One Habit, Many Benefits:

We know moving our bodies is good for us — but how?!

Welcome to PMH Moves – a year-long Health Promotion series shared through PMH Communications. Each month, we’ll highlight a different way movement supports health across the lifespan — from boosting mood and focus to strength, walking, healthy aging, and staying active through the seasons.

While the topics will change, the message stays the same: every bit of movement counts — and it all adds up. Take what works for you and leave the rest.

This month’s article highlights how movement supports physical health, brain function, mood, and sleep — all at the same time.

Physical Health
Daily movement reduces our risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Regular movement can also lower blood pressure and cholesterol, improve joint mobility, strengthen muscles and support heart and lung function. That’s a lot! And to top it all off, physical activity also helps manage many chronic health conditions.

Brain Function
Did you know that physical activity can improve brain function?! Movement increases cerebral blood flow, promotes new brain cell growth, and boosts neuroplasticity while decreasing the risk of dementia.

Mood
Physical activity significantly boosts mood by triggering the release of hormones. Specifically, endorphins, serotonin and dopamine which act as natural stress relievers, reduce anxiety and combat depression.

Energy Levels and Sleep
Regular physical activity can significantly improve sleep quality and duration by reducing insomnia symptoms, helping you fall asleep faster, and increasing time spent in deep, restorative sleep. It also helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm, reduces stress and anxiety, and manages body temperature to facilitate better, uninterrupted rest.

There isn’t much we can do that benefits as many parts of the body as movement does – all at the same time!

Looking at the Whole Day
The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines remind us that health isn’t just about exercise – it’s about how we move, sit and sleep across the whole day. The guidelines encourage us to build regular physical activity into our routines, limit long periods of sitting, and aim for good quality sleep each night. When these pieces work together, they support better physical health, mental well-being, and overall energy.

Every Minute Counts
The good news? It doesn’t take hours at the gym to see benefits. Even 20 minutes of movement per day can make a difference – and it doesn’t have to happen all at once. A short walk, stretching, taking the stairs, or an activity break during the day all add up.

Check out the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for all ages here: https://csepguidelines.ca/

Birtle Personal Care Home latest to participate in door mural project

The ‘Adopt a Door’ initiative within Prairie Mountain Health places personalized murals on personal care home doors to help make residents feel more at home.  One of the program’s overarching goals is to make it easier for residents to find their way to their rooms.  Recently, Sunnyside Personal Care Home in Birtle held an informal event to showcase the new doors.

Tracey Howe and Ashley LeFranc are Recreation Workers at Sunnyside PCH.

“We were very excited to see our residents’ family members and members from the community attend our open house. After touring folks around, attendees were invited to our dining room for coffee and a visit. The residents really enjoyed seeing everyone,” they said.

Each door costs $250 to ‘adopt’, covering materials, labour, and the installation company’s mileage. Clear plastic covers were added to protect the door murals, with their cost covered by donations to the Recreation Department.

Residents, local organizations, and community members who purchased their own murals, or donations received in memory of past residents, were used to design individual murals. The remaining murals were selected by the recreation department in consultation with the nursing staff.  

“We were very pleased that murals for all of the resident doors were purchased. We received donations for a few extra doors, so we decided to have murals placed on all the doors along the hallways, including the hair salon and bathtub room. We also placed a couple of street signs to name the hallways.”

“The residents loved their new doors and enjoyed watching the doors be completed. It has really brightened up our hallways.”

With the ‘Adopt a Door’ project complete, Tracey and Ashley are already moving on to the next ‘beautification’ initiative.

“Our next project is to paint the hallways and common rooms to make our personal care home feel more home-like. In spring, we will renovate the flower beds and begin our annual ‘Adopt a Planter’ fundraiser,” they said.

18^th Annual Camp Bridges Weekend Set for Circle Square Ranch, Austin MB

“Love builds bridges where there are none”

Prairie Mountain Health is organizing the18th annual Camp Bridges, a weekend camp for bereaved children and teens. Camp Bridges will be held at Circle Square Ranch, Austin MB on June 5-7^th, 2026. The goal of Camp Bridges is to support children and teens with their grief and bereavement. This is achieved through activities designed to help share grief and honour memories in a caring community environment.

Camp Bridges provides a safe, supportive and fun environment where grieving children and teens learn that they are not alone in their grief and are free to share their thoughts and feelings with peers who are going through a similar experience. The camp is intended to complement existing bereavement services for children and teens by providing a weekend of “caring, sharing and memories”.

Camp Bridges accepts up to 40 applicants each year.  Children and youth between the ages of 7-15 years of age, who reside in Manitoba, are welcome to apply.  If you have any questions, please contact [email protected]  The application deadline is April 7,2026.

Donations are always welcome and appreciated to cover the cost of camp rental, meals and activities, so that campers may attend at no cost. If you wish to donate to Camp Bridges please contact Hope Roberts, PMH Regional Palliative Care Coordinator at 204-578-2310.

A reminder that Camp Bridges is also still in need of volunteers. The volunteer application deadline is March 23^rd.

More information, including updated camper and volunteer applications, is available online.