Blue Zones Power 9: Loved Ones First

This is the eighth post in a nine-part series in which we are sharing resources available at the library to help you get on track with the Blue Zones Project.

Sometimes maintaining a positive relationship with family can be a challenge, especially during the stressful holiday season. According to the Blue Zones website, "centurions put their family first." Healthy relationships with grandparents, life partners and children can lead to happier, less stressful lives. But how do we achieve that? Here are a few items in the library's collection that may help:

Putting Family First
by William Doherty and Barbara Carlson

Successful strategies for reclaiming family life in a hurry-up world. The authors outline realistic ways in which to regain family connections and enable more meaningful home relationships, presenting tips for time-crunched parents on such topics as family meals, outings, conflicts, and making time for a marriage.

The Five Languages of Apology
by Gary Chapman and Jennifer Thomas

In this book, you will learn how to recognize your own primary apology language while speaking the languages to those you love. Understanding and applying the five languages of apology will greatly enhance all of your relationships.

The Relationship Cure
by John Mordechai Gottman and Joan DeClaire

A five-step guide for building better connections with family, friends, and lovers. One of the nation's top relationship doctors outlines his program for repairing damaged relationships between spouses, lovers, co-workers, and family members.

12 Simple Secrets of Happiness
by Glenn Van Ekeren

Finding joy in everyday relationships. The author's 12 secrets involve generosity, hope, kindness, friendship, empathy, love, forgiveness, acceptance, understanding, encouragement, communication and gratitude.

The 5 Love Languages of Children
by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell

Kids desperately need to know how much you love them. But if you don't know their special "love languages," you might as well be speaking gibberish.

All book descriptions adapted from worldcat.org

Blue Zones Power 9: Belong

This is the seventh post in a nine-part series in which we are sharing resources available at the library to help you get on track with the Blue Zones Project.

What is the meaning of life? Is there life after death? How should we live? Where do I belong? As human beings, we have a natural tendency to ponder such questions. On our own, it's a struggle to find answers that are satisfying, and that's one reason why many turn to religion. The Blue Zones website suggests that attending a faith-based service four times a month - no matter the denomination - could increase your life expectancy by up to 14 years.

Here are a few titles in the library's collection that may help you on your path to finding where you belong:

World Religions in America
edited by Jacob Neusner

World Religions in America looks at the various religions in the United States and how they shape American life. World-class contributors highlight the many religious traditions, both old and new, that are currently practiced in the United States.

The Story of Christianity
by Matthew Price and Michael Collins

From its Old Testament beginnings to present-day Christian worship, Christianity has a fascinating, complex, and controversial history. This book provides a truly global view of Christianity across all denominations.

Faith: Trusting Your Own Deeper Experience
by Sharon Salzberg

In this beautifully written work, one of America's most beloved meditation teachers offers discerning wisdom on understanding faith as a healing quality. Through the teachings of Buddha and insight gained from her lifelong spiritual quest, Salzberg provides us with a road map for cultivating a feeling of peace that can be practiced by anyone of any tradition.

One World, Many Religions
by Mary Pope Osborne

Mary Pope Osborne introduces readers to the six major religions of the world. One World, Many Religions covers the history, beliefs, and practices of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.

A Faith Like Mine
by Laura Buller

Sometimes the best understanding comes from seeing the world from a child's perspective. In A Faith Like Mine, children of different religious backgrounds tell about their faith and what it means to them. Information about each religious tradition is included.

All book descriptions adapted from book covers.

Blue Zones Power 9: Wine @ 5

This is the sixth post in a nine-part series in which we are sharing resources available at the library to help you get on track with the Blue Zones Project.

According to the Blue Zones website, "Moderate drinkers outlive non-drinkers, especially if they share those drinks with friends." We're aware of the possible dangers associated with alcohol, but in limited amounts, some alcoholic beverages - especially wine - do have their benefits as well. Check out this article from Self.com that suggests that drinking one glass of wine with dinner may help you de-stress and decrease your risk of heart disease.

Here are a few titles in the library's collection that will help you Wine @ 5:

Oz Clarke's Introducing Wine
by Oz Clarke

Learn how to taste, buy and serve wine; how to open and how to store wine; how to choose wine in a restaurant; and how to match food with wine. In his always lively and clear descriptions, Clarke surveys the range of tastes available and directs you to the wines that will give you what you want.

Drink This: Wine Made Simple
by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl

Grumdahl presents this handy guide that will show you how to stop being overwhelmed and intimidated, how to discover, respect, and enjoy your own personal taste, and how to be whatever kind of wine person you want to be, from budding connoisseur to someone who simply gets wine you like every time you buy a bottle.

Wine for Dummies
by Ed McCarthy and Mary Ewing-Mulligan

This down-to-earth guide cuts through wine snobbery and tells you what's in, what's out, and what's new in wine. This update of the bestselling For Dummies classic covers everything from established and emerging wine regions to pairing wine with food to collecting wine.

Wine Uncorked
by Fiona Beckett

A practical introduction to the enjoyable art of tasting and drinking wine. With the aid of a unique, specially created flavor wheel, it helps you explore and identify the exciting and subtle flavors of wines and choose those you will like best, so  you can select wine with confidence to complement any mood or occasion.




If you'd like to check out any of these books, click on the title to be taken to our online catalog. You can place a hold on the item using your library card number and your PIN.

All book descriptions adapted from book jackets.

Blue Zones Power 9: Plant Slant

This is the fifth post in a nine-part series in which we are sharing resources available at the library to help you get on track with the Blue Zones Project.

Hamburgers, steak, pork chops - for some of us, meat is hard to resist. When it comes to living a longer, healthier life, though, increasing our veggie intake and decreasing meat consumption may be in our favor. According to the Blue Zones website, "beans, including fava, black, soy and lentils, are the cornerstone of most centenarian diets." Here are a few titles available in our catalog that may help you get on track with a plant slant:

A Canon of Vegetables: 101 Classic Recipes

by Raymon Sokolov

A Canon of Vegetables provides more than one hundred recipes for cooking vegetables or vegetable-based entrees, with each recipe including a history of the dish and what culture it comes from.

Forks Over Knives
by Gene Stone, et. al.

What if one simple change could save you from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer? Examine a whole-foods, plant-based diet - it could save your life. This accessible guide provides the information you need to adopt and maintain a plant-based diet.

Vegetables Every Day
by Jack Bishop

Offers readers a comprehensive guide to vegetables that incorporates tips on selecting vegetables, preparation instructions, and recipes for sixty-six commonly available vegetables.

Vegetable Dinners
by Better Homes and Gardens

If you're one of the growing number of Americans who are turning to vegetables for your main meals, this is the cookbook for you! 64 full-flavored, naturally healthful recipes. Chapters include pasta, beans and grains, eggs, soups, salads and sandwiches (Amazon.com).

Super Natural Every Day
by Heidi Swanson

In Super Natural Every Day, Heidi helps us make nutritionally packed meals part of our daily repertoire by sharing a sumptuous collection of nearly 100 of her go-to recipes. The seductively flavorful vegetarian recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, treats, and drinks are quick to the table but tasty enough to linger over (Amazon.com).




If you'd like to check out any of these books, click on the title to be taken to our online catalog. You can place a hold on the item using your library card number and your PIN.

All book descriptions taken from the back covers or Amazon.com.

Blue Zones Power 9: 80% Rule

This is the fourth post in a nine-part series in which we are sharing resources available at the library to help you get on track with the Blue Zones Project.

The truth is hard to hear: with the convenience of fast food restaurants and ever-increasing portions, many Americans tend to overeat. The Blue Zones Project website explains that the "80% Rule is a strategy that focuses on taking things out of everyday diets, instead of putting more things in."

Simple things like using smaller plates and eating a smaller meal in the late afternoon and nothing afterward can help you achieve the 80% Rule. Here are some titles available in our collection that may offer some insight too:

The End of Overeating
by David A. Kessler

Drawn from the latest brain science as well as interviews with top physicians and food industry insiders, The End of Overeating uncovers the food industry's aggressive marketing tactics and reveals shocking facts about how we lost control over food - and what we can do to get it back.

The Best Life Diet
by Bob Greene

Divided into three phases, The Best Life Diet gives you the tools you need to change your life. In each phase, you'll be asked to reexamine the decisions you make on a daily basis and gradually alter your habits to achieve lasting results. The book also includes easy-to-follow meal plans that make it simple to meet your daily energy and nutrient requirements (Amazon.com).

The Volumetrics Eating Plan
by Barbara Rolls, PH.D.

From Dr. Barbara Rolls, one of America's leading authorities on weight management, comes a much-anticipated lifestyle guide and cookbook that empowers and encourages her readers to quit "dieting" for good, to feel full on fewer calories, and to lose weight and keep it off while eating satisfying portions of delicious, nutritious foods (Amazon.com).

Taming of the Chew
by Denise Lamothe

Psychologist and doctor of holistic health Denise Lamothe presents a complete program to combat overeating, showing compulsive eaters how to take control of the dependence on and obsession with food. Lamothe targets the enemy as "the Chew," which she describes as the "hurtful, persistent, out-of-control part of each of us."

Why Can't I Stop Eating?
by Debbie Danowski and Pedro Lazaro, M.D.

This straight talking book puts the widespread problem of food addiction into clear perspective and points the way to a life free of an obsession with food. Danowski and Lazaro combine forces to give readers a full understanding of this debilitating condition.






If you'd like to check out any of these resources, click on the title to be taken to our online catalog. You can place a hold on the item using your library card number and your PIN.

All book descriptions taken from the back covers or Amazon.com.

Blue Zones Power 9: Down Shift

This is the third post in a nine-part series in which we are sharing resources available at the library to help you get on track with the Blue Zones Project.

Work, family, chores, bills, taxes - let's face it, life can be stressful.  According to the Blue Zones website, "Stress leads to chronic inflammation associated with every major age-related disease. The world's longest-lived people have routines to shed that stress." Here are a few titles available in the library's catalog that can help you find ideas and ways to down shift and de-stress:

The Everything Stress Management Book
by Eve Adamson

The Everything Stress Management Book shows that it is possible to achieve your life goals and keep your physical and mental health intact. Beginning with an easy-to-follow quiz that helps you identify your vulnerable areas, the book then takes you step-by-step through the safest, most effective ways to relax, avoid stressors, keep perspective, and live a longer, happier life (Amazon).

The Art of Aromatherapy
by Pamela Allardice

An introduction into the world of essential oils. This attractive, easy-to-read reference contains many of the basics you'll need to start incorporating aromatherapy into your daily routine. Thirty of the most popular essential oils are presented, first with a brief description and place in history, then moving into the practical and medicinal realm (Amazon).

The One-Minute Meditator
by David Nichol and Bill Birchard

Step by step, The One-Minute Meditator will reveal your sources of stress, show you how to meditate in short increments, and inspire you to make meditation a part of your daily routine. Proving that meditation is both physically and emotionally healthful, Nichol and Birchard show readers how to meditate whenever they have a solitary minute or more.

How to Meditate
by Paul Roland

How to Meditate dispels the myths surrounding meditation, then explains awareness techniques that take you from a beginner's level to more advanced stages. Based on techniques used in Asia for thousands of years, it provides a step by step program.

20-Minute Vacations
by Judith Sachs

Twenty-Minute Vacations offers more than 100 relaxing, invigorating, and affordable "getaways" that really can be enjoyed in just 20 minutes. Examples include visiting a world-famous museum using the Internet, preparing a fruit and veggie facial, and reliving beach memories by running one's toes through a container of sand (Amazon).




If you'd like to check out any of these resources, click on the title to be taken to our online catalog. You can place a hold on the item using your library card number and your PIN.

Blue Zones Power 9: Purpose

This is the second post in a nine-part series in which we are sharing resources available at the library to help you get on track with the Blue Zones Project. 

Do you know why you get out of bed in the morning? What keeps you going? The Blue Zones website suggests that, "Knowing your sense of purpose is worth up to seven years of extra life expectancy." Here are a few books available at the library that might help you discover your sense of purpose:

Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way
by Dan Buettner

This first book comes straight from Dan Buettner and the Blue Zones itself. It identifies demographically proven "happiness hotspots" worldwide, documents the happiest people on Earth, and reveals how people can create their own happy zones.

The Purpose Driven Life
by Rick Warren

Rick Warren describes how one can experience spiritual fulfillment through an understanding of God's plan for a meaningful life. This expanded edition include links to a video introduction and audio Bible study for each chapter, two new bonus chapters on the most common barriers to living on purpose, and access to an online community where you can discuss your journey to purpose, get feedback, and receive support.

A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
by Eckhart Tolle

Tolle describes how our attachment to the ego creates the dysfunction that leads to anger, jealousy, and unhappiness, and shows readers how to awaken to a new state of consciousness and follow the path to a truly fulfilling existence.

The Secret Language of Destiny
by Gary Goldschneider & Joost Elffers

The Secret Language of Destiny addresses the question we all ask at some point during the course of our lives: "What is the purpose of my life?" It identifies, based on birthdate, what, on a soul level, someone came into this lifetime to achieve-in other words, their karmic signature.

What Do You Want To Do When You Grow Up?
by Dorothy W. Cantor

This practical and inspiring guide to negotiating life's passages takes readers on a richly rewarding voyage of self-discovery. The ultimate destination: personal as well as professional fulfillment. A much-needed manual in this era of widespread layoffs, corporate downsizing, and a workforce in seemingly perpetual transition (Amazon.com).




If you'd like to check out any of these resources, click on the title to be taken to our online catalog. You can place a hold on the item using your library card number and your PIN.

Book descriptions taken from our online catalog or the books.

Blue Zones Power 9: Move Naturally

The Blue Zones Project officially kicked off in Oskaloosa on April 14, 2014. Centered around nine common denominators, The Power 9, Blue Zones promotes a lifestyle for longer, healthier, better lives. This is the first post in a nine-part series in which we'll discuss resources available at the library to help you get on track with the Blue Zones Project.

#1. Move Naturally From the Blue Zones website: "The world’s longest-lived people don’t pump iron or run marathons. Instead, their environments nudge them into moving without thinking about it." As simple as taking walking breaks at work to adopting a dog, we can increase the amount of natural movement in our lives. Here are a few titles in our collection to help get you started:

Breathwalk
Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Ph.D. and Yogi Bhajan, Ph.D.

Breathwalk presents a series of easy to follow, transformational exercises that combine breathing and walking in very specific ways for specific benefits. You'll learn how to alleviate exhaustion, anxiety, sadness and other problems; heal physical, mental and spiritual conflict in your life; and enter a zone of total fitness within your own body and mind.

Walking Magazine's The Complete Guide to Walking
Mark Fenton

An interactive handbook that can make the difference for millions of Americans who struggle with weight loss, health and dietary concerns, stress and chronic fatigue. Fenton offers dozens of realistic solutions to help readers overcome their individual barriers to regular daily activity.

Active Living Every Day
Steven N. Blair, et al.

A 20-step program developed to help get you off the couch and onto your feet! Active Living Every Day is a self-paced program that uses checklists, charts, and four-color illustrations and photos to make the information clear and easy for you to use anytime, anywhere.

The Healthy Heart Walking Book
American Heart Association

Walk your way to health and well-being! Regardless of your level of fitness, you can improve your cardiovascular health, weight control, stress management, and overall well-being through a simple walking program.

Dogs for Dummies
Gina Spadafori

From mixes to purebreds, puppies to seniors, this friendly guide tells you what you need to know to choose, train and enjoy living with a dog.






If you'd like to check out any of these resources, click on the title to be taken to our online catalog. You can place a hold on the item using your library card number and your PIN.

Book descriptions borrowed from those printed on the books.