A joint message from FNHA Chief Executive Officer Richard Jock and FNHA Chief Medical Officer Dr Nell Weeman
We hope you’ll join us in our annual 30×30 Active Wellness Challenge and feel the benefits of being more active. Whether you take part in all 30 days in June or do it at your own pace, we congratulate you for taking steps to prioritize your health.
Keep up the momentum – small steps add up to big changes. Not only will moving your body improve your health, but you might even inspire others to do the same.
This year’s theme for the 30×30 Challenge was “Exercise is Medicine” because being active is so beneficial to our overall health and helps keep our bodies, minds, spirits and emotions healthy. There are so many types of exercise to choose from – gardening, swimming, walking, hiking, hunting, canoeing – there’s sure to be something that everyone can enjoy.
Each year, we’re proud and grateful that First Nations people across British Columbia share the unique ways they stay active, healthy and balanced as we continue to strive for 10,000 steps every day.
This year’s 30×30 Active Wellness Challenge was also about honoring where each of us is on our personal wellness journeys and being grateful for the movement we can do each day.
Throughout the Challenge we featured stories of community wellness champions including Cyril Morris. WekwakwelekLekwungen from Songhees Nation shared his journey from health scares to regaining his health. By changing his daily habits and patterns, he made his health a priority.
Another story was about how Josh Wesley, a Gitxegukura native and Tsimshian, stays active and connected to his culture through hunting and living on the land. He shared how it feels good for friends and family to enjoy each other’s company while on the land together. He says it’s not only good for his strength and health, but it also allows him to get his favorite traditional foods.
We hope this challenge inspires you to reflect on your physical activity goals and develop sustainable, healthy movement habits. Here are some tools to support you on your physical health journey:
- FNHA Wellness Roadmap – This workbook will help you determine your wellness goals and plan a strategy to achieve them.
- FNHA Health and Wellness Daily Organizer – This daily organizer is designed to help you track your wellness activities across all four wellness streams: being active, eating healthy, nurturing your mind, and respecting tobacco. To order a copy, email Resources@FNHA.ca.
- FNHA webpage “Being Active”.
- Our partner, I·SPARC, offers webinars, training, and physical health education opportunities that you can access by visiting the I·SPARC Events page. Learn about I·SPARC’s Indigenous RunWalk program, FitNation training, and Healthy Leader Training by visiting I·SPARC’s Healthy Living page.
