The plan was to go to the gym at 5:45am for my spin class. The alarm went off at 4:30am, I snoozed it till 5:15am at which time the other alarm went off. At that point it was an easy excuse for me to not go to spin because I would have had to have left by then...BUT there was hope still...there was another class at 9:15am. I could go to that and go to the train station from the gym..perfect...no need to feel guilty. This was at 6:00am.

Wrong.

I decided to catch up on email since I was going to be in the city all day networking...hmm...well at 8:15am I still hadn't eaten, nor packed if I was going to get ready at the gym and had to leave by 8:30 if I was going to make it. Self-sabotaging behavior...absolutely. Exercise is my achilles heal.

CHOICES: Get up at 4:30 to go to the gym or sleep in and throw my routine off kilter.
MY CHOICE: Not getting up at 4:30am and doing email which I "knew" would make me miss my spin class. I could have done my email on the train since I have a Blackberry. That was kind of the point in getting one in the first place.

I make it into NYC and decide to make up for my behavior. So I walked from Penn Station to 47th & Lexington about 1.5 miles. Not bad. It's not a spin class, but at least it was something.

CHOICES: Use the weather as an excuse to take a cab or walking.
MY CHOICE: Not using the weather as an excuse. An excuse is an excuse. Ladies keep a packet of Clean & Clears Oil Absorbing Sheets if you want to do this.

At the restaurant after networking we are presented with lunch. I have eaten here before so had an idea of what to expect. However, part of the problem was - remember the choice that I made to do my email instead of going to the gym - well that choice also prevented me from eating breakfast. So by the time lunch rolled around I was famished. not a good state to be in. Because I allowed myself to be famished, I reached for the white bread and butter. I had an onion soup which had a lot of salt followed by a vegetarian lasagna (I was smart enough not to eat the meat dish - kudos to me) followed by chocolate bread pudding cake. Healthy...umm...no. But I'm human.

CHOICES: Prepare for the gym or do email.
MY CHOICE: To do my email instead of preparing for going to the gym at 6:00am which set me back in so many ways.

After the event I again walked. This time to Times Square to catch up on some work. When I'm out and about I have noticed that I have a tendency of drinking a lot of lattes. I don't know why. I normally don't drink coffee or lattes. It's like a social standard or something...haven't figured it out yet. I was proud of myself though...I didn't do it. I didn't drink a single latte while in the city.

CHOICES: Continue to eat poorly or recognize a pattern and break it.
MY CHOICE: No lattes.

I had a 6:00pm dinner meeting at Green Symphony in Times Square. It was more of a healthy deli than a restaurant. I love to eat. You wouldn't be able to tell by looking at me. However, after lunch I wasn't very hungry. I have recognized a pattern in myself that I stop listening to what my body is saying when I'm not home or in familiar territory. This time I chose to listen and I ate something very small. Got water and called it a day with eating.

CHOICES: Continue to eat poorly or recognize a pattern and break it.
MY CHOICE: To eat only what I needed so I wouldn't need to eat past 7:00pm.

So all in all this was a decent day for being out and a about in the city. I could have made better choices but I'm not going to beat myself up over it. The important thing is that I recognize what I did, and what I could have one better. Next time we will see how well I do.

As you read this though, one thing to always keep in mind is that health isn't only about what you eat. It is also about how you react to a situation. I can easily wallow in despair that I made some poor choices...but I am CHOOSING not to.

MY CHOICE: Recognize why I chose certain actions and the consequences.