It’s summer, masks are off for many, and Independence Day festivities celebrated a return to normalcy. And yet who else is having a hard time moving forward because you’re carrying extra pounds, having trouble sleeping, or recovering from isolation or loss?
The Bozeman Public Library has books that can help, of course. And now through September, you’ll also find outdoor adult classes to help you get moving, reconnect with your neighbors, and make the “return to normal” feel a little more normal.
The classes, all free and taught by certified instructors, are held under the shade of Lindley Park’s tall trees:
- Tuesdays: Yoga for All, a Vinyasa flow class suitable for all ages, levels of experience, and abilities
- Wednesdays: Qi Gong, a mind-body-spirit practice involving focus, movement, and breathing
- Thursdays: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), which alternates everything-you’ve-got bursts of exercise with periods of recovery
Classes start at 12:15pm and wrap by 1pm—perfect for a lunch break.
Children are also invited to move their tails as part of the Children’s Summer Reading theme, Tails & Tales! More than 40 kids hightail it to Capture the Flag games at the Library each Tuesday. Check the Library calendar for more Summer Reading events.
If you or your family are feeling low about tight-fitting clothes or unhealthy new habits, you have plenty of company. Almost half of the respondents in the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America poll reported unwanted weight gain in the last year, with an average gain of 29 lbs. Two-thirds of respondents were sleeping more or less than normal, and nearly 1 in 4 reported drinking more alcohol to cope with prolonged stress. In late 2020, the CDC reported a 24% increase in mental health-related hospital visits by children aged 5-11 and a 31% increase in teens aged 12-17. Pandemic-related stress has created a second health crisis that will likely endure long after COVID-19 recedes.
The crisis is so severe that we devoted 2021’s SymBozium, our award-winning civil discourse series, to the topic. Catch the replay to hear from top mental health professionals and discover techniques to manage your own stress. Too Zoomed-out to watch? Grab your headphones and listen while you walk outside or prepare a healthy dinner.
SymBozium, the adult movement classes, and the Children’s Summer Reading program are made possible by donations to the Bozeman Public Library Foundation. Thank you for contributing in such a meaningful way to a healthy community!