The Didsbury/Carstairs Wellness Challenge started Tuesday , April 5/2011 at the Didsbury Memorial Complex.
Join us weekly to learn more about how our wellness is impacted by nutrition , physical activity, mental health - stress and our relationships. Participants receive a pedometer to help them track and increase their activity levels. Keep track of your healthy behaviors on the log sheets provided. Prizes will be given for most points, most steps and most weight lost during this 8 week challenge.
New this year is "A Taste of Fitness". Each week there will be a sample exercise class led by local fitness providers. This gives you the opportunity to try a variety of programs that are offered in the local communities.
If you would rather get outside, walking groups will depart at 6:00 pm so that you can stretch your legs before the evening presentation.
WEEK 1: LIFESTYLE CHANGES
Regan and Leah, chronic disease management nurses with the Highland Primary Care Network, talked to us about how lifestyle changes = Wellness challenge. Keypoint "We don't find time we make time". We then discussed what keeps us from making change. Regan talked about making small changes - we don't do the stairs in one step - we take it one step at a time and we need to do this when making changes as well. Then we moved into action planning - making SMART goals. Remember to start small so our successes will give us the motivation to keep making changes over time. When we identify possible pitfalls before they happen it helps us develop strategies to overcome the pitfalls. Plateaus or walls do happen - develop strategies to create a door in the wall! Most important remember - people don't fail strategies do. If you are not reaching your goals - re-evaluate your goal and the strategies for getting to that goal.
WEEK 2: PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Genevieve Boivin, MSc Kineseology with the Living Well with a Chronic Condition, talked to us about physical activity vs exercise. We don't have to go to the gym to exercise(although you can if you like it!). She discussed the risks and benefits of exercise. She then covered the components of an exercise program - warm up, conditioning /training and cool down - to preent injury. The comomponents of Physical fitness are Endurance, strength , alance and flexibility. Remember FITT? Frequency, intensity, time and type of exercise. Remember be creative and do something you like! See this weeks challenge for some ideas! Be honest with yourself and find something you enjoy!
WEEK 3: ON BEING CALM
Enid Martin, social worker in Didsbury, spoke this evening on the impact of stress on our health and wellness. She helped us identify what stress and anxiety are and strategies for managing them. 90% of illness can be related to stress!She led us in an exercise that showed sometimes its all about the perspective! Are we on autopilot or are we living in the moment - mindfulness. Things like meditation, journalling, exercising, asking for help, venting, etc can all help alleviate stress and anxiety.
WEEK 4: LABEL READING
Jen Awde, dietician, led us through a interactive session on how to read labels on food products. Remember to check portion size before you look at any other information to make good decisions. ie will you really only eat 14 chips?? Look at the fat content (that will generally help you know what the calories are). Bad fats (saturated and trans) are the ones to check - if a portion is less than 5% it's ok but if greater than 8 - don't buy it. Watch sodium contents - check out your sodium labels in your registration kits. Compare products to make sure you are buying the "best" one. Be aware of manufacturer's claims as they don't always pan out when you read the label. ie No sugar added does not mean no sugar! (ie sugar from fruit is still sugar). Remember, regardless of the source "Sugar is sugar is sugar!" and "Salt is salt is salt!". Jen will be joining the expert panel May 17th so bring your questions!
WEEK 5: HUE ARE YOU
Gene and Ila Hartman provided us with an interactive, entertaining session that helped us identify our character spectrum, by colour, to better understand ourselves and others. This will help us establish a commom language by which we communicate core values, motivations, needs and behaviors. Our true core colors are indicators of our characteristics and needs. Remember, just because we see the world differently does not mean we are wrong. Understanding how others view life, goes a long way in developing deeper and more productive relationships at home and work. (Also decreases the stress)