Since opening the doors in January 2012 the RRC Wellness blog has amassed just over 2,000 unique visits resulting in over 10,000 page views. Wow!

The blog has been built from the contributions of 20 staff members, 2 students, and of course many readers.  We especially appreciate those readers who have taken the time to comment and compliment the authors on their posts, as it helps inspire them to keep sharing their thoughts, words, and pictures with you.

Since it’s the end of the year and the time for lists, here is a countdown of the Top 10 Wellness Blogs of the year (with a few others that didn’t make the Top 10 sprinkled in for good measure).

#10 – My Feet are Killing Me! – Stephanie Ruth Fraser’s post on plantar fasciitis comes in at the number ten spot, detailing signs of this condition and some suggested steps you might take if you are having troubles with your feet. Congratulations to Stephanie for her recent appointment as Assistant to our new VP Academic Stan Chung.

#9 –  A French Wellness Lesson – Guy Dugas, the outgoing (not to mention retiring) Chair of Accounting and Computer Education was one of the Wellness blogs most prolific and popular writers.  As you’ll see below, Guy appears several times in the top 10.  This particular post was an amusing, enlightening, and taste-bud tantalizing account of his vacation in France.  Caution – reading this post will make you hungry and thirsty.

#8 – Best Race/Worst Race – the post compiles vintage races from James Slade, Derek Kochenash, Judy McMullen, Mike Krywy, Guy Dugas, and Nancy Ball.  The best and worst moments are equally inspiring, touching, painful, and occasionally hilarious (see comment section). This post was used to help promote the Red River Fun Run an event inspired by Colin Fast (College Relations) and organized by the Run Club, the Wellness Committee, and the RRC Students’ Association.

#7 – Appreciating Nature – Mike Krywy comes in at Lucky #7 for his photographic reminiscence of the passage of summer.  His similar posts like Summer Ghosts and the Colors that Paint a Butterfly’s Wing failed the crack the top 10, but clearly struck a chord with other nature lovers at RRC. Incidentally, number seven is the first number he ever wore in hockey (another favorite topic of his).

#6 – Q+A with President Stephanie Forsyth – Part 1 and Part 2. Back in the spring RRC’s President Stephanie Forsyth took some time to share her thoughts on what it takes to build a wellness culture on campus, her own strategy for “being well”, and how wellness activities also include working with and within the community. Stephanie is a strong supporter of the College’s Wellness Committee serving as a judge for the third annual Chili Cup – which this year was won by Nursing instructors Tom Harrigan and Jackie Santiago.

#5 – The Power of Smiling – Margarita Natcheva Rowley shared many wonderful thoughts throughout the year, though this one on the simple health benefits that a smile can bring was the most read of the them all.  Many of her other posts can be found in the mental health and spiritual wellness categories. Throughout the year Margarita contributed twenty-four posts – nearly a quarter of all the posts. Big Thanks.

#4 –  …in the Passing Lane – in this post, Guy Dugas shares his thoughts on the passing of a former RRC colleague Peter Komarnicki.  Guy reflects on the time that he and Peter spent together sharing drinks with the Pope and the other Bears. The lasting message is that we all take time to appreciate the moments we share with our friends, as the most precious resource we all have is time. We wish Guy a wonderful retirement from RRC, though I’m sure he’ll keep the adventure going in other ways – and hopefully he’ll become our first staff-Alumni blogger.

#3 – Burn the Blues! – was written by Karla Penner a student at the Winkler Campus re-capping a fun Wellness related event at her campus.  While there weren’t many student-related posts this past year, the Wellness Committee is also very grateful to the work of Cre Comm graduate Hayley Brigg who spent a few weeks while on work placement helping to get the blog rolling in January.

#2 – Wellness in the Slow Lane – Guy dedicated several posts throughout the year chronicling the adventures of the Red River Rebel Riders (RRRR) as they prepared for the MS Riding Mountain Challenge. This particular post spins a fantastic tale of Gurdeesh Ghuman (NDC Security) whose accomplishments need to be read in order to be believed. Have a look at other posts by Guy to see the full chronicles of the Rebel Riders, particularly his Oh Canada! post which provides an engaging Manitoba history lesson.

#1 – The Heart-Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe in the World – So what does it mean when the top post is a chocolate chip cookie recipe? I suspect it’s related to our love of news stories telling us that red wine is good for you, dark chocolate is healthy as well, and coffee isn’t so bad either (but all in moderation).  Margarita submitted this recipe, but isn’t the inventor of it. Nevertheless, it is one among many recipes on the site, showing how good eating is a fantastic pathway to good health. Try baking these cookies over the holidays, and let us know what you think. Drop a fresh batch off at my office as well, if you don’t mind (ps – I’m in C509).

Special thanks to everyone else who contributed to the Wellness Blog this past year.  You can see a full list of authors on the right-side banner.

You can also Subscribe to the blog – look for the “Wellness by Email” title and you’ll notice the box below where you enter your email address. This enables you to read the latest posts hot off the virtual presses.

Thanks for reading! Happy New Year!