Resolution: fitness

From weightlifting to yoga to running, the St. Louis Public Library has many great books and DVDs to inspire and educate.  A small selection is below, and more can be found by a browse of your favorite Branch's shelves or the Library's online catalog.

Books:

• Fitness swimming by Emmett Hines
• Military fitness by Patrick Dale
• Walking for fitness by Nina Barough

DVDs:

• Totally ripped core
• Cardio & strength circuit workout 
• Killer body by Jillian Michaels

'Tis the time for Resolutions

As the year draws to a close, it's time to think of resolutions.  Many common New Year's resolutions spring from an urge for better health, whether it's improving fitness, losing weight, or quitting smoking.  Other resolutions are not so obviously health motivated, but spending more time with family and friends, getting out of debt, and getting organized can also positively affect your health.  Whatever you pick, making sure it's realistic and then taking regular action is the best way to ensure you achieve it.  Stay tuned for blog posts with tips and resources for each of these topics throughout the upcoming few weeks.

Smart drinking

Just in time for the holiday season, the NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism) has a site with guidelines and tips for healthy and responsible consumption of alcohol.

Care for yourself while caring for others

Caregiving can be both rewarding and stressful.  On the one hand it can be joyful and fulfilling, and strengthen bonds between carer and care recipient.  On the other hand, it can be a hard job with too much to do and not enough help.

If you are one of the 43 million Americans providing unpaid care, take care of yourself; here are some tips for self-care (also useful for non-caregivers confronting stress).  From the December 2015 newsletter of the National Institutes of Health:

• Get organized. Make to-do lists, and set a daily routine.
• Ask for help. Make a list of ways others can help. For instance, someone might pick up groceries or sit with the person while you do errands.
• Take breaks each day, and spend time with your friends.
• Keep up with your hobbies and interests.
• Join a caregiver’s support group. Meeting other caregivers may give you a chance to exchange stories and ideas.
• Eat healthy foods, and exercise as often as you can.
• See your doctor regularly. Be sure to tell your health care provider that you’re a caregiver, and mention if you have symptoms of depression or sickness.
• Build your skills. Some hospitals offer classes on how to care for someone with an injury or illness. To find these classes, ask your doctor or contact your local Area Agency on Aging at www.n4a.org. 

Other places on the Web to find information and support include National Alliance for Caregiving, AARP, and Administration on Aging.

At the Library, there are books, videos, and ebooks on caregiving.  Search for 'caregiving' in the online catalog.

Meditation

Awareness of the present moment can bring great benefits, and it seems so easy!  In as little as five minutes a day, one can reap the rewards of increased feelings of calm and decreased anxiety and improved sleep and stress management.  It can be as simple as sitting quietly and paying attention to one's breath; though it is an internal experience, it can be helpful to pick or prepare a calm, restful place where one will not be disturbed.  However, it can be difficult to find the focus, and so some external support can be helpful, especially when getting started.

On Wednesday, December 16, Cancer Support Community of Greater St. Louis offers a meditative experience that includes wonderful sounds.

Pets & health

The evidence is clear: pets improve health of their people.  As just one example, a recent article found on MedlinePlus says, "Dogs in the Home May Lower Kids' Odds for Asthma".  (For issues caused by animals, see Allergic to pets? by Shirlee Kalstone.)  In another example, the latest issue of Well Being Journal (available for your perusal at Central Library) has an article profiling an animal companion in a nursing home, and the benefits he brings to fellow residents.

Our furry (or feathered or finned) friends have health considerations too!  MedlinePlus has a page of great information and links, as does the CDC, and here at the St. Louis Public Library we have many excellent books!

Some choices:

• The nature of animal healing : the path to your pet's health, happiness, and longevity by Martin Goldstein
• Caring for family pets : choosing and keeping our companion animals healthy by Radford G. Davis, editor
• The Royal treatment: a natural approach to wildly healthy pets by Barbara Royal, with Anastasia Royal

AND THERE ARE MANY MORE, including books specifically about horses, dogs, cats, and birds.

Happy Birthday to Central Library!

Celebrate the 3rd anniversary of Central Library's Grand Reopening and its 103rd year as the crown jewel of the Library system.  Central Library’s doors first opened to the public on January 6, 1912. One hundred years later, on December 9, 2012, the doors reopened following a $70 million restoration and renewal that not only highlighted the building’s historical significance but also transformed previously closed spaces into a modern facility for use by the public.

In honor of our 150th Anniversary as a system, we’ll celebrate Central’s birthday on December 9 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Get your slice of birthday cake in the Atrium on the First Floor. Take a tour of the building with a docent, who will tell you about the old and new. And visit the Rare Books and Special Collections for an exhibit about our original opening day in 1912.

Wednesday, December 09, 2015
11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Central Library, 1301 Olive Street

Water: essential for life!

The announcement that liquid water has been discovered on Mars was big news, because water is essential for life.  While the presence of ice on Mars was confirmed seven years ago by NASA's Phoenix spacecraft, the liquid water found in September 28 suggests that there could be life on Mars.

Water does good things in your body...

• removes waste
• helps deliver oxygen
• helps the brain
• regulates body temperature

Come on in to the Central Library's Science & Technology Room on the First Floor to consult The Drinking Water Dictionary, or the Dictionary of Water & Waste Management, two great reference books.

Some books you can check out cover the topic of water from a variety of perspectives:

• Drinking water: a history by James Salzman.
• Don't drink the water (without reading this book): the essential guide to our contaminated drinking water and what you can do about it by Lono Kahuna Kupua Ao
• Water: the shocking truth that can save your life! by Paul C. Bragg and Patricia Bragg
• Cool waters: 50 refreshing, healthy, homemade thirst quenchers by Brian Preston-Campbell
• Healing waters: the powerful health benefits of ionized H2O by Ben Johnson
• Your body's many cries for water: you are not sick, you are thirsty! Don't treat thirst with medications!: a preventive and self-education manual for those who prefer to adhere to the logic of the natural and the simple in medicine by F. Batmanghelidj

For exercise in water, try:

• Water exercise by Melissa Layne
• Fantastic water workouts by MaryBeth Pappas Baun

For exercise with water, there's

• The amazing water bottle workout: no gym? no weights? no problem! by Jason S. Greenspan and Lee Noonan