January is almost over — the Super Bowl is this Sunday, which is February 1st, and I’m already thinking about how to cook healthy for that — and as you get to the end of January, a lot of people have already given up their New Year’s Resolutions — concepts they set only about four weeks ago.

You see this a lot in the fitness and dieting space. Fitness and dieting-related Resolutions are alwayssome of the most popular, and always some of the quickest to fall away due to laziness, lack of knowledge, a focus on the other things in your busy life, or whatever the reason is.

There are entire sections of bookstores about fad diets, and I briefly considered some of those when I started my own fitness journey. I say “briefly” because it was really almost no time at all; I knew I wanted to try and lose weight in a healthy, productive manner — and, at the same time, challenge myself by making sure I was tied to a bigger cause. In my case? That was contributing money to charities for every 10 pounds I lost; you can read a little bit about this here.

That all said — and this is important for anyone to remember — it’s been a slow process. It took me 1 year to lose my first 45 pounds. I thought it would be much quicker, and that year required a lot of discipline, working out, healthy cooking and eating, etc. Over time, I came to look at fitness and weight loss as akin to a journey or a road trip — which my husband James and I love to do — which means it can take a while, but along the way there are beautiful things to see, even if you’re not yet at the final destination.

I recently bought a scale, but that was mostly for tracking. I don’t want to be a slave to the scale. I’m around 165 pounds, with a goal weight in the 130s — but my next step is in the middle 150s; when I lose the next 10, I’ll be donating to a charity. Right now I’m thinking about working with a local non-profit on a raffle, but I need to do a little more research. We’ve only lived in the Bay Area for a few months — moved here from Los Angeles in the fall — and I’m still getting my footing. It’s week three of my ambassador work with Melissa Bender Fitness, though, and that’s been a strong guiding force.

Sometimes it’s all about doing the micro things, too. For example, yesterday I took a different train home from work; that allowed me an extra long walk back to our actual house. It’s a small thing, but it helps.

I like to think that through this weight loss/fitness/charity journey of mine I have become healthier, fitter, and definitely wiser. I work hard, workout harder, eat clean and treat my body as if it were the Taj Mahal. With that said, I am also hard on myself when I sometimes look in the mirror. It is as if I expect to already have achieved my goals, and for my appearance to reflect that lofty ambition.

The reality is this: I am not a before, nor I am I an after. I am a constant evolution of transition and change for the better, constantly growing, steadily shifting.  I am in a far better place than I was when I began this project in July 2013, but that does not mean I am going to look as fit as my role models, at least not yet. I am damn proud of how far I have come; I am just saying I am far from done. I hope this year to work hard and earn the fittest body I have had in years, with a little help from Melissa Bender Fitness.

Stats exist for us to know where we stand — and how far we would like to go. Sometimes statistics are a bitter pill to swallow. It depends on your perspective. I am finally out of the obese range according to the BMI chart.

What’s BMI?

BMI (Body Mass Index) is a measurement of body fat based on height and weight.

Here’s mine:

I am still in the overweight range.

I really did not need to calculate the test though, I follow my own test;  I call it the sit down test. If you sit down and look in the mirror and do not feel or look as fit as you do standing up, well there is your own personal body mass index and you have more work to do.

I consider this a positive, I was well in the range of obese when I began. My weight was 210 and my former BMI was 37.2.

I am in a far better place than I was then, and I should not expect myself to be as perfect as an athlete. I have big ambitions, and I will get to where I wish to be. This is just a healthy reminder where I stand and a reminder to keep my perspective and keep working harder than yesterday.

Love and Light

Namaste’

Good Morning — Happy Friday to all. I am excited to announce I bought a scale. My old one broke in our recent move from Los Angeles to the Bay Area — and it took me a while to replace it. I finally stepped on and I am the same weight, which means I got through my difficult transition from LA to San Francisco and the holidays without putting on any weight. I was terrified to step on that menacing glass contraption but I needed to face my fears and I am so happy I did. No weight gain after my last few months is a huge victory for me.

I am nowhere near finished, though. It has been a while since I dropped weight and I said I was going to focus on fitness and not the scale and I stick to that plan. However, I do need a way to measure. This is how I look at it, typically:

• My before weight — before I started this fitness plan and blog, etc. — was 210.
• My current weight is 165.
• My goal weight is 135.

I am very curvy, with muscular legs. I have a classic hourglass figure but I am only 5-3, so I feel 135 would be the perfect weight for my body type and height. I have problem spots I need to work on, and being a lower weight will help.

I am researching my next charity, and this time I am planning on doing an online raffle to raise money for a non-profit in my area. I am looking into ideas and touching base with the people who run the non-profits.

My brain feels a bit sleepy today; it is amazing how the sun feeds your energy. There is less sunlight here than in Los Angeles, and I really notice a difference in the way I feel first thing in the morning. The fog makes me want to stay in bed but instead I will conquer the day. It is Friday — a long day at work and a day off from my workout plan.

Back at the workout grind tomorrow on my Saturday off.

Have a wonderful Friday

Namaste’