Run, walk or bike to Charlotte Mecklenburg Library with your 2019 healthy living goals

Want to read more in 2019? Charlotte Mecklenburg Library can help with that. Want to get or stay fit in 2019? The Library can help with that too!

Get moving

Put that new (or old!) fitness tracker to the test with one of our hundreds of workout DVDs and streaming videos. Here’s just a sampling of how to get your heart rate up!

• Knock out your stress with kickboxing master Billy Blanks DVDs. 
• Substitute My Yoga: Who Needs Coffee? on Hoopla if you’re cutting back your caffeine intake.
• Watch Arnold Schwarzenegger's classic Pumping Iron to get motivated with your strength training regimen. 
• Don’t attempt a marathon in a month!  Start out ‘nice and easy’ with our low-impact video collection.
• Save money on gym fees by streaming a cardio dance workout from your living room.

Snack smarter

Put down the junk food and pick up one of these healthier snacking cookbooks. However, we like to live by the “everything in moderation” rule and included something sweet!

• Stephanie Tourles’ Raw Energy is full of simple recipes made with easy-to-find ingredients. 
• Try a healthier chocolate chip cookie dough recipe or oatmeal cookie energy bites from Laura Chalela Hoover’s Mom's Sugar Solution cookbook. 
• Kids of all ages will enjoy Laura Fuentes’ The Best Homemade Kids' Snacks on the Planet.

• Treat yourself with a recipe from the Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream cookbook if you can’t make it to the South End shop. 

Sleep more

While we can’t add another hour or two to your day, we can recommend some resources to help you rest.

• Take a Relaxation 101 class offered through our Universal Class resource.
• Limit your screen time at bedtime and read a short story by Alice Munro or Curtis Sittenfeld, or try a graphic novel adaptation of a classic literary work. 
• Listen to rhythmic and soothing audiobooks narrated by Jim Dale or Maya Angelou.  (If you’ve never heard of Jim Dale, he’s narrated everything from Harry Potter to A Christmas Carol!)
• Take advantage of our streaming music services, Hoopla and Freegal, to download white noise or relaxing albums. 

Practice mindfulness

Mindfulness and meditation practices continue to trend in 2019. Join one of these free gentle January health programs at a library location near you! 

• Manage stress with Mindfulness and Meditation at Matthews Library on Jan. 15, 2019 at 6 p.m.
• Pop in to Main Library during lunchtime for Making a Fresh Start with Heartfulness at 11 a.m. on Jan. 18, 2019.   
• Head to Davidson Library for Introduction to Healing Touch on Jan. 16, 2019 and Yoga for Stress Relief on Jan.23, 2019, both at 6 p.m. 

Let the Library help you take your first steps, no matter how small, in your journey to a healthier you in 2019!