When the Wellness blog debuted over a year ago, one of the first posts was a video collaboration between Doctor Mike Evans and filmmaker Nick de Pencier entitled 23 and a ½ hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health? touting the benefits of spending 30 minutes a day taking a walk. Since posting this excellent piece (initially shared by Lucille McLeod) I had forgotten about this wellness dynamic duo until last week, when I came to work and found a Globe and Mail article on my desk.  The article was dropped off by Ashley Blackman – who is a Wellness Nut and Director of Research and Planning – as he is often sending me Wellness-related articles that he finds.

As it turns out, Dr. Evans has continued this film making collaboration, and now has several other videos featured on his YouTube channel, including the ABCs of Diabetes, Concussions 101: a primer for kids and parents, the best was to treat acne, the single best thing you can do to quit smoking and the video below dealing with stress.

Aside from the interesting advice being provided, I am drawn in by the art of storytelling, which I think these two have aced. I doubt there are many people who can make Acne interesting, but somehow they do. Like all things medical, these videos aren’t necessarily the definitive word on the subject(s), but they provide a foundation for looking further and considering other advice and information.

February is Heart and Stroke Awareness Month, and the Wellness Committee is is once again promoting our Heart-Smart Potluck Challenge.  The Wellness Committee challenges our college community to host a Heart-Smart Pot Luck between February 11^th and February 22nd.  Get together with your colleagues or challenge another department  to a “Potluck Throw Down” to see who can make the tastiest Heart-Smart dish.

If you’re not sure what to make, head over to the Heart and Stroke Foundation website and browse their extensive set of Heart-Smart recipes. While there, you can also check out their 10 simple suggestions for healthy eating.

Here’s some Potluck tips + folklore

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The Red River Runners are (left to right) Margarita, Judy, Sara, Fatima and Hannah

Post submitted by James Slade, runnning enthusiast, ACCESS program instructor

The annual Great Grain Relay is on March 9 this year.  Red River College has been well represented over the past ten years or so and we have several medals to show for it!  This great March fundraiser is in support of Juvenile Diabetes Research, which is a great cause.  We’ll have great weather because it happens indoors at the Max Bell Track at the U of M!  Are you interested in forming a team of 5 runners, or joining in?

• Date: Saturday, March 9
• Time: 12:00 noon  – 2 pm
• Distance: 800m relay – after you do your 800, you hand off.  Once everyone on your team has gone, you are up again!
• Place: Max Bell track at the U of M  (free parking on Saturdays)
• Beer garden and lunch after: Beer garden?? Did someone say beer and lunch???
• Cost per team:  $150.00

If you’re interested, send an email to James Slade (jslade@rrc.ca) or Mike Krywy (mkrywy@rrc.ca).

I consider myself a child of the music video generation. I vividly remember staying up late every Friday to watch Friday Night Videos with Terry David Mulligan. I recall seeing the debut of Michael Jackson’s Thriller in a movie theatre in Lae, Papua New Guinea where my dad had taken the family on a year-long leave of absence from the Electrical Engineering Technology department to teach at the University of Technology in Lae. Aside from featuring some crazy dance movies and the Zombie storyline – that music video extended the limits of that genre into a whole other atmosphere.

In the roughly 30 years that has passed, music videos have dramatically evolved – losing the spotlight they once had on television (hello Youtube) and becoming ingrained into mainstream film and television where the boundaries are sometimes blurred.

This post looks at the art of musician M. Ward and animation director Joel Trussell. Neither is entirely a household name, though M. Ward gets a lot of love from CBC Music 2 (98.3 FM on the dial). In addition to his solo career, M. Ward is also in a band with Zooey Deschanel called She and Him (PS – if you’ve ever seen the movie Elf, Zooey plays the female lead) and another ensemble known as the Monsters of Folk.

The first song/video is Chinese Translation off his 2006 album Post War.  The song is a simple tale of a man seeking the answer to three eternal questions.  The second song – The First Time I Ran Away was done several year later off his new Wasteland Companion album.  I realize that everyone has different tastes when it comes to music and art, but I think these collaborations epitomize how music videos truly have become an art form unto itself.  Plus it makes me “well” enjoying a few minutes of it.

Chinese Translation

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DUE TO SCHEDULING ISSUES WITH THE TRAINER, THIS SESSION WILL BE RESCHEDULED FOR THE SPRING

LGBTT* individuals often feel unwelcome and excluded, and they look for behaviours and signs that may indicate whether or not people will support and welcome them as LGBTT* individuals. The Ally Project seeks to create a safer, welcoming, and supportive environment for LGBTT* people by helping them to identify Allies who they can trust and with whom they can be open.

This 1-day session is for Red River College staff, faculty or students and will provide participants with knowledge and tools for potential Allies.

Date: Friday, February 22, 2013

Time: 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. (coffee station and light lunch are provided)

Location: P107 The Roblin Centre (160 Princess Street)

Trainer: Bradley Christopher West, Healthy Sexuality Educator, Rainbow Resource Centre

If you would like to attend this Ally Training, please register online at https://hub.rrc.ca/facultydevelopment/default.aspx or by e-mail to nsobel@rrc.ca before February 12, 2013.

Red River College offers this Ally Training as part of the LGBTT* Initiative, coordinated by the Diversity and Immigrant Student Support department. This session is brought to you in partnership with RRC Faculty Development and thanks to the ongoing support of Rainbow Resource Centre.

For more information, please contact Nora Sobel, Diversity Initiatives Coordinator at 204.632.2404 or nsobel@rrc.ca.

While summer may seem a distant memory at the moment, Brenda Lesiuk (Accounts Payable, Lead Clerk) took some time to send along some photos that she took at her parents’ (aged 79 and 84) home in Gilbert Plains, Manitoba.   Brenda notes that her favorite pastime is sitting on a bench, talking to her parents and looking at the huge yard of flowers, shrubs and trees. Clearly it’s a beautiful place, with lots for the eyes to take in.

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Winkler Campus Manager, Keith Doerksen, recently took in a presentation by Louise Bradley, Nurse, Therapist, Researcher, Educator and Administrator President and CEO, Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) in her presentation of Mental Health in the Workplace, December 14, 2012. Below is an excerpted summary of some of the key ideas that were presented.

• 1 in 5 Canadians have a Mental Health Issue – this equates to 7 million people in Canada – which equates to a CRISIS as it impacts every sphere of society
• The cost per year for Canadians is $51 billion; if nothing is done to address Mental Health needs, the cost to Canadians will skyrocket to $198 billion in 30 years
• 10-25% of workplaces are “mentally injurious”
• Mental Health Issues are the leading cause for Short Term and Long Term Disability (including CPPD)
• On any given day, ½ million Canadians will be off work due to Mental Health Problems
• Stigma and Discrimination are the major reasons that parents do not seek help for their children who may be experiencing/displaying Mental Health issues
• Early detection + Early Treatment = Better Success with Treatment Outcomes
• Stigma and Discrimination are also why adults are reluctant to talk of their own issues with Mental Health or seek treatment. Many choose to go untreated rather than risk being labeled as unreliable, unproductive, and untrustworthy.

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Let us help! Recreation Services offers a number of fitness classes tailored to meet your diverse fitness desires. All fitness classes start the week of January 14th. The deadline to register is January 11th.

Fitness Class Schedule:

• Monday Ki Aikido (12:05-12:50pm)
• Monday Iyvengar Yoga (4:15-5:45pm)
• Monday Cardio Complete (4:15-5:00pm)
• Tuesday Spin (11:05-11:50am)
• Tuesday Dynamic Core (12:05-12:50pm)
• Wednesday Total Body Workout (4:15-5:00pm)
• Thursday Spin (11:05-11:50pm)
• Thursday Dynamic Core (12:05-12:50pm)
• Thursday Iyvengar Yoga (4:15-5:45pm)
• Friday Zumba (12:05-12:50pm)

Fitness Class Costs:

• Iyvengar Yoga is $90 for 10 sessions.
• All other classes are $65 for 10 sessions.

Multiple Class Discount:

• 2 classes receives $20 off!
• 3 classes receives $30 off!
• 4 or more classes receives $40 off!

Click here to visit the Athletics and Recreation website for more detailed information, dates, times and the registration form. Registration forms are also available at the Student Service Centre. All fitness class information and forms can also be found at the North Gym front desk. The deadline to register is January 11th.

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.

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As I was doing my daily scan of news, interesting tidbits etc…I came across this interesting question. I am sad to say I was not nearly as creative as the gentlemen who answered below. Keeping our minds actively engaged is just as important as honing our physical selves, so how would you answer this question. Don’t jump ahead or you will ruin it.

What would you do?

You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.

2. An old friend who once saved your life.

3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could only be one passenger in your car? Think before you continue reading. Read More →