Some of us like our chocolate very much.  Who said that chocolate recipes can’t be healthy? Apparently, chocolate doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure. Here are some recipes I found. I hope you like them!

All Charities Event Week at a Glance

All Charities Event Week will be held from October 1 – 5, 2012.  All Charities is quite unique in that it truly is what the name implies: “All Charities” are eligible to receive donations … any one of the 80,000 registered in Canada!

During the week there will be events held at the Notre Dame Campus and Roblin Centre.  Staff will also receive a pledge form for donating to All Charities. You can browse the catalogue to find a charity that you’d like to support or check out their general website for more information.

Guide to Notre Dame Campus:

October 1 – Pizza Day from 11am – 1pm in the Library Hallway

October 2 – Charity Tables from 11am – 2pm in the Library Hallway – Bring loose change to donate to the Charities

October 3 – Bake Sale from 11am – 2pm in the Library Hallway

October 5 – Proceeds of a Feature Dish in the Voyageur goes towards All Charities

50/50 Draw will be running all week with the winner announced at 2pm on Friday, October 5, 2012.

Guide to Roblin Centre:

October 2 – Charity Tables from 11am – 2pm in the Atrium – Bring loose change to donate to the Charities

October 3 – Bake Sale from 11am – 2pm in the Atrium

October 5 – Pizza Day from 11am – 1pm in the Atrium

50/50 Draw will be running all week with the winner announced at 2pm on Friday, October 5, 2012.

Last year, Red River College raised just over $128 000.00 and up 9% from the past year.  Please help to make this year another amazing success!

I would also like to challenge all departments to put a container out for Loose Change during the Event Week – The Change in your pocket will change a life!

2012’s most relaxed Red River Rebel Rider

On September 9, 2012, the 9th day of the 9th month of the 9th anniversary of the Red River Rebel Riders (rrrr…), Gurdeesh Ghuman from NDC Security stunned supporters when, in his very first year with the team, he became the youngest Sikh in history to place last in the MS Riding Mountain Challenge, arguably Manitoba’s most prestigious cycling event. His time? 4½ Hours.

Team captain Guy Dugas was quick to waive off allegations that the 34-year veteran of the Indian infantry had taken banned substances to reduce his performance. “Absolutely not! In fact, if it hadn’t been for a large coffee at the last rest stop, he might have taken even longer to come in.” For his part, Gurdeesh attributes his success to a strict training regime (he used to cycle daily to and from school in India) and a healthy bladder.

Read More →

The past weekend marked the official “End of Summer”.  Shorts are still permissible on warm days, but otherwise it just gets cooler from here on.  The heat was very nice for most folks who enjoy hot weather and sunny skies. On the other side, we saw very little rain from July onward resulting in a drop in standing water across much of our landscape. So with the beginning of Fall, I figured it was a good time to step back and appreciate summer.

Hanging around the Pond

We have a small pond out back that is home to a variety of gold fish and Koi, as well as some nice aquatic plants.  This year was the first one that I’ve seen pond lilies in bloom – a very interesting flower that would intermittently open and close with the sun.  Just below the flower, you can see a fish swimming past. As an aside – fish are notorious liars – who always tell you they’re hungry, even if they ate 2 minutes earlier.  So don’t be fooled.

Read More →

I remember walking in the neighborhood in Vegas where I lived when I was 18 years old.  I was enjoying my walk and smiled at the people passing by.  I decided to do my own experiment.  When people smiled back, if felt great.  If they didn’t, it was still all right because I was doing what felt right.

Did you know that we smile even while we are in the womb? 3-D technology now shows that developing babies smile.  After babies are born, they continue to smile (at the beginning in their sleep) and even blind babies smile in response to the sound of the human voice.  Isn’t that fascinating or what?

Have you ever wondered why being around children who smile frequently makes you smile more often? There is a high chance when we smile for people to smile back.  It would be very challenging to frown  when looking at someone who smiles.  Charles Darwin developed the Facial Feedback Response Theory which suggests that the act of smiling makes us feel better.  This theory is supported by a research done in Echnische University in Munich, Germany.  In 2009, scientists used fMRI (Functional MRI) imaging to measure brain activity in regions of emotional processing in the brain.  They found out that facial feedback changes the neural processing of emotional content in the brain and concluded that our brain’s circuitry of emotion and happiness is activated when we smile.

Unlike lots of chocolate, lots of smiling can actually make you healthier.  Smiling has therapeutic effects and is associated with reduced stress hormone levels (like cortisol, adrenaline, and dopamine), increased health and mood enhancing hormone levels (like endorphins), and lowered blood pressure.

I am not finished yet.  It seems like smiling is one of the best things we could be doing.  Smiling makes us look good in the eyes of others.  A study at Penn State University confirmed that when we smile, we not only appear more likable and courteous, but we are perceived to be more competent.

Here is a brief summary of the stats about smiling:

• When you smile, you look good and feel good
• When others see you smile, they smile too
• When others smile, they look good and feel good, too.

Well, we can all together start a smiling revolution! One thing, though, the smile you give has to be big and genuine.

In conclusion, smiling can improve not only your life, but also the lives of others.  It helps us live longer, healthier, and happier lives.

Mother Teresa said: “I will never understand all the good that a simple smile can accomplish.”

Inaugural Run Club runners (left – right): Michael, Judy, Brian, James, Sara, Jackie, Alison, Chau.

Staff and Students are invited to come out on Wednesday, Oct. 10th for the first annual Red River Fun Run – sponsored by the RRC Run Club, the Wellness Committee and the RRC Students’ Association.

This 4km run (or walk if you prefer) around the Notre Dame Campus should be a good time to fight off the Fall weather with some invigorating activity.  All participants will be eligible for a prize draw.  The event begins at noon at the bus loop on the south side of the Notre Dame campus, and College President Stephanie Forsyth will be on hand to kick off the event. The RRC Students’ Association Executive have also promised to bring out their Boom Box to help create a “carnival-like” atmosphere.  So come out, bring your running shoes, and have fun.

Please register online so we can get a sense of the number of participants ahead of time as well as to complete a participant consent form.

Keep watching this space for further updates and runner profiles.  If you wish to lend a hand to the event, you can contact me at mkrywy@rrc.ca.

And finally…. if you want to get yourself in shape ahead of time, the RRC Run Club meets regularly each Wednesday at noon in front of the NDC gym. Don’t be shy, they’re good folks who are kind to new runners.

You are ENOUGH, we are ENOUGH…

Another school year!  I see some new faces and lots of familiar faces.  It is so nice to see the students stopping by, saying hi, making sure they connect now that they are back on campus after being away for the summer.  I love it!  My son also started kindergarten!  I am excited for him and I am nervous as well…

I read an article recently saying that educational institutions have the responsibility to make the experience of the students as meaningful as possible.  This statement got me thinking and it felt right.  Here I am, working from my office with prospective immigrant students and assisting current students in many different ways.  One big part of my position is to connect with students on a human level.  I will admit that this is the favorite part of my position.

I have worked in educational institutions for the last ten years.  I started as a student advisor in Vegas, then at U of M, and now at Red River College.  I like the energy of educational institutions.  I also realized that I am still a student.  I learn every day how to be a human and I love the stories I hear every day.  I secretly call myself the Story Keeper.

One day, the students we come in contact with will graduate and will go on their own path of life.  Many students will have the same diplomas and professions.  But each student is the only person who has custody of his/her own life.  Not only the life at school and work, but also at home, at the bus, in the car.  We all possess not only a life of our mind, but also a life of our hearts.

You may wonder how does this all related to Wellness?  Bear with me, I am just painting the big picture, I am setting the stage for the main message to unfold.  After all, health and wellness have different dimensions: physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, etc.  All these dimensions are interconnected.

So, how can I do my part of making the experience of the students meaningful?  I can offer the best of me and be present for the students only when I operate from a place I know I am enough.  I am calmer and I listen.

What makes me ENOUGH?  I am enough because I am alive and I exist.  I am enough even if nobody knows my name.  Becoming successful doesn’t make me enough. It just changes my experience, but it doesn’t change me.

Being enough, I become comfortable with my background, my past experiences, abilities because none of those define me.  Now that I am enough, I don’t have the need to impress people because what people think of me is secondary to the way I think about myself.

As a mother, I have my daily challenges.  I ask myself often of the lessons I would like my son to know.  I read, I analyze, and then….I need a break from it all.  But there is one thing that I want my son to know—that he is wanted just the way he is and that he is loved no matter what.  It is all right to be open to learn more about parenting, but at the end of the day, the best gift children need is the unquestionable approval of their existence.  It sounds simple, but….it can be one of the hardest things to do.

Even though the NHL players and owners are having trouble figuring out how to divide up an incredibly large cake, it doesn’t mean that there won’t be hockey this fall. My own recreational hockey (or is that wreck hockey) begins next Thursday in Hazelridge, and I know many others are either already on the ice themselves or taking the kids to the rink.

About a year ago I began hunting around for some good tutorials to improve my own game, as I haven’t been in a formal hockey practice for nearly 25 years, and even then, my fundamentals weren’t that hot.  As it turns out, there’s a ton of great material on the web (surprise!) be it Youtube videos or websites dedictated to the coaching / training side of the sport.

One particularly good site is How to Hockey.com which features training videos and articles on things like improving your shot, stickhandling, skating and coaching. There’s a lot of material to check out, and more importantly to practice and use in a game. So have a look and let me know what you find interesting (or better yet, create your own post on the topic).

My main goal this year is improving my shot, which is inconsistent to say the least.  In a fast paced game, the chances to score a goal can be few and far between – so it’s important to make the most of your opportunities. So to start with, I found this advice on taking a good snap shot.

Bonus Feature:

Here’s a great little video of Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capital displaying his shooting prowess. Funny guy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpUVJYJQ9dI

Keep your head up, your stick on the ice, and have some fun.

OK, I’m starting to feel like solo-blogger here. Where is everybody?

I have good news, and I have bad news.

Let’s start with the bad. Rebel Rider Michael Whalen who has has been with the team almost every year since 2004 has had to drop out due to other commitments. Michael and has raised a lot for MS in that time and he’ll be missed. Sure hope he can come back next year. It just won’t be the same without him at the front of the pack.

Now for the good. Four sleeps to the MS Riding Mountain Challenge on September 8-9 and your RR Rebel Riders have a new member, Gurdeesh Ghuman from NDC Security! Not only that, we’ve topped $3,000 and are #4 on the top-fundraising-team list for the event! Thank you RRC!

So this will likely be the last bio before the big ride, partly because I don’t yet have one for Roxanne or Gurdeesh. But I do have one for Mike!

Yes, Mike is man enough!

This will be ride #4 for Mike Poitras, and it all started when I emailed him a link to the sign up page with a single comment:“Are you man enough?”. The rest is history.

As Mike says, “I have enjoyed every year that we bike as a team. Great company, scenery and a worthwhile cause!”

But Mike was cycling long before the MS Ride. Like most of us, he cycled daily as a kid, first with Dad holding the back of the seat, moving after many skinned knees to a 3-speed with a banana seat (remember those?), and finally to a 10-speed road bike. But a driver’s license at 16 resulted in the bike slowly collecting dust.

It was his wife to be (Vi) that got him back onto the saddle, encouraging him to try a mountain bike and to commute. Since then he’s used a ‘cross’ bike that is light enough to help him ‘keep that edge’, but sturdy enough to commute with heavy saddle bags. They have been having friendly challenges every year since to see who can put on more kilometres (last year he put on 5,000!). They regularly bike together and plan their holidays with cycling in mind. Now, Mike can’t imagine a life without biking.

“Every spring when I hop on, I am reminded of how much I enjoy it. It reminds me of my youth and that feeling of being ALIVE! I have met some wonderful people. I have discovered that there is a bond amongst those that bike. My personal hero is a fellow in his 70’s who still will regularly ride on 100 kilometre trips.” (I wonder who that is?) “I can’t keep up with him! One of my dreams is to be able to still ride when I’m in my 70’s. My second dream is to bike to Montreal!”

And so Mike and the team are just about ready to go again. You still have time to push us higher in the standings and to help your Red River Rebel Riders top $3,500 for 2012. All your donations, 100%, go directly to MS research and to helping those suffering with MS. Your rrrr… Riders must each pay a registration fee and raise a minimum of $250 to be able to ride, and though  we are graciously allowed the use of College vans to get us to Dauphin and back, we pay for our own accommodation in both Dauphin and Clear Lake. We do our bit, but we rely on you to make it all worthwhile with a tax deductible donation. No donation is too small. Pledge securely online today at the RR Rebel Riders team page and help us to wipe out MS!

Thanks everybody!

Where does the time go? My last post was almost two months ago, yet it seems like yesterday. So what better time to start thinking about wellness again as the College is humming anew with instructors and students returning from an amazing summer that just won’t quit? And with only 12 more sleeps before the MS Riding Mountain Challenge on September 8-9, what better segue to your RR Rebel Riders?

Our newest Red River Rebel Rider

Your rrrr… are a rider stronger since my last post. The exuberant Dayna Graham from our Exchange District Campus jumped on board August 9th, and she has already exceeded her $250 pledge goal! Talk about get-up-and-go! So why did she join?

“The inspirational wellness blogs…, the opportunity to contribute to a charitable cause…, and my love for outdoor activity… I am continually gratified by the incredible support by Red River College toward staff development. RRC creates and encourages a plethora of opportunities which foster staff development in wellness and intellectual capacity. All of these opportunities not only aide in individual growth, they serve as a catalyst for connecting with other staff/faculty members.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Check out Dayna’s profile, and even better still, support her with a secure online donation.

August Red River Rebel Rider, Wayne

And returning to the team after a 3-year hiatus is Wayne Ferguson, eager to raise money again for the important work the MS Society sponsors. So what motivated Wayne to join rrrr…?

“As a young boy, during the last interglacial period, I stood in complete awe of the cyclists riding through town completing their Jasper to Banff cycling adventure. These adventurous souls didn’t have light-weight carbon or titanium bikes, but much heavier steel frames. They didn’t have 30 gear Shimano or Campagnolo drive trains to help with the climbs up Wilcox Pass or Bow Summit; they had state-of-the-art  Sturmey-Archer 3-speed bikes.  Had their feats not been chronicled in the Crag and Canyon, I wouldn’t have believed their achievement. The Banff-Jasper Highway they rode was not the current route completed in the late 1950s, but rather the narrower,  less cyclist-friendly, road built as a make-work project prior to World War 2. “

“Forty or so years later, I took up cycling, as a result of a friend’s encouragement, as a way of getting exercise in a knee-friendlier way than running. One day I saw a poster for the MS 150 and the images reminded me of the achievements of the cyclists conquering the Banff-Jasper Highway on their primitive (by current standards) 3-speed bicycles. Entering the MS ride struck me as being as good a substitute for the Rockies as could be found in Manitoba; moreover, it would have the added benefit of raising money for an important cause. The hills on the Riding Mountain Challenge are much like those on the Banff-Jasper Highway; although there are no glaciers in the background.”

So, there you have it. Dayna and Wayne (and the rest of rrrr…) are quivering with anticipation, soon to hit the Dauphin to Wasagaming trail. Please help us put an end to MS with a secure online donation today. You can pledge the team, or any individual rrrr… rider.