LiveWell Vermont

How often are you spending your time doing what you think you should be doing instead of what you deeply want to be doing? How often do you say to yourself… “I don’t have enough time.” “I have too much on my plate.” “I can’t focus.” It’s time to stop this madness. Here’s a five-step process for abolishing distractions so you can focus on the work you’re meant to be doing: Step One: Pick Two Priorities 1. Make a list of all the ways you are spending your time. 2. Decide which priority is the most important. 3. Decide which priority is the second most important. Step Two: Commit to Two Priorities for a Month For the next month, let’s try an experiment. Let’s commit to working on only two priorities to see what happens. (I promise you’ll become more focused, energized, and productive.) Ready to become your most productive self? Ok, good. Have you picked your top two priorities? Great. Now, reduce all your other priorities to: A) the absolute minimum if they are things you’ve already commi

Did you set a New Year's resolution this past January? Have you found your back to your old habits? Perhaps you wanted to lose weight or exercise more? Did your motivation stop sometime around Valentine’s Day? Why not start over now? Today is as good a time as any. With March being National Nutrition month, how about beginning with small changes in your dietary habits?How can you "re-shape" your plate? Spring is a great time for a fresh start - regardless of your goals... Would you like to go to a farmer’s market or plant a garden? Find a farmer’s market near you and set a date and go, or buy some seeds and get the soil ready. Do you want to get more physical activity? Start by walking around the block three times a week. Does your fruit and vegetable intake need improving? Fresh, canned, dried or frozen are all good choices. To remove 40% of the sodium, drain and rinse canned vegetables for 60 seconds or buy no salt-added versions. Set goals for yourself until you

Fruits and Vegetables     Add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend eating five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Slice up an apple and add it to your oatmeal at breakfast. Eat a banana with all-natural peanut butter or 1 oz of unsalted nuts for a mid-morning snack. Make a salad for lunch and add cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, carrots and mixed greens. You can add olive oil and vinegar as a healthy salad dressing and chicken if a plain salad won't satiate your hunger or desires. Enjoy baked sweet potato fries and/or steamed broccoli as side dishes for dinner.    Whole Grains     Avoid white flour and processed grains for a healthier diet filled with fiber, vitamins and minerals. Use whole-wheat bread or a whole-grain pita instead of white bread. Brown rice, quinoa, whole-grain pasta and oats are easy to make, very filling and packed full of healthy nutrients. Try not to use butter or salt to

I hope you have all heard of the Wellness program's upcoming Spring Fitness Challenge. If not, check out the "Couch to 5K: Do it your Way" website. The majority of us participating are starting up physical activity after a long stretch of being inactive. Starting a fitness program may be one of the best things you can do for your health. It can reduce your risk of chronic disease, improve your balance and coordination, help you lose weight — even improve your sleep habits and self-esteem. And there's more good news. You can do it in just five steps. Step 1: Assess your fitness level You probably have some idea of how fit you are. But assessing and recording baseline fitness scores can give you benchmarks against which to measure your progress. To assess your aerobic and muscular fitness, flexibility and body composition, consider recording: Your pulse rate before and after you walk 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) How long it takes you to walk 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) How many

Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? This month we will be featuring nutrition-related information to help boost your nutritional intake. Not only can healthy food lead to better health, but it can taste good too!  Here are our first tips to get you started on your journey towards better health: When it comes to eating healthy, most of us know that eating smaller portions throughout the day is much healthier for you than three large meals. What many people quickly realize, however, is that eating those small portions throughout the day can be challenging! Research shows that compared to 20 years ago, people are eating larger servings, both at home and eating out. But why? Are people hungrier now than they were 20 years ago? Well, not exactly. It seems that cup and plate sizes are the culprit. Did you know that dinner plates at restaurants have increased from 10 inches across to 12 inches? This may not seem like a big deal, but this seemingly small increase allows f

Can you believe the warm weather that we have been having? Looks like next week we will have some sunny days and mild temps. The first signs of spring weather always get me excited to get outside walking or biking. Coming up this April the Wellness Department is starting a 6-week Fitness Challenge. The challenge is for you to record your weekly minutes spent being physically active. Simple and easy. Get together with some co-workers or participate individually. If you would like to take on the wellness challenge try to complete a 5K walk or run after the 6 weeks. Not your idea of a good time? No worries, you can still participate by tracking your weekly minutes. Take the time this April to get yourself back into an exercise routine. You won't regret it! Follow this link for more info: http://humanresources.vermont.gov/benefits/wellness/activity_program

A Path of Good Thoughts to take with throughout the day… “Wake up every morning with the thought that something Wonderful is about to happen." because when you look at each day this way, you will be able to…   “Start Each Day With A Grateful Heart.”   for that grateful heart will help you to…   “Be so Happy that when others look at you they become happy too.”   then, hopefully, all of that happiness will give you the confidence to understand that when you…   “ Believe that you can, you are already halfway there.”   and then once you get this you will…   “Never lose your Sense of Wonder.”   and with all of that wonder you will be able to…   “Shine Your Light so that the Whole World can see it.”   because that light will help you, most importantly, and above all…   “Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you. Because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will nev

For the last few years, Elder has lived with his wife of 74 years, Mary, at Linda Valley Villa, a 98-unit assisted living facility for seniors. The average age of the residents of the complex is 87 -- a full eight years past the average life expectancy in the United States. It's not uncommon for residents to celebrate their 106th birthdays or still work jobs well into their 90s! Loma Linda, California is a city where food and faith have worked hand in hand in cracking the code to a long life. Nestled among rugged hills in San Bernardino County, 59 miles east of Los Angeles, is Loma Linda, home to one of the highest concentrations of Seventh-day Adventists in the world. Nearly half of the town's estimated population of over 24,000, identify as followers of the church. It is also America only's designated "Blue Zone." The Seventh-day Adventists are known as America's "longevity all-stars" and they largely credit their long life spans to their

“Happiness is an attitude. We either make ourselves miserable, or happy and strong. The amount of work is the same.”—Francesca Reigler What makes you happy?