(Kelsey Shackelford is the Community Events Liaison at the Main Library)
When is the last time you took a walk? A true, brisk walk, not just a walk to your car or up a flight of stairs. The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity, such as brisk walking or water aerobics, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, such as running or swimming laps. Additionally, strength training, stretching, and balance are all important parts of overall fitness. Boone County Public Library not only has resources to improve your mental fitness, but can assist with your physical fitness routine as well.
Physical Library Resources
Fitness Programs: Libraries have become about other resources in addition to the books they house. At the Library, we offer movement classes for different interests. For example, did you know yoga is offered in partnership with the Boone County Parks Department (see weekly events on page two of our newsletter) and Madison Pike Yoga (begins Feb. 3, register here) several times per week between 3 different branches? We also have a fitness sampler series for the month of January, featuring four different types of classes taught by the Greater Cincinnati YMCA: Low Impact Barre on January 9, Body Weight Circuit on January 16, Light Weight Training with Chair on January 23 and Zumba on January 30.
The Ichiban Karate School will conduct a Basic Self Defense Class on January 23 at the Main Library, and the Florence Branch will have a Women’s Self Defense class beginning February 1. The Scheben Branch has an ongoing Tai-Chi class in partnership with the Kenton County Public Library and Beginning in February, the Main Library will partner with NKU for a Geek Your Health, a monthly series that uses pop culture ideas to create a fun workout! Please note, most of our fitness programs do require registration. Keep up with programs and events on the Events page of our website.
Books and Magazines: The Library is one of your best sources for materials you can hold in your hands while learning about a new or more efficient way to work out. Maybe you’ve always been curious about how ballet dancer Misty Copeland stays in dance-ready shape, or want to know more about interval training-there are books about that! In addition to books, the Library subscribes to several fitness-related magazines, including Men’s Health and Women’s Health.
DVDs and Fitness Kits: There are many DVDs that you can explore that feature all kinds of fitness activities, from Pilates and weight-training, to Zumba and belly dancing. The Library also offers fitness kits. These kits contain books, DVD workouts, equipment, and other supporting materials relevant to that specific workout. Some fitness topics include PiYo, senior fitness, and family fitness.
Digital Library Resources

Music: Do you listen to music while you’re on the treadmill or lifting weights? Freegal Music is a free streaming and download service for all valid Boone County Public Library cardholders with under $10 in fines. Library users can download 5 free songs a week onto their mobile devices and stream up to 3 hours of free, commercial free music daily. What a great way to build a high energy playlist for your workout! Check out our streaming Workout Playlist on Freegal!

Audiobooks, Ebooks, and Magazines: Maybe music isn’t your thing, but you love to read. Audiobooks are a great companion for any type of workout. Kentucky Libraries Unbound is a digital collection available to any valid BCPL cardholder that offers audiobooks, ebooks and magazines. Using the Libby or Overdrive apps you can choose from over 15,000 audiobook and 68,000 ebook titles to download to your favorite devices. Libby users can also download 50 magazines, the day they hit the newstand, including: Muscle & Fitness and Yoga Journal.
Streaming Videos: I personally enjoy watching videos while I do certain workouts to make me forget what I am doing. Access Video provides videos about variety of different subjects, including health, history, travel, and more. If nonfiction television isn’t your cup of tea, check out RBDigital for British television, indie films, Spanish-language content, and more.
With all the resources available at your Boone County Public Library, you’ll be sure to find something that fits your active lifestyle. The only downside is now you have no more excuses for not exercising!
–Kelsey
Kelsey Shackelford is the Community Events Liaison at the Main Library. She likes to take group fitness and dance classes, along with walking or running outside. One of her favorite types of workouts is barre class because it does so much for the entire body.