Reality Check and Taking Action

We all need a reality check sometimes, and that can result in taking action. I got one of those reality checks last week when I went to the doctor. After having my temperature checked twice (just in case it spiked from my brief walk down the hallway), I was asked to step on the scale. Everyone’s favorite step.

I wasn’t worried. Even with all the talk about the “Covid-15,” which is another unexpected consequence of the pandemic and a reference to the significant weight gain many of us experienced, I felt pretty safe. After all, even though I was stuck at home for over 3 months I felt like I was still getting enough exercise and watching my diet. More or less.

Before I stepped on the scale I asked the nurse if I should take my shoes off. She replied, “It’s totally up to you.” I shrugged and stood on the scale and watched the numbers come up. Uh-oh. Maybe I should have taken my shoes off after all.

Oh, it wasn’t that bad, but that number made me realize that I wasn’t paying attention to myself as much as I thought I was. Maybe that’s why I’ve been so tired lately and feeling sluggish and out of sorts. Which is a nice way of saying I was cranky. But it was time to face the reality that if I didn’t take action now, I could have a much bigger problem later on. Been there before, and didn’t want to go there again.

The next day I wrote out an action plan. Nothing drastic, just a few small, simple changes that I could make to help get back on track. I set a few goals that wouldn’t overwhelm me and I felt were easily achievable with a little bit of focus. My plan was to add a few changes every week for the next 6 weeks and see what happens. Here’s what I came up with for the first week.

Week One:

1). Drink more water.

2). Eat more veggies.

3). Give up chocolate.

I told you I was keeping it simple. The point is, if we try to make too many changes all at once or set goals that are too difficult to achieve, we run the risk of going over the cliff. Our nervous system is wired to embrace small changes and make them lifelong patterns. It’s something to keep in mind, just in case you have to deal with the “Covid-15.” Or any other lifestyle change you’d like to make.

Let me know if you need any help or advice. After all, I’ve been there, done that. And taking action is so much better than burying your head in the sand. Besides, we can all use a reality check every so often.