LiveWell Vermont

The  Wellness Portal  offers a variety of Personal Challenges to guide you to achieve all your wellness goals! Focus on physical activity, stress reduction, tobacco cessation and more!! Bonus: successful completion of a challenge will earn you 30 incentive points! 

National Exercise With Your Child Week (August 4-10) is observed the first full week of August! Good health should be a family affair. When you practice a healthy lifestyle, your children are more likely to follow. Starting young is the key to developing healthy fitness habits. Good exercise habits also give your child a head start for Physical Education in school, sports and other activities. Encouraging each other to stick with an exercise program also helps you stay fit. A healthy body is a key to a healthy mind. Use #NationalExerciseWithYourChild in social media. Tip 1: Get into the child mindset: Fitness as FUN instead of a chore! If you have kids of your own, you know that they are ALWAYS on the move enjoy every minute they spend motoring around. Take a cue from your child’s mindset and start seeing fitness as fun instead of a chore. When was the last time you went to the playground? Enjoyed a game of tag? Played hop scotch? All of these activities count as exercise! In addit...

This recipe is by: Let's Dish This side dish is especially great during the summer months, when corn on the cob is in season. But it’s the perfect accompaniment to any Tex-Mex dish, any time of year!  Typically it’s served on the cob, usually on a stick. But it’s so much easier to eat when you serve it off the cob, so that’s what I do. For extra spice, you can dice up some jalapeno and toss it in as well!   INGREDIENTS 6 ears fresh corn on the cob, husked 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 teaspoon chili powder Dash of cayenne pepper Salt and pepper, to taste 1/4 cup crumbled feta (or cheese of your choice!) 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro INSTRUCTIONS Preheat grill for high heat. Brush corn with vegetable oil. Grill corn, turning every 2-3 minutes, until slightly charred on all sides. Cool and cut corn kernels off cob. In a medium bowl, combine corn kernels, lime juice, chili powder and cayenne. Garnish with feta and chopped cilantro. NUTRITION IN...

Intuitive eating is the concept of not dieting or focusing on a specific meal plan, but instead listening to your body and eating accordingly. Intuitive eating does not involve calorie counting or restrictions- it is simply becoming more aware of how you feel before and after you eat. Below are some basic principles of intuitive eating from MyFitnessPal. Stop Dieting.  No more calorie counting, feeling deprived, having to ‘earn’ calories or classifying foods as good or bad. Basically, stop treating food as the enemy. There are no villainous foods and no magic secrets; it’s a lifestyle. Find Balance.  This process is about being open to all foods. That doesn’t mean gorging on whatever is around, but rather enjoying foods that make you happy and nourish your body. If you want a donut one morning and avocado toast with poached eggs the next, or a steak and fries for dinner one night and tofu over buckwheat the next, then so be it. Liste...

Grilled scallops with orange? But wait...there is also a HONEY GINGER GLAZE! Gourmet taste with little effort! Ingredients: 1 tbsp. of raw honey (consider buying local ☺) 1 large navel orange (or 2 smaller ones) 1 tbsp. of fresh grated ginger oil for the grill (spray works too) 12 jumbo sea scallops, about 1lb salt and pepper to taste metal skewers for grill Directions: Cut ends off orange and cut remaining orange into 1/2 inch thick slices. Cut the slices into 4 quarters. Squeeze remaining oranges into 2 tbsps. of juice. In a small bowl combine honey, 2 tbsp. of orange juice and ginger. Heat grill to high. Tip: make sure grill grate is clean to avoid scallops sticking. Prepare your skewers- orange first then scallop, ending with an orange. Grill about 2 minutes on each side or until scallops are opaque throughout, then brush sauce onto the skewers and cook for 30-60 seconds on each side. ENJOY!!

Mixing more vegetables into foods you already love can make meals more interesting and provide excellent health benefits!   Vegetables are full of heart-healthy fiber, antioxidants, and vitamins. Eating vegetables can increase heart health, decrease blood pressure and regulate blood pressure. Add veggies to your favorite recipes! Try tomatoes, onions, spinach, and/or mushrooms in your omelets.   Add roasted broccoli or bell peppers to your pizzas. If you are feeling especially motivated, try cauliflower pizza crust! Add sautéed zucchini & yellow squash to noodles or use them as your base. Snack on vegetables throughout the day. Try eating cherry tomatoes, radishes, celery and carrots with hummus, light dressing or a bit of salt-free seasoning.   The high-water content of raw veggies will satisfy and hydrate you. Buying prepared veggies or taking some time to prep them at the start of the week will make a huge difference when you are hungry and looking for a ...

BBQ Chicken Foil Packs Ingredients: 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut up into 1-inch pieces 1 1/2 cups of BBQ sauce of your choice 2 cups of pineapple cubed, drained if canned 1 pepper (green, red or yellow), chopped 1 onion, chopped cilantro, optional Directions: Cut 4 large pieces of tin foil (this tin foil will be used to hold your meat and vegetables). Divide chicken evenly into each of the 4 tin foil sheets. Top with equally divided pineapple, peppers and onion. Bring up 2 sides of foil over chicken so edges meet. Seal edges, making tight 1/2-inch fold; fold again, allowing space on sides for heat circulation and expansion. Fold other sides to seal. Place folded foils on preheated grill. Cook for 10 minutes, flip packets over and cook for 10-15 more minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked in the center. Once chicken is fully cooked, your packets are ready to eat. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

Independence Day is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence of the United States on July 4, 1776. Today we celebrate the freedoms we have as Americans! Have a wonderful and safe holiday!!

Of course there are a variety of salads, but sometime it is nice to try something totally different with dinner. Are you looking for a way to heat up the Romaine lettuce game (literally)? Grilled lettuce is an easy and delicious spin on traditional lettuce. In just a few minutes, you can have a light, tasty appetizer or pairing for your meal. Ingredients: 1tbsp of extra virgin olive oil 1 head of Romaine, cut length wise salt and pepper, to taste Optional: Parmesan cheese, shredded Directions: Preheat grill to medium heat and lightly oil the grate (non-stick spray works too) Drizzle remaining olive oil on lettuce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Apply cheese if using. Place lettuce cut side-down on preheated grill. Cook until lettuce is slightly wilted or charred (typically ~5 minutes).