February is Heart and Stroke Awareness Month, and the Wellness Committee is excited to launch our Heart-Smart Potluck Challenge.  The Wellness Committee challenges our college community to host a Heart -Smart Pot Luck between February 13^th and February 24^th.  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.

We are also looking for delicious Heart-Smart recipes to put on the Wellness Blog, so please send your recipes and photos of your pot luck to Isabel Bright (ibright@rrc.mb.ca).

Eat Well and Have Fun!

Next up in the Wellness photography series is Pamela Desmet Franklin, an instructor at the Language Training Centre.  

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Rock Orchid

This “orchid” was found thriving amidst miles of barren vertical and horizontal rock scree off of the Banff/Jasper Hwy. during a summer road trip.  It reminds me of how tenuous yet how persistent is the will to life.  This is one of the six pieces of mine showing until March 31, 2012 at the Cre8ery Auxiliary Gallery on Adelaide and William across from the Roblin Centre.  Contact  Pamela Desmet Franklin at pameladesmetfranklin@gmail.com to talk about art & photography.

Submitted by Pamela Desmet Franklin, Language Training Centre

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If you have an interest in photography or other artistic pursuits, contact mkrywy@rrc.mb.ca to find out how you can contribute to the Wellness Blog.

Let’s face it, the floors at RRC are rock hard, and the campus is huge. Our feet pay the price, and many RRC staff have learned the hard way about a condition called plantar fasciitis.

What is Plantar Fasciitis?

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the connective tissue in the sole of the foot. Do you get up in the morning and find your first steps agonizing? Are you paying for all kinds of Dr. Scholl’s products looking for relief? If so, you need to understand this condition and seek treatment.

While we often have tired and sore feet after a busy day, plantar fasciitis pain is usually acutely felt in the heel, especially first thing in the morning. It can feel like you’re walking on the ends of your bones. You may find that flexing your toes upward is also difficult. The condition can lead to knee pain, or heel spurs (a small bony growth on the heel bone). In severe cases, surgery might be indicated.

While the pain seems to originate in the heel, it is often the result of what is commonly referred to as “falling arches,” which can be expected as you age and/or gain weight. Yes, it’s time for sensible shoes and proper arch supports. Shelve those stilettos and save your feet.

Treatment for plantar fasciitis is effective, but can be slow, depending on the severity of your symptoms. Consult a physiotherapist for proper diagnosis and a personalized course of therapy to alleviate your discomfort and prevent a recurrence. There are many tools and treatments that can (literally) get you on your feet again.

Find out more at:

http://www.howdlephysiotherapy.ca/Injuries-Conditions/Foot/Foot-Issues/Plantar-Fasciitis-Heel-Pain/a~259/article.html

http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/sport-injuries/foot-heel-pain/plantar-fasciitis

Submitted by Stephanie Ruth Fraser

Hello from Red River College’s Winkler Campus! More specifically, from the Administrative Assistant program here at the Winkler Campus. To help our Campus shake off those post-Christmas winter blues we threw an event on January 23, 2011 called Burn the Blues.

Now what is Burn the Blues, you ask? Good question! We designed the event around the idea of beating the winter blues. January is one of the most depressing months of the year, and we wanted to cheer up our fellow students. Wellness and inspiring others to be active and think about healthy choices was something we wanted to incorporate, and so Burn the Blues was born!

It was a great chance for all the students in Winkler (about 75) to mingle with each other, enjoy some smoothies, and win some free stuff. There’s was also great information about:

• being active in winter
• how different foods affect your mood

Not only that, students experienced a short, low-impact workout with a Tyson method trainer.

We want to thank Keith Doerksen (RRC Winkler Regional Manager) and Linda Fehr (our wonderful Event Planning instructor) for helping us make the event a possibility and a success!

We’ve all been told that getting eight hours of sleep is the key to being alert, productive, and healthy – but how many of us actually get it? Sleep is a supremely precious commodity which many people tend to sacrifice for work, school, and even our personal lives (after-hours work functions, kids, your favourite late night talk show?).

According to WebMD, sleep deprivation can hurt learning, cause accidents, lead to depression, forgetfulness, and even cause you to gain weight.

Thankfully, Health.com has a great series of web videos with information on what prevents us from getting a good night’s rest, and tips we can try to increase the amount of sleep we get per night, and even how to sleep better.

One suggestion was to try out “bedtime yoga”, which can help beat stress and insomnia:

Submitted by Hayley Brigg, Creative Communications student

The educational blogosphere is an interesting and ever-expanding place to find information about teaching, educational technology, and all the other stuff that we do at the College.  Here are a few blogs / educational websites that I’ve found to be useful and informative because they funnel information from a variety of sources.

Inside Higher Ed  is a US focused educational website that serves as a news hub and blogging headquarters.  The inside higher ed blogs (under the BlogU tab) cover many different facets of education –  including teaching, administration, sustainability, and educational technology – to name a few. 

Engaging Educators is dedicated to teaching and educational technology. It is updated regularly with interesting opinion pieces, spotlights on educational technology, and links to other interesting blogs and websites. It also provides a good window to quality educational content that is referenced via Twitter.

University Affairs is primarily a university-focused blog. It is also the one Canadian blog / website on this list featuring some interesting thoughts and articles related to education in our country. 

What  other educational blogs and/or websites would you add to this list?

Submitted by Mike Krywy, Research and Planning

Whether we’re 25 or 75, everyone needs wellness.

While our fitness goals and needs might change as we get older, staying healthy is the number one tool you can use to help in the prevention of health problems down the line.

In order to help provide wellness resources to all Manitobans at every age level, the Province has created a great portal in their Manitoba Healthy Living, Youth and Seniors website.  It links to all their different healthy living initiatives, from information about infant nutrition to promoting age-friendly options for seniors, and even the latest in provincial wellness news.

One initiative that really stands out is Manitoba in Motion, whose tagline reads “Physical Activity – do it for life!”.  You may recognize this initiative from the mini-videos they play on TV, featuring CTV’s Maralee Caruso and Gord Leclerc, but the model of the strategy really focuses on providing different health options for Manitobans of any age – children, youth, adults, older adults, and families. They’ve also developed three really great programs to help encourage group participation in getting healthy:

• Workplace in Motion
• Healthy Schools in Motion, and
• Communities in Motion

 Submitted by Hayley Brigg, Creative Communications student

Due to popular demand, two additional blogging workshops – both Blogging 101 and 201 – have been added.  The two blogging training sessions cover the basics of blogging and how to use the WordPress blogging platform. The first session is an introduction to what blogs are (chalk and talk), while for Blogging 201 you will be in front of the computer creating your own blog post (hands-on).

Blogging regularly can be a great way to improve your writing and share your thoughts and opinions on various subjects. And if you’re interested in blogging but don’t know where to start, writing an occasional post for the Wellness blog could be a good opportunity for you. 

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Blogging 101 covers topics like:

• Why you should blog
• Types of blog posts
• Getting the most out of your blog

When: January 31, 12pm-1pm
Where: Notre Dame Campus – E305

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Blogging 201 gets into the technical details including:

• Using the WordPress blogging platform
• How to add links, photos and videos to your post
• Moderating comments

When: February 15, 12pm-1pm
Where: Notre Dame Campus – Room A115

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Register for the sessions soon as space is limited.

Calling all photographers – do you have some great photos to share?

The Wellness Committee is beginning a blog series of interesting photos taken by staff and students.  First up is Karen Press, an instructor from the Creative Communications program.  She’s an avid nature photographer with a great eye for hidden beauty.  If you’d like to submit your own photo and a brief caption about your art – send it along to mkrywy@rrc.mb.ca. 

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The wind and snow make me wistful. I miss my garden. As a hobbyist photographer, I don’t have much equipment and I just “go to the light,” which makes the garden a perfect subject.

Carrots... hanging on the laundry line

Chive flowers

You can see more on my Flickr stream.

Submitted by Karen Press, Creative Communications instructor

The deadline for registration for any Red River College winter fitness classes is coming up soon. Like we mentioned in an earlier Wellness blog post, it’s important to find ways to work out and stay active throughout the work day, so why not sign up for a fitness class right here at RRC?

There are several  different classes to choose from, including; Zumba, Iyvengar Yoga, Cardio Complete, Circuit, Rapid Revolution Spin Plus, Total Body Workout, Beginner Boxing, and Body Blend.

Each of the classes are being offered at various locations around the Notre Dame campus, and are extremely affordable – ranging from $30 – $100 for 10-12 sessions, depending on which class you choose.

Not sure which class is for you? Check out descriptions, locations, and times for each of the classes by visiting the RRC Athletic and Recreation department website, where you can also download their winter brochure and registration form so you can get started.  The registration deadline for winter fitness classes is this Friday, Jan. 20.

If you still want to work out at RRC but aren’t interested in taking classes, there are other fitness programs available too. Recreation services also offers Body Composition Analysis, Fitness Appraisal, and either one-on-one or group training sessions. For more information on those services, click here.

If you’re a student or staff member taking fitness classes, or using the workout spaces here at RRC, why not sign up for a Personal Wellness Plan to track your progress, and provide the RRC Wellness Committee with feedback and ideas of what other wellness initiatives that you would like to see offered at RRC.

Submitted by Hayley Brigg, Creative Communications student