It is a busy time getting ready for either the first year or a returning year to school. One way to be prepared is to ensure every person has up-to-date immunizations. Schools are great places to spread or catch germs and infectious diseases. Protect yourself and others from vaccine preventable diseases.

The number one way to do this is to get immunized.

• Tetanus/Diptheria/Whooping cough is only needed every 10 years.
• You should have had 2 MMRs, (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) or have a blood test that indicates your immunity level is protective. If not immune you can get immunized with vaccine.The same for chickenpox.
• The annual influenza shot is another way of keeping us from getting and spreading a potentially severe and at times deadly illness

We protect each other and our community by being immunized against all vaccine preventable diseases. There are other recommended vaccines against meningitis, human papilloma as well as pneumonia depending on age and medical condition.

Check the Manitoba Health Website for current recommendations and what vaccines are free. Once eligible you are always eligible. A number of vaccines, including Hepatitis B, are given through public school programs so check the school in your area to find out when this will be offered.

From Health Services

College life starts in the next week or two for most Colleges. It is tempting to grab quick fix foods to help get you through the day and give you some energy for those study and learning needs. Advice and experience from those who have gone before is valuable. Choose a diet (not go on a diet) that will give you long lasting energy. Chuck out the late night chips and energy drinks and restock with great snacks.  See some great ideas such as a downloadable shopping list and 20 super snacks at  Keep Your Diet Real. There is also great advice from a experienced College Student.

From Health Services

Have you experienced a Life Event?

When you elect a Health and Dental option, you are locked in at that level until the next re-enrolment period, which is every 2 years. However, if you experience a Life Event during a plan year that affects your coverage needs, you may make changes to your benefit options without waiting until the next re-enrolment period.

Any of the following is considered a Life Event:

• acquiring any dependent (spouse or child)
• acquiring a spouse if you have child coverage only
• acquiring any child (birth, adoption or step-child) if you have spouse coverage only
• involuntary loss of similar coverage through your spouse’s group benefit program (for example, because of a change in your spouse’s employment status)
• death of a spouse or child
• your spouse or a child ceasing to qualify for coverage (for example, through divorce or your child’s attainment of a limiting age – see Dependent Coverage in your Flex Plan booklet)

What do you do if  you experience a Life Event?

If you experience a Life Event, contact Human Resource Services with your details no later than 31 days after the Life Event occurs. If you are electing to change your Flex Option and it is not reported within 31 days of the Life Event, the change will not take effect until the next re-enrolment date.

Additionally, any time you experience a Life Event resulting in a change to your family status, you should review your beneficiary designation.

For more information on your Flex Options, refer to your benefits booklet.

It’s that time of year! If you have a garden, or are a frequenter of your local farmers market, you are sure to be wondering, “What the heck am I going to do with all this stuff!” Here are some of my favourite recipes, and resources, to tackle your vegetable growing and hoarding habit.

• Cucumbers, Peppers, Basil, and Beets – oh my! These are some my favourite all time recipes that I hope you can enjoy: Roasted Habanero Salsa, Beet Pickles, Perfect Pesto, Refrigerator Pickles.
• Got Fruit? If you have an abundance of apples, raspberries, cherries, and any other fruit (and you can’t keep up with picking) try this volunteer picking service. The fruit that is picked is shared with the volunteer, owner, and a charitable organization in the city.
• Grow a Row! Did you know that the good people in our RRC Pavement and Grounds Team are growing a garden full of potatoes and carrots and are donating the bounty to Winnipeg Harvest? You can too by dropping of your fruit and veggies at Winnipeg Harvest, Mondays – Sundays.
• Need more? Here are a bushel of great resources for you to peruse….. Food Manitoba, Prairie Fruit Growers Association, Dig In Manitoba, Peak of the Market.

Have fun and eat your fruit and veggies!

The Holstee Manifesto was developed by two people who decided how they wanted to approach life and business. It bascially offers some options to be fully engaged in our life experience. The six steps below are taken from an article by Amber Rae.

If you wish to watch a great little video about these steps click here and remember to always wear your bike helmet!

We don’t have to do huge things in our life to make changes but as workers or employers, we could look at ways of developing a healthier work and life balance. Personally I have a rule of no shop talk on breaks and most times I am able to keep it. Even in a demanding and busy day, we can change our own little world. Reframing our view can have a very postive impact on our mental, spiritual, emotional and physical well-being.

1. Presence                                                                                                                      When in conversation, give someone your fullest attention. Put the computer away, turn your phone on silent, and get lost in the moment with that person. Be fully interested, rather than interesting.

2. Architect your life.
Be considerate and intentional with your life decisions. Rather than let life happen to you, author the story of your life. Author and philosopher Howard Thurman says it best with, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

3. Personal time.
Taking time for yourself creates clarity and renewed energy. At Holstee, they strongly suggest all teammates take their birthday day off each month. In a startup culture where personal and working hours tend to get blurred, this creates space and perspective.

4. Ask “Why?”
Why am I doing this? Why are we creating this product? Why is this a design principle? Asking “why” encourages you to go deeper and become more aware of what’s driving you, and whether or not you want it to be driving you.

5. Know your food and appreciate meals.
What are you eating and where did it come from? As a society, over the last 50 years, we’ve created a knowledge and geographic gap as we’ve distanced ourselves from our food. To stay aware, the team at Holstee cooks in the office almost every day, and meal times are savored without work.

6. Understand the impact of what you buy.
Transparency is slowly being built into the operations of many forward-thinking companies. This movement is a direct result of the increasing number of people asking questions about the clothes they buy, where their electronics come from, and brands they choose to support. Before buying, understand the impact.

From Health Services

Get as relaxed as this cat.

Sometimes we plan our weekends to rush around and get caught up on chores. It seems like we never stop even on break time. This fellow has the right idea. We need to stop and take a look at the view, no matter where we are.

From Health Services

Nancy Alexander (Vice-President, Human Resource Services and Sustainability) has an extensive background in human resource management and environmental management. Nancy leads RRC’s Human Resource Services, Environmental Health & Safety Services, and Sustainability departments.

Mike Krywy (Chair of the Wellness Committee) spoke with Nancy about her Wellness beliefs, practices and strategies for fostering a Wellness culture at Red River College.

Who are some of the people in your life that you look up to as Wellness role models?

My mother — who turned 80 this year and is still extremely active every day — is my main role model. She is an amazing woman with so much energy. She loves to fish, she takes care of a huge garden, she loves to cook (especially perogies!), she picks berries and wild mushrooms. I come from a commercial fishing family, and my mom was always busy, whether it was getting ready for the season, or cooking food for lots of people.

She’s also an avid traveler, wandering throughout Manitoba and numerous countries worldwide. For her 80^th birthday we recently took a trip to Bryce Canyon National Park, where we rode mules down 1,000-foot canyons and toured the desert to see wildflowers from sunup to sundown. Typically she’ll go out visiting friends throughout rural Manitoba, spend the day adventuring and visiting festivals, then get together with friends for coffee and talk into the late hours.

My adult children are also great role models, as they regularly exercise, eat healthy, and are continuous learners.

Finally, my husband is a role model for his supportiveness towards his large extended family and his practice of mindfulness. He is always reminding me of the reality of things, especially being mindful of the present moment. He believes that one should establish mindfulness in one’s day-to-day life, maintaining as much as possible a calm awareness of one’s body, feelings, and mind. I try to carry this out in my own day-to-day life, as well.

Wellness is sometimes broken up into physical, mental and spiritual aspects. How do you try to balance these areas in terms of your own personal wellness?

As you say, wellness is multi-faceted — physical, mental, social and emotional are all part of it. If people feel good physically and emotionally they are productive, and they interact in a positive way with people and the environment, both at work and at home.

I try to keep balanced by spending time outside, in nature. I really enjoy gardening, fishing and anything that gets me out into the natural environment, such as berry-picking and camping. I pick a wide variety of wild mushrooms like morels, field mushrooms, pidpenky, red tops, and so on. Being out in nature is great, as it helps me to put things in perspective. I’m not thinking about work because I have to pay attention to other things — walking in a forest, desert or prairie involves all of our senses.

For me, these activities cover all three areas of Wellness, particularly because they usually involve friends and family. This past weekend, we were out picking Lecinnum mushrooms (“red tops”) for hours — once in the sunshine and later in the pouring rain. Then we went fishing. Watching cranes and eagles fly low over the Red River and hearing their calls gives me an incredible sense of wellbeing. Pulling an anchor out of the Red River bottom isn’t bad for your physical side either.

I also enjoy gardening.  Many of the plants in my gardens are valued because they are a constant reminder to me of the people who gave them to me. I will often bring plants to my neighbors or to work and share them as they’ve been shared with me.

Read More →

Are you traveling to other countries or even to other Provinces in Canada?

Cases of measles are up nearly five times from last year in six provinces. Make sure you and your family are vaccinated for preventable diseases before you travel.

Did you know that measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world?

It is a vaccine preventable disease and in 2013 cases are again rising. Get vaccinated before you go. Watch your health when you return. Measles are being reported in Canada, UK, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Pacific-Common holiday destinations. It takes only one active case on a plane to expose and potentially infect all passengers. Be safe for yourself and others. Check all the family members are up to date on immunizations-including measles. For more detailed  information on measles check here

Health Services.

Wellness encourages us to be the best we can be. If you have a story to tell or an idea to reveal, here are some great tools to help share your million dollar idea.

• Vine  is a great way to create short, looping videos in a simple and fun way.
• VideoScribe adds a visual to your talk or story, and brings illustrations to life.
• Fiverr is a place for people to share things they’re willing to do for $5.
• Indeigogo is an international crowdfunding site where anyone can raise money.
• 99 designs is the #1 marketplace for graphic design, logo design, web design and other design contests.
• Prezi  is a cloud based presentation software.

If you’ve used these tools or have some others that you like, let us know in the comments below.

Christine Crowe joined RRC from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, where she served as Dean, Faculty of Academic and Career Advancement. Christine now leads RRC’s Schools of Indigenous Education, International Education and Continuing Education, while also overseeing the College’s regional campuses, Language Training Centre and community outreach (full bio here).

Mike Krywy (Chair of the Wellness Committee) went for a leisurely walk with Christine to get her thoughts about wellness.

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts about Wellness. To start with, who are some of the people in your life that you look up to as Wellness role models?

My mom was a dancer, choreographer and a teacher who danced with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. One of my most powerful memories was watching her sit on the floor listening to music, and picking something for her next routine. She could sit on the floor for hours, but you could tell that she wasn’t in the room — she was creating that piece of choreography. Afterwards, I’d watch the choreography come to life during the practices with her dancers. I was her pianist for a while, and it was fantastic observing her in the creative process and seeing the beauty that came from it.

My mom suffered from depression through much of her life, and she used her creativity to bring herself out of her depression and back to the light. A year after she retired, she passed away. During that time I think she grieved because so much of her life was tied to that creation, and she didn’t know what to do when she was no longer creating. From her life I learned there is power of doing what you love, and how those actions can sustain and feed you.

I know you have a couple of young children. Are they also wellness role models for you?

They are amazing role models for me.

First of all, I’ve learned from them that “not knowing” is okay. “Not knowing” is a place of curiosity and a source of great adventure. It is not something to hide or be afraid of. It speaks to humility. As an administrator, I’m someone who people often come to looking for answers. And that’s a scary place to be sometimes. However, if you’re able to admit that you don’t know something but are willing to explore finding an answer together, you’re able to move forward.

The other thing is “Being present”. I have learned a great deal from putting down my iPad and playing with my kids. The other day my kids were jumping on the trampoline and said, “Mom, come join us.” I hesitated. For one thing, I am terrified about jumping on the trampoline, as I haven’t done it for years. So I told them, “I just need a minute — can’t you do something on your own?” Then I stopped and said to myself, “Wait a minute, they want to do something with me. They want to play with me.” So I went and jumped on the trampoline…and it was terrifying! But it was also very fun.

I’ve had many of the same experiences with my own children, such as when they ask me to go for a swim and I make excuses about the water being too cold. Once I drop the excuses and jump in with them, I never regret it. Is there anything else that your children taught you? Read More →