Starting fresh with a new year means different things to different of people: mental, emotional, and physical changes are all common New Year’s Resolutions. Perhaps your goal is to become more organized, to eliminate trigger foods from your cabinets, or to keep in closer touch with your friends and family.Whatever your plans, this New Year season is an excellent time to make sure all of your health and wellness i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed. The following is a list of health care checks, relating specifically to bariatric patients, that will ensure you move forward feeling healthy, happy, and on track to your goals:
Maintain your follow up appointments: At WeightWise, our doctors, physician extenders, dietitians, and exercise physiologists are 100% invested in your success and want to help make it as easy as possible for you to maintain your follow-up. However, ultimately, it is up to you to schedule times that work and get yourself to your appointments. Keep in mind that, even when your weight loss is going well and you are feeling in tip-top shape, meeting with your doctor to discuss options is essential to tracking your progress and keeping you on the path to continued wellness. According to recent research, making healthy choices now can shape the wellness of future generations, so if you don’t do it for you, do it for your children and grandchildren.
Join that support group: As patients who have gone through our program will tell you, nothing can compare with sharing your experiences with people who understand what you’re going through. Our support groups provide a safe space for you to discuss your struggles and support/ be supported by individuals who share your bariatric-related experiences. Take this year by the horns and begin attending a meeting regularly.
Find find the perfect fitness “un-routine”: Human beings naturally seek out variety. If your fitness routine has gone stale, or if (ahem) you don’t yet have a regular commitment to exercise, now is the ideal time to find a way that you love to break a sweat, and stick to it. Bonus: find a buddy who loves to do it too and schedule exercise sessions for two!
Seek out real, positive support: If the dawn of a new year reminds us of anything, it’s that life is short, too short to be spent with people who don’t love and appreciate us unconditionally (which can include some loving criticism from time-to-time). Evaluate the people closest to you and consider how you feel around each one. Appreciated and able to grow? Frustrated and hurt? Consider “firing” the nay-sayers, or at least limiting your contact with them, while increasing your time with the folks that bring you joy.