The Get Movin Challenge Winners for 2017 were announced in the Cave today. For the entire month of February, staff and students at RRC met the challenge of reaching 7,000 steps per day. Three separate prize categories were made, with entry into each level’s draw based on the amount of days with 7,000 steps reached. As the prize winners were announced, folks also enjoyed a pancake breakfast put on by the RRCSA, with proceeds going to the Food Bank. Thanks to everyoneattending today, and all of those who participated in the Get Movin Challenge, we already look forward to next years Challenge!

Bronze Level Winners (min 10 days)

Rebels Pack Winners: Dennis Korabelnikov; Lynn Gibson; Chad Smith; Samantha Feal; Debra Wutke; Tracy Luedtke; Ray Hoemsen; Laureen Janzen; F. Rick Pizzi; Penny Rawson; Roberta Mack

Yard Game Winner: Lynn Thompson

Lawn Chair (provided by Great-West Life) Winner: Erika Skaftfeld

Beach Umbrella (provided by Great-West Life) Winner: Leslie Ternowetsky

Yoga mat (x2) Winner: Marie Graff and Lauren Waples

Cooler basket (provided by HUB STRATA) Winner: Derek Reykdal

Silver Level Winners (min 15 days)

Athletic Therapy session Winners: – Riann Ritchot and Cynthia Alles-Parasidis

$50 Gift Card to Jane’s Restaurant Winner: Lana Neufeld

1 Free Rec Services Fitness Class Winner: Karen Di Pietro

Saje Wellness Diffuser with Oil (valued at $100) Winner: Hellen Pollard

1 Pair Snow Shoes Winner: James Slade

$100 Golf Dome Gift Certificate Winner: Diane Brown

Photoshoot (valued at $175, provided by Lindsay Rowan) Winner: Patrick Griffith

Gold Level Winners (min 20 days)

$200 Thermea Spa Gift Certificate Winner: Sean Audet

$200 Visa Gift Card Winner: Faye Bychuk

$200 Float Calm Therapy Centre Gift Certificate Winner: Maria Turla

$200 Sport Chek Gift Card Winner: Lindsay Allan

Door Prize Winner

2 Pack of Manitoba Moose Tickets Winner: Michelle Johnson

Our 4th and final weekly prize winners of the Get Movin Challenge is Team C517 of the Nursing Department!

Laurie Ann Nichol wrote in

“Well, we are back at it this year…Team C517 has “stepped” up their challenge and raised the limit from last year’s accomplishment of 4 Million to an amazing 5 000 000.   Can’t stop this team from steppin’!!

We have 7 days remaining and our goal is in sight….

Thank you to the Wellness committee for starting the challenge that got us all steppin’ up!

Congrats to all Get Movin Challenge weekly winners this year and thanks to our various groups who donated prizes.

Congrats to week 3 Get Movin Challenge Winner Lovell Li.

Lovell writes

“One thing I’ve learned in the past years is the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Every day after work, I take the time to go to the gym and work out. Besides from exercising, I also make sure to maintain a healthy diet. After 2 years of working out and healthy diet, I lost 50 lbs. I’ve never felt stronger, healthier and happier. Here’s a picture of me and my wife, Francheska, working on our 7,000 steps!”

Thanks to the RRCSA, Rec Services, and GWL for this weeks prize.

Week 2 Winner of the Get Movin Challenge is RRC Residence Admissions Coordinator  Melanie Liske!

Melanie writes:

“ Not all of my movin’ is solely steps. Here is a breakdown of a power clean and jerk from one of my Olympic weightlifting training sessions.   This challenge sparked my purchase of a Fit Bit which has allowed me to get a better picture of my activity level each day, while making me very accountable to those days where I move way to little. This new gadget along with this challenge has motivated me to keep enjoying as many of my old active habits as possible, but also to find new ways of living an active lifestyle throughout my day. Both have helped me to ensure those moving very little days don’t really happen anymore. Keep moving everyone! I hope you’re finding fun ways that work for you to keep your body movin’ and groovin’!  ”

Thanks to HUB and Rebels Athletics for providing this weeks prizes.

The Wellness Committee’s Mental Health Subcommittee has arranged two wellness walks as part of the Get Movin’ Challenge. Those who are involved in the Get Movin’ Challenge ae trying to log 7,000 steps per day, through a variety of activities, although you don’t have to be signed up for the Challenge to come out.

The wellness walks will be great opportunities to log some steps, while getting fresh air and connecting with friends and colleagues. Students, staff, and faculty are welcome. There is no need to register.

The Plan

We’ll be meeting at noon. Everyone is welcome (students, staff, and faculty). After a short teaching on mindful walking, we’ll head out together for a 30 minute walk, logging roughly 3000 steps. Mindful walking is not a fancy or complex idea; it’s simply the practice of being aware of your experience as you walk.

After the walk, we’ll gather together, enjoying some fair trade tea and hot chocolate, courtesy of the Wellness Committee.

Why a Wellness Walk?

We know that being active is great for our physical and mental health. Outdoor, mindful walking with friends leads to many health benefits, including better mental clarity, a boost in positive emotions, and improved self-esteem. Taking a break from studying or sitting at your desk, getting out for movement, sunlight and fresh air will actually make you more productive over the course of the day. So, come out and join us!

When & Where

NDC

Date: February 28th

Meeting Location: The Cave Lounge

Time: 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm

EDC

Date: February 27th

Meeting Location: Roblin Centre Cafeteria

Time: 12:00 noon – 1:00 pm

*We’d like to send a special thanks to Dayna Graham and Debbie Donato for their help in coordinating the EDC walk.

Congrats to our Week 1 Get Movin Prize Winners!: Pat Wherrett and Kristen Dohan!

Kristen writes:

I’m a nursing student at the college and if it’s one thing I’ve learnt, you have to keep physically and time  (which is tough to do with and time busy nursing schedule) so what my boyfriend  and I since starting this challenge together do is a sequence of exercises after to supper to help us digest our food. We do 3min of running in a spot ten jumping Jack’s and 200 abdominal reps of various exercises. It’s a fun thing we do together to try and stay physically active during our busy school schedules.

 Thanks for helping us get active!!!

While Pat shares a picture of her working hard on the elliptical alongside a furry friend!

Thanks to the RRC Bookstore and Great West Life for donating these weeks prize packs! Thanks to Pat and Kristen for sharing their Get Movin Challenge pics. We encourage participants to share theirs as well to enter for more great prizes!

Click Here for more information on the Get Movin Challenge

Below is a guest blog from RRC alum Jennifer Schroeder who is a mother of two, living with mental illness.

We talk a lot about the stigma attached to mental illness and the ways in which we can break down those walls. Stigma is often the driving force behind many of the barriers individuals with mental health disorders experience. Today, I would like to talk a little about those barriers and how they can and do affect us in our daily lives.

While we have made many strides toward creating a more accessible and inclusive world, we still have far to go. As a child, my inability to concentrate in school was written off as ‘problem behavior’, and so that label followed me. The trouble with labels, is if you are told something enough times, you start to believe that is all you are. Shame is a barrier to seeking help and in turn, getting better.

Just over a year ago, I had no choice but to leave my place of employment because of my health. Mental health in the workplace is largely misunderstood, and this exacerbates the vicious cycle of shame, guilt and self-doubt. Not being able to work outside of the home can be a huge financial barrier for many individuals and families and acquiring Employment and Income Assistance due to a disability requires overcoming many hurdles, with the potential to end up with nothing. When answering the phone or even dealing with a simple task such as paying a bill seems like too much to handle, 20+ pages of forms, doctors visits and assessments can feel insurmountable.

As a parent suffering with mental illness, I have encountered many hurdles throughout my journey. Something as seemingly small as getting up and out of the house to bring my child to school can be incredibly challenging for me, and because no alternative options are available, sometimes she doesn’t go. My children miss out on a lot of things because I am just not healthy enough to handle it. My meal preparation often includes quick and easy processed foods because I lack the energy and motivation to cook homemade, healthy meals from scratch. My laundry piles up for days, sometimes weeks until I am left with no clean clothes. Sometimes my kids watch TV all day, because I can’t get off of the couch. Add social media with its constant barrage of curated lives and meme shaming and it is enough to make someone feel alone and dejected. This is the never-ending cycle so many of us face and don’t talk openly about.

As a student dealing with mental illness, feeling like you cannot focus, retain information or keep up with your course load can be a major roadblock. Telling an instructor you couldn’t make a deadline because of a panic attack can feel humiliating. Maybe your mental health has even prevented you from pursuing higher education, preventing you from achieving your dream. All of these things are real and valid. We must find ways to adapt our education systems to set us up for success, not failure.

There are so many unique barriers; I am unable to touch on them all. Everyone experiences mental illness in a different way and in turn will experience varying forms and degrees of difficulty. Mental health can affect every aspect of the life of the individual suffering, from relationships, to employment, to parenting, to mundane everyday tasks. To work towards inclusivity and accessibility in a world built for the mentally well; we need to refrain from assessments or judgments of ones abilities just because their illness is invisible. We need to re-evaluate our intentions when dealing with a friend, family member or co-worker dealing with mental illness. We need to listen to what they say and believe them.

Jenn

If you are an RRC student experiencing academic difficulties due to a mental health problem or illness, please contact Accessibility Services. You can set up an appointment here. 

Written by Rachelle Pascal Carrick

Feeling a little down? Perhaps this may not be a complete surprise to you as today has been deemed to be the most depressing day of the year, “Blue Monday”. Popular culture has reported that the third Monday in January is said to be the most depressing day of the year due to a combination of cold weather; the post-holiday blues; over spending in December resulting in increased debt, and broken New Year’s Resolutions. Although Blue Monday lacks scientific evidence, it has sparked a conversation about mental health and the seriousness of clinical depression. Whether you believe Blue Monday is a “thing” or not, there are things you can do to improve the quality of your life and your mental health in the coldest months of the year.

Check out this link for tips and suggestions for improving your mental health.

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/01/13/today-is-the-most-depressing-day-of-the-year

Do you find yourself overly concerned with how you look? Are you interested in discussing the pressure to look a certain way? Would you like to connect with other students who are also ready to talk about this topic, sharing some tea and snacks?  If so, then I invite you to attend “The Body Project” at EDC on Monday, January 23 & 30 from 5:30-7:30 pm.

Check out the poster, with details here: body-image-poster-2017

By registering you will be welcome to attend two separate two hour sessions at The Roblin Centre, EDC. You’ll engage in discussions and participate in activities that are meant to help you feel more positive about your body. All students of all genders are welcome. You can register by emailing blsawatzky@rrc.ca or calling 204-632-2061. You’ll be asked a couple of questions to make sure this is the right group for you.

Back in November, some RRC students and staff were trained to become facilitators of The Body Project, an evidence based eating disorder prevention and body image improvement program. You can learn more about the program, which is running at many Canadian and American College and University campuses, here. The Projector also wrote a piece on the program, called “Embody Positivity” here.

Breanna

Post submitted by Karley Middleton, HUB International

(Wellness Consultant/Advisor to RRC)

The sense of smell is extremely personal – and one that cannot be avoided or modified with ease. The scents one chooses to surround him or herself with is an expression of their personality, as much as the clothes or hairstyle they wear.

However, scent has a much larger impact on those around us than the mere visual assault that can accompany a particularly brazen choice of outfit. Spending the majority of our day in a workplace means that we need to take that impact into consideration more than if we changed environments on a daily basis or worked from home.

So, while one whiff of your body spray causes you to drift away to a more mentally-pleasing location, it could be making your desk-mate seasick at the same time – you both have the right to a psychologically and physically healthy and safe environment to work in, so who gives in?

There is also the case of essential oils, boasting many soothing and healing properties. But, these properties come with typically strongly scented mediums such as lavender for stress and anxiety, peppermint for headaches and nausea, fennel (or licorice) for digestive issues and lemongrass for alertness.

Although these scents are merely the product of an alternative “health-style” choice, they, too have an impact on those who did not choose to use them but rather have assigned seating nearby. Again, who must submit their right to a comfortable and safe workplace in favour of the other’s preferences?

Liken this situation to the ever-popular Battle Over The Thermostat; everyone has a temperature at which they’re their most comfortable and productive, so who gets their way? In this case, those who prefer it cooler will most likely prevail as one can very easily throw on a sweater but you can’t very well strip in the office when you’re sweating through your single-layer blouse.

So, when a scent cannot be unanimously agreed upon (and good luck to you with that!) it must simply be removed. There are ways to reap the benefits of scent through taste (flavoured water) and sight (artwork, plant life) and that will just have to suffice until you’re in the privacy of your own car or home.