Health Promotion
CFB Winnipeg’s Health Promotion is here to help members of our community be their best version of themselves. Whether it is by taking one of our courses or briefings or joining us in one of our out of classroom activities we hope to make the healthy choice the easy choice.
Our courses and workshops are free to all members of the Defense Team and their adult family members. They are preventative in nature and provide you with the tools you need to lead healthy lives. These courses fall under 4 core areas: Social Wellness, Nutritional Wellness, Addictions Free Living and Active Living/Injury Prevention. The full catalogue of our courses is offered at least once every quarter.
When not in the classroom, Health Promotion is working with the military community and our CFMWS partners to offer programming/activities that support health & wellness. This includes visiting units, completing health & wellness audits, championing inclusive environments, infrastructure projects to promote active living, and working with messes to provide low-risk drink options.
Drop-in to see us B.139 (Canex Building), room 219
Hours of operation: 0730 – 1600
Call: 204-833-2500 ext. 4150/4995/4160
Wellness Challenge 2024-25
Oct 1, 2024 - May 31, 2025
The Wellness Challenge is an eight-month challenge from October to May inclusive.
During the challenge members will track:
- active minutes,
- number of instructor-led PT classes,
- PSP events/activities and volunteer time.
Participants earn points by tracking activities.
- 1 point for attending an instructor-led fitness class,
- 1 point for PSP event or activity,
- 1 point for every 15 minutes of physical activity and
- 1 point for volunteering.
In addition, there will be monthly bonus challenges featuring other healthy living markers for extra points.
Mental and physical fitness are integral to the operational goals of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) and the members of CFB Winnipeg.
To encourage members to continue their journey to optimal health and wellness, The Wing Commander is offering a health & wellness challenge supported by the Personal Support Programs (PSP).
The purpose of this challenge is to engage CAF members at all levels and in all units to embrace a healthy lifestyle and thus improve the overall health of CFB Winnipeg.
Participants at CFB Winnipeg will be forming teams by units to compete in the challenge.
Larger units may wish to sub-divide further into smaller section teams.
Track your progress on the Sharepoint Tracker.
Challenge of the month!
March – Make 50% of your plate vegetables and fruit for at least one meal per day
March is Nutrition Month! What a great time to focus on our vegetable intake.
A September 2021 report from Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab suggested that only 29.3 per cent of Canadians buy the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables
https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadians-know-they-should-eat-their-vegetables-but-only-29-per-cent-manage-to-get-enough. It’s hard to eat enough vegetables and fruits if we are not buying them in the first place.
Vegetables and fruits are good for you. They are an important part of a healthy eating pattern and may lower your risk of heart disease. Vegetables and fruits have important nutrients such as fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
Tips for eating more vegetables:
· Cut and prep as soon as possible
· Store in clear containers in plain sight
· Keep a fruit bowl on the counter
· Add them to everything! From omelets, to soups, smoothies, sauces
· Add a side salad to your meal
· Use frozen vegetables and fruits to reduce waste and cost
· Buy in-season as much as possible to reduce costs
To learn more about Nutrition, consider taking the new Essential Nutrition Course. It runs for 2.5 hour over 5 weeks from 2 Apr to 30 Apr.
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Bonus Challenges – Every month a new bonus challenge is available. You can earn 1 bonus point for each time you complete the bonus challenge. For example, if the bonus challenge is to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night you get 1 bonus point for sleeping 7 or more hours every night you do so.
Here are the bonus activities for the challenge.
Incentives: Incentives are available for units/members who display a commitment to active living. As well, there will be participation draws throughout the challenge. You have 8 months to reach an incentive level. At the conclusion of the challenge, we will award challenge certificates to individuals that place within one of the three incentive levels:
Wellness Warrior > 1000 points
Wellness Master > 2000 points
Wellness Champion > 3000 points
Definitions:
Instructor-Led Fitness Class – These are regularly scheduled fitness classes conducted by PSP staff members or fitness leaders at local gyms and include Unit PT, Noon Fitness and Community Fitness classes. You can earn 1 point for each fitness class you attend, up to a maximum of 2 classes per day.
PSP Event or Activity – These are events or activities organized by PSP. This includes Health Promotion courses, briefings, and activities (i.e., Bike to Workday), Community Recreation activities such as movies, drop-in programs or using signed-out equipment, tri-mess activities (Trivia or Paint nights) and Fitness or Sports special events. To claim points for PSP Event or Activity, you must be actively involved. This does not include PSP-run fitness classes as they are captured in Instructor-Led classes. You can earn 1 point for each activity you attend, up to a maximum of 2 activities/events per day.
Volunteering – You may earn 1 point per day for each day you volunteer during the challenge. This can be in your community, with a sports team or on the base.
Active Minutes – Active minutes accumulate at 1 point for every 15 minutes that you are physically active up to a maximum of 12 points per day. This means that if you spend 45 minutes cleaning your house, you earn 3 points. If you cycle to work and your commute is 2 hours & 20 minutes, you earn 9 points. If you attend an one hour instructor-led fitness class you would get 4 points plus 1 point for attending the class.