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...

Much like the other areas around the Wellness Wheel, financial wellness looks different for different people!  Finances are the #1 stressor for around 73% of Americans, according to a study done in 2021.   Managing finances can give you better control of overall stress! While individual goals may differ, we can organize financial wellbeing into 3 goals: 1. Managing day-to-day finances Balancing your income and expenses to pay for day to day necessities like housing, food, clothes, utilities, etc Setting and sticking to a budget can be helpful for day-to-day expenses  2. Setting and achieving long and short-term goals Getting ready for a big purchase (buy a house or car, saving for retirement, planning for vacations or college) Paying down debt 3. Protection for emergencies Having savings for a rainy day Being prepared for a serious illness or injury, an expensive repair, or loss of income For more, visit https://www.prudential.com/financial-education/financial-wellne...

January is a great time to start a pantry inventor y habit! Now, before you go wild on Pinterest, remember: you don't have to aim for an instagram-worthy #pantrygoals setup to get the benefits of a pantry inventory! WHY: Taking regular inventory of what pantry staples, fridge foods, and freezer goods you have on can help with: -reducing food waste (financial and environmental benefits!) -staying on top of what groceries you need  -giving you ideas for upcoming meals, or helping create meal plans -reduce stress by becoming more organized! WHERE:  -Fridge -Freezer -Pantry HOW: Make these steps work for YOU! Feel free to delete steps, insert steps, or rearrange the order.  1. Start with freezer, pantry, or fridge. 2. Take all food out and line it up on the counter. 3. Check dates- but remember that smell is a more reliable measure of a food's freshness than the date stamped on the container! 4. Sort into keep, donate, compost, and trash 5. Take a moment to wipe down shelves,...

  Nutrition We hear all the time how important it is to eat right. But what does that mean? There's so much conflicting information out there about what diet is best.  While there is no one way of eating that is healthier than others, we  can arrange healthy eating into a simple mantra: balance, variety, moderation, adequacy.  Balance                 Eating a balance of important nutrients is essential to good health! One way we can look at balance in our meals is to use the healthy eating tool The Plate Method. There are several iterations of this idea from USDA , Harvard , The American Diabetes Association , and even a set of culturally relevant versions from The Institute for Family Health . Basically, the idea is the same for all of them. Take your plate, about 9 inches across, and divide it in half. Half the plate should be filled with mostly vegetables and some fruits. For the other ...

While exercise does cause your body to require more energy consumption, it shouldn’t be used to create a deficit. Your calorie deficit should be created independent of exercise. It should be based on your sedentary Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and then you should add your exercise burn into the equation. This is because exercise isn’t always possible which means that during days or periods of inactivity you could be eating too much since you haven’t learned how much to eat to lose weight in the absence of exercise. How many calories will I burn per day? The amount of energy you burn per day when exercising is dependent upon your weight, height, the intensity of the workout, and time spent doing the activity. Click here to try the calculator !

Physical  What does Physical Wellness mean to you? What do you do to maintain the body you live in? Stay Active  Exercise can improve your mood and energy. It can also prevent fatigue and boost confidence!  How much exercise do you need?  It's important to check in with where you are currently before you set your goals. Check with your doctor if this is the first time you'll start exercising, or haven't been exercising for a while. A good goal to work up to is the AHA guidelines of 150 minutes per week . That shakes out to about 30 minutes, about 5 days a week.  What type of exercise is best? Without question, the one you enjoy most ! With gyms and studios closing, many places are offering free, virtual classes! Search YouTube for your favorite class type or check out the following! Design your own workout - AHA Free Online Yoga Classes: Do Yoga With Me Core Power Yoga Yoga With Adriene Eat well Eating adequate amounts of nutritious food is important to take ca...

Instead of setting New Year's resolutions, try choosing One Word as your intention for the upcoming year!  As we move into the New Year, many people set New Years Resolutions. While this works for some, the majority struggle to stick with it beyond February! We recently discovered a concept that switched our thinking away from setting a New Years resolution and towards something much simpler, more forgiving, and for us, more effective. We chose a #OneWord to guide us through the year ahead.  The theory behind identifying a single guiding word is that it points us towards the type of person that we want to become. And unlike a resolution, a single word can’t be broken. Choose a word that resonates with you and the 2022 version of yourself.  Here are a few examples of some celebrity #OneWord selections of 2021. Kanye West chose ‘Beautify’ last year, Rihanna chose ‘Faith’ and Beyonce chose ‘Surrender’. If you are still looking for inspiration,  t ake the What’s You...

 Explore the Wellness Wheel!  This year, we are focusing on making progress on our wellness and we'll be using the Wellness Wheel to help us figure out where we want to grow. To help guide you around the wheel, we'll be highlighting one area each quarter by bringing you challenges, webinars, and education about that topic.  Keep in mind- you can earn points in any section during any quarter! Over the next 6 weeks, we'll be introducing each of the Spheres of Wellness. Think about these questions as we explore each circle! In which of the areas: -are you already excelling?  -do you feel most motivated to make progress? -are you comfortable where you are? -are not a priority to you?

Do you use the New Year as an annual health seminar with yourself? In the past, have you hosted your own personal white board session, creating resolutions and brainstorming all the ways you wanted to improve in the coming year. Maybe these sessions included exercising daily, losing weight, dining out less, reading more high-brow literature, analyzing business trade publications weekly and drinking less soda. Who doesn't love the idea of a fresh start? Who has made it past January with this same attitude?? According to  Forbes , Only 8% of people actually achieve their New Year’s resolutions. Here’s to 2022 – a few tips and tools to help you stick to your New Year’s Resolutions.  Also, check out  “Happiness through Hardship” – The Podcast   where authors and wellness experts share inspirational stories and a ton of healthy living tips. Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/2zidDGw Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3imO7An Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2WOsaTl 1. Set a goal and come up...

 Make your New Years Resolutions SMART goals! What do you mean? Of course it's smart to make goals!  But how can we increase the chances of us sticking to them? We can use the acronym S.M.A.R.T to clarify our goals, keep tabs on our success, and increase our confidence to reach our dreams! S- specific M- measurable A- achievable R- relevant T- time bound Let's break down a few of the most popular resolutions and turn them into SMART goals. 1. This year, I want to stress less. Specific- What actions are you going to take to help yourself manage your stress?      M editation, walking, reading, bubble baths, yoga, or hiking Measurable- How many times are you going to do these de-stressing actions? How long will you spend each time?    E very day! For one hour! Achievable-   Did you choose a realistic number?     Actually, maybe every other day for 30 minutes to start out. I'll increase when I'm ready! Relevant- Why is choosing to stress le...

Understanding New Year’s resolutions and the power of a fresh start New Year’s resolutions are a popular way to mark the start of a new year. In fact, it is reported that 2 in 5 Americans made a New Year’s resolution for 2021. But have you ever stopped to wonder why? What is it about the new year that makes it easier to think about changing our habits? The power of a fresh start New Year’s resolutions are powerful because they give us the chance to have a fresh start. This is what Katy Milkman’s research suggests in her book, How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. Milkman writes: “If you want to change your behavior, you’re at a huge advantage if you begin with a blank slate—a fresh start—and no old habits working against you.” Each new year offers us the chance to start over because, as people, we tend to think about our lives in chapters. This means we may think of our life in terms of our “high school years,” our “college years” or as the y...

We are so excited to announce the 2022 Wellness Incentive Program will be on a BRAND NEW PLATFORM. You will need to create a new account to login! Stay tuned for more information.