Every day after work I get to make a choice: I can take the elevator up to the fourth floor of the parking garage, or I can take the stairs. Some days, I’m too tired or my knees hurt or my computer bag just feels too damn heavy and I decide to take the elevator. Other days, like today, there are too many people waiting for the elevator and my Fear of Crowds overcomes any fatigue, and I make the climb to the fourth floor. Some days, like yesterday, I tell myself it’ll be healthier to take the stairs and that’s what I do.
Either way, I’m happy with my choice. Yes, sometimes I feel guilty riding the elevator, but it’s the choice I’ve made, and I think that makes all the difference.
Every day we’re given opportunities to be a little healthier. This sounds like complete self-help schlock, and it partly is. But I think the important first step isn’t to make the right choice. It’s to realize those choices exist and to be conscious of them. When you drive into a parking lot, you can choose to park close to the store or farther away. When you’re going to get a snack from the machine, you can choose a Twix (oh, delicious Twix!) or a dinky bag of mixed nuts (or you can go ahead and stick with your plan of eating the apple you brought from home). Or, when we’re walking in to work, we can choose to take the stairs.
So as we embark on this journey together, let’s try to remember to be mindful. Honestly. The first step in making healthier choices is being aware those choices exist.