Photo source: lululemon athletica, Flickr, Creative Commons

Do you spend most of your work week sitting at a desk?

You might want to check out these stats posted on MindBodyGreen Sitting Is Killing You:

Sitting 6+ hours per day makes you up to 40% likelier to die within 15 years than someone who sits less than 3. Even if you exercise.

Sitting makes us fat: obese people sit for 2.5 more hours per day than thin people.

For more stats check out the full post here

On a brighter note…Here’s some awesome news for you: working doesn’t have to kill you! All you need is a little awareness.

There’s a great new Yoga & Nutrition workshop, “Stay Healthy at the Office”, being offered here in Nelson this March. The perfect place to gain that  little awareness you may need.

Topics will include:

Practical nutrition tips such as: how to pack a holistic lunch, healthy lighting, simple aromatherapy, using green house plants to clean the air and how to resist staff room snack temptations.

Simple yoga exercises such as: chair Yoga posture sequence, spine warm-ups, hip- openers, shoulder stretches, simple breathing and meditation techniques for stress management.

A balanced diet and conscience lifestyle, will ultimately benefit your health regardless of what your work may be.

The workshop is hosted by Mountain Waters Spa, 205 Victoria St. Nelson, on Saturday March 3rd from 2pm to 5pm. The cost is $40 . Go to our event page for more info.

Creative Commons - WestWave Dance Festival – Pictures

Applications can be downloaded from www.rdck.bc.ca/corporate/grants/cbt.html.

For more information, please contact:
Judy Madelung
Project Coordinator
Phone: 250-352-8170 / 1-800-268-7325
Email: jmadelung@rdck.bc.ca

or, contact:

Joy Barrett
Cultural Development Officer
City of Nelson
cultural@nelson.ca
tel: 250-354-9169

The reason this baseline information was being collected was to show a need for overdose first aid programs, including the use of take-home Naloxone kits. Naloxone (also known as Narcan) is a pharmaceutical drug, developed in the 1960′s which is an antidote for opioid overdose. In essence, it removes the opioid from the brain of the user, putting them in immediate withdrawal, and restoring depressed body functions such as breathing and heart rate.

Naloxone has been used for decades in hospitals when prescribed opioids caused overdose in emergency and operating rooms. It is extremely effective and is a life saving intervention for individuals who experience opioid overdose.

ANKORS and the BCCDC are working toward being able to provide first aid training for opioid overdose. Work is being done to increase the availability of Naloxone, since currently it is a prescription medication. Many people who use opioids, other than as prescribed by their doctor, have difficulty accessing a physician. Furthermore, physician perspectives on prescribing Naloxone for opioid users impact how the medication is prescribed. Some healthcare and harm reduction activists feel that prescriptions of Naloxone (and training on how to use it) should accompany every single opioid prescription. As well, any individuals who identify as opioid users (for whatever reason) should be referred for Naloxone training and a take-home opioid first aid kit.

There are take-home Naloxone programs running in cities around the world. In Canada, Toronto and Edmonton are running such programs. In Edmonton, the training takes place on a drop in basis. As individuals access needle exchange services, they are encouraged to take the 20 minute opioid overdose first aid training and to take a Naloxone kit home with them to have on hand in case a fellow user overdoses in their presence. Also, they can show others how to use it, in case they overdose themselves.

For those concerned about the possibility that this training and access to Naloxone has the potential to enable opioid use, there are a few things to consider:

1. The sudden withdrawal caused by treatment with Naloxone is highly uncomfortable. Anecdotal evidence shows that users are often sick, in pain, and very upset that their dose has been wasted- especially since financial barriers may mean that they can’t easily get more. Evidence also shows that education among users about OD and Naloxone means safer use practices meant to avoid having to go though this OD-Death or Naloxone cycle.
2. Overdose and the administration of Naloxone is very stressful and can be traumatic for those who are around and actually do the Naloxone administration. There is very little time between the beginning of the OD and the start of brain damage due to depressed respiration. Those in the helping position have to be fast and efficient, willing to inject another person, call 911, and stick around with the person who overdosed, to wait for help to arrive. It isn’t easy and it isn’t fun, especially when the user is sick, in pain, and desperate to feel better-despite the fact that they almost just died.
3. Naloxone truly is a life saving intervention. To limit the availability of this training along with access to take home Naloxone kits means that society values the lives of users less than they value people in hospitals who are given opioids for medical reasons. Opioid first aid training and access to Naloxone kits means that we value the lives of users and that we don’t expect them and their loved ones to accept death as the inevitable outcome of the illness of addiction.

So Brad asked me if I could design an ab routine for him which would not make him puke.

Why are abs important? He saw our chinese medicine doctor two days ago and she told him that if you don’t have a strong core, your other, smaller muscles will attempt to compesate – this will create stress in those places. So, without further a-do:

No-Barfing Eight-Minute Ab Routine

If you don’t have, or don’t want to use the interval timer (free to download onto your computer), just try to do the same number of reps as me, moving onto the next exercise with no more than a ten second rest in between exercises.

Okay – Give’er!!!!!! No barfing!!!!!!

• 10 second rest
• 50 seconds (or 6 reps): 3 Point Jump and 1 Pushup
• 10 SECOND REST
• 50 SECONDS (or 24 reps): Circle Abs
• 10 SECOND REST
• 50 SECONDS (or 21 reps): 3 Point Crunches with ball or without
• 10 SECOND REST
• 50 SECONDS (or 9 reps): Ball Pass

There’s a 4 minute routine for ya. Run through this twice and you’ve got Eight!

Exercise Explanations

3 Point Jump and 1 Pushup - Instructions: Get into plank position, wrists below shoulders with creases lining up straight across. Jump your feet in towards your hands (don’t lift your hands off the floor). Jump back. Jump diagonally forward to one side. Jump back. Jump diagonally forward to the other side. Jump back. Do 1 Pushup. Repeat! (I count each time I get to do a pushup as 1 rep)

*Beginners Variation: Do the pushup with your knees on the floor. Omit the jumping altogether if needed.

Circle Abs - Instructions: Sit on yer bum on the floor, with your feet an inch or two above the ground. Hands on the floor below your shoulders, fingers pointing towards your feet a couple of inches away from your bum, wrists creases should line up). The action – try to trace a circle in the air above the ground with your feet. Alternate between clockwise and counterclockwise circles. (I count each circle as 1 rep)

*BV: Rest your feet on the ground between circles

3 point Crunches with ball or without – Sit up half-way to the front, then to the left side, then to the right side. Repeat. (1 count each time I go up to be 1 rep)

Ball Pass - Lie on your back on the ground and pass an exercise ball from your hands to your feet by lifting your shoulder blades and your legs off of the ground. Keep your abs tight and your lower back pressed into the mat. If you don’t have a ball you can use any light weighted thingy that you can squeeze between your feet without too much difficulty :P (I count 1 rep each time the ball comes back into my hands)

*BV: Do not pass anything between your feet and legs, only pretend to, or do leg drops (same motion with feet together, no arms)

 Image taken from www.haphappy.com

A two-day course on applying an integral perspective to the early years of 

a child’s life: Doing the Work, Discovering the Ease!

We will explore, learn about, and practice:

• Meeting our whole child—a being made of body, mind, soul, and spirit.
• Understanding our child’s unique stage of development, strengths & growing edges, and type, so that we neither expect too much nor too little, and can parent in alignment with who our child is (and is becoming!).
• How parenting is intimately connected with who we are, and therefore dependent on our own growth and consciousness.
• Riding paradoxes, for example, offering our child unconditional love andproviding direction, guidance, and at times very clear boundaries and correction.
• Parenting within an evolutionary context—lifting the bar of what parenting can be by bringing evermore consciousness to the task, whilst not creating more self-doubt or stress about our ability and capacity to parent.
• Navigating the interface between our own family culture and that of the world at large with grace and clarity.

What else might you like to know about this course…?

** It is made up of experiential, explorative, practical and theoretical components.

** This course is at least as much about you as a parent as it is about your child. The shifts in perspectives, the work and growth we suggest and teach are pretty much all directed at you… You and I and all of us growing up (and waking up) in order to help our children grow up.

** This workshop is practical and useful. Especially in the realm of parenting it all comes down to the actual practice – what you think and intend is a first, very important step; who you are, how you show up, and what you do, however, is what really makes the difference for your child.

** We will share the underlying principles and overarching perspectives at work in an integral approach to parenting. A shift in perspective holds much more weight and resilience in the face of ever-changing situations and conditions, than if we simply offer you numerous concrete suggestions that may or may not fit your particular circumstance and child. As you understand, integrate, and then make use of them, you will be better equipped and able to find your own solutions and responses to the many circumstances you will encounter on a daily basis.

** Because of our emphasis on the inner work of the parent, and the underlying principles/practices of integral parenting, this course will be applicable to your journey as a parent whether your child/children are new-born, six years old or twelve… However, our general focus in on laying a solid foundation during the early years of a child’s life. Pregnant parents and those considering becoming parents are very welcome too!

Past participants share their experiences of taking this course >>

Main course facilitator: Miriam Mason Martineau is a mother. She holds an M.A. in Psychology from the University of Zurich,with specialization in Youth and Child Psychology, and has been working in private practice as an integral therapeutic counselor since 1993. She is presently writing a book on Integral Parenting and is passionately interested in parenting as a spiritual path – both in theory and in practice – a humbling and delightful adventure it is! She is vice-president of Next Step Integral, an international organization that brings an integral perspective to ecology, education, parenting and community. She lives in Winlaw, BC, with her husband, Stephan and their 8-year old daughter, Adonia.

Press Release

The Nelson Cycling Club is working to plan the future development of mountain biking amenities in the Morning Mountain Ski Area. A charrette will be held for anyone interested in participating. Nelson Cycling Club members, mountain bikers, and users of the Morning Mountain Ski Area and surrounding trails are especially encouraged to come out and be involved. Some of the topics to be discussed will be:
· Trail improvements

· Signage

· Parking and circulation

· Opportunities for including multi-use trails

· Public amenities

· Facilities for the Fat Tire Festival

DATE: Monday, February 13, 2012

TIME: 7pm

LOCATION: 225 Hall St.

Nelson & District Chamber of Commerce, Visitor Centre & Economic Office

(Entrance on the Nelson Community Complex side of building)

Workshops for this term have been chosen based on expressed interest and the skills of mentors available in our community. Whether the subject is plant biology, electricity, or raku pottery, learners will be immersed in a experiential learning environment where understanding is promoted through participation, conversation, reflection, and action.

All workshop courses are 4 credit high school courses.

High School learners in B.C. are free to choose where and how to complete their high school requirements, and these workshops are ideal for learners who benefit from the structure and rhythm of a schedule and who crave connections with others in order to realize their individual learning. (While) SelfDesign High has prepared a full slate of workshops for learners to select from, and (we) will also find a suitable mentor and create a workshop around a topic that six learners express an interest (to us) in taking.

Visit www.selfdesignhigh.org/workshops for a detailed list of workshop courses available.

I hope that doesn’t come across as bitter, but the fact is I’ve stopped being a journalist because there’s no money in it.

Frankly, working as a reporter outside of a major urban centre is no way to make a living. You can’t raise a family on a reporter’s salary. Speaking from personal experience, I left the Express newspaper when it became clear I had reached the financial ceiling. If I wanted to grow, it would have to be elsewhere. I had hoped Inthekoots was the answer but – for the moment – it isn’t.

This problem extends to the major chains as well, I believe. I worked for a Black Press newspaper in the Central Interior. (Black Press is the same chain that runs most newspapers in the Kootenays, including the Nelson Star.) The only way I could get a raise was to move to a larger centre. The small town I started in (Fort St. James) could only support a certain salary so I moved to Prince George for more pay. I worked in that community for a little over a year, a record for that town. I remember arriving there and people asking how long I’ll stay.

I see something similar here in Nelson. Since the Nelson Star started in 2008 (shifting from the old Kootenay Western Star) they’ve gone through several reporters. Youthful enthusiasm is important in journalism, but I think the community loses out when reporters leave after a year or two.

Why settled journalists matter

Let me give an example that I think highlights the importance of having journalists with some roots in the community.

When the Occupy Nelson camp was coming down I attended with my camera. There were city workers and police all around as they dealt with the occupiers and their camp. I walked past one young man carrying a camera but didn’t give him a second glance. My focus was on the scene unfolding in front of me.

As I got closer, one of the police officers, a woman I’ve talked with many times over my five years here, approached me, asking me to step back. I respectfully declined and kept filming. She was concerned with ensuring the situation didn’t escalate and I was concerned with recording events, doing the essentials of journalism: recording what happens for those who can’t be there.

The police officer went to Police Chief Wayne Holland, who was also on scene, and I saw them discuss whether I should be moved back.

The decision was I was OK where I was and you can read the results of my story here and watch the video here. They knew who I was, knew my character and felt I wouldn’t be a hazard in that volatile, emotionally charged situation.

It was only after the camp came down that I realized the young man I passed earlier was a new reporter for the Nelson Star. He had undoubtedly been asked to stand back and had complied. The police didn’t know him and he didn’t know them, so that was probably a wise choice.

After the camp was trucked away the police officer came up to me and we laughed about our exchange earlier. We both agreed the situation was awkward but we both understood where the other was coming from. It was clear there was no disrespect intended from either the police officer or myself.

That relationship is one that can only grow from being in a community over a longer period. By the time these new reporters have cultivated those relationships, they’re looking to move on to a new job and a higher salary.

I had hoped I could provide that kind of service to Nelson, but it’s become obvious the salary isn’t to be found online, at least not yet. So it’s time for me to move on. I’ll stay involved with Inthekoots to a limited degree, but mostly as a voluntary effort.

It’s disappointing. I gave it all I had and I think I accomplished a fair bit. Here’s a list of some of the stories I broke before any other news outlet:

• Fire at the Kerr apartments
• The increase in costs in the city’s bus service and the resulting debate around transit cuts
• Pranksters dye Salmo River green
• Parking meter rates doubled
• Fire at the Redfish

I also introduced a new way of covering council, reporting live on their meetings, bringing a new insight to the way decisions are made in city hall. I attended every council meeting when they created the 2011 budget.

So what’s the solution?

I still believe in the vision and potential of Inthekoots to bring the community together.

What’s needed is greater involvement from the community members. Instead of waiting for a journalist to tell your story, tell it yourself. Inthekoots makes it possible for everyone to become their own reporter. Once you learn the basics of using the system, you’ll know how to broadcast your message to the Kootenay community and the world beyond.

The model is changing. Businesses are starting to learn they need to engage their audience beyond old fashioned ads in a newspaper. They have to tell their story and they have to engage with their customers in meaningful ways, something that’s only possible online. As their focus shifts to the electronic world, I believe the advertising revenue is going to dry up as well. Without the money, the budget for journalism will shrink even further and our community will be served less by our newspapers.

The answer is to use the internet, use Inthekoots, to tell your own stories.

Chris Shepherd

Chris Shepherd is still the managing editor for the Inthekoots Network.