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

There’s lots of great things to do in Winnipeg – especially in the winter. While most of us know where to find favourite outdoor skating rink, taboggoning hill, or what general fun can be found at The Forks, there are endless other events and activities going on in the city that you only need to look as far as the City of Winnipeg’s Winter Leisure Guide to discover.

The guide includes information on countless different events, activities, classes, and programs that are all being offered throughout the winter months at different recreation centres and organizations in Winnipeg. Part of the guide is organized by age group (pre-school, children, youth, adults, and seniors), so it’s easy to see what’s available for either yourself, or your children. The guide also includes a directory of all Winnipeg community and recreation centres, as well as information on how to register for any of the programs that are being advertised.

After browsing through the guide, here are a list of great affordable (or free!)  events coming up that might be worth checking out:

• Cooking classes: Throughout January, February, and March,  learn how to create a new dish that you can serve up at home with classes at the St. John’s Leisure Centre, Arthur A Leach School, and the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre. For often less than $40, you can get hands-on training with an instructor on how to make dishes from around the world – like Asian curry dishes, French soups, and Nigerian cuisine.

• Cross Country Skiing:Kildonan Park, Harbourview Recreation Complex, St. Vital Park, La Barriere Park, and Windsor Park Golf Courseall offer regularly-maintained cross country skiing trails that are free for use to the public. Most include warmup shelters and washrooms, bbq pits and even a concession stands. Don’t have your own cross country skis? Harbourview Recreation Complex and La Barriere Park offer equipment rentals.

• Free swim: Swimming is an excellent way to exercise – especially if you’re overweight, have a physical disability, or are a senior. From January 3 – March 11, over a dozen indoor pools across Winnipeg are offering free swim periods for people at any age  that are often scheduled in the evenings, and on the weekends. Some pools are also offering free swim periods for youth ages 9-19 only. For a full list of Winnipeg pools to see which ones are offering free swim programs in your neighbourhood, click here

It’s easy to make New Year’s resolutions, and it’s even easier to break them.

Whether you want to lose weight, quit smoking, or simply be more active, our New Year’s goals seem attainable until we get sidetracked. So how do we make sure that we stick to the resolutions that we make? A lot of it is about willpower, but organization goes a long way in making sure you reach the goals that you set out for yourself.

It’s hard to keep track of what progress you’re making or things you need to change in order to meet your goals unless you record it somehow. It’s important that we see how well (or poorly) we’re doing to help stay motivated, so keep some type of a log to remind yourself of what accomplishments you’ve made so far.

There are several easy resources that you can use, including websites like Remindr and HassleMe which allow you to set up random daily notifications to your email, cell phone, or social media outlet that can act as reminders to do things you’re trying to make a priority. If you want to lose weight, sites like Traineo allow you to keep a food diary, track how and when you’re working out, and give you access to healthy recipes and training tips from professionals. And if all else fails, a good old-fashioned notebook and pen will probably do the trick too.

If you’re trying to give your finances a makeover in the new year, Mint is an easy-to-use web application that can be synced with most mobile devices, and gives you a breakdown of exactly where your money is going – like how much per month you spend on fast food, or shopping.

If you’re a Red River College staff member or student, you can develop your own Personal Wellness Plan for free with the “One” initiative. The program is designed to help users identify ways to meet their goals, and also let them know of any activities or programs around the college that meet their wellness interests.

For more great mobile apps and gadgets you can try to help you keep your New Year’s resolutions, check out these great lists from Time Magazine and maketecheasier.com. Know of any other great ways to make sticking to your goals easier? Share it with us on the RRC Wellness blog.

Submitted by Hayley Brigg, Creative Communications student