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.

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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 →

They say, getting a pet is supposed to make you healthier.  My husband has had high blood pressure for several years.  We got a cat earlier this winter and amazingly, his blood pressure is now at the normal range.  Could this be because of the cat?

My Cholesterol is at a high level and getting the cat hasn’t improved it for me, so I want to do something to get that number to the ‘good range’.  A goal I have given myself is to eat healthier.

If you see this symbol on food packages, that means the item has met nutrition criteria.

I unfortunately never see this symbol on a bag of potato chips.

Looking in the Heart & Stroke site I found these ways to help eating healthier

• To avoid the impulse buying make a shopping list and stick to that shopping list.
• Spend more time shopping in the outer aisles where the healthy foods like fruits, veggies, bread, meat and milk are found.
• Divide your cart into four quarters, based on the four food groups.  Fill half of your cart with veggies, fruits and whole grains, one quarter with lower fat dairy products and the other quarter with lean meat, fish, beans, nuts and soya products.

How close do you read the Nutrition Facts label that you see on all the boxes and cans?  This is where I see ZERO cholesterol on those bags of chips and think, right on, I can eat them.  Well, not really.

Choose products lower in salt, saturated and trans fat and products that have 2 grams of fibre or more.

Check out the Nutrition Labeling and Health Check  link for more info.

Lyme Disease caution has been raised as a reminder for those going out for camping or hiking. The usual wood tick does not carry lyme disease, but blacklegged ticks do. Did you know Manitoba has a lyme disease tick program where, if you have a suspect (like in CSI) ,you can send it in a bottle to a lab? They have instructions and detailed pictures (rather gross, unless you are a bug person of course) about the ticks.

I have heard many ways people remove ticks, but it is recommended to use twizzers and gently pull them without twisting or crushing them. I am sure those with more experience can offer suggestions for what has worked to remove ticks. Some may work better on wood ticks but remember blacklegged ones may carry disease so be careful and do send it in. It helps track where they are. Currently they have been know to be in South Central Manitoba.

Be protected out there while enjoying the wonderful woods and camps of Manitoba. Download the  lyme disease fact sheet from the Government web site and take it with you. Check for ticks daily and carefully remove them. If you feel ill, consult your health provider.

Health Services

Dependent Children Eligibility

If you have children who are unmarried, natural, adopted or a step child who is under the age of 22 and not working more than 30 hours a week unless a full-time student, they are eligible for coverage through your group benefits plan with Great-West Life. If your child is age 22 or over, they must be a full-time student to maintain coverage until age 25.

A child is considered a full-time student if they have registered in an educational institution for 15 hours a week or more; sometime in the last 6 months. If your child is being paid to attend an educational institution, they are no longer deemed a dependent.

Dependent Children, age 22 to 25 – Don’t forget to reconfirm Student Status

It is important for employees with overage dependent children (over age 22) to remember to update their student status to ensure over-age student dependents continue to receive uninterrupted Health and Dental coverage for the duration of their formal education, or until age 25.

Watch for the student re-certification from Great-West Life each year!

Is your child covered while away at school?

The Out-Of-Country Emergency Care (OOC) provided through your Great-West Life plan only covers emergency medical situations while outside of Canada. An emergency is described as a sudden, unexpected injury or an acute episode of disease. Dependents attending school out-of-country will remain on your Health and Dental plan for the duration of their education, or until they reach age 25.

There are no pre-existing conditions on the OOC coverage; however, if the insured individual does have a medical issue, the condition must be stable and controlled for 3 months prior to their departure from Canada. If you are unsure, you should check with your doctor and Great-West Life.

So what does this mean for your child going out-of-country for school?

If your child is considered an eligible dependent, they will be covered for unexpected emergency medical while out-of-country. For a dependent who is not a student, no benefits will be paid for expenses incurred more than 90 days after the date of departure from Canada in the event of a medical emergency.

For a dependent who is attending school out-of-country, benefits will be extended if approval is given by the student’s provincial health plan. For more information on your provincial health plan, visit http://www.gov.mb.ca/health/mhsip/index.html.

Be aware that any routine or non-emergency services or expenses such as chiropractic care or prescription drugs incurred out-of-country will be reimbursed at the reasonable and customary amount charged in your home province of residence.

If you review your dependent’s coverage needs and require purchasing individual coverage, plans purchased in Canada for students abroad can be significantly less expensive compared to plans available through the school. Red River College employees have access to STRATA Benefits Consulting Inc.’s Emerge service which provides information and assistance in obtaining individual coverage. Contact an Emerge Specialist at emerge@stratagroup.ca or 1-866-787-2826 for more information.

A brave team of 8, the ‘United Colors of RRC’, braved a hostile territory of pink, blue, green, purple,and yellow this past Sunday at the Color Me Rad race at Red River Exhibition Park.

We had a great time and while most plan to take part again next year, one runner and her husband plan on taking part in Rad Runs in Vegas and Fresno later this year too!

Please enjoy our before and after pics below and we hope to have you on our team next year!

To learn more about the race, please read the wellness post from June 27th and various articles in the news as well!

Red River College’s VP Academic and Research Stan Sae-Hoon Chung joined RRC in 2012 because of its reputation as a global leader in advanced learning. Stan is an award-winning writer, visionary advocate for life-changing learning, and passionate believer in the college as an engine for social and economic transformation (full bio here). Mike Krywy (Chair of the Wellness Committee) sat down with Stan to get his thoughts about wellness.

Q: Wellness is sometimes broken up into physical, mental and spiritual aspects. What are your thoughts on this way of thinking?

I agree with that breakdown, as all those aspects are important. But I also think of wellness in terms of individual wellness, organizational wellness and global wellness. And those same three principles – physical, mental and spiritual – would apply to all three.

Take individual wellness. If we are not well as individuals, how can we be well as a community or as a people? So if individual wellness is not connected to the workplace or we fail to see the connection, you CAN end up with challenges. Then you have to ask, “What is the missing ingredient? Why are people not well or unhappy at work? What can we do to sustain and support individual wellness?” For me, the answer resides in a uniting sense of purpose.

Q: What are the key components of organizational wellness?

Organizational wellness can be defined in many ways. One way to understand it is through the strength of social bonds. We are all individuals linked in a network or community, and it is important to be socially connected, whether that’s at home or at work.

A simple question to ask is “Do you have a best friend at work?” Someone who – if you had a question as simple as “where’s the mail room?” – would provide you with directions. Research has shown that strong friendships can help make people more resilient and adaptable. When you have those social supports at work, you’re more likely to want to come to work, make a contribution, and enjoy it.

Q: As an organization, is there anything the College can do to help develop these social bonds and strengthen personal networks?

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