It was a little before 6:00 AM when Hazel and I finished our walk and came around the corner…

Only to find two strange men standing in front of the private owners’ entrance into The Grove Hotel. (I own and live in a condo at the top of the hotel.)

Stopping dead in my tracks, I studied them.

Their clothes were ratty. They were dirty.

Not a crime, but they were also arguing, and looked fidgety and anxious, almost like they were on some kind of drug.

Unsettled, Hazel and I watched them for quite a while. When they didn’t move on, we began to walk toward them…

And then Hazel suddenly let out a slow, low growl…the one she uses when she’s on alert.

Trusting my dog’s instincts, we continued right past the guys and around the corner, where I entered the hotel lobby.

The first employee I saw was one of the valets (a young guy who looked about eighteen).

“Hey, Collin, is Parker here?” I asked him. (Parker is the hotel’s head of security.)

“He’s doing his last 360,” Collin replied (which means Parker was doing one last, full sweep of the hotel before the shift change).

“Okay, well, there’s a couple of shady dudes standing right in front of the condo entrance into The Grove,” I explained. “Would you escort me to my condo?” I asked him. (Yeah, he was young, but still a man.)

“Oh, Cristy, I’m not too worried about you,” he teased, and shadow-boxed (a reference to the fact I was a professional boxer for eight years).

I smiled patiently. “I know, but they’re blocking the entrance, and I’m not trying to be a hero today.”

“Okay, sure,” he agreed, stepping out from behind the valet podium.

We walked outside and back around the corner to the condo entrance…

And the two men were gone.

(Whew. So much for that.)

Reading this, you may be thinking, “But Cristy, how did you know for SURE those guys were dangerous?”

The reality is, I didn’t “know.”

But Hazel growled at them, and I trust her instincts more than any human’s.

More importantly, what if they WERE dangerous?

What if they were drunk or on drugs, or riled up for some other reason (they were arguing, after all), and asking them to move set them off?

A lot of women are so worried about “being nice” that they’re too trusting of suspicious males. It’s understandable but NOT street smart.

“But Cristy, you were a fighter!”

Yes, I was…and that was a long time ago.

It’s true I don’t constantly worry about my personal safety the way most women do…

But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna intentionally put myself in harm’s way (or potential harm’s way), either.

See, despite what you see in movies and TV shows…where some tiny, “badass” woman is beating up muscular 6’4″ guys…

Actually fighting someone in real life is a LOT different than the movies make it out to be…

Especially if you’re a woman fighting one man, much less two. It’s a lot harder (and more dangerous) than you think. (I speak from experience…plus, in my late teens, I was with a guy who physically abused me.)

In practical self-defense classes, you’re taught that the best way to avoid a fight is to not be there…

Which is what I chose to do today. I avoided the possibility of getting attacked by not being there.

It’s called situational awareness, and it means paying attention to your surroundings and controlling what YOU can control…like whether you cross the street when an unfamiliar man comes toward you.

When it comes to avoiding temptation on your weight loss (or even maintenance) journey, same deal. The best way to avoid temptation is to not be around it, by controlling what YOU can control.

For example, if you’re exhausted after a long day at work, margarita Mondays probably isn’t the best choice, even if you’re planning to just drink water and chat.

You may intend to stay on track…you may be capable of staying on track (just like I’m capable of fighting)…but is going out with the girls when you’re exhausted and stressed REALLY setting yourself up for success?

I know you can’t hide from the world forever when you’re on a weight loss journey, any more than a recovering alcoholic can hide from every drop of alcohol forever.

What I’m saying is: Be honest with yourself about how likely you are to go off the rails, and act accordingly.

Keep the junk food out of your house as much as possible (or tell your family to hide it).

Steer clear of tempting situations as much as possible (either don’t go to the party, or stand as far away from the food as you can get).

The best way to avoid being tempted is not to be there.