Feel the burn. No pain, no gain. Just do it. Whatever motivational meme gets your heart pumping and feet moving, many of us have health and fitness on the mind this time of year. New Year’s resolutions are often the catalyst for dieting, joining a gym or just generally cleaning up our acts after the holidays. But the path to wellness, both physical and mental, is a journey — or, as artist Matt Mignanelli suggests in his cheeky cover illustration, an odyssey.
Ginger Vieira’s path started when she was diagnosed with a life-altering health condition at age 13. In her latest book, she offers tips for exercising with type 1 diabetes. Trainer and author Vieira would tell you that fitness is a lifelong adventure — one you’re never too old to start. Just ask the seniors who dance with joy at St. Johnsbury’s Quahog Dance Theatre.
Cannabis has been part of the wellness equation in Vermont since medical use was legalized in 2004. With general adult use legalized in late 2022, more folks are curious about weed’s health benefits. Got a question? Call Vermont’s Cannabis Nurse Hotline for answers from a medical professional.
Speaking of nurses, several rural Vermont towns now employ community nurses, who fill a gap in the state’s fragmented and expensive health care system by offering a local, low-cost service in places with growing senior populations.
Fans of Urban Moonshine‘s Citrus Bitters, Clear Chest syrup and Immune Zoom tonic must be delighted that the company has returned to its original Vermont owner after its sale years ago to a California corporation. The Burlington-based biz rejoins a vibrant local health industry that includes a pair of new Vermont vegan food producers aiming to enhance the wellness of people and the planet. Those companies would no doubt find common ground with Montpelier’s Lisa Masé, author of The Culinary Pharmacy: Intuitive Eating, Ancestral Healing, and Your Personal Nutrition Plan.
Of course, there’s more to well-being than physical fitness and diet. That’s why Vermont colleges are schooling students on wellness as mental health concerns mount on campuses. And in Montpelier, high schoolers are learning what it really means to be a man.
We think that’s pretty cool. Cooler, even, than the sweet shades you’ll need to wear to protect your eyes during the solar eclipse in April.
Finally, those partaking in Dry January — or rather, not partaking — may be happy the month is more than half over. If you didn’t make it without a drink, that doesn’t necessarily indicate a problem with alcohol, Seven Days advice guru the Reverend says. Maybe try Damp January instead?
Cheers.
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This article appears in Wellness Issue 2024.
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