Every couple weeks, my company hosts an informative workshop on Internet marketing, which is great and all, but there IS a downside. “What, pray tell, might that be?” you wonder.

Cookies. Yes, that’s right. Workshop cookies. Gooey, chocolatey, chewy, or sometimes stale (depending on where they came from, though that’s never stopped anyone in the office from consuming them) workshop cookies. Unfortunately for me, these workshop cookies often turn into workshop snack, which turn into workshop calories, which ultimately turn into workshop love handles.

It doesn’t help that my coworker heated up this delicious meat-loaf smelling frozen dinner, or that my spiced (albeit healthy) lamb and vegetable lunch turned out rather boring, or that my lotion smells like a donut shop.

But each time I walk past that counter, it takes a lot of willpower for me NOT to rip into that plastic container to consume one of the chewy fudgey chocolate ones, which, by the way, are my favorite kind.

Because I was out of the house so often last week, I wasn’t that strict about my meal choices, but I did try to stick to the healthy side of the spectrum. So this week I’ve set a goal to plan every meal from now until Sunday when I leave for San Jose. When I meet that goal, my reward will be this Omron Pedometer. Granted I don’t really need one, but it’s a gadget and I love gadgets. Not only that, it comes with software that tracks your progress and I love that even more.

Anyone who says the reward for a healthy lifestyle shouldn’t be material things, but the satisfaction of doing something good for their body, is high off their reusable hemp grocery bags and alfalfa sprouts.

I won’t lie, I LIKE COOL GADGETS.