and that we need to normalise that THIS IS FUCKING HARD.
By the end of this podcast, through my story I will bring into awareness some things that you might be struggling with, and beliefs you might be operating from, that you might not be aware of yet, and I'll give some tangible tips for you to implement to begin to re-wire these beliefs for yourself.
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACTLY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
So many active women are still holding on to the belief that they have to lose weight, and eat as little as little as possible to get the body they want...
And I get it, there's so much misinformation out there telling you "the more exercise the better!" and "you have to eat in a calorie deficit!", it's easy to believe...I used to do all of this stuff too. I was constantly trying to lose weight, constantly focusing on eating low calorie foods, like powdered peanut butter, and zero calorie noodles, not adding carbs and fats to my meals, ETC...
...but all it ended up in is losing my period, having zero energy, INSANE sugar cravings, binge restrict cycles, and ultimately NOT ALLOWING ME to reach my body comp goals...
Are you falling into this SAME trap? That's what this episode is all about. Bringing into your awareness things that may not be in your awareness just yet, and exactly how to recognise if you're doing this, so that you can start to do something about it!
METABOLIC ADAPTATION/LOW ENERGY AVAILABILITY EPISODE
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACTLY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
What do you do when you're stuck in this vicious cycle of restricting your calories, but every time you try to increase them, you gain weight on the scale? For most women, they go right back to restricting their calories again so that they can stay on track with their body goals. And I was no different!
I can literally remember back in the day, scrolling through YouTube trying to figure out
"how do I increase my calories without gaining weight"
because my goal was to avoid weight gain at ALL COSTS.
This meant that I was constantly hungry, and constantly thinking about what to eat, and how it would impact my body.
It meant that every time I hadn't been to the gym yet to burn calories, I was riddled with guilt.
I believed that if I didn't exercise that day, I'd be going backwards and I'd just gain weight again
And I believed that I HAD to be good, and eat clean if I wanted my ideal body...
We live in a world where people say things like:
No pain no gain
if you’re not exercising you’re lazy
the sweatier the better etc...
So how could you NOT start to become conditioned that more exercise and less calories = moving towards your goal?
This episode goes into depth on this belief and way of doing things, why it's ultimately SO flawed, and how you can free yourself from this vicious cycle of restricting because you don't want to gain any weight?
EPISODE LINKS:
My relationship with exercise:
The dark side of exercise: my unhealthy relationship with it, and how I recovered
Will resistance training and liftin weights make you bulky?:
SKINNY-FAT SERIES: MYTHS that are stopping you from reaching your body goals
Body recomposition:
SKINNY-FAT SERIES: Signs it's time to build muscle and STOP losing weight
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACTLY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
IN THIS EPISODE OF MYTHBUSTERS! 😉
Will lifting weights make you bulky?
Is it true that you can't lose fat by lifting?
Should women do high-rep, low weight exercise to tone up?
Will eating more make you gain weight/fat?
Look I know you're not silly. The episode is titled "MYTHS", so we already know these are all BS. Still, there are SO many women that, conciously or unconciously, are STILL holding onto these beliefs. And it's these stories and belief systems that are holding them back from getting what they ACTUALLY want, which is losing fat, toning up, and feeling confident in a bikini.
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACTLY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
Episode 1 of the new SKINNY-FAT SERIES!
Are you focusing on the wrong thing? So many of my clients come to me with the goal to lose the last few kilos so that they can tone up and finally be happy with what they look like...but here's the thing they often aren't aware of:
losing weight will NEVER result in toning up
...for many of them, the reason they feel as though they want to lose more weight is not actually because they are overweight, but because they have little to no muscle, so they can't see the definition they are actually after. What they actually need to be doing next to get them to where they wanna be is BUILD MUSCLE. Muscle DEFINES, and if you have been focusing on weight loss for a long period of time, there's a good chance you're in this cycle. And if that's YOU, then you NEED to listen to this episode, because you'll be able to figure out if you're ready to switch focus from losing weight to building muscle.
I'm also going to give you some science-backed tips to speed up your muscle growth if you're ready to maximise your performance in the gym.
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACTLY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
Too often I still see active women making this same mistake, which is holding them back massively in their body composition goals...and I get it, because I was there once.
They think that they will tone up by losing more weight.
They think that they need to eat 1200 calories or below in order to tone up.
...big well marketed diets spring to mind: "Lite 'n Easy", "The Fast 800", etc...
Despite all of these "diets" having the best intentions in terms of wanting to help people reach their weight loss and body goals, they really aren't for everyone. When these types of messages land in the hands of active women that are exercising 4-5 times a week, this message is outright DANGEROUS, and in this episode I explain exactly why. I also go into depth on what you CAN do instead to really take your body composition results to the next level.
This is a crucial episode for any active woman (excercising 4-5 x a week) out there that believes they need to lose weight in order to get their ideal body. If this is you, it probably means that there are certain beliefs that until you shake, you’re never going to fully BE successful, and you’re not going to be able to sustainably reach your ideal body.
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACTLY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
SIGNUP FOR THE BODY IMAGE MINI COURSE HERE NOW. ONLY 6 SPOTS LEFT. STARTING NEXT WEEK.
There was a version of me that simply couldn't control myself around food on holidays. Because I was so restrictive outside of them, when the holidays finally came around, I'd eat ALL the food...and then come home and promise myself that I had to "start again on Monday", to lose weight, to change my body composition, in an attempt to try to be happy with myself.
I'd try diets, shame myself, pick body apart, and was so disgusted any time I’d try on a piece of clothing, calling myself "fat", "ugly", "a giant rectangle", and so disappointed in MYSELF, for "letting myself go" like that.
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACLTY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
If you relate to any of this, then I'm about to hit you with a hard truth, because if you do, then there is a limiting belief at play inside your head right now that is stopping you from reaching your health and fitness goals without you even realising it. It's something that that you MUST re-wire first if you want to reach your body goals for good.
The good news is that you're ABSOLUTELY not alone in this, and so many of my clients struggle with this over and over again, and for 90% of them it's a blind spot that they are completely unaware of, and in this episode we tackle it head on!
My clients have recently been asking me: "Loz you're looking great at the moment. What are you doing differently?"
The answer is I'm exercising differently! So...once you DO have a healthy relationship with food and your body, how can you optimise your EXERCISE for maximum impact? That's what this episode is all about! How to take your gym performance to the MOON so that you see can watch your body get sculpted right before your eyes.
As I mention above, this episode is a little more on the advanced side. It’s easy for me to say that you have to lift weights to be toned, but if you have all these fears in terms of
"I can’t lift weight because it’s gonna make me bulky" or
"I am afraid lifting because I'm afraid of gaining weight"
then this episode is not for you (yet!), because you'll need to work through that first! For more on that, check out this episode on "why focusing on burning more calories with your workouts is actually CAUSING your fat loss plateau."
This is one for my gals already smashing it, lifting weights, and getting strong. For you, the tangible tips and tactis I give you in this episode are really gonna help you take your exercise to the next level!
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACLTY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
"I can’t have chocolate, because I'm trying to lose weight"
"I'm going Paleo/vegan, because I read that it helps you lose fat"
"I'm cutting out bread to lose fat faster"
"I've already had the pancakes, may as well go all out now!"
If you've ever caught yourself saying this, then you need to listen to this episode, because you've got another thing coming!
These are the REASON you AREN'T losing fat and keeping it off for good, and in this episode I explain exactly why that is, the consequences of doing this, AND I also teach you how you can and SHOULD include all your favourite foods in your diet, ESPECIALLY if you're in a calorie deficit phase.
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACLTY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
For this episode I decided to do something a little different. Let me know if you like it! This episode is an audio "carousel" of the biggest mistakes I see active women making, that hold them back from losing fat and getting the body they want FOR GOOD.
If you're new to me or the podcast, then this is a PERFECT place to start.
There's a good chance that not all of these will apply to you, so for this episode, if you're short on time, I would recommend skipping ahead about 2 minutes for each time a mistake doesn't apply to you.
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACLTY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
If you want to shave YEARS off your fitness journey, you can't miss this one.
Over the last 10 years of my journey to getting the body I want, I think it's safe to say I've made just about EVERY single mistake in the book... It's cost me literal blood, sweat and tears, as well as YEARS of being unhappy with my body, and mySELF.
I really hope that this episode can help women that are making similar mistakes right now, which are moving themselves further away from their goals, realise where they're going wrong, so that they can turn things around...
Are you doing too much? Or not enough?
Are you doing the right type of exercise?
Are you exercising for the wrong reasons?
These are just some of the questions I'll be answering!
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACLTY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
Let's face it. We've all been there.
"I can't eat chocolate, because it's unhealthy"
"I can't have bread/pasta, because it's bad"
Where are these labels coming from? And why should we even care if avoiding these foods means we can lose fat/weight and tone up?
I'll tell you why: because whilst that may get you results over a month or 2, labelling foods as good and bad and trying to avoid them NEVER (EVER!) works long term.
In this episode, I am lifting the veil, and giving you a behind the scenes look into the kinds of conversations and transformations that ACTUALLY happen in the Fit & Free Academy. I'm gonna show you exactly why that is, why this doesn't work, and I walk you through how I recently coached one of my clients through EXACTLY this issue, to give you some tangible tips for you to work through it too.
P.S. Please review my podcast, as it really helps get it out to more women that need to hear this. Review here:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fit-free-podcast/id1651978022
P.S.S. Plateaued with your weight loss? Wanna find out EXACLTY what you should be doing next to lose cm off your waist, of tone your glutes ONCE AND FOR ALL? Take this quiz:
https://lauraswingler.mykajabi.com/plateaued
Reverse dieting has received a lot of attention recently on (social) media, and I know there are a LOT of fitness influencers and businesses nowadays promoting reverse dieting as "the answer to fixing your damaged/slow metabolism". So I decided to do a deep dive into the science of reverse dieting, to put this one to bed once and for all.
If you are reverse dieting at the moment, have done it in the past, OR are considering it, this episode is a MUST.
In this episode I bust some well known fat burning myths, as well as give some nutrition tips to speed up your fat loss by fuelling your exercise sessions.
The age old question: how much food is enough? How much should I be eating to reach my goals?
This is by far the question that causes the most angst amongst women that have body goals, and unfortunately, most women vastly underestimate this. In this episode I go into detail on all things nutrition, to FULLY put this one to bed.
This episode goes into all things EXERCISE. Did you know that all exercise types weren't created equal? Whatever your fitness goal is, there is a type of exercise that will get you there the quickest. So when it comes to losing fat/getting "toned", what IS the best type of exercise to be doing? That's what this episode is all about.
Christmas and New Years is SUCH a great time of the year, and you DESERVE to enjoy it, but sadly, for active women with body goals, it can be a really stressful time. In this episode I give you specific steps that you can follow to help you navigate this time of year, so that you can enjoy it stress free, whilst still staying on track with your goals.
In this first episode I talk about how I ended up where I am today. Why I do what I do. The vicious diet cycles, road to rock-bottom, the recovery, and the birth of greenwellbeing_ .