From Sam Page:  Do you know the difference between making a choice vs. making a decision? I’ve learned that language choices have a big impact on our lives!  I asked Dr. Justin Wyatt, my friend and client, to explore and share his personal discovery.

Coach Sam asked me to contemplate the difference between decisions and choices in light of my failure to workout last Wednesday.  He posed the question as if any functioning human being would immediately understand the distinction between the terms, apply them sensibly to the current situation, and extrapolate to future events in a knowing and enlightened fashion.

To be truthful, I thought they were more or less the same — perhaps with the caveat that decision-making leads to choice (although, I feel really that you could just as easily say that choice-making leads to a decision).

My hunt through the online research archives reveals that there are, in fact, key differences between “decision” and “choice.”  According to one social-science way of thinking, “choice” is a positive framework, where we are actively choosing between various alternatives.  ”Decision” is an end point — there are no longer alternatives facing us, we’ve made and settled on a decision.  So, to recap, when we analyze situations as “choices” to be made, we’re empowering and seeing all the alternatives in front of us.  When we look at a decision, it’s basically “the end of the line.” We have to live with the decision and soldier on.

In reflecting on Sam’s question, I now see that this distinction is helpful, but it’s a little perplexing too.  For instance, consider the classic William Styron novel and Meryl Streep melodrama, Sophie’s Choice.  (spoiler alert: I’m going to talk about her choice)  In the most chilling memory recounted in the story, Sophie recalls her arrival at Auschwitz when she was forced to choose which one of her two children would be gassed and which would go to the labor camp.  I’m kind of thinking that Styron should have called his book, Sophie’s Decision, since her choice, willful and active, hardly seems like it would yield joy and enlightenment.  But, hold on — that’s just a surface reading.  Remembering the full story: if Sophie did not choose one of her children, both would be killed.  So, ultimately, Sophie’s choice, even though it was heart-breaking, saved one of her children. Choice still wins out—even in a very adverse situation.

Back to last Wednesday night. When I arrived at my car and saw my gym bag, I could have chosen to go upstairs to the gym and workout — or go home and enjoy a nourishing meal.  You’re probably saying, ‘Couldn’t you have worked out, and then had dinner?’  That’s probably true.  So, a more accurate assessment of the situation is really: “workout” or “no workout.”

As you might have guessed from the start of this story, I didn’t choose to workout.  Does this matter?  Does my choice have an impact?  I think the answer must be separated into the short run vs. long run.  In the short run, I was perfectly happy to veg out watching reality TV, eat a delicious dinner (hamburger pasta!) and be slothful.  This has been my comfort zone for most of my adult life.  It’s definitely generational: I had watched my own father come home and rest after work, with activity at a virtual standstill.  While I’m not a clone of my dad, I certainly realize that I see non-work hours as a reward for working, and a reward that has slid into laziness and bad habits.

I’m learning that the long term consequences of these actions may be huge. As Dr. Brett Dolezal commented on Rosie’s O’Donnell’s recent heart attack, “Poor lifestyle choices and habits increase ones risk of these cardiac events. Like she stated, she’s lucky to have survived this.”

Am I chained by poor lifestyle choices: inadequate exercise, indulgent diet, unchecked stress/anxiety?  I certainly have been, but with guidance and effort, I’ve been able to make some positive changes. Last Wednesday night reminded me that the struggle is ongoing.  And that the comfortable choice is not always the best choice — especially in the long run.  My goal is to keep the long run firmly in focus and not be tempted by the pleasures of short term relaxation and non-exercise.  I’m hoping that through my training and nutrition changes, I’ll be able to create a road ahead for many years that truly reflects my joy and enthusiasm for the gifts that every day gives me.  Now that’s a choice for change I can embrace!

Dr. Justin Wyatt is Vice President, Primary Research for NBCUniversal. He is a specialist in qualitative and quantitative media research, and has worked on the client side (ABC TV Network) and supplier side (Frank N. Magid Associates, Hypothesis Group) of the media research business. Prior to 2001, Wyatt was a tenured professor of Media Arts at the University of Arizona. He is the author of High Concept: Movies and Marketing in Hollywood and co-editor of American Independent Cinema: From the Margins to the Mainstream.

It came from behind me, unexpectedly, about five feet away. Surprised but not startled, I pop above water to alert the members of my diving group to the presence of the meter-long creature, at once both stunning and exhilirating.

It’s my second shark sighting of the day.

Doing the “right thing” can seem impossible when it comes to health and nutrition. If you’re pressed for time, here are a few ideas that work.

You’re supposed to do 30 minutes of cardio, five times per week.

The shortcut: Take three 10-minute walks every day. Little bursts of exercise will do the same job. You could climb the stairs of your office building, walk to your favorite lunch destination (each way, 10 minutes = 20 minutes of activity) or take a co-workers dog for a walk.

You’re supposed to eat breakfast every morning.

The shortcut is to have a quick, but healthy “fast” —yet balanced—breakfast. A protein bar is a good choice. I like KIND bars (the all-nut ones are a great morning breakfast on-the-go), and they don’t contain any gluten. I also love the High Protein Almond Brownie by Balance Bar. Unlike competing bars, it has a sweet, chocolately bite with a nutty aftertaste. And it doesn’t taste like chemicals or preservatives, while packing in an impressive 14 grams of protein and only 6 grams of fat.

AT AGE 16, I WAS LAZY—AND FAT. Naturally, then, when I had to choose between “Men’s Powerlifting” and “Body Mind and Spirit” during my junior year of high school, I chose the second.

And it really was PERFECT: I’d read a little from THE TAO, do a little TAI CHI, and of course: meditate, usually with this image of Val Kilmer in Top Gun stuck in my head. Guess what?

A few months later, I was training for admission to West Point.

The importance of visualization and breathing is underrepresented in fitness, but in meditation—it’s paramount. I’ve seen it first hand, training thousands of hours with clients in private sessions. But I’ve experienced it while “butchering” an aria on an audition for the LA Opera, and as an Army cadet: running the muddy fields of Fort Lewis (with a 40-pound ruck on my back)

“It’s not enough to work out and eat right. To make a lasting change, you need to reach inside, connect your mind with your body, and a future vision of who you are becoming.”

This image of Mark Wahlberg is what I chose as “my future self” back in 1997 after moving to L.A. I ‘photoshopped’ my head on Mark’s body, and printed dozens of stickers, putting them everywhere, even on the back of my license.

You don’t have to join the Army, audition for the opera, or pay a trainer to make this connection. You can start with meditation. Be ready to answer this question: what does YOUR “future self” look like?

Nominations for the fourth annual Shorty Awards are underway, and I’ve been nominated for the #SocialFitness Shorty Award, via myTwitter handle: @SamPageLA.    The Shorty Awards honor the best people and organizations on Twitter and social media. Winners are announced at a live ceremony in New York at the end of March. The #SocialFitness Shorty award, sponsored in partnership with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield’s Health. Join In., honors those who help others make healthy choices  through their influence on social media through things like healthful recipes, safe weight-loss strategies, and exercise tips.

To vote you need a Twitter account. It’s super easy to vote, just Tweet something like…

“I nominate @SamPageLA for a Shorty Award in #socialfitness because (you pick the reason)”

Or go to  www.shortyawards.com/SamPageLA and fill out the online form.

Thanks for your vote and your support!