Top 5 Things To Do This Summer Both Fun and Healthy!

It’s summer and the sun is shining, the air is warm and we want to make the most of it. HANS KAI is all about improving our health or maintaining it and there are small things we can do in summer to help us keep on track.

1. Go for a walk. It is nice out and walking is easier in the summer if you live in a climate that has 4 distinct seasons. So take advantage of the nice long days and walk. Walking in the-surrounding parks makes it even nicer.  Just make sure to take a water bottle.
   

   
2. Visit a Farmers Market. Ah summer when both fruits and veggies are plentiful and fresh. Why not check out a market? Most farmers markets run through the summer. As a bonus they are usually less expensive than the grocery store. Some do stop for the winter. NorWest in Winnipeg offers 2 markets year round at our Community Food Centre 103-61 Tyndall and Blake Gardens 331 Blake St . Both are Thursday afternoons.
   

   

   
3. Walk to the grocery store or for errands. Unless you are doing a massive grocery shop, walking to the store even even the mall for errands is not only a great way to get healthy, it reduces your carbon footprint. Check out this article from Prevention Magazine on the others benefits to walking. https://www.prevention.com/fitness/a20485587/benefits-from-walking-every-day/
4. Check out your community’s local events. Summer is festival time. Even the smallest towns often have festivals or free events. Check out your local city or town’s website and enjoy! It’s a great way to get involved and have fun!
5. Eat more fruits and veggies. Like we said, most fruits and vegetables are in season in the summer so why not enjoy them at their freshest? Epicurious and genius kitchen are excellent resources for easy to follow and low cost fruit and veggie recipes. Also the dieticians of Canada offesr lots of tips, recipes, and resources.

https://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-Month/Recipe-Ideas.aspx

https://www.epicurious.com/

http://www.geniuskitchen.com/

So take advantage of the warm weather, fresh food and festivities and enjoy your summer. Most importantly, you get to stay healthy while you are doing it!

Mindfulness and Mediation, The Have To Try Tools for Stress Reduction

We talk a lot about stress in the HANS KAI Health School. We talk about how it impacts our health, our enjoyment of life, our ability to sleep. We even talk about how to cope. There are so many coping strategies, some helpful, some not so much. some fun, some not so much. And we encourage participants to find the right coping strategies for them. One of the strategies, they keep coming back to is mindfulness and mediation.  At first we often get asked what it is, and later we get updated on how it is working for them. So if you want to know more about it, Charlene Lipka, a NorWest Community Developer with a specialty in mindfulness has provided this helpful explanation.

Creating Space around our Thoughts and Emotions

Mindfulness is about using our breath, gently, to bring our attention to the present moment.  It can be as simple as consciously taking a breath in the midst of a difficult conversation or as we are rushing out the door.  The awareness of breath is an invitation to pause; ground ourselves in our body and to experience our present situation with a beginner’s mind.  Sometimes our very active thoughts and emotions can push away calm energy and prevent us from experiencing clarity in our present situation.  Consequently, we may not have space to make healthy decisions.

 

The Hans Kai mindfulness video demonstrates a three minute meditation practice that can be very useful throughout our day no matter what our current situation. The intention is to stop:

 

• Take a moment to bring awareness to our thoughts and emotions at that time
• Bring our attention to our breathing, feel our breath wherever it gets our attention
• Allow our thoughts and emotions to be, without judgment and without engaging them
• Very gently invite our breath to deepen, perhaps feeling it in our lower lungs or belly
• As our awareness of breath deepens, our thoughts and emotions may soften
• Three minutes can be sufficient time for this practice
• Repeat this practice several times throughout our day

 

This brief three minute practice can help to create space around our thoughts and emotions so that they do not take over the present moment.  This can help to create more clarity so that we can make healthier decisions and react more calmly to stressful situations.  Try it!

Follow along at our video here!

For more information on mindfulness and stress reduction check out Canadian Mental Health website here:

https://cmha.ca/documents/stress

Let’s Talk About Mental Health

When NorWest first started HANS KAI, we hoped it would empower people to take ownership of their health. We created goals for the project around improved physical health, nutrition, activity, felling connected and mental health. We decided to research the project and see if HANS KAI actually could improve health in community led groups. We knew mental health was important but in all honesty we were very focused on the core of HANS KAI : physical health, nutrition, activity, and social support. So imagine our surprise when we received our results from the first stage of research and our biggest impact was in mental health. Prior to joining HANS, 33% of our research participant has flourishing (i.e. excellent mental health). After 1 year 69% had flourishing mental health. So what was it about HANS that improves mental health?

Our 2016 research report highlights what the research team found out about HANS KAI

‘ The most common response provided by respondents regarding the benefits and impact of participation in a HANS group was related to peer support (“…we share many of the same problems…it’s a relief to know you are not alone”; “It’s always someone who may be down and there’s someone in the group who says its ok keep going”; “…or simply providing words of encouragement”). A common phrase that was repeated by many was “we all support each other.” Participants describe listening to or supporting another (“We can relate. We have a lot in common, just with everyday issues and just talking about it in a group is a great help in itself”), sharing problems (“…we share so much with each other…hear about their problems and … that makes my problems…seem so much more manageable … if they can do this, I can…do this too”), providing support during a difficult life situation (“If someone brings out a problem we can talk about it – everyone is so supportive and I feel no judgment with this group – I feel so supported”; “HANS Kai may have saved my life”), and feeling safe (“If I need help I’m not afraid to ask”) and un-judged (“…everyone has their own struggles and in <this> environment we have a safe place to talk about these things…”).’ (A. Henteleff, 2016

It appears from our responses that the support from the  group was key to improving mental health. but what about HANS groups now? The ones that weren’t a part of research? What would they say? So we asked them.

” I think for me as a senior, it is easy to become isolated  so the support of the group gets me out of the house and helps me feel connected.”

” HANS taught me how to manage my stress better”

” I find my group is  physically active in the morning and that helps me cope during the day”

‘ It is the support of the group to try new things and no one judges me for trying”

” it is the support of my group”

” the activity helps me feel healthier and happier and it is more fun in a group”

So in honour of the Bell Lets Talk Day Jan 31 , we here at HANS KAI are talking about mental health and talking about how support makes us feel, ad how important it is to belong and not be judged. However HANS is not a be all and end all program so if you or someone you know is struggling with  mental health or simply have question please contact one of the resources below. We are all here to help.

https://norwestcoop.ca/

http://mbwpg.cmha.ca/

http://www.wrha.mb.ca/wave/2013/05/crisis-response-centre.php

http://klinic.mb.ca/crisis-support/

https://kidshelpphone.ca/

https://norwestcoop.ca/resource-centres/youth-hub/

https://rayinc.ca/