LiveWell Vermont

We are so lucky to live in a state that has so many recreational opportunities. From Lake Champlain to the Long Trail to all the State Parks, lakes and rivers in between there is never a lack of places to escape to. Keep active this summer while exploring all that our state has to offer. Check out some of the great ideas below: July 2-6,  Ancient Arts Intensive Now for Adults! This is an immersion into creativity, the natural world, and the wide variety of natural materials and mediums that are available to the artist. This course is heavily focused on drawing: from real life as well as from the mind’s eye. Awareness and perception are foundational to the creative process, and therefore is a strong emphasis in this immersion into nature, art, and our human origins. This is a great class for you if you want to develop and refine your drawing skills, love visual art, nature, music, or making things with your hands. www.RootsVT.com P.O. Box 932 Montpelier, Vermont 05601 802.456.1

We all need to eat more fruits and vegetables! Not only do they add vibrant colors to our meals, but they are packed with all sorts of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that promote good health. This time of year you’re in luck – a vast array of fruits and vegetables are in season during the summer months, making it easier than ever to include them in your daily meal plan.   What exactly do we mean when we say something is “in season”? When something is in season, it is the time of year that the crop ripens and is harvested for people to eat. Therefore, it is the time of year when a fruit or vegetable is most readily available. Want to get more for your money? Buying in season often helps! Prices come down when a fruit or vegetable is in season. In addition, the quality of the produce (taste, texture, freshness, etc.) is usually better than at other times of the year. When you buy out of season, (for example, buying berries in the winter), you are probably buying food th

Does this sound familiar? You're doing well on your diet, getting proper nutrition, you've been working out steadily, and all of a sudden the weight stops coming off. What gives, right? It's likely that you've hit a plateau; a frustrating thing that almost anyone who has embarked on a weight loss journey is far too familiar with. Plateaus happen when your body becomes accustomed to the type and amount of exercise you are doing each day. Your body no longer has to work as hard to burn as many calories, leading to a stoppage of weight loss. The fact is, after week of doing the same repetitions with the same amount of weight, our body doesn't respond as well and we stop recruiting muscle fibers to do the work. Your body literally "loses" interest. A good rule of thumb is to change out your routine every two to three weeks. You should also consider taking a week off every third or fourth month. Avoid taking it off completely, however, as you don't w

Where can you find fresh, local produce at an affordable price in a fun, family environment? Your local farmer's markets typically feature fresh baked goods, specialty foods, arts and crafts, and of course a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese, eggs, meat and maple syrup. Many markets feature live music and activities such as sheep shearing, weaving and spinning. Experiencing food at its finest can encourage even the pickiest eater to try a few bites.   When it comes to fresh fruits and vegetables, the market is the perfect place to locate some fabulous food finds for everyone in the family! The Vermont Agency of Agriculture has a wonderful resource where you can find your local market with dates, times and locations. Need more convincing to visit your local market? Check out some of the amazing benefits below. Benefits of shopping at the Farmers Market   The fruits and vegetables are grown locally and picked when perfectly ripened. This enhances the t

Scientists from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have found clues to why our bad habits are so difficult to kick. Not only that, they're working on developing strategies to help us change. Habits in general play an important role in our health. By understanding the biolodgy of harmful routines and how to break our bad habits and adopt new ones, this may help us embrace healthier lifestyle behaviors. Habits, whether it's brushing your teeth or eating sweets, develop over time through repetition. Habits are a normal developmental process in our lives that can either be helpful or detrimental. If you really think about it, we all shower, comb our hair or brush our teeth without being aware of it, which frees our brains to focus on different things. Habits can also develop by triggering the brain's "reward" centers, setting up potentially harmful routines such as overeating, smoking, drug or alcohol abuse, gambling and even compulsive use of computers

Summer is just about here and so are yummy CHERRIES! There is no better time of year to enjoy a bowl of chilled sweet cherries! This month, we chose to feature this dessert-like fruit, which is unmatched by any other fruits for its sweet indulgence. There are numerous varieties to choose from inlcuding the premium, golden Rainier cherries, dried tart cherries, or the preserved bright-red maraschino cherries. Summer is the peak season for sweet cherries, such as Bing and Rainier cherries, which are typically grown in the Northwestern states of Washington and Oregon. Tart cherries, like the Montmorency and Balaton varieties, are produced year-round in Michigan, where 75% of the nation's tart cherry crop is grown. Sizing Up the Nutrition: 1 cup of fresh sweet cherries (with pits) contains: Calories : 87 kcal Fat : 0.28 g Carbohydrates : 22 g Protein : 1.46 g Fiber : 2.9 g Glycemic Index (GI) : Fresh cherries : Low (below 55) Dried cherries : Moderate (56-69) Canned che