Brrrr. It's cold. It's dreary. Let's go grab some hot cocoa with extra whipped cream.

Or not.

It's super easy to get diverted from our fitness and healthy eating goals when it's cold and you just want some comfort food. Mac 'n Cheese anyone?

Our neighbors at Brigham and Women's Hospital have a very informative health blog that outlines simple ways you can control your eating and optimize food choices for your healthiest winter.

Some tips:

Dominic Taabazuing is a medical laboratory technician at BIDMC.  But just a few years ago he was a high school student wondering what his future might hold.

Thanks to the Boston Private Industry Council (Boston PIC), the City’s Workforce Development Board and its school to career intermediary, Dominic joined Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) as part of the PIC’s summer jobs program for Boston high school students. After his internship, he was hired into a part-time entry-level role in the hospital’s Nutrition and Food Service Department. 

In December, the Boston Globe ran a wonderful feature on the Longwood Medical and Academic Area focusing on all things "hospital." While the hospitals are definitely a huge part of the LMA, our prestigious schools, colleges and universities are important anchors in our community as well as the renowned Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the largest reform temple in Massachusetts, Temple Israel. 

Research shows that reading to your baby, even preemies in the NICU, is essential to healthy brain development and reading skills.

MASCO member Brigham and Women's Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine has started a program in its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to ensure their littlest patients are read to every single day.

Arina Jean-Chaplin from Boston Children's Hospital recently shared her commute to the LMA with the City of Boston's Chief of Streets Chris Osgood.

See her daily commute here:  http://tiny.cc/nnd94x

Thank you Arina for participating in this great series and for all your hard work you do on behalf of Boston Children's Hospital Commuter Services Office!

The LMA-wide Emergency Preparedness and Security Committees meet regularly to share information, assess vulnerabilities in the area and stay prepared for whatever may occur. 

This month's combined meeting will focus on a Boston Area Threat Assessment and Anti-Terrorism and Cyber Security.

With more than 110,000 people hustling and bustling through the LMA on any given weekday, the need for clear street signs and well-defined crosswalks is more important than ever.

This summer MASCO partnered with Brigham and Women's Hospital to improve the busy intersection at Francis and Binney Streets. With heavy pedestrian volume at the Service Center garage and significant shuttle traffic at the intersection, 4-way STOP signs were installed as well as "STOP AHEAD" street signs and "STOP" street markings. 

After days of rain and gale force winds, parts of the Longwood Medical Area are under water, cellular service is non-existent, hospitals are running on generators and supplies are at an all-time low. College dormitories have been evacuated and the MBTA is not running.

Next week, Mass Art will host "Above the Fold" - the third biennial juried alumni exhibition.

Did you know that Massachusetts is the fourth friendliest state to bikes in all of the US?

See rankings here.