Before I started gardening, I thought it was a nice pastime for sedentary folks.   Was I wrong !!!   8 years ago I moved into a new home & decided that on the May Long weekend I wanted to create a flower garden in a corner patch of my yard.   I’d never embarked on this type of activity before, so basically I winged it.   In a matter of 3 days, I dug up the space & charted out my flower patch; I hauled bricks from the store to the car to create the flower bed; shoveled a truck load of dirt into the garden. I was exhausted and elated at the same time!   My first DIY project was underway.       Then it was onto research of best plants to grow in that area – do I want annual or perennials? Or a combination … hmm, so many choices!   I especially enjoyed digging in the dirt, carefully planting my chosen gems

During the course of that summer, I proudly watched the flowers and plants grow & prosper, I felt a sense of accomplishment and happiness, which continues today as I’ve expanded into vegetables and herb gardens. I like the physical aspects of gardening as well as the stillness that I feel as I prune and pluck the weeds, at one with the earth.   I experienced the other side of the emotional spectrum as well – cursing the weather; disappointment when a prized perennial doesn’t return the next season; seeing my lilies get consumed by bugs seemingly overnight!

Check out this great article that captures all the fantastic health and wellness aspects of gardening – The Dirt on Gardening!

Nancy Cumbers

NAOSH, or North American Occupational Safety and Health week, is a continent-wide event spanning Canada, the United States and Mexico. It takes place May 1 to May 7 each year. NAOSH inspired my article for this week. You may be wondering,  ‘what’s that got to do with wellness’? And, which aspects of wellness would this apply to?

The NAOSH theme for 2016 is “Make Safety a Habit. What’s Your Reason?”

Just take a moment to think about your reason(s) for working safely, both at work and at home, and for staying well and tell us about them in the comments section.

My main reason is my family. I want to go home at the end of the day to be with my husband and my son. Working safely and being well go hand-in-hand. There are over 28,000 workplace injuries in Manitoba each year. If we all work together to stay safe, we can all be well on our way to contributing to reducing those injuries.
The College is holding multiple events this week to celebrate the many dimensions of wellness that NAOSH week touches upon, from your spiritual wellness to the environmental and social aspects, just to name a few.

Check out rrc.ca/NAOSH2016 for the events scheduled for this week and win some great prizes along the way for your financial wellness.

Have a great #NAOSHweek and stay happy and healthy!

RRC Slow Pitch is back again on June 9^th at John Bloomberg. The annual event has become a fan favorite of things to do to participate in the college community. It has grown and morphed into a place where you can stretch out your legs, get some sun on the face again and reconnect to some familiar faces.

Many people have many different reasons to come out and I’ve noticed they all seem to fit so well together. Some people come who of have played before, or haven’t played in years, who have never played or just want to be a part of the team. It seems to work so well. A single team could be over 20 plus participants with only needing about half that to play.

When I get asked to talk about active living benefits my mind automatically goes to how “I should do more sit ups” or “I should put down this cake.” I feel a lot of our ideas about things we want to change or improve on are seen from the negative. Who is this voice? I know some people did not sign up for slow pitch in the past because they thought they couldn’t play, not good enough or didn’t know how to play. After enough time of still wanting to participate, they come and see the environment and they find themselves trying a new sport, playing in some of the games or just bringing in a chair and cheering on their team. I find for myself active living is becoming less about the harsh judgments of how I think I see myself and if I belong, and more about the acceptance of who I am and where I’m at. If I’ve come away with anything from this event, it is not because I feel the need to have to step up to the plate with a bat but to step up to myself to realize I am the only limiting factor to my experience. That when I accept myself as I am, then others also tend to accept me. This event has shown me people don’t care how far I can hit a ball but that I am perfect just as I am and I can be as I wish to be when I just let myself show up.

Yes, of course doing a few arm throws or jog around the bases are good. You don’t have to worry about the cake because we won’t serve any, but what about active living as an inside job first? Find the doubter, remove all doubt. Working on finding yourself and seeing that you belong anywhere you want to belong. That you just being you, is the role on the team we are waiting to fill and you might find yourself perhaps doing far more then you could’ve imagined.

Click here for the registration form; http://blogs.rrc.ca/rebels/intramural-special-events/

Registration and payment is being taken at the cashier’s office and you can register as a team or as a single person. Registration deadline is June 3^rd at noon and is only $15.00 per person. This will book the facility as well as provide you with a lunch. Any registrations after June 3rd will be $20.00 per person. So come on out and give it a try anyway you want to.

Mario De Negri

Most people understand the negative effects that improper sleep quantity can have on their daily activities. We’ve all heard a fellow employee say how they just need their five or six hours per night to function well the next day. As adults are recommended by the National Sleep Foundation to get anywhere between seven and nine hours of sleep per night, it’s already evident we don’t get enough on a regular basis. What most don’t understand is that proper sleep quality is just as important as quantity and can be just as troublesome if not satisfied.

When deprived of the rejuvenating effects of sleep, the brain’s ability to process new information is compromised along with creativity, logic and judgement – not a set of skills anyone would like to go a full workday without! In addition to the impact on the brain, the rest of body takes a hit without sufficient sleep on a regular basis. The immune system is typically one of the first in the body to shut down when we feel stressed; people often lose sleep over stress as well so the connection between sleep and the immune system is a natural conclusion. Migraines and headaches are more commonly linked to people getting a lower quality of sleep, and those conditions greatly affect our productivity throughout the day as well. Poor nutritional choices are also more likely to occur when insufficient sleep is achieved which can lead to higher risk for heart disease and Diabetes.

Our bodies love to sleep, and why wouldn’t they? Throughout the stages of sleep our bodies get to relax every muscle and repair some damage done throughout the day, lower our blood pressure and restore energy to recharge our systems for another extended period of being awake. Without this time to recharge, our systems continue to deplete until there is eventually a complete and total shut-down. A couple of extra hours each night dedicated to maintaining proper physical and mental health through sleeping may allow us less free time during each day but will most certainly benefit us in the long run.

There are certain practical steps we can take to ensure our mind and body are ready for a solid night’s sleep:

• Create a sleep routine – go to bed and wake up at close to or the same time each day (even weekends, there’s no need to “catch up” if we consistently get enough).
• Make physical activity a consistent part of each day, but not within 3 hours of going to bed.
• Limit intake of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine in general but especially during the evening hours as these stimulants will work against our brain’s desire to fall – and stay – asleep.
• Make the bedroom a haven for the weary. Darkness, quiet, comfortable temperature and sleeping area are all essential to creating an environment for a great sleep.
• Turn away from the light – all light. Luminescent clocks, plugin nightlights and personal technology like phones, tablets and computers all contribute to keeping the mind in a state of constant awareness.

Find ways to help achieve the sleep quality and quantity you need to be your most productive self. If you can’t think of anything right now that’s fine, go sleep on it.

Paramedical Coverage

As part of Red River College’s group benefits, Benefit Eligible Employees may have coverage for the following professional services. Your coverage is based on your Flex Option choice.

• Audiologists
• Athletic Therapists
• Chiropractors
• Dieticians
• Massage Therapists
• Naturopaths
• Osteopaths
• Physiotherapists
• Podiatrists/Chiropodists
• Psychologists/Social Workers
• Speech Therapists

For detailed paramedical coverage information refer to your benefits booklet.

Mental Health Awareness Week

May 2^nd to 8^th is Mental Health Week. Mental Health Week is designed to celebrate positive attitudes and mentally healthy lifestyles.[1] Mental health is just as important as physical health and is key to being truly healthy. Mental health involves how we interact with the world around us and how we feel, think and act. Mental health is not about achieving the ‘perfect life’ by avoiding problems. Mental well-being is much more than the presence or absence of a mental illness; rather it is about living well and feeling capable despite challenges.[2]

Each person’s path to mental well-being is different and unique just as each person’s goals, challenges, talents and supports are. Maintaining your mental health requires effort every day, but the rewards are great! Everyone can achieve good mental health! Here are some tips and activities to apply on a regular basis to help you get started:

• Build a healthy self-esteem – Self-esteem is being able accept all of your abilities and weaknesses, and doing your best with your own unique abilities and talents. Build confidence by developing weaker areas and regularly reminding yourself of the things you’re comfortable and proud of.
• Build a positive support network – Social support is a very important part of mental health and people in our networks can offer many different kinds of support. Make time to just be with important people in your life.
• Get involved – You make a difference, and being involved in the things that matter to us provides a great feeling of satisfaction and purpose. Getting involved connects you with others, builds confidence and promotes personal growth. Read to children, help a neighbor or service on a charity board.
• Build resiliency – Stress is a normal part of life. Resiliency means coping well with stress, and other difficult situations that are a normal part of life. Build a resiliency tool kit that might include skills such as problem solving or developing support networks. [3]

For more mental health information including more tips and activities visit the Canadian Mental Health Association website.

Supporting Your Wellness

The LifeWorks website contains useful tools and articles to help you and your family. You even have access to seminars and podcasts at www.lifeworks.com.

It is important to take charge of both your physical and emotional health. Check out this recommended podcast:

Losing Weight Together!

[1] Canadian Mental Health Association. http://mentalhealthweek.cmha.ca/. 2016.

[2] Canadian Mental Health Association. Mental Health – Why is your mental health so important? http://mentalhealthweek.cmha.ca/your-mental-health/mental-health-fact-sheet/. 2016.

[3] Canadian Mental Health Association. Mental Health – Why is your mental health so important? http://mentalhealthweek.cmha.ca/your-mental-health/mental-health-fact-sheet/. 2016.

They say if you take care of the minutes, the hours will take care of themselves. That, however, is an almost 350 year old quote. In today’s hyper-connected world, we talk about nanoseconds.

How many times have you anxiously been drumming your fingers waiting for that 5MB text to send from your mobile phone, or for that card verification to say, “Approved,” so you can get out of the online store? As you “waste” 4 seconds just WAITING you think of everything you have to do and how little time you have to do it. You don’t have time for this!

Balance is an elusive concept in this out-of-control world, and we could all use a little help achieving it. Here are 9 steps to bringing balance to your life. Yes, it’s a link, so be patient.

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/9-tips-to-create-a-balanced-life/

Take your time…and spend it well, sometimes just by yourself.

By Chef John Royal

In planning what to write for my wellness blog post, I kept coming back to how much I need to spend quality time with my family and friends.   How hard it is in this busy life to find time for everything; work demands, a happy marriage, kids, pets, household, parents and all of life’s things that need to get done.

One thing that I find always falls to the bottom of my list is me!

We all want our family and friends, work, and relationships to take priority, and in order to do that, you need to take care of yourself. Sometimes the best way to recharge your battery is to do something that you love to do, by yourself.

Biking and walking are great for me. Some people want to relax at the spa to rejuvenate or perhaps a massage, some like to sit at the coffee shop and spend two hours with the paper and crossword. Time to think by yourself while doing something that you enjoy is one of the great pleasures in life. I find that another great destressor is to fall into yard work for a few hours. Painting is also bliss for me (not all the prep or cleanup though!)

Make time for yourself to be busy or lazy or active, but make the time for you, and the people you surround yourself will be better for it!

In our family we found that the only way to be able to spend time on individual hobbies or have personal time was to plan for it. If we didn’t plan for it, it didn’t happen.

Once we all got into the habit of having a few hours of personal time each week, planning came easier, and everyone in our family is developing themselves in one way or anther. Right now, some of the individual pastime’s in my house include: reading time, running, origami, gardening, and Lego. Outside personal activities include swimming, biking, dog walking and the ongoing maintenance and renovation of a 110-year-old home (that one is mine!)

In our house we use team work to gain some personal time. Having our kids help with small things like the cleanup of toys or making sure their laundry was in the hampers, all helped the grown ups and kiddos to have more time together – and on our own!

I have found that our family spends more quality time together and we also have more time to ourselves. We are all more engaged with each other and find we are more engaged at school and work.

As RRC employees we have a wonderful resource available to us with our EFAP (Employee, Family Assistance Program) Called lifeworks. I have included below our common staff login to the website and a few search recommendations in relation to this topic. Happy reading!

Life works website log in for RRC staff members:

www.Lifeworks.com

Username: rrcefap Password: efap

Great references that I found on the lifeworks website are the: “Work Life Play: Making the most of every day” 52-page booklet (available in .pdf format)

Once logged in to lifeworks, at the top search bar, a search for: “work life balance” will come up with a multitude of great resource articles and media on this topic.

One other web reference I found helpful was an article at about.com titled “How to find time for yourself” by Elizabeth Scott, a Stress Management expert.

Here is the link to that article.

http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/find_time.htm

Enjoy time to yourself!

Women and Weights

Are you a female that wants to start a fitness regime but don’t know where to start? Does the idea of learning a bunch of new equipment intimidate you? Are you already active but want to bring more focus into your workouts? You are not alone! Join in this 4 week session to become more familiar with the gym setting. Together we will discuss training myths, where to start, benefits of exercise, and learn more about gym equipment. Bring an eagerness for a lifestyle change and lot’s of questions!

Week 1 – classroom setting
Week 2 – gym walkthrough learning about various equipment
Week 3 + 4 – workout

Instructor: Amanda Pilloud

NDC- 4 Sessions

Wednesday’s April 20 – May 11 12:00-12:45PM

EDC- 4 Sessions

Wednesday’s May 18 – June 8 12:00-12:45pm

About the Instructor: Amanda is a certified yoga instructor and personal trainer. With thirteen years of ballet, years of curling, hiking, biking, marathons and exercising, Amanda is no stranger to physical activity. Wanting to share her passion for movement with others Amanda completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training through YYoga, followed by her 300 hour yoga teacher training in India. She has attained her Personal Training certification to coach people in a one on one setting.  You can expect from her sessions; encouragement to move to your full potential, a focus on body alignment, a chance to calm your mind from the stresses of daily life, challenging sessions that match your ability and a quirky sense of humour.

To Register: contact Cole Skinner @ coskinner@rrc.ca or 2397. Participation is Free, however limited spots available. Participants are expected to attend all 4 sessions.

Whether you play indoors, on the grass, or on a beach, volleyball can be a great way to stay healthy and fit. It’s also a great way to stay involved in social activities, as it can be played with a single partner or with and entire team.

 •Burns calories and fat: One of the primary benefits of volleyball is that it helps you burn calories, which is an important component of a weight loss or maintenance program. Harvard Medical School reports a person can burn between 90 to 133 calories during a half-hour game of non-competitive, non-beach volleyball, depending on a person’s weight, while a competitive gym game of volleyball burns between 120 to 178 calories. An hour-long game of volleyball on the much less stable ground of sand can burn up to 480 calories.

•Tones and shapes the body: The physical activities involved in playing volleyball will strengthen the upper body, arms and shoulders as well as the muscles of the lower body. Playing volleyball also improves the cardiovascular and respiratory systems.

•Increases metabolic rate: Playing volleyball enhances your energy level and improves your overall performance in other sports and workouts.

•Improves hand-eye coordination: Volleyball is all about hand-eye coordination. When you serve, you must follow the ball with your eyes, and strike the ball at the right point. On defense, you must react to where the ball is going and get in position to make a play. While setting, your hand-eye coordination helps you see where your hitters are, to make sure to give them a good set.

•Builds agility, coordination, speed, and balance: Due to its quick changes of pace and direction, volleyball places a large number of demands on the technical and physical skills of a player. During the course of play, players are required to serve, pass, set, attack, block and dig the ball. These skills require flexibility, good balance, upper and lower body strength and speed in order to be played effectively.

•Heart healthy: By getting your heart rate up, your body will circulate more blood and nutrients throughout your body, which improves your overall health.

•Builds muscular strength: Volleyball requires a strong chest and core muscles for nearly every play. When you pass, you mimic a squat, and you must use your legs to generate power. When you set, you must use arms, legs, and hands, especially your thighs. When the ball is coming to you, you need to load your legs and arms, and push up. Your hands need to be strong to prevent injury.

•Increases aerobic ability: According to Well Source’s Aerobic Mile Chart, you expend the same amount of energy playing an easy, slow-paced game of volleyball for 20 minutes as you would jogging one mile. You expend the same amount of energy spent jogging a mile by playing a vigorous 12-minute game of volleyball.

•Improves interpersonal skills: Volleyball requires that teammates work cooperatively, and at a fast pace. A June 2008 study of adult men who engage in regular team sports found that team members developed better networking skills than men who were less involved in team sports, reports the Centre for Economic Policy Research. Leadership and cooperation skills as well as practice handling wins and losses appropriately provide valuable characteristics that transfer to dealing with others in many other situations.

•Boosts mood and increases drive to succeed: Your involvement in volleyball can improve your mood, reduce stress and encourage pride in your accomplishments as a team member. The activity can also improve your self-confidence, self-esteem, your body image and make you feel happier about life in general. Involvement in volleyball can also improve your motivation and ability to succeed. As a team player, your cooperative efforts lead to the success or failure of the team. Team members encourage one another during practice and in the game to give everyone the confidence to keep on trying to master and perfect the necessary skills to win.

Sleep is essential for good health. It allows the body to recharge, heal and reset.

As a parent I see the importance of keeping my kids on a bedtime routine. They are healthier, happier and have fewer temper tantrums, a sleep routine makes sense. A regular sleep routine helps keep your internal clock in sync and this actually makes it easier to fall asleep.

We make sleep a priority for our children, why don’t we do it for ourselves? Think about how many adults you know that don’t get enough sleep (myself included). Being tired is sometimes unavoidable, but unless you’re a shift worker, we really should make sleep a priority. How much sleep do we need? Turns out the average amount of sleep recommended for adults is 7 to 9 hours a night. Do you get enough sleep?

I remember watching a television show where they studied sleep deprivation, people who were tired had reaction times slower than those of a drunk driver. Being a danger on the road isn’t the only reason to get some sleep. Not enough sleep effects your immune system, your ability to think clearly, and your overall short and long term health.

We all know the basic effects of not getting enough sleep, now what can we do to ensure a better sleep? Here is what I have learnt; my mom has always told me to turn down the heat at night to around 18 degrees Celsius, and have a dark, quiet room. The Doctor Oz show I watched said to eliminate all electronics and to have a clock radio with a red light display. I know some people swear by meditation and others swear by a glass of warm milk.   Whatever you do to assist with getting a good night sleep it’s worth it, make sleep a priority and be a healthier, happier you!

When looking at your health, are you examining the entire landscape? The wellness wheel is designed to get you thinking of how “well” you are in all the different aspects of your life. When you think of your overall wellness, make sure you are not just focusing on a couple spokes. For resources to assist with you and your family’s wellness check out Lifeworks and live well!