Celebrating the Small Stuff

After last post's abysmal showing, it seems fitting that my biweekly update on my progress to looking more like Angelina Jolie and less like an inflated brunette. It's a time when all of us are reevaluating our goals, big pictures and, yes, eating habits.

I'm forced to examine my goals and resolutions in relation to the process that I've been undertaking for a few months now. In the big picture, I want to look and feel as confident as a Victoria's Secret Angel. But as with many things, I've come to realize that the big, sweeping goal of "I want to be as sculpted as Heidi Klum" can be achieved only through smaller steps.

In fact, life coaches, dietitians and trainers all agree that in order to stick with it, you've got to celebrate the small accomplishments. So instead of bingeing my way into a sloth-inducing whirlpool, I'm taking stock of my hits and misses in my battle against the muffin top and other excess flab.

I've slashed my overall caloric intake. In addition to drinking loads more water, I've gotten my daily calories to about 1,800 a day. And it's all thanks to that handy-dandy BodyMedia FIT Armband BW machine I've been sporting. It tells me exactly what I'm eating. What's more important than that number is that fact that they are more balanced across food groups. (Sorry, beautiful white carbs, I still love you!) I eat at least two pieces of whole fruit daily in addition to a green juice for breakfast.

My hair is shinier. You may think that's a vapid answer to tell you how I'm on the road to a better me, but celeb hair stylist James Corbett once told me that your hair reflects your health. When you are getting the right amount of good vitamins, so is your mane, and it looks more lustrous.

I'm stronger. I may have some more to love, but I've also got a significant amount of muscle. How do I know? I can maintain an alignment-correct plank position for a full minute, three times in a row. Watch out counterintelligent spies, here I come.

I've added at-home cardio workouts to my weekly routine. I loved that "Bollywood Burn" video so much, I got a new one by the same trainer. "Hemalayaa: Bollywood Party Workout" gets played twice a week, and I feel great after a little dance party by myself.

I'm dealing with my urge to binge. I'm a binger by nature, but since my last post, I've been curbing the call of calories with a five-minute stretch on my foam roller. Any time I feel badly about myself, I simply remind my little old bod that powering up on everything in sight won't make me feel any better. And I get on my foam roller. I stretch out my hips, roll over my abs, and just generally lie there and feel better. It's an insta body boost that's helped a ton. If that doesn't completely curb the urge, I have a cup of green tea after. It sounds crazy, but it works.