Winter Health Impact

First question is, how does winter affect your overall health and well-being? Again, think energy levels, motivation, routines and mental health. Well, you really got to push yourself from not eating the wrong foods. Um, the first thing that comes to my mind about winter is a scarf, a fireplace on the TV because I don't have a fireplace, music. I always get a new coffee cup. I always get a new coffee cup because I think when you get a new coffee cup, this is one that I got while ago, but, and something that's about you, you know, like I like to cook something about you. That kind of pushes you that you're in a new direction and you have something at home that's fun. You look at the TV and there's a fireplace going on. You know, you put on a scarf, you feel warm for yourself. You can wear the scarf like just like in the video. The other thing is I make myself cook more. So I'll make like a big pot of vegetable soup or a cabbage soup, something that's healthy. I'll freeze it. I'll give some to my neighbors because they're older and you know, they don't really get out and cook that much. So it makes me feel really good. I don't bake. I'm not I'm not a baker, because I'm afraid I'll eat them before they're even down. So I don't really do that. But but I think winter to try to stay engaged. I try to like plan little things. I you know, I still swim, you know, in the winter months, I make sure I'm bundled. And you know, when I get out of the pool, I make sure I'm bundled so I don't say, Oh, I'm not going to go. It's so cold. I prepare myself to make sure that I can do both. And it makes my head feel better. And it makes me feel like I'm getting something done, too. So winter can be very challenging. If you feel like you're a bear, if you're hibernated, it'll it'll it will. And so you have to find little things that'll make you happy. Sometimes a friend might call and say, you know, I'm walking over in the snow and I'm like, you serious? Yeah. Like you live around the corner, you know? I mean, and one time I went out, it took me, I really couldn't clean my car for the snow. It was like difficult, but there's really no kids that walk around where I live. You know, a lot of people walking, but no young kids. So that, you know, used to walk around with snow shovel and shovel your car. But anyway, I would go out twice. And then I saw my neighbor take a broom and she wrapped a rag around it. I did the same thing. And I now can clean off my car, I might help a little bit. But I tell myself, you can do this, Jackie, you can do this. And I helped my neighbor. And I said, I can't shovel it's too too deep between the two cars. But at but at least our cars are clean. And I'll come out, maybe I'll do a little bit, but I'm gonna go inside and get warmed up. But then her son came over and because I helped her, he helped me and he showed both of us and I thanked him. So I took something that was icky and into a nice place. And that is my goal in life, is really to find something good in everything. you know, and we are going to have struggles and we are going to be sad that it's winter and we don't see our friends and we're not having that snowball, snowball stand, you know, just to try to change your psyche or say, you know, when the winter that's when I'm cleaning my windows, like, and that's an exercise, you know? So I think it's really, really important to really get deep in and try to leave the negative, work through the negative Because you are, you do have it, everybody has it, but you can work through it to get through the winter. Brilliant, okay. Second question, what do you find most challenging about looking after your health during winter? And this could include the cold weather, fewer daylight hours or changes in activities or habits. What's the most challenging? The most challenging, honestly, when it snows is getting to a doctor's appointment. Like, I remember I had a dentist appointment. I go to the dentist, especially with my health, I go every four months. And sometimes they'll say to me, Jackie, you know what, come the fifth month. I do a perio and two dentals. So anyway, if you don't stay in that routine, it totally throws you off. You have to reschedule everything. And in the winter months is one of the months that I have to go. So if it's snowing, I have to reschedule it. And then I'm hard on myself because it takes a while to get in back to the dentist for just a normal clean. You know how that is. And then, you know, so I'm on the phone. I have to redirect everybody, cancel the appointment and then go back. But instead of getting really like angry, like, oh God, this daggone weather. I just say, this is what it was supposed to be. You know, I'm really, that's like a new phrase for me. You know, this is what it's meant to be. If I can't get to the doctor and I'm sick, he'll do a telemedicine, now all that's so popular, you know, in the past so many years. So there is ways, there's some ways you can't, and there's some ways you can. I can't get to the club if it's snowing. You know, I'm not gonna go out if it's a bad snow. So I have to do something in my house. So I did buy an exercise bike, you know, and I asked for assistance on how to buy one. And, you know, I just bought one that was in our dollars. It's like a little over a hundred dollars. I didn't need no big Peloton, cause I'm not going to do it. And I get on the bike. So I've helped myself to like, I don't have a workout room, but I have a little spot that I can go there and ride the bike, you know? And that helps me. It helps me, or I walk the hallways. So, but this is all new and it's all new, honestly, from being with a good physician to have you have a healthy life. In the old days, it was very hard. You know, you're obese, you're this, you know, blah, blah. It's not like that now. You don't walk in a doctor's office and they say you're fat. You know, it's not like that. They don't say, oh, you need an ultrasound, but you have a lot of stomach, it's gonna be hard to get it. They don't say that now, you know? And so a lot of people are challenged by going. So it's the excuse if you can't go in the winter, right? Oh, I have to cancel my appointment. But you still have to stay on track. Just stay on track.