Photo: Microsoft Office clip art

This is not so funny if you are a student at exam time.

Which brings us to all-nighters. Do they work?

Quite simply, no, according to psychiatrist Robert Stickgold at Harvard Medical School. His research suggests that we need six hours of sleep to remember newly learned material effectively.

It seems our brains use the first two hours (slow wave sleep), to store long-term memories. After that, the brain sorts and files the knowledge and really plants it. Interrupt this, and the knowledge just won’t stick. The last two hours are spent in REM (rapid-eye-movement) sleep. This is also when dreams occur. The brain reviews what it has learned and strengthens the many connections between nerve cells that reinforce memory.

Your mother was right. Even if you pull off an all-nighter and manage to grind out those passing marks, it is unlikely you will retain this knowledge for a significant length of time.

Just ask What’s-his-name.

Resources:

https://sleep.med.harvard.edu/people/faculty/220/Robert+Stickgold+PhD

http://www.txtwriter.com/onscience/Articles/sleep.html

 We all have our share of lessons learned.  We live, we try something, it works. Other times, we try and it doesn’t work.  I will never forget a quote by Einstein: “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”  I absolutely love it! It is okay to make mistakes, it is fine to learn our lessons, but it is not as okay to keep doing the same mistakes when life already showed us we should do something different or initiate some changes.

I read somwhere that “Our natural state of being is joy.”  I agree with that, I believe in that.  I think that each one of us is born to make the best of life and to enjoy our time here.  When we were kids, we knew it.  Kids are happy, in the moment, smelling the roses, and they find everything amazing and fascinating. Then something happens on the way to adulhood.  We become more serious, less cheerful, more stressed, and anxious.   It almost seems to me that we forgot who we really are and the fact that our natural state of being is joy.

Well, I am sharing with you some of the lessons that I have learned in life:

1.  Friends can be your family: Boy, do I ever know this.  I left Bulgaria 16 years ago and being away from my family, I made my friends my family by connecting with them on a human level.  I learned by befriending people from different cultures that in the heart me are all the same.  I have no idea what I would have done without my friends.  Here is a quote by Edna Buchanan that confirms my experience: ” Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.”

2. My happiness depends on ME: No one can make me happy.  It is my own creation, decision, thinking, etc. that makes me happy.  If I wait for people to make me happy, this might never happen. Plus, I wouldn’t want my happiness to be dependent on something outside of myself.  How about I take responsibility and I make it happen? Then I am stronger and empowered.

3. Appreciating and loving the little things in life: I learned that it is the small things that count: a friendly smile, a hug from my son, a call from a friend who cares, a driver letting me go to the left lane, and simply a warm sunny day.  We learn to value life and everything in it when a major event happens in our life.  We don’t have to wait for an event to take place in order to be happy for another day of being alive, seeing, walking, hearing, etc.

4. School never ends: So we spend years in school and in college, but I think the real learing starts when we start living our lives.  We experiment, try different things, we make different choices, we face challenges, and have bonding moments with people close to us.  As a parent, I never stop learning from my interactions with my son.  When I think I figured something out, another challenge comes up.  The main lesson I am learning every day is how to be human.

Oprah visited Canada for the first time just recently.  She shared with the Chatelaine magazine some of her best lessons:

1. Change is good:  No wonder nature goes through different seasons. There is an opprotunity for a different experience, different energy, different opportunity when we make different choices or consiously try to do something else.  Sometimes we procrastinate to make a decision or just go with the flow, but it might not be the best and healtiest choice in the long run.

2. Decisions, not conditions, determine your destiny: Life consistes of choices.  At the end of the day, our life is the way it is because of the choices we have made.  Oprah’s says that we have 100 percent control over every action and we are 100 percent respnosible for every emotional we feel.  Basically, how we live our lives is our choice.

3. Everybody has a story: Yes, we all have ownership of our own lives.  Our stories are our lives, the events, the laughs, the tears, realizations, lessons learned, etc.  We become what we believe.  I recently read about Self-talk and how important is to believe in ourselves: “All is well”, “It is all good”, “I am safe”, “I can do it.”

4. Trade expectation for appreciation: Nobody likes when we expect from them to be a certain way or act in a certain way.  Humans feel pressure when expectations are expressed.  We resist expectations and we feel not accepted for what we are.  A good point Oprah made is that when we expect, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment. It is true because expecting is wanting someone to do something for us.  When we appreciate what other do or do not do for us, the experience is more positive and people feel that they matter.

5. Happiness is contagious: Oprah mentions that when we surround ourselves with positive, happy people, our happiness increases as well.  The opposite is valid as well–Misery loves company.  The idea is to make an effort to stay away from people and situations that bring out the worst in us.

6. Failure is the result of a lack of resourcefulness: According to Oprah, failure happens when ther’s a lack of creativity, passion, determination or commitment.  If wereally want someting or if we are motivated, we will figure out to make it happen.

You can read the full article here Oprah’s Life Class: 10 Life-changing lessons I learned.

I am constantly searching for healthy recipes to feed my son and to add variety to my meals.  I love different flavours, spices, and I am experimenting all the time.  I came across this healthy soup recipe which is dairy free and protein-rich.  Here are five amazing facts on broccoli:

1. May relieve asthma symptoms.

2. Is loaded with fibre.

3.  May protect against tissue damage in diabetes.

4. Is a good source of the many B vitamins.

5. Can stop replication of colon cancer cells.

Ingredients:

1 ½ tbsp (22.5 mL) extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp (10 mL) crushed garlic

¾ cup (85 mL) chopped onion

1 large carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 tbsp (15 mL) dried basil

3 cups (750 mL) chopped broccoli (1 large head)

¾ cup (85 mL) dried green lentils

4 cups (1 L) low sodium chicken broth

2 tbsp (30 mL) parmesan cheese, grated

Optional: 2 green onions, chopped (for garnish)
Directions: 1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. 2. Add onions and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. 3. Add the carrots, celery and basil and cook for a few more minutes until the spices coat them nicely. 4. Add the rest of the ingredients (except the broccoli) and bring to a boil. 5. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes hour covered. 6. Cut broccoli into small florets. Add to the pot and cook for 10 more minutes. 7. Using a wand blender, puree till smooth. Garnish with green onions if desired.
Makes three 2 cup (500 mL) servings. Freeze some portions for workdays on the run.

Detoxifying strawberry lemonade drink ready in one minute!

Doesn’t this lemonade sound yummy?  I want to have one right now!

Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: ¼ cup water 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 1 cup strawberries (fresh or frozen) 1-3 ice cubes 1 tbsp pure maple syrup (or other liquid sweetener)
Directions: 1. Add all ingredients (except for the ice) into a high-speed blender and blend until smooth, adding a bit more water if necessary. Add ice and blend again. Serve immediately.

The Wellness committee was fortunate to have Kelly Small of the provincial government come and talk to us about a new initiative they are running called the Health e-Plan.  This online tool is meant to help individuals assess their health, set wellness goals, take steps to achieve those goals, and track their progress.  It also provides useful information of services providers nearest to where you live, and ideally, will enable the government to better understand and coordinate services for individuals by region.  Below is the synopsis provided in the Health e-Plan brochure.  If you’re interested, read further, and consider creating a plan for yourself.

What is Health e-plan?

The Health e-plan is an online interactive tool to help you:

• Better understand your current health and
• Learn ways to improve your health over time

How does it work?

Health e-Plan involves four easy steps:

• Assess your health
• Set goals
• Take action
• Track your progress

The first step is to create your personal health profile by answering questions about your current health status. This includes questions related to your physical condition, lifestyle and family history. Based on established medical guidelines, Health e-Plan will produce a detailed report to help you learn more about how your current habits and lifestyle choices, your family history and other factors may affect your health in the future. The health assessment also helps you set goals for improving your health and provides useful information for making changes.

Customized to your needs

In addition to helping you set goals to help improve your health status, Health e-Plan can help you meet those goals with a customized plan. My Wellness Connections will link you to resources in your community based on where you live and the results of your health assessment.

Rewarding your effort

After completing your health assessment you have an opportunity to participate in our Rewards Program. To participate, you complete an electronic entry ballot. You are then entered into a draw with a chance to win small weekly prizes as well as a grand prize each month.  Each time you update your profile, you have another chance to enter and win.

Get started today!

Visit www.manitoba.ca and enter Health e-Plan in the search box at the top of the page.

To set up your personal health profile, you need information such as your waist and hip measurements, blood pressure and cholesterol levels. If you don’t have this information handy, you can still get started. Then, update your profile with the correct information when you have it to ensure more meaningful and accurate results.

We’re off! Guy and Wayne Ferguson  officially launched the 2012 rrrr… season March 31st with a 50 km training ride to the white horse in St. Francis-Xavier and back. Wayne, 73 years young, is rejoining the Red River Rebel Riders after a two-year break.

How’s this for motivation to get out there and exercise: his goal is to ride 3,000 km this season! And I had trouble keeping up with him already.

Wayne rides with one of those gizmos that measures just about everything (heart rate, speed, altitude, distance to the next latte) and it says he burned about 750 calories on this loop. So we didn’t feel too guilty stopping at the Road House Steak House on the way back thru Headingly for a couple of sticky cinnamon buns. We’ll be counting the kms, sticky buns, and flat tires between now and the MS Ride September 8th. Go to our team site to pledge or to join the team.

Note to self: Next time, remember my water bottle.

Submitted by Guy Dugas, Chair of Accounting and Computer Education

Or maybe that should be brrrr… I missed the beautiful weather last weekend because I was fighting a cold, but I did finally get my bike out a good month earlier than last year. At minus 4, the ride was cut short by painfully cold fingers that felt fused to the handlebars. Still, nice to hit the road again for another season.

rrrr… is for the Red River Rebel Riders. Remember us? We are the RRC team that has been cycling the 150 km round trip between Dauphin and Clear Lake the last 8 years to raise funds for MS. We have so far raised over $30,000 in support of research and services for the many Manitoba sufferers of Multiple Sclerosis, thanks mainly to support from our friends at RRC.

Expect regular posts from here to our September 8th ride. I intend to share info about the rrrr… team, answer any questions, and document our recruiting and fund raising progress along the way. In the meantime, why not consider joining the team yourself!

Visit our MS Team Page to learn more.

Submitted by rrrr… team captain, Guy Dugas

Team rrrr... 2011: Mike, Guy, Yuri, Michael, Derek, Roxanne

Red River College is fortunate to be able to provide a wide range of Wellness supports for staff and students (though access varies from one campus to another).

This month the Wellness Blog turns the spotlight on Chaplaincy Care.  As noted in the College’s Day Planner:

Students and staff may drop by or phone Chaplaincy Care and speak with chaplains (representing various denominations) regarding personal concerns, relationships, stress, crisis situations, life issues, values, spirituality, grief or change, self-esteem, addictions, or any other concerns.  Chaplaincy Care’s volunteer chaplains serve people of all races, beliefs and cultures.  They are here to provide students and staff with personal support, encouragement, empowerment, hope and can facilitate study groups.

Chaplaincy Care is for students and staff looking for a listening ear or a shoulder to lean on.  They provide complete confidentiality and a safe place for support and conversation as you work through life issues, stress, relationships or spiritual questions. They also provide a crisis ”Care Line”, available Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.  The cell phone # is:  898-2686. 

They also maintain a prayer room (A-223 on NDC) for quiet, personal prayer, meditation, renewal or reading. The room is available between 7:00 a.m. to midnight, whenever the college is open. If you want more information about these services and those who provide them, please check out the College’s website.

Looking to motivate each other to get active in the new year, the Aboriginal Student Support and Community Relations department held the ” It only takes a minute to win it!” challenge earlier this year. 

To kick things off, event co-organizer Tracy Brant (Aboriginal Centre Coordinator) sent a message to staff in the department, encouraging them to enter into a four week challenge to increase daily fitness.  Two teams of five members were formed, and each member began tracking the amount of time they spent participating in daily physical activity.

The rules were as follows:

• The activity needs to be at least 15 minutes per session
• The activity should get you heart rate up.  If it’s something like walking try to walk at a brisk pace to get your heart rate up!
• Don’t stress out and put too much pressure on yourself…it is for fun (as well as an excuse to get off the couch and get active!)

The challenge ran  from Monday, January 23 to February 20, 2012 – and resulted in a whopping 167 hours of physical activity!  As one participant, Lisa Carriere, said:

 “I felt the challenge was a great idea, it gave us a chance to get away from our desks and motivate each other as a team.  I’m sure some people could hear us laughing in that stairway thinking – Hey, sounds like they’re having fun, and we were having fun!”

It goes to show how a little bit of friendly group competition among friends can help motivate one to spend a few more minutes each day to be active.

Staff from the ASSCR posting on the "dreaded" staircase

With an early start to the growing season, it’s not too early to consider what you might plant in your backyard or garden. 

There are many advantages to planting native plants – including their ability to adapt and survive our temperamental weather changes, and their benefits for attracting wildlife – like birds and butterflies. Check out the book Naturescape Manitoba for some great ideas of what to plant if creating habitat is one of your goals.

My favourite place to shop for native prairie plants is at Prairie Originals located in the Lockport area.  Unfortunately, it isn’t open for business until May 11th, but it’s worth checking out the website to see what’s offered.  If you’re not familiar with prairie plants, you should check out the reading list that’s on their site.  Some personal favourites of mine are Wild Bergamont, Purple Coneflower, and Giant Hyssop.  There are also a variety of fruit bearing shrubs – like Saskatoons and Wild Plums.  Sweet Flag (Calamus) is also a great aquatic plant with interesting medicinal properties. Most greenhouses in and around the city also carry some native plants, so drop in to one in your neighborhood to see what’s there.

Another great place to visit for plants or to learn more about prairie habitat is the Living Prairie Museum – located just south-west of the NDC campus.  They also have a plant sale in May, plus seeds for many native species available inside the centre.  In addition to regular tours and workshops, they are offering planting workshop in May to coincide with their plant sale.  They also have a lending library on site, so you can pick up a wide range of interesting books for free.

If May seems too far away – don’t worry.  In a few short weeks the Greenspace Management program is having its annual Plant Sale and BBQ –  April 19th from 11:30 – 1:00 – in the new greenhouse complex at the NDC campus. There will be trees, shrubs, perennials, prairies, interiors and a new feature – water garden plants. A slight word of caution though (as noted in the Staff News):

The trees, shrubs, perennials, and prairie plants have been forced into leaf / bloom in the Red River College greenhouse in the fall and winter of 2011-12. The plant material was used to teach plant identification to the Greenspace Management and Landscape Technician students. Experience has shown that this plant material, when planted outside in the spring, will spend the growing season “readjusting” (may have less leaves, vigour, etc.) and then grow  normally the following growing season. Because of the “out of season” forcing of the plants there is no warranty on the plant material, and the price has been significantly reduced.

So come visit Ruth, Gord, and the rest of the Greenspace Management instructional staff and students to support this event and get some great plants for yourself.

Happy Gardening!

Submitted by Mike Krywy, Research and Planning

I took a little break from blogging. I guess I was looking for some material to write about.  It is easy to find a recipe, but I think it takes time to come up with something deeper.  We all know that wellness is broad—physical health, metal health, emotional, spiritual, etc.

I am personally going through an introspective mode or stage.  I am doing some soul searching, soul cleaning like a spring cleaning, ha, ha, and I am becoming aware of many things.  I stepped outside to take a short break and it was wonderful to feel the sunshine, to feel the warmth on my face.

I realized how much I have been running in my life.  By choice, I run to stay fit. It is my choice of exercise and I think it is most of the time perfect for me.  Now I am becoming aware how healthy it is for me to slow down, to be in the moment, to listen to myself.  Our lives are so busy and I feel my life is a treadmill experience.  But it doesn’t have to be that way, I can choose to slow down. When I do that, when I slow down, it feels good.  I listen better, I take care of myself better, I am more patient and as a result of that, I am a better mother to my son.

I realized that I have been running in life for the last eight years in Canada and I feel tired.  I am not only physically tired, but also tired on a soul level.  My whole being resists the go-go mode and maybe it is time to listen to myself.

Today I will raise a question: What are you practicing? As you go through the questions, I am doing the same with you.  The process is helping me prioratize and make healthier choices:

• Do you want to practice rushing through your morning, or can you wake up a little earlier and simplify your morning routine so that you practice a slow, enjoyable morning ritual?
• Do you want to practice checking your mail inbox when you first get to your computer, or can you do something better?
• Do you want to speak angrily to your kids, or can you speak to them with kindness and compassion?
• Do you want to practice complaining and self-pity, or can you practice gratitude?
• Do you want to practice rushing and being busy, or can I practice simplifying and going slowly?
• Do I want to practice shopping, or can I practice giving?

Yes, I realize that it will take a lot of practice to change my habits.  I give myself permission to make mistakes.  I think it takes many little steps to build a new skill, but I need to take the first one.  I will take it one day at a time and it will get easier. I know it.

I will leave you with a quote from Confucius: Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Have a great week!

 Submitted by Margarita Natcheva Rowley, Diversity and Immigrant Student Support