LiveWell Vermont

Most of us know what it's like to be on a health and fitness roller coaster. It is very common to get excited about the latest workout or diet trend. We jump in with both feet and start our new fitness routine and diet overhaul. Everything is going great for the first week and then.....the novelty of a new lifestyle starts to wear off. We start going back to our old, familiar habits. The good news is IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY! Diets and training programs aren't a bad thing but how they are marketed to us a problem. We are promised amazing, life changing results. If you do such-and-such for just 20 minutes per day you will lose weight, gain muscle and become a superhero version of yourself! The reality is lifestyle change requires HARD WORK...and a lot of it over a long period of time! It means committing beyond just a couple of weeks and could involve food tracking and early morning workouts. It requires you to make yourself a PRIORITY. "The best diet and the...

This wrap is delicious for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can have it ready in a flash, it tastes great, and it is filled with lean protein, veggies and whole sprouted grains. Enjoy! Servings: 2  Ingredients: 1 teaspoon olive oil 1 garlic clove, minced 1/4 cup tomato, finely chopped 4 egg whites dash of salt and pepper 2 sprouted grain tortillas (found in the freezer section) 2 Tablespoons pesto (purchase it pre-made or combine 1/2 cup walnuts, 2 cups basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 Tablespoon lemon juice in a food processor. Blend until it becomes a paste. Preparation: Spread a tablespoon of pesto over each tortilla and set aside. In a medium sized skillet, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute until golden. Add the tomato and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the spinach and cook until it is soft and wilted. Remove the veggies from the skillet and set aside in a bowl. Pour the egg whites into the skillet, seaso...

Have you wished you could find the motivation to exercise in the morning? If so, there is hope! It might not be easy, but you really can slowly train your body to get used to morning workouts.  Working out first thing in the morning means no more stressing about how you’ll fit it in when a meeting pops up at lunchtime, or when you remember your kids have soccer practice right after work.  Here's how to make morning exercise a habit you can stick with once and for all to help you sneak fitness into your busy schedule. Prepare the night before.  When the alarm goes off, you don’t want to waste time looking for something to wear, digging your gym shoes out of the closet or finding a pre-workout snack to munch on.  Put your workout clothes out, pack your gym bag (or be ready to push ''play'' on your DVD) and have everything ready to go so that you don’t have an excuse to hit the snooze button.   If you’ll be leaving for the day and need a post-workout snack a...

Although some old fitness fictions, such as “no pain, no gain” and “spot reducing” are fading fast, plenty of popular exercise misconceptions still exist. Here are some of the most common exercise myths as well as the not-so-common facts based on current exercise research. You Will Burn More Fat If You Exercise Longer at a Lower Intensity . The most important focus in exercise and weight control is not the percentage of exercise energy coming from fat but the total energy cost, or how many calories are burned during the activity. The faster you walk, step or run, for example, the more calories you use per minute. However, high-intensity exercise is difficult to sustain if you are just beginning or returning to exercise, so you may not exercise very long at this level. It is safer, and more practical, to start out at a lower intensity and work your way up gradually. If You’re Not Going to Work Out Hard and Often, Exercise Is a Waste of Time . This kind of thinking keeps a lot o...

Do you love pancakes, but you're trying to eat healthier? Try this recipe - and enjoy it guilt free.  These pancakes are packed with protein and contain omega-3 fatty acid from flax meal. Omega-3 fatty acids are not manufactured naturally in your body, and thus must come from your diet as they are essential for growth and development.   Servings: 2   Ingredients: 1 egg and 2 egg whites 2/3 cup cottage cheese (try 1% low-fat, no salt added - Hood & Crowley brands) 1/2 cup whole grain cornmeal 2 tablespoon whole wheat flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 tablespoon sugar 1/3 cup nonfat milk 2 tablespoon flax meal 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel Sliced banana *optional* Preparation: Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Bake on a 350-degree griddle lightly greased with oil. Serve with sliced banana or your favorite fruit. Nutritional Information:   One serving equals:  264 calories, 4 g fat, 39 g carbohydrate, 3...

Ingredients: 1 cup frozen spinach 1 cup frozen mixed berries ½ cup plain Greek yogurt ½ cup unsweetened almond or coconut milk Preparation: Blend all ingredients in a blender and enjoy! Other additions/modifications: Replace Greek yogurt with non-dairy version Replace almond/coconut milk with dairy version ¼ cup raw oatmeal 1 Tbsp flax or chia seed 1 tsp fresh ginger Use any frozen fruit of choice Try kale, collard or other leafy green Enjoy!