Make A Choice

Life is full of decisions.  From trivial day-to-day decisions about what to wear, food choices, taking a different route to work, going out for drinks in lieu of a workout; to life's big choices about careers and marriage.  We all make choices that impact our life in one way or another.

Recently I have been taking some time to reflect on this theory.  How do my choices add up?  Did my decision to skip a workout and watch TV really affect my life that much?  What about when one skipped workout turns into two?  Three?  A week?

I've determined that I live my life in large increments.  Months just fly by, years too.  I don't pay attention to the moment as much as I should.  I find myself wondering where the time went.  How is it the end of September 2010 already?  Didn't I just graduate from college?  Yeah - over three years ago.  What have I been doing all this time?

The more I focus on living in the moment, the more I realize that every single choice I make COUNTS.  One small step at a time.  But add all those small steps together and it becomes a reality.  Good or bad, it's your choice.  Opportunities are thrown at us all day long, but it's up to us to act on them.

I tend to think about this theory mostly when it comes to healthy choices.  Yes, a large glass of Pinot Grigio and some dark chocolate is a delicious end to a meal but do I need it?  If the answer truly is "yes", then I have it.  I ENJOY it.  But it won't be a daily habit.  That's not going to help anyone, especially if you are trying to lose weight.

I don't talk about weight loss much on my blog, but today I will.  It's all about the way you look at it.  I hear a lot of successful "losers" say they lost the weight by making a decision to do so.  It's not an easy flip of a switch.  It will be a constant battle, each day.  But if you look at the big picture, it's easy to see why people give up.  It's too daunting.

I have a suggestion; how about we go through life one step at a time?  One choice (good or bad) at a time.  Want to drink a white chocolate mocha with your breakfast bagel?  Good, have at it.  But don't forget about it.  Drank too much last night?  Fine, just be aware that it happened.  Skipped a workout?  Hop back on that treadmill tomorrow with more energy.

I don't preach about perfection.  What kind of life would that be?  I'm just saying that every single thing that goes into our mouth IS A DECISION.  Did that spinach salad voluntarily jump down your throat?  Probably not.  But I hear so many people talk about how a piece of cheesecake seems to have that effect.  You have the power to make your own decisions.  Do it. Own it.

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Enough serious talk, let's get to the food.  That's why you're here right??  Unless you like my random ramblings.  Also, please let me know if there is anything you want to see a post on.  I'm always open to suggestions.

Anyway - dinner last night was simple.  Dave was stuck at work late and I didn't want to cook.  So I channeled my inner hungry hippie and make a delicious sandwich.  You've seen me make this combination before (if it's not broke...) but I will show you again.

Rudi's organic whole wheat bread, 1/4 avocado, wedge of LC cheese, 3 Nate's italian meatless meatballs and organic baby spinach.  Snap peas on the side for crunch.

This morning I had some time to sleep in and prepare a hot breakfast.  I'm not a fan of Fridays but I do love being able to sleep in past 5 am every now and then.  ;-)  So I put together some real stove-top oatmeal for a comforting start to my day.

Base:

• 1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal cooked in 1 cup water
• sprinkle of salt
• 2 T oat bran
• 1 T flaxseed
• 1 T chia seeds
• 1 T pure maple syrup
• dash of cinnamon

 

Toppings:

• sliced banana
• scoop of Sunbutter w/roasted flaxseeds

It was a good decision.