Lamoille Valley Rail Trail

When Is 13 Not a Lucky Number?

Nov 08 2017

By: Wendy Hubbard RN, BSN, Vermont Department of Health

Many of us have heard the saying “Lucky Number 13.” When is 13 not a lucky number? Thirteen is no longer a lucky number when it is associated with the increased rates of 13 cancers. These cancers have been associated with being overweight or obese. The “Cancer and Obesity” report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on October 3^rd can be found on their website.

The CDC infographic discusses what communities are doing to encourage their neighbors to increase their physical activity and get healthy foods into their daily meal plan. I would like us to take a moment and look at the resources in the Lamoille Valley. There are many activities going on and simple, no cost ways we can encourage each other to have improved health.

Families, for example, can get out and walk or bike on the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail.Find a walking buddy to encourage each other and get out there and enjoy the fall air.

Local schools encourage breakfast and offer healthy meal choices for breakfast and lunch. There are summer meal programs for children in many areas. The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program offers food benefits, nutrition education, recipes and breastfeeding supports to families that meet the eligibility requirements. You can call 888-7447 for more information on WIC services.

The 3-4-50 website has Vermont specific data along with tips and strategies to reduce obesity.

The 3 represents the 3 behaviors that are the leading causes of cancer:

Tobacco use
Poor diet
Lack of physical exercise and obesity

These 3 behaviors contribute to 4 chronic diseases:

Cancer
Heart disease & stroke
Type 2 diabetes
Lung disease

These behaviors and chronic diseases are the cause of more than 50% of deaths in Vermont.

Oct 05 2017

By: Lea Kilvádyová, Lamoille County Planning Commission

This year’s foliage marks the second season of a year-round use of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail between Morristown and Cambridge. And, what a ride it has been to be able to take advantage of this precious addition to living well in Lamoille!

For me, the Rail Trail has become a pleasurable way to commute on bike from my home in Johnson to my place of work in Morrisville. For an after work and after-school activity, my family has developed a fun routine riding our bikes from Johnson Village to an iconic bridge overlooking Lamoille River in Johnson. In addition to biking, the trail has become my red carpet for running; an activity I have been attempting to start and sustain for years. Now – thanks to the Rail Trail, I have successfully been putting in 5K twice a week! I encourage all to explore the Trail; it is peaceful, safe and very scenic. In addition, unlike most terrain in Lamoille County, it is uniquely flat which makes it accessible to all ages.

Lamoille County Towns have worked hard to make the use of the trail easy and fun. Through the dedication of local volunteers, and with help from grant funding agencies such as the Northern Borders Regional Commission, Cambridge, for example, built an award-winning trailhead facility that includes a railway-themed playground. Hyde Park designed a state-of-the-art wayfinding system to better connect the trail with the village center. Johnson’s trailhead kiosk, adjacent to the spectacularly back-dropped Old Mill Park, includes essential amenities such as a drinking fountain and a wheelchair accessible port-o-let.

My organization, Lamoille County Planning Commission, assisted the towns’ Rail Trail efforts by securing the funding, providing project management support, and creating maps and information brochures for the section of the trail between Cambridge and Morristown. The maps are available at all trailheads in Lamoille County and can also be downloaded here: https://www.lvrt.org/trail-maps. Copley Hospital is among generous sponsors that contributed to the printing of the brochures.

Last but not least, a big thank you belongs to the Vermont Association of Snow Travelers for overseeing the construction of the Rail Trail and spearheading a fundraising campaign to complete the full 93-miles of the trail between St. Johnsbury and Swanton.

It is essential that you seek professional advice for all issues concerning your health. Do not take any of the information in this blog (either in posts or comments) as professional advice or official communication from Copley Hospital or any of the blog authors. Posts and comments on this blog are not intended to be professional advice, unless implicitly indicated in the blog post, and do not necessarily reflect Copley Hospital policy or corporate opinion. The opinions and/or views expressed on Live Well Lamoille represent the thoughts of the individual bloggers and commenters, not those necessarily of the organizations they represent or organizations affiliated with the blog.

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Tag - Lamoille Valley Rail Trail