Naama Zusman

Decided to spend extra time this morning preparing and enjoying my breakfast (aka squeezed fresh orange juice!) - 💯 guilt free! My body was asking for some extra attention, nourishment, joy and pleasure do I listened 💕. . The word ‘deserve’ often comes up when working with clients - they feel that they need to work hard to deserve to treat themselves. I’m sharing this because I know a lot of people struggle with this too, I certainly know I did (and still sometimes do!). . B...ut here is the thing - YOU DON’T HAVE TO SUFFER TO BE GOOD. . Can you recognise yourself in some way? Whether it’s around food, exercise, career or relationships it’s the belief that taking care of yourself is selfish, it’s a luxury. Or that you can’t afford sleeping, eating, enjoying life, resting, etc. until you proved you were hardworking enough to deserve them. If you can recognise yourself in some way I want you to know that you don’t need to suffer to succeed, you don’t need to work your ass off to enjoy life. You can learn to take care of yourself and have amazing results in life. Cause truly, physical and mental exhaustion has no trade off. You can enjoy your way to thrive 👊🏻
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It took me years to learn to trust my body. Years of rewiring my brain, unraveling thinking patterns, behaviors, old stories and limiting beliefs. Thriving on negative inner chatter and fueled by fear, my disordered relationship with food didn’t heal until I’ve learned to LISTEN INSIDE... Yoga helped me do that. . As I’m getting closer to my due date, words cannot describe the immense amount of gratitude I feel towards this practice. From helping me heal my relationship with myself (body, mind & beyond) to teaching me to listen, respect and trust my body. It is the biggest gift I could ask for - being able to be present as I’m watching this beautiful miracle unfold.

Finally felt inspired to experiment in the kitchen, so I thought I’d share this Lentil Falafel recipe in case you’re looking for some inspiration too! What I love about these lentil balls is that you can eat them in so many different combos - which means you can make a big batch without getting bored of eating the same thing for few days.... Link for the recipe is in my bio 🥙 Happy weekend!

Food for the soul 🧡 Thanks @juliaknightyoga for another lovely clay session - can’t think of a better way to celebrate summer solstice! . Happy summer solstice ☀️

Walks, forest bathing, bird twittering, fresh air... the ticket to rest a wondering mind 💭. . Working on identifying and releasing fears as my due date gets closer - meditating, journaling and walking are my go-to these days. I’m a strong believer in actively facing our fears rather than ignoring them... I can honestly say that my best experiences and biggest accomplishments in life came out of facing my fears. I find that getting to the root of my fears & insecurities, and e...mbracing them is essential for letting them go & creating space for connecting to my intuition, getting in sync with self trust. . Big changes come with a lot of unknowns and that can feel scary... What has been so useful is to keep reminding myself that scary doesn’t mean - wrong. It’s a natural emotion that can come up in the presence of uncertainty, BUT it doesn’t have to define us nor our experiences. . Acknowledging my fears not only gives me relief and comfort but more importantly it gives me confidence and trust that I have access to everything I need within me and I have people around me to reach out for support ❤️. . If you’re going through change, if a lot of uncertainty is present in your life I hope this inspires you to address your fears, I hope it helps you remember that you have everything you need within you and know that you will find your way even when the path is unclear.
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A little invitation to check-in with yourself today 💕 👉🏻How are my energy levels today/this week? 👉🏻 Have I been draining my energy & how? 👉🏻Am I spending my energy on things that aren’t right for ME? 👉🏻 If I could CLEAR SPACE in my mind not to worry about things that I can’t control, what would I be most excited to give my attention to instead? . Share your thoughts in the comments below - I’d love to hear from you! 💕

Happy 3 years anniversary and 10 years together ❤️ Can’t wait for our next adventure! 👶🏼 “let choice whisper in your ear and love murmur in your heart. Be ready. Here comes life” ~ Dr. Maya Angelou

An unimpressive, not fancy and probably not ‘Instagram worthy’ lunch... BUT this is how lunch sometimes looks like in the REAL world - frozen veg, rice and leftover corn. This post is all about celebrating the joys of imperfection + feeling grateful for all those years spent working on breaking up with diets and the diet mentality, making peace with food, healing my relationship with my body and letting go of perfection. Giving myself permission to eat food that takes less th...an 15 minutes to prepare, that doesn’t require hours or even days of planing and isn’t exactly the model for the ‘optimal plate’, without fear or guilt, brought into my life so much freedom, joy & flexibility. Health is not about making perfect decisions around food or exercise. It’s about balancing those with other nourishing practices for your mind & spirit as well as your body🧡 A little reminder today that no matter what you see on your feed you are worthy regardless of what you had for lunch!
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Office for today - totally cliche - but currently my favorite seat in the house!

My apatite has been all over the place in the past few weeks. Not sure if it’s to do with my sleep, hormones, constantly changing energy levels, changing body (🤰) but thanks to intuitive eating & healing my relationship with food I know it’s totally normal - my body is simply communicating its needs with me 💛 Some days I’m absolutely starving and need more food (bigger portions / more often) and some days I can barely finish my plate... Years of dieting have made me believe t...hat my food intake should be exactly the same every-single-day, and that if I’m hungrier it means something is wrong with me and I should use willpower to overcome it (aka starve myself). Intuitive eating helped me reconnect with my body and taught me that I can fully trust her and honor her needs. I’ve learned to check in with my body and decide what’s good for me on a moment to moment basis rather than basing my needs on some random external rules. . If you struggle with respecting your body’s changing hunger and fullness levels here are few pointers:🔅know that it is absolutely NORMAL to experience different levels of hunger on different days (or weeks!). It is not normal to expect your body to be satisfied with the exact amount of food every single day - you’re not a robot. 🔅You don’t need to willpower or to suppress your hunger; it’ll only make you hungrier. Eat as much as YOU need. Shift your thinking around it from guilt and judgment to self-care and nourishment - knowing that you are listening and honoring your body’s signals. 🔅Finally, because I know it can be scary to let go of rules (rules can make you feel safe), know that - you don’t have to be perfect to be healthy, your body seeks balance and will do its best to take care of you if you just give her a chance 💕
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Hello baby 👋🏻 The smile on my face can’t even begin to articulate the words on my ♥️

A kind reminder if you feel like you’re caught in a hurricane 💛 Thank you @mattzhaig for your wisdom.

Last couple of weeks I didn’t really feel inspired to cook, for no special reason I could think of. I allowed myself to go for quick easy options that require no creativity or spending much time in the kitchen. This included simple salads/sandwiches, frozen veg stir-fried rice, pantry meals like pasta with quick tomato sauce or with frozen spinach, etc. Instead of beating myself up for it (like I would have done in the past) I saw it as an act of self care rather it being al...l about self judgement. I knew that it’s just a phase and it probably means that I need to put my attention and energy somewhere else. And then on Sunday I finally felt like cooking 👩🏼‍🍳 I put on my favorite cooking playlist on Spotify and decided to try a new recipe from my Pinterest board. The joy of cooking was back! ✨ .
Sometimes we can get so worried when our mood, energy or needs shift. If we can just get out of our own way, and trust that it’s just a phase (hello letting go of perfection! 👋🏻) and it’s probably exactly what we need, we let go of resistance and focus on self care. .
Can you relate? Is there any mood/energy shift you are currently resisting in your life? I’d love to hear👇🏻
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Can’t believe it’s already June! Bedroom floor refurbishment almost done ✔️ Next project - baby’s room 💕. After couple of busy - productive - creative months (2nd trimester was definitely my JAM!) I’m enjoying this very special transition period to take it all in. I’m enjoying supporting my last clients (before going on maternity leave) & the wonderful group of women who joined Finally ME. And in between making more and more space for nesting & slowing down. And most importantly - simply being grateful for it ALL, with everything that comes along - the tears, the fears, the difficulty sleeping, the shortness of breath and the tiredness... it only takes one little kick, swish, flutter or roll to remind me of this beautiful miracle✨

Serious nesting going on, nothing like the expected arrival of a sweet little baby to get things done 💛

Didn’t feel like cooking tonight but also didn’t feel like takeout... So quickly chopped some veggies + cooked lentil pasta, took me 10 minutes of work - max. Food does not have to be complicated, fancy or mean that you have to spend hours in the kitchen. It can be simple & delicious... No real recipe here, just whatever veg you have + olive oil + sea salt + pepper + little bit of paprika + fresh herbs (optional) - in a preheated oven to 200C for about 40 minutes and you have a beautifully roasted tray 💛 Leftovers can be added to salads, pasta or on their own.

About letting go of perfection... In November 2018 I started taking ceramic classes with the wonderful @juliaknightyoga 💕 I decided I wanted to do it because — a) I was craving doing something creative with my hands, and —b) I wanted to do something for myself, which served no purpose or goal but for the sake of doing. One of the first things I made was this vase — not particularly beautiful and quite wobbly... Let’s just say, not a masterpiece. In the past, you would have f...ound this in the bin. The same lofty unrealistic expectation I had from my body (& food), I had from everything else in my life... Today I’m celebrating one of the best things I’ve learned to let go of - PERFECTIONISM. Cause truly, it’s SO freeing to try something new without worrying about failure, to approach new experiences with openness and curiosity. Not only it invites growth and opportunities into your life, it makes life so much more exciting and FUN. I’m celebrating the making of this vase, not because it’s pretty or special, but because I‘ve spent intentional time making it. . Is there something new in your life you are currently trying? And are you celebrating it, regardless of the end result? I’d love to hear!
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One of my favorite quotes and what I wish I could tell my younger self 🧡 Raise your hand 🙋🏼‍♀️ if there are/were times or areas in your life in which you’ve spent energy trying to be someone else or have someone else’s life. I surely did 🙋🏼‍♀️ Thing is, when we chase dreams that don’t belong to us, try to live a life that isn’t meant for us or try to be someone other than ourselves, not only that we drain our vital energy force but we step away from our own inherent power. Being YOU is what makes the difference between making a living and being ALIVE in your life.