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Mind and Body FitnessApril 2014
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"The most important thing I can tell you about aging is this: If you really feel that you want to have an off-the-shoulder blouse and some big beads and thong sandals and a dirndl skirt and a magnolia in your hair, do it. Even if you're wrinkled." ~ Maya Angelou, American author
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New and Recently Released!
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| Younger: The Breakthrough Anti-Aging Method for Radiant Skin by Harold LancerDermatologist Harold Lancer, whose clients include Hollywood stars, offers skin care guidance and how-to advice in Younger. Discussing his preferred approaches for achieving and maintaining healthy and youthful looking skin, he describes a three-step system that requires only ten minutes daily. He also discusses general fitness regimens that benefit the skin, including avoiding stress, exercising, getting enough sleep, and eating properly. He provides lists of skin care products -- his own and some from other manufacturers -- and explains how to use them. Anecdotes from his own life and his practice, along with chapters on specific problems, round out this complete, easy-to-follow, and engaging book. |
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| Refuel: A 24-Day Eating Plan to Shed Fat, Boost Testosterone and Pump Up Strength and ... by John La PumaIn Refuel, author John La Puma, M.D., who developed the ChefMD video series, discusses important aspects of diet and self-care for men. Pointing out that poor eating habits can lead to becoming overweight, prediabetic, and flabby, La Puma describes his own realization that he needed to change his diet and exercise habits. He explains that most diet advice is directed to women, though men on average are more likely to be overweight. This comprehensive book provides La Puma's practical, easy-to-follow solutions to all these issues and more, including the biology of weight and the male metabolism, how to avoid unhealthy foods, why general fitness is important to sexual performance, and how to plan and cook appropriate meals. |
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| Blessing the Hands That Feed Us: What Eating Closer to Home Can Teach Us About Food ... by Vicki RobinWhen author Vicki Robin responded to a local farmer's challenge to eat only what she could produce herself, she embarked on a more profound experiment than she at first thought. She committed to eating food produced within a ten-mile radius of her home for one month and discovered there were many more benefits than improved diet. She learned more about money management and government regulations that affect small farmers, made new friends, and was able to help people in need. Blessing the Hands That Feed Us offers practical advice for individual families and whole communities. Recipes add the finishing touch to this absorbing and informative account, which fittingly complements Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. |
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| Real Happiness at Work: Meditations for Accomplishment, Achievement, and Peace by Sharon SalzbergBestselling author Sharon Salzberg is well known for her books on meditation practice. Though meditation is often strongly associated with Buddhism, in Real Happiness at Work Salzberg explains how anyone can use simple techniques to promote calm, increase satisfaction, and facilitate productivity -- even when a job is far from being a fulfilling "dream job." In addition to explaining why and how to meditate for longer periods of time, Salzberg discusses brief meditation practices one can apply easily while working, such as paying attention to just one task at a time or applying compassion to oneself and one's colleagues. Publishers Weekly calls this "a standout" among books on this topic. |
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| Redefining Girly: How Parents Can Fight the Stereotyping and Sexualizing of Girlhood ... by Melissa Atkins WardyGender stereotyping and the sexualization of children's clothes and toys isn't a new issue -- speakers and writers including Melissa Wardy, the author of Redefining Girly, have discussed the question for years. In her accessible, brief book, named after her blog on the subject, Wardy doesn't just point out the problems. She offers advice to parents who want to avoid products that overemphasize the pink and princess trends. She makes suggestions about how parents can talk with their children about alternatives to stereotypical choices, provide opportunities for creative gender-neutral play, and work with friends and neighbors to encourage young girls to make choices that diverge from gender-stereotypical expectations. A helpful bibliography lists more books on the topic. |
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Whether you're concerned about your own aging or that of an older friend or relative, these books offer useful, engaging, and often moving information.
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| American Thighs: The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Preserving Your Assets by Jill Conner BrowneOffering wisdom disguised as zany humor, author Jill Conner Browne (Queen Bee of the Sweet Potato Queens) ventures into the realm whose existence proper Southern Belles are supposed to deny -- aging. Yet there's no escaping the fact that our bodies change as we get older, and American Thighs provides strategies for dealing with those changes in a hilarious, anecdotal running commentary. Some symptoms of aging can be blamed on ourselves -- obsessive tanning in one's youth, for example -- and others can't be prevented. Either way, Browne believes, "our inexorable trudge into Geezerdom" will be less of a slog if we're laughing all the way. |
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| Ten Thousand Joys & Ten Thousand Sorrows: A Couple's Journey Through Alzheimer's by Olivia Ames HoblitzelleAt age 72, literature professor Harrison "Hob" Hoblitzelle began to display symptoms of mental decline, then received the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. In this heartrending but also informative memoir, his widow, Olivia Hoblitzelle, relates their experiences and their methods of addressing Hob's mental changes. Through Buddhist practices and reciting poetry, they found wisdom and some solace. In her own journey as caretaker, Olivia learned much about finding and taking advantage of helpful resources, including family and friends. After each poetic, moving chapter, she adds suggestions for others who may be facing similar issues. Library Journal calls Ten Thousand Joys & Ten Thousand Sorrows "an essential read" for patients, caregivers, and family members in similar circumstances. |
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| Never Say Die: The Myth and Marketing of the New Old Age by Susan JacobyCalling Never Say Die a "cogently argued and well-written corrective to 'the fantasy of beating old age,'" Kirkus Reviews praises author Susan Jacoby's inclusion of personal anecdotes in her examination of the frequently unfounded optimism surrounding aging in the modern day. Criticizing pharmaceutical companies, lifestyle gurus, and businesses for selling illusions of thriving longevity, Jacoby portrays the emotional, physical, mental, and fiscal problems associated with aging. Though some may find her take on aging pessimistic, many will appreciate her frank portrayal of an issue that is as much a social problem as it is an individual experience. |
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| The Good Caregiver: A One-of-a-Kind Compassionate Resource for Anyone Caring ... by Robert L. Kane with Jeannine OuelletteAs their parents age, many middle-aged people are becoming caregivers for their parents. In this carefully considered, practical, and accessible manual, author Robert Kane, M.D., Director of the University of Minnesota's Center on Aging, discusses a full range of concerns and issues caregivers need to address. Based in part on his sister's experiences caring for their mother, The Good Caregiver covers financial considerations, choosing doctors and nursing homes, self-care for the caregiver, and dealing with the patient's inevitable death, among other topics. Each chapter stands alone, and resource lists and checklists, charts, and helpful anecdotes expand the book's usefulness. |
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| Are Your Prescriptions Killing You? How to Prevent Dangerous Interactions, Avoid ... by Armon B. Neel, Jr. and Bill HoganAs people age, they often experience maladies such as high blood pressure or Type II diabetes. Physicians routinely prescribe drugs for these ailments; when patients experience more symptoms -- such as dizziness or muscle pain -- their doctors may prescribe additional drugs to suppress those symptoms. In Are Your Prescriptions Killing You?, Dr. Armon Neel and investigative journalist Bill Hogan explain that the additional symptoms are often side effects of the first drug prescribed, and the added drugs may cause their own side effects. The cumulative effects may be debilitating. The authors explain how to change or even eliminate prescriptions, recover from the combined side effects -- and reduce pharmacy bills. This engaging book, complete with lists of side effects and worksheets, is an eye-opener for patients, their loved ones, and their doctors. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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512-218-5400, 221 E. Main Street Round Rock, Texas 78664
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