LiveWell Vermont

  If you haven't already, you can now register for the Corporate Cup!  Grab some friends, think up a fabulous team name, and sign up! Friends/coworkers don't want to join you? Post in our Challenges Teams channel "walker" or "runner" and we will help you find a crew. Need more info on logistics before you commit? Busy on 5/11? Details on participating in the virtual version here! Blue Cross will reimburse fees through LiveWell Vermont for the Corporate Cup again this year for those employees who have Blue Cross through the State.  To get the reimbursement, participants should  sign up and pay using their own card, and to please choose State of Vermont as their employer (not Department of Health, DOC, or similar) so those eligible for reimbursement can easily be identified. After the race is over in May, LiveWell Vermont will get a list of SOV Employees from the race coordinator and will reimburse race fee and t-shirt cost (less a few dollars tax) to

  This recipe is adapted from Seonkyoung Longest's Easy Sesame Noodles . Prep it all or just make the sauce ahead for a quick and easy dinner option. Ingredients: 1/4 cup tahini (unsweetened peanut butter will work in a pinch!) 2 tbsp mayonnaise  1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp rice vinegar 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp  oyster sauce 2 tbsp sesame oil 1 to 4 tbsp  chili garlic sauce or chili oil 2 tbsp water 1 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp finely grated ginger 4 servings of noodles Toppings: Mix and match what you have and enjoy! Cucumbers Cilantro Basil Sprouts Pineapple Mango Purple cabbage Egg Tofu Shrimp What's in your fridge? Instructions: Cook noodles of your choice according to package instructions. Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a mixing bowl, and set aside. If you want to keep it for later, transfer it to an air-tight container and keep it in a refrigerator. This sauce will last up to a month in the fridge. Cook noodles by following the directions of the package you’re using.   

  Have you ever struggled to manage your stress with limited time and resources? Managing stress can take many forms, from improving daily habits to finding new healthy coping mechanisms.  At times it can feel like all the best ways we can improve our lives are expensive, time consuming or both! However, there are options that are free and require minimal time to implement.  Meditation is one of them.   Meditation  is the practice of mindfulness and helps to train attention and awareness.  The benefits are far reaching, but many of us seek meditation for helping us find calm in tense moments. This practice serves us best when done regularly and practiced during moments of low or no stress initially.  Once the meditative state is accessible, we can then use this technique in even in very high stress situations to manage stress, control anxiety, and improve our mental health. There are different types of meditation.  Silent and guided ones are commonly thought of, moving meditations and

    Benefits of mindfulness: Being fully present and aware helps us to focus, respond with compassion and avoid outsized reactions As the world around us changes and we are surrounded with uncertainty, mindfulness helps us cut down on unhelpful stress By helping us manage our stress, mindfulness helps us to become more resilient Anyone can learn and benefit from it We practice mindfulness as we are, there is no need to change to be able to use mindfulness Practicing mindfulness through enjoying the five senses Try increasing mindfulness by focusing on adding beauty, enjoying sound, savoring scents, cherishing treats, or relishing a stretch. Opportunities are everywhere, try: Mindfully petting your dog/cat/tarantula Interacting with loved ones while fully present, enjoying sight of their face, sound of their voice, etc.  Go on a walk, and take time to notice something positive with each of your senses What else would you like to do mindfully?

     L earning to like new foods is good for  our bodies AND our minds! Did you know that we can train ourselves to like new foods? Taste preferences are built on repeat exposure, so after you have tried a food you don’t like over and over, eventually you might start to accept it, and then grow to love it! Once our bodies figure out that a new taste won’t poison us, we can start to enjoy it. Sometimes it can take 12-20 times of trying something new before we like it- and this especially applies to picky kids! Questions to ask yourself: What’s a food I previously didn’t like, but learned to like later in life? What was the experience that changed my view of this foods? What’s a food I currently don’t like, but want to learn to like? When was the last time I tried this, and how was it prepared? What can I do to it to add an element that I enjoy?

Your self-care practices will become more feasible when they're part of your established routine. Working them into your daily pattern means you won't have to search for time to fit them in! Your routine is made up of a collection of activities, many of them things that need to be done anyway.  By intentionally updating your routine you are now doing tasks in the most healthy, productive, enjoyable way possible.  By turning this collection of activities into habits, there is no wasted time figuring out how or when to get them done.  There is no need to figure out what should be prioritized, as these decisions have already been made.  A healthy routine will be enjoyable and tailored directly to you and your needs.  It will help with improving nutrition, quality of sleep, stress, and more. What consistent actions would add up over time to improve your health?

Reflecting on your practices, priorities, and choices is a powerful tool for self-care.  Reflection can help you better understand your needs, and help you identify the direction you would like to go. Self-care is a highly individual topic.  Whereas marathon running might be the only stress reliever one individual needs, another person may experience more stress when running regularly, and instead find more benefit from a routine of 5-minute meditation sessions, scheduling time for walks outside and time with friends.   You are a unique individual and what helps you recharge and refresh yourself will also be unique.  Embrace this and take a time to assess what techniques feel the most "you".  When you hit upon something that works, take note.  Consider the practices that have worked best for you by: determining your priorities using a creative medium (art, journaling, music) to help you process practice shifting the thoughts that aren’t productive refocusing with a mindfulnes