Check out all the amazing opportunities organized by our GMHEC Employee Well-being Program Coordinator, Rebecca Schubert:
For links to join visit the Champlain Wellbeing Calendar, or email rebecca.schubert@gmhec.org
Last Monday, March 30th kicked off the GMHEC/DIEMlife “Quest to Connect” and there is still time to get in on the action. In this four week Quest, faculty and staff are encouraged to seek out creative ways to connect with themselves, with others and with their communities. To support you in the Quest, GMHEC is offering a number of events and activities centered on the weekly theme. The theme this week is to “Connect with others”. To learn more and join the Quest, click here. Share what you’re up to around the weekly themes in a newsfeed post in the Quest and comment on your colleagues posts. Everyone who makes or responds to a post will be entered into the weekly drawing to win some cool prizes including Garmin Forerunners or Fit Bits, gift cards and more. Let’s use this forum to connect and to support each other to stay well and to thrive.
We hope to “see” you this week at our events.
Art for meditation with Erin: Join Erin Sparler, artist and founder of the Artist APPEALS podcast as she teaches us how to use the ancient practice of enso. The zen practice of painting an enso -or circle- has been used since the 1400s by Asian monks as a form of meditation. Used to still the mind, this is a quick and easy practice that anyone can do. All it requires is a piece of paper, a paintbrush and some ink or paint. Watercolors work great. Follow along and paint your own enso with Erin. Tuesday, April 7th from 11:30-noon EST or Thursday, April 9th from 5:30-6:00 pm EST.
Art for Kids with Erin: In this art project, Erin Sparler teaches your kids how to turn a picture of a rock into a funny animal. Your kids can follow along as we turn one photo into a whale or dragon and the other into a cat. All you need is the photo which you can print at home and a Sharpie or some pens. (If you have a photo printer and/or glossy paper make sure to use Sharpie pens.) This activity is great fun for kids ages 7 through 14. Wednesday, April 8th 11:30-noon EST or 5:30-6:00 pm EST.
It’s playtime….Grab your kids (grades K-2) and join CrossFit coaches Grant and Chanelle Shymske of Upper Arlington CrossFit for some fun and play. This 30 minute session will focus on activities geared towards task completion and cooperation and less towards competition and rigid rule sets. Suitable for children who thrive with fewer parameters or who just want a more open ended atmosphere that day. No equipment necessary but a backpack with books and some toys/furniture to climb on would be great. Tuesday, April 7th and Thursday, April 9th 9:50-10:20am EST.
It’s playtime….Grab your kids (grades 3-5) and join CrossFit coaches Grant and Chanelle Shymkse of Upper Arlington CrossFit for some fun and play. This class involves games and tasks that have structure and some rules. Games will have points as well as definitive winners and losers. Suitable for children who enjoy some focus, building of skills, and some light hearted competition. No equipment necessary but a backpack with books and some toys/furniture to climb on would be great. Tuesday, April 7th and Thursday, April 9th 10:30-11:00am EST.
Pump up your muscles with Jeff: Join Jeff Morton, founder of Morton Training Systems for a 30 minute, total body strength training workout. Strength training is one of the best types of activities we can do to stay strong, have better body mechanics and prevent the aches and pains of sitting all day. This workout is appropriate for all levels and modifications of all exercises can be made by the instructor. Grab a set of dumbbells or two or a couple of soup cans and let’s get moving. Tuesday, April 7th and Thursday, April 9th. 12:00-12:30 pm EST.
Raised bed gardening: Join Master Gardner and VPR radio personality Charlie Nardozzi for a raised bed gardening seminar. Gardening is one of the best ways to support our well-being and is one of the best ways to ensure we and our families eat a healthy diet. In this workshop, Charlie will discuss types of
raised beds that you can buy or build, the best soil and compost to use and some novel growing techniques. This session will be followed by a Q&A with Charlie so you can get your questions answered. Thursday, April 9th 7:00-8:30pm EST. Preregistration required. To register, send an email to Rebecca.schubert@gmhec.org no later than Tuesday, April 7th at 5pm.
Family fun in the kitchen: Grab your kids, spouse, partner or roommate and get in the kitchen. Buy your ingredients ahead of time and cook along with the dietitians from Whole Health Nutrition as we prepare a delicious dinner of zucchini turkey burgers and with lime dill Greek yogurt sauce and sweet potato fries. Wednesday, April 8th from 6:00-7:30pm EST
Chaplain’s Moment: Join the chaplains from the Scott Center for Spiritual and Religious Life at Middlebury every noon time on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the foreseeable future for a 15 minute reflection on what is happening around us and within our spirits. Rabbi Danielle, Chaplain Saifa, and Dean Mark will take turns leading a brief meditation on some piece of literature, poetry or world wisdom. There will be room for silence and reflection, and a bit of interaction to conclude.
Yoga, including yoga for kids Wednesday afternoons, with Emily Harvey Dooley and her team of teachers. GMHEC has created an amazing partnership with True Center Yoga and we are thrilled to offer faculty and staff at our member colleges free unlimited yoga classes from March 29th through April 30th. Choose from 14 classes per week. To see the class schedule and zoom info click here.
Get the kinks out with Beth: Join Beth Umba, massage therapist and yoga teacher for a quick 20 minute stretch session to release the kinks in your neck, back and hips. Sitting for long periods of time promotes muscle fatigue and muscle strain, and over time, pain. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to join Beth as she guides us through some stretches that we can do right from our desk or home office to get our bodies feeling their best. Tuesday, April 7th 10-10:20 am EST and Thursday, April 9th from 3-3:20 pm EST.
Couples massage with Beth: Grab your partner or roommate and a study chair (a low back chair facing a table or desk works best) and join Beth Umba, massage therapist to learn how to give your partner a seated chair massage. Beth will guide us through massage techniques that are designed to help you and your partner share the nurturing, relaxing, therapeutic benefits of massage with each other. Learn to be more effective, less tired and have more fun while giving your partner a massage. Wednesday, April 8th 8:00-8:30 PM EST.
Connecting to conquer covid 19 with appreciative inquiry webinars. Join experts in the field of Appreciative Inquiry to explore questions such as:
• How are we physically distancing AND socially connecting?
• How are we appreciating the gifts we have AND giving ourselves permission to grieve the losses
we are feeling individually and collectively?
• How are we lifting up what is working today AND daring to ask what we want tomorrow to look
like?
• How are we cultivating resilience AND how are we giving ourselves permission to not always
have things figured out?
• How are we supporting others AND how are we taking care of ourselves?
April 9, 17 and 23rd. 9:00-10:00am EST.
Are you wondering how to balance your life now that you’re mandated to stay at home? Join in the conversation with Educator and Coach Sarah Richardson this week. Together you will tackle what this new normal means and how to create the organization required to thrive and stay connected. Learn how to manage working from home, how to set boundaries with family members so you can be both productive and supportive. Explore ways to maintain your health and sanity despite the added pressures of combined work and home life. Make sure you bring your questions. There is no need to struggle alone. Let’s blaze a path to wellness in the midst of this adversity. Monday, April 6th and Friday, April 10th 4:00-5:30 pm EST
To stay updated about the latest GMHEC Well-being events, join our Facebook group. If you’re not on Facebook and want to be in the know, just shoot me an email and I’ll add you to my “All Things Well- being” email distribution list. Please help me spread the word about what we’ve got going on by sharing
this with your colleagues and by inviting them to join our Facebook group. The more we can spread messages of well-being and get people involved, the more we will enhance our collective well-being.