LiveWell Vermont

  Have you ever noticed how having just the right song in your headphones can make your run so much better? When that perfect song comes on, it can feel like you’re flying! Choosing the right music can do more than make your run enjoyable. It can also help improve your form to reduce your risk of injury. It’s all about your running cadence. Your running cadence is the number of steps you take in a minute, or steps per minute (SPM). Increasing your running cadence can improve your running form. You might think that the more steps you take per minute, the faster you will run, but this is not entirely true. Don’t worry- we aren’t telling you to just speed up and work harder! Your running cadence goes hand in hand with your stride length, or the length of ground you cover with each step. If you increase your running cadence and keep your speed the same, you will end up with a shorter stride length. Shortening your stride length reduces common compensations in form, whic...

Sports Nutrition: What does it mean, and how can we use it? The bottom line:  Your body needs energy, in the form of food, to  make  it go. It can be helpful to eat a snack before you exercise for an energy burst. Base your snack (size and food choice) on how much time you have to digest a bit before you hit the pavement/treadmill. The most important part of sports nutrition is refueling after you exercise, including a variety of nutrient-dense foods including all the food groups. Now, let’s jump into sports nutrition When we hear the term Sports Nutrition, our minds might jump first to we see marketed: pre-workout powders, protein shakes, sports gels, and energy bars. These supplements can cause a lot of confusion! Not to mention that they're usually pretty pricy. Nutrition while you're training doesn't have to be complicated, expensive, or bought from the Sports aisle at the store. The best fuel comes from real food! THE PARTS Let's get back to the basi...

  Do you eat snacks between meals at work? Most of us do! Eating snacks is a great way to supply your body with a steady source of energy to help you complete every task on your list before, during, and after your workday! Snacks at work have some very particular functions. They can:  Supply our brains and bodies with energy Help us stay focused  Keep us from getting "hungry enough to eat a house" before the next meal Prevent hanger To choose snacks that can help us with those tasks, we want to choose satisfying foods that will sustain us with long lasting energy! If I had a snack that was too small or not fulfilling enough, I might start searching out another snack just 5 minutes later. If the second snack is also not satisfying, I might keep searching and searching! This could repeat with 5 different snacks until I am satiated. The constant snack searching takes away from what I would otherwise be doing, and I might not be providing my body with what it's asking for in ...

Set aside a little time to devote to your happiness. It’s worth it! Choose to invest the time in your happiness today - and take stock of the results! Just like how you can't define your biceps overnight, it takes some time to get in the habit of defining the tiny moments of happiness. This week, carve out a little extra time and gift it back to yourself. What does it mean to set aside time to devote to your happiness? When planning dinner, go for something you love! Savor it completely. Laugh at your own jokes and incredible sense of humor  Taking a 5-minute break from work to step outside Challenge yourself to notice small things you are grateful for regularly Shift your routine to include things that support YOU Gift yourself plenty of time for sleep Ask for help with your responsibilities so you can have a little more time for yourself What gives YOU the best happiness return on your effort investment?

Did you know you don’t have to wake up at 5am, drink green juice and workout before the crack of dawn to have a healthy, productive routine?  In fact, forcing a routine that is not tailored to you may cause unnecessary stress or create as many problems as it solves.  For instance, getting in a good night’s sleep, eating a balanced, satiating breakfast and working in movement breaks during the day is practical as well as healthy. When updating your routine, try making a small improvement to your current one and maintaining it until it becomes a habit, or just who you are.  If even small changes are difficult, try  habit stacking .   This is the practice of linking a new habit with a well ingrained old one.  For instance, maybe you can improve hydration by making sure you drink a glass of water every time you have a cup of coffee or while you wait for the microwave.  Give it a try and watch yourself flourish !

  Stretch out what you're already doing! Planning a 20-minute walk after work?  Go ahead, go out for half an hour!  Doing 10 reps at the gym? Push it for 15!  Rushing through your stretches? Focus on holding stretches and deepening for 5-7 breaths.

  If you ever watch toddlers move, you’ll notice that they execute picture-perfect squats time and again. But when you’re well into adulthood, how to do squats becomes a little more of a loaded question: Are your feet in the right position? Are you getting down far enough? Should you add weight? While there’s a lot to unpack with how to do a proper squat, the benefits of learning how to squat correctly are immense— squat variations  not only help you get stronger during your workouts, but they also represent a movement pattern that you use during everyday life. It’s very much a functional movement. Check out the weekly tasks for more modifications!

How much effort are you exerting? Consider how you feel, your heart rate, and your own fitness level or use the Talk Test . Do you usually use the 3 lb dumbells?  Try for 5 lbs this week!  Do you typically walk at your dog's pace?  Take a walk by yourself this week and see how much more ground you cover in the same amount of time! (Bonus: Fix your eye on a landmark in the distance and jog to it!) Do you usually take the easier modification in your jazzercise class? Push yourself to try the full version this week!

GOOD MOOD FOOD Recipes, Week 1: Leafy Greens Today's recipe comes to us from one of our Wellness Specialists, whose 8-year old daughter calls this her favorite soup! This recipe for Beggar's Soup and the story below was adapted from the book "New Food of Life" by Najmieh Batmanglij.  Traditionally, this meal was called Beggar's Soup because in the past, people used to put coins in a pot on the roadside to pitch in for ingredients for the soup. The more people pitched in, the better the chances of the wish coming true. Today, the custom lives on in a new form. Friends are told a few days in advance what day the wish will be made, and they show up that day with a few ingredients each. They prepare it together and share it so that everyone can join in on making the wish come true for their loved one! This soup comes together in only 20 minutes, but simmers for a few hours, so it's a great option to put together quickly on a day you're doing other things at ho...

Does your workout need a wake-up call?? Try adding some variety! Not only will adding variety to your favorite exercises allow you to continue to make fitness improvements but it will keep your training fresh and exciting.  Here are a few simple tweaks you can make to add variety to your exercises:  Increase the number of sets or reps    Decrease the rest between exercises  Increase the resistance   Pause at the top or bottom of exercise  Slow down or speed up the motion

  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 ...

  Self-forgiveness is a way of reconciling the way you see yourself after you experience guilt or shame. These feelings happen when you do something that makes you question the image you have of yourself. Whether you have disappointed yourself or others, it can be hard to be kind to yourself when you do something you aren’t proud of. Here are some tips for how to practice self-forgiveness: Have empathy for more than yourself: Without having empathy for both you and the other person involved, self-forgiveness can be empty and not mean much. Empathy is powerful. Take responsibility: You cannot forgive yourself if you don't own up to what you did both to yourself and other people. Learn to fully accept what you did. Try to repair the damage: It may be hard for you to truly forgive yourself if you feel you haven't done what you need to do to make amends. Be kinds to yourself: Life is not perfect, so why would people be?  When the going gets tough, remember to be caring and lovin...

  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...

Being more organized can lead to better self-care You cannot underestimate the power of self-care during the hustle and bustle of the holidays. With the flurry of things to do, your self-care activities might fall by the wayside. One way to ensure you are making time for yourself is by organizing and planning all your tasks around the holidays. Consider the tips below to optimize your time and set boundaries. Learn to say no:  Decide what traditions offer the most positive impact and which plans cause too much stress. You do not need to attend every dinner you are invited to. If you become overwhelmed with baking, caroling, shopping, and visiting relatives, you may want to revisit your commitments. Pick a few favorite activities that you truly enjoy and politely decline others. Set a holiday schedule: Putting your plans on paper can show you how realistic they are. Try to use a time management planner. You can fill in the hours with your scheduled activities including driving time ...