Making better choices

Today started at a bit slower pace, which was nice for the weekend. I spent most of the morning processing the last of the online registration forms for the Trim to Win challenge. The online registration is now over, with tomorrow being the final day to weigh in. There are still several who registered who have yet to weigh in, so if you’re one of them, time is running out! Get over to the AT&T Sports Center before 5pm Sunday or you lose out on the chance to win the prize!

Breakfast was the usual scrambled eggs with coffee, lunch I had a nice chef salad with light dressing, and dinner was a wonderful egg fu young without the sauce. Water, coffee and water are my beverages of choice. I’ve started adding a bit of lemon juice to my water on occasion, just to shake things up a bit.

After watching my beloved Seahawks lose handily to the Packers, I changed into my workout clothes and headed to the AT&T Sports Center to meet up with trainer Bill. I pulled into the parking lot and found the parking lot full of people. Lights were flashing inside the building and the alarm was blaring.

I found Dana, the marketing manager of the center, standing in the midst of the crowd. The fire alarm had gone off and the building evacuated. She informed me they were pretty sure it was a false alarm, but had to wait for the fire department to clear the building. She also told me trainer Bill had already gone home.

Now, the old me would have crawled back into my car and headed home for the comfort and warmth of my recliner, especially on a cold day like today. I would have taken this as a sign from above that I shouldn’t work out today. After all, trainer Bill wasn’t there, so why should I stay?

The new me patiently waited (in the warmth of my running car) until the building had been declared safe to return. It was only about a 15 minute wait, not bad at all.

I walked around the track a couple of times to warm up, then headed to the cardio room. I spent 15 minutes on the treadmill, then headed to the weight room for some strength training. I used the same Nautilus equipment trainer Bill had me using yesterday, but I added 5 reps to each machine and did the circuit twice. After the weights, I headed back to cardio and jumped on the recumbent bike for a 20 minute ride, and finished up with some stretches to cool down. Total gym time was a little more than an hour.

As I drove home I thought a lot about choices we make in our day-to-day life. I could have chosen not to work out over the weekend. I could have chosen to go home when I found the gym closed from evacuation. I could have chosen not to stick to my diet.

I now choose to live a healthier life.

Here’s to making healthy choices!