LiveWell Vermont

  You’re triple-booked with meetings, eating at your desk— with no time for a social life, let alone a lunch hour! Some of us may still be on a sugar high from holiday season, when all our best habits have dissolved into sugar cookies, sparkling cocktails and cheese trays. No time to hit the gym? If you can carve out just 15 minutes from your workday, you can keep up your fitness without having to drop any of your spinning plates. Try this simple routine a few days a week .

  Want to be healthier and feel better? My Healthy Vermont can help. Local coordinators can connect you with workshops right in your community. These are led by health experts who understand your needs because many have faced similar health challenges.  Workshops available in the management of: Chronic Disease Chronic Pain Diabetes High Blood Pressure Smoking Cessation Not up for a full workshop? Try the Prediabetes Risk Quiz .  There is a lot you can do to lower your risk!

 Warm BBQ Tempeh and Quinoa Bowls with Winter Squash and Bleu Cheese Try this quick weeknight dinner for a nourishing, comforting, and delicious complete meal. Prepare the components, then assemble the salad to your liking!  Ingredients: 1 medium delicata squash olive oil as needed salt 1/2 tsp curry powder 1/2 tsp cinnamon BBQ sauce to taste 1/2 cup quinoa 1 cup water Several handfuls of fresh greens Bleu cheese, feta, or chevre  Squash Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut one 1 medium delicata squash in half lengthwise, then scoop out seeds from the middle but do not peel. Slice into 1/4 inch thick half-moons. Toss with olive oil to cover, salt to taste, 1/2 tsp curry powder and 1/2 tsp cinnamon . Spread evenly on a baking sheet and roast until soft and golden brown, flipping halfway through, 20-25 minutes.  Tempeh Slice an 8 oz block of tempeh into 1/4 inch thick strips. Toss with  BBQ sauce to cover completely and let it marinate for about 30-60 minutes....

  InvestEAP is a resource available to promote the health of employees and their household members by offering immediate access to free, confidential counseling for a wide range of life issues.  Below are some examples of Invest EAP’s confidential services, but if it causes you stress or worry, call 1-866-660-9533.  24/7 telephone access to counselors In-person and telehealth counseling sessions Management consultation Counseling, resource and referral information to address issues involving: Relationships and Family Drug and Alcohol Mental Health Grief and Loss Medical Disability Eldercare Finding Childcare and Subsidies Parenting Techniques Workplace Conflict Legal Issues Financial Problems Critical Incident Stress Debriefings Facilitated discussions Organizational development Much, much more!

  There are a wide array of human emotions and experiences and each of us can feel a mixture of emotions, at any given time. When life gets challenging, we want to respond with resilience but sometimes we’re overwhelmed, or worse. When the going gets tough, what is the harm in the friend that says, “look on the bright side”? WHAT IS TOXIC POSITIVITY? Toxic positivity is using positivity to reject the challenging parts of life. You can do this to yourself, or it can occur between people, like friends telling you to “just be positive” during a mental health crisis. TOXIC POSITIVITY EXAMPLES See if you have heard these types of statements before: telling a parent whose child has died to be happy that they can have children asserting after a disaster that “everything happens for a reason” telling someone to get over their grief and focus on the good things in their life labeling people who always appears positive as being stronger than others brushing off someone’s concerns by say...

  Rest days. Those of us that love the gym (or soccer, or rock climbing, you name it) know we need to do them, but often have a hard time.  While working hard and pushing ourselves is excellent, we must rest to recover and reach our goals. When we rest, we give our body time to repair and restore our muscles. It's during rest that our muscles grow, and we make the most physical progress. So, if we know resting helps us reach our goals, why is it so hard for some of us to take a day off?   How to Make the best of REST Try these strategies to enjoy rest days as much as your workouts: Changed the way you view rest days. Instead of seeing rest days as a negative, I see it as a day to honor my body and appreciate all it does for me. This simple shift in mindset has changed my way of thinking. As a result, I've reached my fitness goals, experienced less stress, and felt happier!   Substitute your gym time with another form of me time.  This can mean hobbies,...

  WHAT IS SELF-EFFICACY? Self-efficacy is the belief that you can succeed at a given task. It affects your motivation, performance, and even learning capacity.  When you believe it is possible to succeed you attempt more tasks and put more effort into the tasks you take on.  WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Self-efficacy is important because it drives our confidence in our abilities. This is a helpful quality, but as with so many things it is best in moderation. Think of self-efficacy this way. Would you ever follow a leader if they didn’t believe in their mission? No. Also, would you a leader if they had a reputation of blind confidence, and never learning from their mistakes? I hope not! Best results come from balance.  We hone our craft and take every opportunity to show it off, but also learn from our mistakes as we go.  This leads to positivity outcomes all around; we become even better at our skill, and exist in a positive emotional state, believing we are capable of ...