The Balance project

Justine Shera shares her story to find balance

I have had a lot of questions come my way since I started My Balance Project. Some from people I know, but many through Instagram & Facebook that I don’t. When you lose 30kgs in less than a year, people want to know the secret. They want the prescription, the remedy or a quick fix that will help them achieve the same results. It’s totally fair enough, I get it. I remember asking those same questions once upon a time. I was overweight, unmotivated and felt like a spectator in my life. It’s not a nice feeling, by the way. I was SO BUSY in my life (superwoman complex anyone?) that I totally and utterly stopped looking after myself, it really is as simple as that. It might sound cliché, but girl, I let myself go. Hashtag, relatable. I would have loved for someone to give me the answer. Alas, I had to find it for myself. Cue some rock bottom months that resulted in a light-bulb moment. A moment where all at once it was clear.

I changed my life, for me and my family. I needed to clear my head, be more present with my son and get healthy. So one night in April, on my couch, a lot of tears were shed (ugly cry style) as I let go of some pretty heavy crap and forgave myself. It wasn’t easy, and I didn’t do it without help. A friend of mine from my past, Alex, a personal trainer and wellness guru was chatting with me on messenger and asked me what now seems like simple questions. If I was to really do this and shed the weight, what would success look like to me, both mentally and physically? It’s a big question and one I urge you to think about – whether or not weight is your issue. I answered quickly “the me I wanted to be” and the baby I wanted to have, was all very very clear in my mind. It was clear that I blamed myself for where I was at with my body and our infertility issues. “Justine, you need to let it go. Stop holding yourself to ransom” he said, and commit to understanding yourself better and why you make the choices you make.

This set the foundation for everything for me. I began to question everything. I became focused. I became mindful. I changed my relationship with food and myself. I stopped treating my body like a garbage disposal and started being kind to myself. That part was not always easy, it takes practice but I knew almost immediately that something very powerful was happening to me. I created my blog, My Balance Project, to document and share my story. I was not prepared for the reaction and support I received, and the sheer number of women reaching out to me for help. Women who were stuck in a rut like I had been, women who were overweight, underweight and everything in between. We are not alone, YOU are not alone. So many of us face the same challenges even though on the surface we may not look the same. Many of us are running around doing too much, saying yes to everything and trying to have it all. Somewhere in there, we stop making sure that we are healthy and balanced. You see balance is not something you find amongst being overwhelmed, it’s not a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow – you have to CREATE it. This for me has been the biggest epiphany of all.

I don’t have all the answers, clearly, but here’s what I know for sure. You need to be kinder to yourself. Give yourself a break, get into the habit of saying nice things about yourself instead of always defaulting to the negative. Kindness is key. Eat food that serves you and fuels your body. I LOVE FOOD and I am not missing out. I eat delicious food and I don’t miss the way I ate before. Get over the idea that you are going to be missing out or living a lesser life by eating different foods, food does not define you. You will fall in love with my smoothie recipes! Love your body! That is all. The pursuit of perfection will only lead to disappointment. Be present with yourself and your loved ones, you deserve it and so do they. This may mean you need to make different choices and take on less, but it’s okay to say no.

Over the past year, it’s safe to say that my life has changed dramatically. People focus on the physical and it’s true, I look totally different to how I did a year ago, but what has happened mentally is bigger. I no longer carry guilt about food or shame for my body. I love myself. Most importantly, I no longer spectate, I participate. I run with my 7-year-old son, he’s my reason. Find yours.

So where to from here?

Make a list of three things or habits to change in the next 2 weeks.
Keep those three things in the front of your mind, be mindful of the choices you make. If not having cake is on your list and you make an intentional decision to have cake, that’s okay, but I want you to think about how having that cake made you feel. Did it actually make you feel better? And then you have to let go of that decision and not beat yourself up. This part is very important!
Write down what you want to achieve and what success would look like. I don’t mean some big lofty goal that doesn’t seem achievable, don’t scare yourself before you’ve started.
Use the internet for inspiration, look for recipes, find people like me that might inspire you and give you motivation and ideas. For recipes, use hashtags like #wholefoods and #cleaneatingrecipe. There is an ocean of inspiration and ideas out there, use it.
Be prepared, go to the supermarket and get some good food for your pantry.
BE KIND TO YOURSELF.

For more inspo from our girl Justine head to her Facebook page here