The Every Day in May Health Challenge combines various healthy habits, such as physical activity, nutrition, water consumption, and self-care practices, into a fun, friendly competition between colleagues.  Sign-up today for your chance to win prizes, while reaping the benefits of healthy habits and connecting with your team!

How to Sign up?

1. Form a Team:

• Ontario Tech employees will form teams of 4 to 7 people
• Come up with a Team Name
• Assign a Team Captain

2. Register/Sign-up your Team

• Team Captains, please visit the Every Day in May Registration Link to sign-up your team by Friday, May 3^rd

How does the Challenge work?

1.  Participate in the Health Challenge

Using the Every Day in May Point Tracker (please click 'enable editing' after downloading), each team member will collect points for their team between May 1-31, by completing the following activities:

• Being physically active
• Consuming fruits/vegetables
• Drinking water
• Practicing self-care activities*
• Weekly Bonus activity*
  *A full list of self-care and bonus activities can be found on tabs within the Every Day in May Point Tracker.

2.  Submit your points weekly

Each team member is responsible for providing their weekly point total to their Team Captain.

Team Captains will use the Captain's Tally Sheet (please click 'enable editing' after downloading) to record their team member’s weekly point totals and then submit their team’s weekly total using the Captain’s Weekly Submission Link.

Submission dates are as follows:

• Week 1 (May 1-5), Submit by May 8
• Week 2 (May 6-12), Submit by May 15
• Week 3 (May 13-19), Submit by May 22
• Week 4 (May 20-26), Submit by May 29
• Week 5 (May 27-31), Submit by June 5

Enhancements for the 2024 Challenge

From your feedback, the 2024 challenge is more accessible to all fitness levels and gives you more ways to collect bonus points!  Here’s what’s changed:

1. Categorizing your physical activity as ‘low, moderate, or vigorous’ intensity has been removed, so 1 minute of any physical activity gets you 1 point.
2. We heard you say that with May’s nicer weather you take advantage of longer times of outdoor activity, so the 60-minute cap on physical activity didn’t recognize longer gardening, cycling, or walking sessions, so the physical activity cap has been set at 90-minutes.
3. You asked for more ways to collect bonus points, so each week will have a drop-down of multiple options to choose from.

Are there prizes?

Yes! Beyond the fun of friendly competition and health benefits of participating in healthy habits, the prizes are as follows:

• Top 3 Teams with the most points (points will be averaged by the number of team members)
  • Team 1: FitBit Versa 4
  • Team 2: FitBit Inspire 3
  • Team 3: FitBit Charge 6
• Weekly Participation Prizes
  • $50 Amazon gift card give-aways for submitting weekly point totals!

Please direct questions to wellnessatwork@ontariotechu.ca

Frequently Asked Questions:

With the advances in technology we have today, connecting with others is right at our fingertips. However, loneliness is at an all-time high. During this training we will take a look at how technology has changed our day to day social interactions and how these changes have affected the way we connect and interact with others. We will explore ways to use technology wisely yet still maintain that personal touch in our relationships.

Date: May 9, 2024
Time: 12:00-1:00pm
Location: Virtual, Zoom
Target Audience: All faculty and staff

Is the kitchen your happy place? Do you have favorite family recipe? Does cooking bring you joy? 

Why not share a recipe and earn a chance to be part of the 2025 Healthy Workplace food calendar? 

From March 1st – May 31st, recipes from the following categories can be submitted to wellnessatwork@ontariotechu.ca

          A Main course

          B Non-alcoholic drinks

          C Appetizers/snacks

Individuals can submit up to one recipe for each category. 

As recipes are received, they will be posted and voting will take place between June 10th - 21st. Winners will be announced on June 28th.

Consider the following when selecting what recipe(s) to submit:

🍎cooking instructions are easy to follow
🍑includes components of Canada's Food Guide
🍎ingredients are fresh/locally sourced and budget friendly

Include the following when submitting your recipe(s):

Name:                                                         Department/Faculty:

Category:                                                     A or B or C

Recipe ingredients/cooking instructions:

Picture of recipe once completed.  

Start thinking about your favorite recipe(s) and get ready to submit to wellnessatwork@ontariotechu.ca !

The Healthy Workplace Committee is receiving delicious recipes as part of the Recipe Contest event and will be featuring entries for your review and cooking enjoyment!

Submitted by: Jenna Comstock, Faculty of Science

Category: Main course

Recipe name: Vegetarian Sushi Bowls

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (dry) rice of choice
• 2 cups water
• 400 - 450g firm or extra firm tofu
• 2 medium sized carrots
• ½ of a cucumber
• 1-2 cups shelled edamame
• 1-2 avocadoes
• 1 tbsp sesame oil or other cooking oil
• 4 tsp soy sauce or tamari sauce (divided)
• 6 tbsp rice vinegar (divided)
• 2 tbsp honey (divided)
• Spicy mayonnaise or aioli (or make your own using mayonnaise and hot sauce of choice)
• 1-2 Nori (seaweed) sheets
• White sesame seeds (optional)

Optional Prep:

1. Soak rice in a measuring cup or bowl for approximately 30 minutes.
2. While rice soaks, cut the block of tofu in half and cut each block into thirds to make 6 rectangles that are each about 1cm thick.
3. Fold 2 kitchen towels in half. Place tofu rectangles onto one towel, cover with second towel, and place a wooden cutting board or sheet pan on top.  Place a heavy object on top of this to press the tofu and remove excess water.
4. After 20-30 minutes, strain rice and rinse under cold water. Add the rice to a rice cooker or pot with water and cook as directed on package. 

Cooking instructions:

1. Cook rice in a rice cooker or as directed on package.
2. Cut the tofu into cubes.
3. Add the cooking oil, 2 tsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp of rice vinegar, and 1 tbsp of honey to a pan over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and cook 5-7 minutes until crispy and golden.  
4. While tofu cooks, combine 2 tsp soy sauce, 4 tbsp rice vinegar, and 1 tbsp honey to a small saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir the mixture until the honey dissolves, then remove from heat and add to the cooked rice.
5. Peel and cut the carrots into ribbons or sticks (use a mandolin if available).
6. Cut the cucumber into matchsticks (use a mandolin if available).
7. Slice or cube the avocado.
8. Dilute spicy mayonnaise or aioli with water (omit this step if making your own).
9. Tear or shred the nori sheets
10. Divide the rice into bowls, add the vegetables and tofu, and top with shredded nori. Drizzle the spicy mayonnaise on top and add sesame seeds to taste. 

Enjoy!

Just For the Health of It Photo Contest

To support the university’s commitment to a healthy workplace, your Healthy Workplace Committee would like to offer all employees the opportunity to acknowledge the remarkable people, cherished places, beloved pets and supportive university peers that have brought you joy, comfort, and/or solace.

Contest Details:

• One photo submission per category, per person (four photos maximum per employee).
• Amateur photos only (photos should clearly meet category criteria).
• Maximum size: 10MB.
• Use the following naming convention for each photo you submit: [category]_[last name]; e.g. A_Smith; B_Smith; C_Smith; D_Smith.
• Provide a photo caption describing your photo (maximum of 100 characters).
• Photos to be submitted to Wellness at Work team between June 10, 2024 and September 6, 2024

                          Stay tuned for more details and get ready to snap your fav' people, places, pets and peers!

Date: Tuesday, July 9 and Wednesday, July 10, 2024 - Note: Participants MUST attend both days
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: In Person, Room TBC
Target Audience: All faculty and staff

ASIST is a two-day in-person workshop featuring powerful audio-visuals, discussions, and simulations. You'll learn how to recognize when someone might be thinking about suicide, and how to provide a skilled intervention and develop a safety plan with the person to connect them to further support. This workshop will increase your willingness, confidence, and capacity to provide suicide first aid.

This training requires a minimum of 8 participants to occur.

REGISTER

The only international mental health training program that is being delivered in 25+ countries around the world.  Participants will learn how to support someone who may be experiencing a decline in their mental well-being or a mental health crisis.  A certificate from the Mental Health Commission of Canada is provided upon completion.

*Participants are required to complete a ~2-Hour online self-directed learning module prior to attending the October 9^th virtual training day.  To facilitate access to this course, please register by September 20^th.

REGISTER

Gain knowledge to identify shifts in mental well-being in yourself and others while learning coping skills to manage stress. Increasing our awareness about mental health will help reduce stigma associated with mental illness. Participants will receive a certificate of completion from the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC).

Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Location: In-person, SHA-024
Audience: Employees (Faculty adn Staff)

 REGISTER FOR THE WORKING MIND TRAINING- EMPLOYEE ON NOV 5, 2024

 A minimum of 8 participants to run a session. Participants will be notified if the session is cancelled due to low enrollment.

Develop suicide alertness through in-depth skills to recognize signs of suicide, engage someone, and ensure a connection to safety. This session is facilitated by the Canadian Mental Health Association and participants will receive a certificate upon completion.

Date: Tuesday, November 19
Time: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Location: SHA-024
Target audience: All Faculty and Staff

REGISTER

Ignite your fitness journey and experience the power of group fitness on our campus. From barre to spin, to yoga and self-defence, our fitness classes will help you stay active, energized and motivated. Guided by experienced instructors, classes are open to all skill levels, beginner to advanced. Classes are offered at a variety of days and times and vary in length from thirty to fifty-minute classes.

All fitness classes are free for members of the campus community, including students, staff and faculty.

For class schedules and registration information, please visit the Campus Recreation-Fitness Classes webpage.

All Ontario Tech University Faculty and Staff will have 1-year (May 2023-June 30,2024) of complimentary access to the Mindful Society Global Institute's Mindful Meeting Starters and Mindful Self-Care Practices.

• Mindful Meeting Starters
  • Reference Guide
  • 8 Guided practices you can use to start meetings.
    
    
• Mindful Self-Care Practices
  • 2 Reference Guides
  • 8 Guided practices validated to support mental and emotional well-being.

ENROLL NOW to receive complimentary access to this digital resource bundle!

Whether you are new to Ontario Tech or wanting to refresh your knowledge of the supports and services available through TELUS Health, our Employee Assistance Program, please select the orientation format that works best for you.

1. 1-Minute Mini Orientation for Employees - Video Recording
2. 25-Minute Full Orientation for Employees - Video Recording
3. Virtual Orientations: Employee and Manager* sessions held live. Select the date within the Orientation Flyer that you would like to attend to register.

*Orientation for Manager video recordings are available on the Leader Supports webpage.

Health Safety & Wellness Fair

Thank you to everyone who visited the Fair! 

Digital Resource Package

Employees who were unable to attend can download this Digital Package of resources from the fair.

Digital Resource Package Vendors and Links
Ergonomics Position for Safety Poster
Kensington Ergonomic Equipment 
SunLife Mobile App
TELUS Health EAP Brochure 
TELUS Health EAP Service Summary

Pumpkin Voting Now Closed

Thank you to everyone who voted for the best carved and best decorated Ontario Tech Pumpkin! More than 20 pumpkins were entered into this year's Pumpkin Extravaganza contest, held at the October 26th Health Safety and Wellness Fair. After 277 votes, the winners are:

Best Carved: Blue Screen of Death, submitted by IT Services team members:

• Christine Gray
• Anna Jaworski
• Jason Pirocchi
• Mike Prasad
• Wendy Young

Best decorated: Night of the Library Dead, submitted by Campus Library team members:

• Kate Gibbings
• Alyssa Jeffrey
• Paul Pasgas
• Jenn Tesluk