Lifestyle and Wellbeing – Toronto Metropolitan University Alumni Blog

Five ways to enrich your mental health

Amma Gyamfowa, Social Work (Masters) ’18, aims to empower individuals, families and communities with holistic mental health supports. In this blog, she shares 5 steps you can take to improve your mental health.

The Canadian Mental Health Association hosts Mental Health Week annually during the first week of May. As a therapist, I have witnessed an undeniable transformation occur when people actively pour into their wellness. Here are five key ways you can enrich your mental health.

3 steps to living intentionally

Adrienne Enns, Radio and Television Arts ’96, is the Founder and CEO of *May You Know Joy Inc.* *Her mission is to inspire our most intentional living through products, conversations and experiences. Enns is the author of* *Intentional Days* *and host of* *The Intention Sessions podcast*.

A new year is a great time to re-align and set your intentions—think of it as being on your side and putting your energy into what matters. Intentional living means we mindfully decide how to show up in the world and what kind of life we want to create. Unfortunately, while it sounds simple, life can get busy, and we can find ourselves putting our sense of purpose, core values and biggest dreams on hold.

3 ways to create transformative change

Dr. Pamela Sugiman, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Ryerson University — This month, guest blogger Dr. Pamela Sugiman, Dean of the Faculty of Arts at Ryerson University, shares some insight on how we can all create transformative change in our lives. Dr. Sugiman’s commitment to social justice, equity and inclusion is rooted in her personal history and has profoundly shaped her scholarly pursuits. As Dean of Arts, she has promoted the development of Indigenous education, democratic engagement, migration and immigration and student engagement and student-worker experience. Dean Sugiman is currently a member of the Board of Directors of The Atkinson Foundation and Pathways to Education Canada. She has also served as President of the Canadian Sociological Association.

Three major ways the last year has shaped trends for 2021 and beyond

Abdullah Snobar, Executive Director of the DMZ and the Chief Executive Officer of DMZ Ventures — Abdullah Snobar is the Executive Director of the DMZ and the Chief Executive Officer of DMZ Ventures. Responsible for the strategic direction and continued growth of both organizations, he leads in supporting Canada’s most promising startups scale their companies. Under his leadership, the DMZ was ranked the number one university-based incubator in the world by UBI global.

After a year like no other, what learnings can we take into 2021?

Eat, drink and be merry WITHOUT food guilt this holiday

Abbey Sharp, Food and Nutrition ’11, is a Media Registered Dietitian (RD), YouTuber, blogger, award-winning author, and mom. Abbey debunks nutrition myths and denounces diet culture on her Youtube channel, her acclaimed food blog, Abbey’s Kitchen and in her Gold Medal winning cookbook, the Mindful Glow Cookbook.

It’s officially the season to eat, drink and be merry, but for a lot of people who struggle with their relationship with food and their body, it is more likely to bring anxiety than joy.

The Lunch Box Dilemma

Stefania Palmeri is a registered dietitian who works in corporate health care, outpatient hospital programs and private practice. She is a graduate of the Nutrition and Food Program as well as the Nutrition Communication Post-Graduate Program through The Faculty of Community Services (School of Nutrition).

When I think back to my childhood and the back-to-school rush, I remember being excited about things like new scented markers and seeing friends. My parents, on the other hand, were battling the overwhelming dread of “What am I going to feed this child five days a week for the next 10 months?” Continue reading

3 things no one tells you about Ontario’s long-term care system

A longtime reporter and producer, Karen Cumming, Radio and Television Arts ’84, is now a freelance journalist, health promoter, and teacher on a mission to help families navigate Ontario’s long-term care system with as little stress and frustration as possible.

Guiding our elderly parents into the final stage of their lives: it’s one of the defining issues of our baby boom generation. If you were born between 1946 and 1964, there’s a good chance you’re going through this experience yourself right now, or you know someone who is. The turmoil that the long-term care system is currently in makes it all the more important that you become proactive and prepared.

Your 5 step guide to meal time battles

You’ve been there before: gawking at the neighbour’s child devouring kale power bowls while your child, instead, screams at vegetables, but readily eats an old cheese puff from behind the couch. In desperation, you Google “picky eater nutrition” which reveals 1.4 million hits — not helping. Down the rabbit hole you go, looking at recipes to sneak in vegetables or bake beans into brownies. As a pediatric dietitian who has worked with her fair share of picky eaters, let me reassure you that there are larger things you can focus on as a parent to set your child up for nutritional success. Continue reading