[MRVphotog]

We might be overtaxed and underpaid but apparently Vermont has the healthiest lifestyles in the nation.
Vermonters Have Country's Healthiest Behavior, Survey Says - WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-

[arel]

Yup. Now that summer's finally here, I for one am in the water as often as possible. I go to Lake Spofford (in NH - sorry, but I do live in a border town), and, today, I discovered the town pool in Vernon. I've visited a couple of swimming holes, but they seem more inviting to look at than to swim in. Eventually, I will buy a kayak and/or a rowboat. I've already bought a set of hiking poles.

I've also started studying Pilates, and tomorrow I will probably start taking advantage of free and low cost ($3) yoga classes that are available to me as a Food Co-op shareholder.

There are two farmers' markets a week in my town, and there are others in other towns nearby. I almost always go to one a week, sometimes two.

My primary doctor is a naturopath.

And I'm from Brooklyn!!!!

[ex-springfielder]

As a long time viewer of The Discovery Channel and Animal Planet it's easy to understand, nature in all her wisdom kills of the weak and sick during Vermonts long, cold, harsh winter leaving only the healthiest and strongest of the herd to pass on their genes

[GypsySoul22]

We walk every day and get outside to parks, nature trails on the weekends.
But even in NY we went to the park or walk (though it is easier here and now the dog MAKES us have to get out and about).

I think winter it's hard to get enough exercise...we don't ski and so winter sports...but our apartment complex has a few machines.

I've been steadily exercising since January '09. It's the one thing that keeps me sane while looking for a job.

[Sherylcatmom]

We walk so much that our last name should be "Walker."

We eat whole, organic foods. It doesn't need to be certified organic, an onerous and expensive process that smaller growers can't always afford. I trust local farmers who don't spray or spray minimally. Anything that can be obtained from local or regional sources, that's what we choose.

We make time relax even if it means giving up things on our to-do list because it seems to keep us healthier.

We use preventive and natural care whenever possible. For example, my husband has eliminated all symptoms of his recently-diagnosed Crohn's disease by following a (very strict) diet while taking no medications.

I would call this integrative rather than alternative care because we also utilize conventional medical diagnostics and interventions when they seem to be the best choice. So we're also spending less, and costing the system less, by doing whatever we must to pay for out-of-pocket care if that's the best choice we could make.

My husband's restricted diet is expensive compared with even the excellent diet we were already eating, and way more expensive than eating tax-subsidized corporate Frankenfoods. But the pharmaceutical intervention recommended for his Crohn's would have cost the insurance company over $35,000 a year and likely would have caused additional expensive medical needs, including the possibility of lymphoma, over time.