We’d like to think we can push through the roadblocks that hit us in life and stay with our weight-loss efforts in spite of them.
But sometimes, it’s just not realistic and we need to allow ourselves a Grace Period. I’ve been reminded of that myself during the past month.
A few weeks ago, I felt very tired and had a strange fluttering in my chest. After taking my first ever ride in an ambulance, I spent most of the day in the emergency room.
It turns out my heart was in Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib) which means having an extremely fast heart beat. It took a couple doses of strong medication to bring my heart rate back to normal. Then I was sent home with a couple of new medications that I will probably be taking the rest of my life.
I’m doing great since than and the meds are working. But I absolutely needed a grace period this past month. My eating patterns slid back into old habits and cookies became my friend again.
I battled fear and anxiety about my health and struggled with feeling lost and vulnerable. Even though my cardiologist said it was fine to exercise, I was afraid to get back on my treadmill.
Fortunately, I’m doing a lot better with managing all of this, and I’ve moved from my Grace Period to my “Working on it” period again. I’m also back on my treadmill and doing my exercise again.
Needing a Grace Period?
Have you needed a Grace Period recently? A Grace Period doesn’t mean you throw away healthy eating and give up on exercise. You still need to pay attention to those things. But it’s also a time to focus on minimizing the damage or taking walks that last only ten minutes.
Remember that a Grace Period simply allows you to be forgiving when you aren’t perfect or you slip back into eating cookies. When it’s time to move out of the Grace Period, you’ll recognize it. At that point, you’ll be ready to return to a healthy path and moving forward again.