Let’s introduce you to another one of our employees. Meet Athena, our talented team member at Barrhaven. She is Vietnamese and born and raised in Ottawa. She’s also one of our youngest team members! Athena is a senior in high school, who’s super excited to graduate this coming spring. Given how covid has changed our social gatherings, Athena hopes to have a normal graduation next year. Her plans after graduation include enrolling in the royal military college and studying psychology. 

Athena started working at Kardish as a co-op student in our accounting department and before completing her placement, she was offered a position at our Barrhaven store. By nature, Athena is driven and focused, so she wanted to work in an environment that encouraged her learning and expanded her knowledge in nutrition and wellbeing. 

“Kardish is a great fit for me,” says Athena. “I really enjoy coming to a workplace that has such a positive atmosphere.” 

Athena and her co-workers make a great team. They often set friendly competitions among themselves to enhance their learning.

Athena’s educational background consists of fitness related health and the health habits of youth. She speaks to many customers about the habits of their teenagers and relates and understands them quite well. From her personal experiences, she has also learnt how to recover from brain injuries and shares that knowledge and tips with customers who may be going through the same or similar injury. 

Athena is passionate about helping customers establish a health regimen that is a great fit for them. Many customers come to her to find a supplement that partners well with their daily activities. 

“I really enjoy when regular customers come back, and they tell me how I’ve improved their lifestyle or health habits,” says Athena.

Athena wanted to share some of her tips for staying healthy with you:

1. Try to get 30-minutes of physical exercise everyday, preferably in the morning.
2. Drink 1 Litre of water every morning. Athena, herself works out and meditates everyday. 
3. If you are trying to develop healthy habits - stay consistent with them. The results will show! keep a routine and work out in consistent increments!

Athena also recommends a supplement for managing stress and anxiety: Health First’s Ashwagandha, a preferable dose of 3-4 capsules or 500-1000 mg a day. 

Pop by our Barrhaven location for more health tips from Athena! 

Without gym class and after school activities, it is always a challenge to help your children stay physically active during the summer months. And with the pandemic cancelling summer camps and sports teams, keeping kids moving is more difficult than ever this year.

Still, there are plenty of ways to keep your children active during the break – they simply require a little more ingenuity than usual on the part of parents and caregivers. Here are a few ideas to keep your kids (and you) moving for the last few weeks of Summer.

Arrange a neighborhood scavenger hunt

Make a list of common neighborhood landmarks and outdoor items, then send your children out to find them. Possible ideas could include a cute dog, a fire hydrant, a yard with a swing set, a red truck, etc. Be creative! You can even organize your kids and their friends into teams and encourage them to compete to see who can finish the list first. If your kids are older, send them with a smart phone so they can document their discoveries as they check them off on the list. 

 Plant a mini garden

We all know that kids love to dig around in the dirt, so why not embrace it? Set aside a small amount of space in your yard or in a planter for your children to sow their own tiny garden. Select a handful of flowers and vegetables are easy to grow and care for, then encourage your little ones to do the rest (with a little assistance, of course). Planting, watering, and harvesting will teach your children responsibility while also helping them to better understand where their food comes from.

Organize a picnic

A picnic is a great excuse to get outside and spend quality time with your family. All you need is a simple lunch to enjoy together and a blanket to sit on, of course. For post-lunch activities, a frisbee, soccer ball, bubbles, or a jump rope can be a fun way for the whole family to be active together. You can even invite another family or two for a socially distant visit!

Explore the natural world

Visit a nearby park or natural area and encourage your kids to search for different species of trees, plants, birds, and bugs. Not only does it get your children outside, but this activity is a great way to spark their natural curiosity, and it might even ignite a passion for nature. The best news? You don’t have to be a biologist to help them identify the species they see—these days, there are countless apps for that. 

Create your own backyard Olympics

Even with the summer games postponed, you can still bring the Olympic spirit to your home with a fun back yard experience. Arrange a handful of simple athletic events around the yard, such as long jump, “discus” with a frisbee, or a 20m dash. And don’t feel constrained by traditional Olympic pastimes. Try sack races, jump rope competitions, tug-of-war, a hula-hoop competition, or a water balloon toss. Don’t forget to set up your makeshift podium to celebrate the champions!

A mother is your first friend and your forever friend. Every mother should get a chance to feel beautiful and special. Although you may not be able to take your mom to her favourite restaurant, spa or the movies this year, there are still many ways to make her feel extra special on Mother’s Day while social distancing! The ideas listed below will work in person or through video calling.

• Ask her for her to-do list and complete one of the big items on it.
• Find a recipe to cook together. 
• Gift her a scrapbook filled with old and new pictures, along with quotes about why she matters to you. 
• Write her a letter about all the times she made you feel loved, or share some of your favourite memories.
• Learn a craft together. Try knitting or origami! Maybe you’ll discover a hidden talent. 
• Gift her a memory box by finding items around your home that symbolize a special memory you share with her. She might be confused at first but as she pulls out each item, share your special memory.
• Schedule an at-home delivery of some of her favourite things.