LiveWell Vermont

  Join forces with people at home, at work, in your community, or online to stay motivated and commit to being heart-healthy together.  Increase Physical Activity         Eat a Heart-Healthy Diet          Know and Control Your Heart Health Numbers          Get Quality Sleep and Reduce Stress       Stop Smoking        Maintain a Healthy Weight To learn more, visit Heart Truth Join #OurHearts in Action

To help you celebrate National Cook a Sweet Potato day, here's one of our favorite ways to eat them! This is a fabulous Meatless Monday meal, and takes under half an hour to prepare if you've cooked your sweet potato ahead of time. Serve with a green salad for a complete meal!  This meal is high in fiber and provides adequate protein from beans and cheese (add a dollop of Greek yogurt if you're looking for extra protein!) Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of fiber, potassium, and vitamins A & C. This is a great example of improving the quality of the carbohydrates you are consuming. Sweet Potato Black Bean Quesadillas Ingredients: 1-2 medium sweet potatoes 1 15-oz can of black beans 4-8 oz of sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 1 clove of garlic 3-4 scallions, chopped  1/2 cup chopped cilantro (optional) Small splash of milk (if necessary) 1/2 tsp each of ground cumin, smoked paprika, and ground coriander Pinch of salt Whole wheat tortillas  To serve (optional): salsa...

 Environmental Wellness Environmental wellness boils down to taking care of the environment you occupy. What does taking care of your environment mean to you? Reducing single plastic  bringing reusable produce and grocery bags choosing a reusable water bottle using reusable food storage containers rather than ziplock bags Cleaning and organizing your workspace/living space tidying according to a weekly or daily checklist regularly going through the piles of paper on your work desk to create a neat workspace achieving inbox zero (we can all dream...) monthly or seasonal deep cleans of your house taking time to reorganize your cabinets or finally dealing with that junk drawer keeping up with dishes and laundry and other regular household tasks Going outside and appreciating nature snowshoeing or skiing on the weekends taking a walk at lunch time hiking and biking in the summertime Reducing greenhouse gasses switching your gas stove to electric or changing to renewable heating in...

Ask Us Anything!   We aren't trying to be Ann Landers over here, but we recently responded to someone asking for advice on dealing with sugar cravings.  We get asked this question a lot! (It's especially on everyone's minds after Valentine's Day -are you Team Chocolates or Team Roses?) Here's our answer to a popular, timeless question. Question: How do I manage the terrible sugar cravings I have all the time? Here's our answer:  We can offer a few general suggestions, but everyone's situation is different! Remember that what works for someone else might not work for you, and everyone's body is different. Please take what you need and leave what doesn't feel right to you. As always, reach out to your doctor for a referral to a Registered Dietitian to get personalized nutrition recommendations tailored to your specific needs. 1. First, cover your nutrition bases. Before you try to take anything away from your diet, make sure you are getting what you ...

   What have we learned about Emotional Wellbeing? We have always heard that taking care of our mental wellbeing is important, but in the past two years, we have started to see and feel just how much mental wellbeing affects our overall wellness. After being forced to slow down during the first part of the pandemic, many of us have started to understand how pumping the brakes improves our health and happiness. Conversely, COVID-19 has recently  exposed us to stressors that seemed unfathomable a few years ago, and many of us are suffering physically and mentally. It is now more important than every to prioritize our emotional wellbeing.  *** What does it mean to be emotionally well? Managing stress with healthy coping mechanisms Reducing stress by asking for help or delegating tasks Finding purpose and meaning in life Having a positive outlook on the future Feeling connection to one's community Being aware of and feeling in control of one's emotions Taking care ...

The Science of Laughter and Its Physical, Cognitive, and Emotional Power   By  Janet M. Gibson , Professor of Cognitive Psychology,  Grinnell College   Amusement and pleasant surprises – and the laughter they can trigger – add texture to the fabric of daily life. Those giggles and guffaws can seem like just silly throwaways. But laughter, in response to funny events, actually takes a lot of work, because it activates  many areas of the brain : areas that control motor, emotional, cognitive, and social processing. Researchers now appreciate laughter’s power to enhance physical and mental well-being. Physically  -People begin laughing in infancy, when it helps develop muscles and  upper body strength . Laughter is not just breathing. It relies on complex combinations of facial muscles, often involving movement of the eyes, head, and shoulders. Cognitively - A good sense of humor and the laughter that follows depend on an ample measure of social intellige...

  Just like exercising our bodies to stay physical fit, our brains can benefit from activities that challenge us to think differently! Our brains work the same way as our muscles in that way: "use it or lose it!" Why is it important to Train Your Brain? Staying mentally fit can help us respond more gracefully in unexpected situations increase our confidence improve relationships with others sharpen our memory and remain cognitively astute as we age. What does it mean to be a lifelong learner?  Opening yourself up to new ideas Seeing both sides of an argument Thinking critically about new information.  Expressing your creativity Level 1 Brain Exercises  Read a book Watch a documentary Listen to a podcast  Keep a journal  Finish a jigsaw puzzle Do a crossword, Sudoku, or other favorite puzzle (Calling all fans of Wordle? ) Solve a Rubik's cube or play chess Practice a skill that you used to love but haven't made time for recently (art, music, dance, foreign l...

  Vermont State Parks - Winter Activities (vtstateparks.com) "Contrary to what you might think, Vermont State Parks stay open for use all year long. Parks are great places to go for skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, sledding, fat biking, snowmobiling and more." Best of all, VT State Parks are totally FREE in the off season! What is your favorite park to explore in winter? What is your favorite winter adventure activity?

February is American Heart Month, a time when all people can focus on their cardiovascular health.The CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is shining a light on hypertension (high blood pressure), a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke.Taking care of your heart can be as simple as the ABCS. Talk with your health care team about Aspirin, Blood pressure control, Cholesterol management, and Smoking cessation. What are the ABCS of heart health? A: Take aspirin as directed by your health care professional. Ask your health care professional if aspirin can reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke . Be sure to tell your health care professional if you have a family history of heart disease or stroke, and mention your own medical history. B: Control your blood pressure. Blood pressure measures the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. If your blood pressure stays high for a long time, you may suffer from high blood pressure (al...