General Health

From Exhausted to Unstoppable: How I Transformed My Body, Mind and Lifestyle

Confession: As mums, we often put everyone else before ourselves in the quest to keep ALL THE BALLS in the air.

Sound familiar? It does to me. I mean, it’s not intentional, but we do. We intend to keep the balance, but sometimes focus so much on keeping the cogs of our family and home life turning smoothly that we forget about looking out for ourselves.

That was me.

Mum of two young boys, wife, and passionate business owner focussed on growing the Mum Central network to become everything I had dreamed of. And I had my hands full.  Life was busy.  Life was fun, but I really had my hands full.  I thought I had control, but then came a tipping point, and my wheels fell off … like really fell off.

I was stressed.
I couldn’t sleep.
I was stacking on the weight.
Heck, I’d even cry mid-sentence as I felt so vulnerable all the time.
I lost my inner strength.
I had well and truly burnt myself out.

I was not the mother I had wanted to be.

I was often short with my kids (I’d yell at them sometimes, regret it shortly after and feel like crap for doing so)
I struggled with the patience and energy to be ‘present’ when I was present.  Cue mother guilt.
I’d watch them at the park, not join in, finding myself on my phone trying to catch up and juggle the demands of life.
Because secretly I was drowning and just needed to keep my head above water.

Belinda in Bali before she started nutritional cleansing
Always smiling publicly, I was struggling deep down. Exhausted, tired and feeling horrible, It was time to make a big change in my life. This trip to Bali was the turning point for me. I vowed to make a change when I got home.

Now to be honest with you, this is a really vulnerable confession.  I haven’t shared this publicly before so to most of you this will come as a complete surprise.

For those who don’t know me, I’m the Founder of the Mum Central network (and the face for so many leading brands), so I spend a lot of my time in front of the camera, sharing my thoughts and my life with you all.

I love it, my boys love it and it fills my cup! I love to be vulnerable, to inspire and encourage others.  It’s the best feeling to contribute and it’s my passion.

But this time around I was so broken I had to get better and so I kept this on the down-low from everyone.

What happened next though, really changed the game for me in so many ways. So here goes.

You see, in the process of trying to get back on my A-game and regain my headspace, my groove and my strength, something amazing happened.

You know the old adage from the master himself, Tony Robbins, that if you keep doing the same thing and expect different results, you’re kidding yourself. Well I was, and I was. So this time I needed to do something totally different.

For those of you who know me, I’ve tried many diets and weight loss programs in my time.

Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, Lite n’ Easy, to name a few. I’d tried, succeeded and ended up over time back where I started.  I’d had one friend lose a stack of weight and another gain LOADS of energy via nutritional cleansing but never understood the HOW so always put it on the back burner. I wanted both – and I needed it fast and this time round I was open to trying new things. Clearly what I was doing wasn’t working.  But I was sceptical. Exactly what was the science behind this and how did it work?

Well, it had a 30 day money back guarantee so I really had nothing to lose. “Get your health back or your money back” was their promise, so with nothing to lose and everything to gain, I took the leap of faith and ordered my first 30 day nutritional cleansing pack.  I needed to pull myself out of this funk (and fast!).


30 days to a new me – and it was easier than I thought!

Once my order arrived I got started, swapping out two meals a day for their high-quality protein and actually started to fuel my body how it was intended. No more crap foods, takeaways, high processed foods and carb-fests. Comfort eating was going to be a thing of the past – I was going to give this 30 days a good shot and see how my body responds.

By day 3, I was sleeping better, feeling less anxious and more on my game.

By day 10, I started to feel different.  After a few cleanse days ridding of toxins, my head was clearer, I no longer had the brain fog (that I forgot I even had!) and everything felt better. I had more energy, I wasn’t as anxious and was sleeping better. So much so that I start to quickly regain control of my world and get back on my A-game.

By day 30, I’d lost 7.5kg, dropped almost 2 dress sizes and found my mojo again.

What followed throughout the rest of that year was one of the most amazing body and mind transformations I’d ever experienced.  Finally I had the mental clarity I’d been dreaming about.

  • No more brain fog. I could think faster, make decisions easier. Less procrastination.
  • My hormones were more balanced so I was less moody (ask my husband!) haha.
  • I slept so much better, didn’t wake as much and bounced out of bed in the mornings.
  • Not so anxious, I was a lot calmer and less stressed.
  • Better hair, skin and nails (though I had to attend to regrowth sooner, but hey, good problem to have!)
Belinda's energy started to skyrocket once she started the nutritional cleansing system
I was starting to regain myself, my zest for life and the old me was emerging again. Happy, vivacious me.

Skeptic no more, I could really appreciate just how powerful this system was.

Since then I’ve been enjoying amazing energy, mental clarity and watching my clothing shrink around me thanks to nutritional cleansing. Best of all it’s at a healthy and manageable rate, no quick fix, this was quality nutrition resulting in healthy weight loss.

Suddenly I had the energy to play with the kids, not just sit there and watch them. I got more out of my days and found I wasn’t exhausted, didn’t feel the need to sneak in a nanna nap on the weekends. I woke easily, didn’t walk around in a daze in the mornings, and didn’t feel exhausted in the evenings.

Best of all it fits my crazy busy lifestyle, all my travel and it doesn’t hold grudges like other ‘diets’ can. I can have the flexibility to live life but still get amazing results and pack maximum nutrition into minimum calories.

You see, this is a healthy lifestyle that had me feeling better now in my mid-40s than I did in my mid-30s.

belinda-james-old-jeans
Here’s a cheeky celebration shot of my eldest standing in one of the legs of an old pair of size 18 jeans I no longer fit into. I was now in size 12 jeans and counting…

I would avoid the gym. Then I had all this new-found energy to burn!

Now let me be straight. I never liked the gym. Far from it. I would go, for a short time, then lose interest. I found gyms intimidating, I am pretty uncoordinated so I was at the back of the class laughing at myself or would do the same half-assed routine, and waste a completely decent few hours of my day.

Hubby had started going to our local F45 and really fell in love FAST. He kept encouraging me to come along and I kept saying no. I pictured it to be full of beefed-up guys pumping weights and looking at themselves in the mirror.

Fast forward 6 months and instead of hassling encouraging me, he showed me a pic of the studio and how it worked.  Much to my surprise, it was mainly women. I felt more encouraged and signed up for a 2-week trial late last year. After all, I had so much energy I really DID want to work out.

By the second class I was sold. I started going 3-4 times a week and was seeing results quite quickly. On top of the cleansing and good quality nutrition, my body was really starting to fire.

I had so much amazing energy Jason and I decided to enter the F45 8 week challenge in April. We made a commitment to ourselves to be strict, stay focussed and see what we could do in 8 weeks.

mum central
For someone who didn’t like the gym, I was loving this new found energy and zest for life. The friendships I made along the way made it all the more sweeter!

I have to say I was totally thrilled (and proud of myself) that we were announced as Winners of the Body, Mind and Lifestyle Award for our studio. I’d lost 8kg and gained lean muscle, and Jason was fast gaining ABS (at 46!). Thankfully we had the great nutrition, detoxing process through our cleanses to back up our time at the gym.

Oh and thankfully too our gym range gave me the endurance, power, ability to build good muscle and reduce overall soreness. #winning

Body Mind and Lifestyle Award winners - nutritional cleansing and F45 - an epic combo
It’s amazing what you can do in 8 weeks if you put your mind to it! April to June 2018

Meet some of my friends I’ve introduced who have regained their health and zest for life.

mum centralFor a very long time, my school mum friend Jess suffered extreme bloating every time she ate. She was already gluten and dairy-free and this helped, however, her gut issues remained. Poor thing would bloat from eating cucumber! So many different diets and lifestyle changes saw her lose weight, but never manage to maintain it or fix her gut issues which is what she was really searching for… a long term solution.

After I introduced her to the nutritional cleansing system almost two years ago, she was a total skeptic too!  But when she heard “you get your health back or your money back”, Jess now says “just take ALL of my money because I certainly got my health back. So thank you! mum central😘”


mum central

After eating healthy, exercising daily and doing everything else right, Lari thought she needed to try something left field. So she started nutritional cleansing for weight loss. She got that and SO much more.

“I remember coming home one day wondering if the products were legal as I can’t remember feeling so good in my skin. It’s been 4 1/2 years and it’s only getting better. Everyone should feel this good.”


mum central

Renee was a tired, unmotivated and overweight mum to three young kids under 5. She’d tried every “diet” under the sun and although she had success, she found herself putting the weight back on. She struggled to get through a day without coffee and was not the best mum or person she knew she could be.

On day 13 she felt the shift … she had more energy and got so much done that day. She wasn’t tired and stressed at her kids and hadn’t had a coffee all day!

She lost 15kgs in her first 3 months, goes to the gym many times per week and is more active with her family. She’s no longer stressed, overcoming daily obstacles and now feels like that happier mum and person that she knew was in there somewhere!

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Which leads me to this…

I feel like I have been holding out on you. I’ve been enjoying all the benefits of this amazing nutrition yet I haven’t shared it with you. Naturally, it’s not going to be for everyone, however for those of you who are:

  • feeling exhausted and wanting to gain energy and think clearer
  • wanting to lose weight (or gain weight)
  • build lean muscle
  • age more youthfully
  • improve mental clarity and wellbeing and stop feeling like they’re walking around in a fog
  • Looking to stop trading money for time and be with your kids or start a new side hustle

Hand on heart I truly believe that what I have is a gift and it’s completely changed my world.

I’m kicking off a 30 day reset for those looking to improve their health and gain some much-needed energy, gain muscle, or just breeze through the day, not drag your feet.

You’ll be personally coached by me (and some of my buddies) and I’ll help cheer you on every step of the way. Note: this is NOT a diet, it’s a healthy lifestyle and weight loss is just one of the benefits (if you want it to be).

And with a 30-day money-back guarantee, what have you got to lose? This might just be what you’re looking for.

If you’re even the slightest bit curious send me a PM on Facebook and we can have a chat about how it all works and what’s involved. It might not be for you, but then again, it just might.

So that’s it for now. I hope my story has inspired you to appreciate another option out there for you. I know I was skeptical but it didn’t take me long to prove itself. I hope to chat with you soon.

Bel xx

Avatar of Belinda Jennings

Belinda's a passionate advocate for community and connection. As the founder of the Mum Central Network she’s committed to celebrating the journey that is Australian parenthood. Mum to two cheeky boys, and wife to her superstar husband, they live a busy but crazy lifestyle in Adelaide. Great conversation, close friends and good chocolate are her chosen weapons for daily survival. Oh, and bubbles. Champagne is key.

2 Comments

  1. Avatar of Lari

    What a journey Bel. It must be really hard for you to post this and I totally respect that. It gives me goosebumps reading it. Thank you for the inspiration.

  2. Avatar of Donna Bennett
    Donna Bennett Reply

    Wow how inspiring, it was very much like reading my own life with that feeling of depression before you take your life back again. You look truly amazing and are an inspiration and I congratulate you on your amazing transformation.

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