Seward Memorial Library is more than about books.
The library’s latest venture is Wellness Wednesdays, a monthly program that helps people learn to better care for their bodies and minds.
Library assistant Kali Hast designed Wellness Wednesdays to provide a welcoming, nonjudgmental space where people can learn about health, nutrition and fitness. Danielle Luebbe, owner of Jazzercise in Seward, leads the events.
As someone who is passionate about health and fitness, Luebbe was thrilled when Hast came to her with the idea for wellness classes.
“I was really excited to be able to do something bigger for the Seward County community outside of just our Jazzercise community,” Luebbe said. “And, to do something a little more in depth. At Jazzercise, we do primarily just the exercise portion, so to talk about nutrition and fitness as a whole was really exciting.”
Hast, who hopes the program attracts fresh faces to the library, said she knew Luebbe would be a great fit to lead the program because Luebbe is knowledgeable about wellness and gifted in speaking and teaching.
The first Wellness Wednesday was in September and focused on macronutrients, including healthy fats, carbohydrates and protein. Luebbe discussed how to calculate how much of each macronutrient a person should consume in a day, emphasizing nourishing the body rather than dieting.
“One of the big misconceptions about health and fitness is that if you're not on a diet, you're not healthy, and that's just really not the way that it is,” Hast said. “It's about taking care of your body in smart ways, and that's really kind of how Wellness Wednesday really got started.”
Luebbe said she enjoyed sharing her passion for health and fitness with a new group of people, and attendees seemed to enjoy the event as well. She described the gathering as a collaborative environment that encouraged questions and discussion.
“There’s all kinds of information on the internet, and not all of it aligns with each other, so then you don’t know who to trust or who to believe – to be able to be helpful and give them, hopefully, good advice and help them as they’re trying to get healthier,” she said.
At the October Wellness Wednesday, Luebbe discussed different types of stress and how to recover from and navigate them. The monthly program is open to everyone, and participants do not need to register in advance.
Other future events will cover menopause and perimenopause, lung capacity as an indication of fitness level, GLP-1s and various other health and fitness topics.
“A lot of her topics are current topics and things that women may hear in the media and think, ‘Oh, maybe I need to change my entire life around that just to stay healthy,’ and Danielle goes and does the research and provides the information of ‘Is this true?’ or ‘What really do we need to know in health and wellness with these lessons?’” Hast said.
Each gathering takes place on the second Wednesday of the month and typically lasts about an hour. Each session concludes with a 15- to 20-minute movement portion that may include stretching and strength-building.
The movement sessions accommodate all fitness levels, with chair options available.
“It’s a little good stress and some recovery at the same time,” Luebbe said. “People should wear something comfortable, but we won’t be doing anything too high intensity. It’s just kind of just getting moving.”
The Wellness Wednesday program supports community health and reflects the library's role as more than a place to check out books.
“There’s a common misconception that the library is just a place to read, when really, it’s not – it’s a place for knowledge; it’s a place for community,” Hast said. “That’s really what we want to remind people is that the library’s a place to gather, too.”
