Setting Winter Wellness Goals

Do you set yourself any personal goals for your health during winter? Yeah, I'm still, even though it's been a while since I had the bariatric surgery, since the bariatric surgery I had the hip and the knee replacements and some other health issues. So I really, in the fall and the winter, I really like to cook, you know, baked bread and pies and stew and chili. So I really have to be mindful when, you know, like get the urge to make a loaf of bread that I don't sit down and eat the loaf of bread, you know. But I really like to cook in the cold weather months. So I try to be very mindful and find things that, you know, fit my bariatric dietary needs. And I know I have friends who are Jewish who keep kosher, so when they come over, I, you know, accommodate their needs. I have another friend who's vegan, hence the vegan cookies. But I love to cook, and it keeps me connected, too, to my neighbors. But I really have to watch what I eat, because I'm a good cook. And it's very tempting to sit here and just, you know, eat all that stuff. Because I don't anticipate not really losing any weight over the winter. I just don't want to gain weight over the winter. And if you could give someone advice about staying healthy in winter, what would you tell them? Watch your diet, stay hydrated, and get as much activity as you can, indoors or out. And what could health care providers do differently to better support people during winter? Oh, geez. I can't even think of anything because I mean, I have some really good health care providers had by the same primary care doctor for 27 years now. So we have really good communication. I think maybe she's an exception to the rule, but keeping an open line of communication, I think, for physicians with your patients and just educating them. Like I said, my primary care physician, she's close to my age and we're on a first name basis. We know each other very well. So sometimes she'll just email me, what's up? I haven't talked to you for a couple of months, what's going on? I don't know too many doctors that would do that, but she stays very much in communication with me. I can email her anytime and get an answer to a question or whatever I need to do. So I think the communication between doctors and patients is probably the most important thing that they can do to keep open lines of communications with their patients.