Shape Up! Nutrition & Fitness Resources

Framingham Public Library's periodicals collection is a good place to look for information and ideas on a wide range of subjects. See the Periodicals Page for the full list of library magazines and newspapers.

• Backpacker
• Oxygen
• Bicycling
• Prevention
• Cooking Light
• Runner's World
• Eating Well
• Self
• Fitness
• Shape
• Health
• Tennis
• Men's Fitness
• Vegetarian Times
• Men's Health
• Weight Watchers
• Muscle and Fitness
• Women's Health
• Natural Health    
• Yoga Journal

Read many of our magazines digitally on Zinio.

Minuteman Library Network databases can be used from the library computers, or from home with your library card if you live in Framingham.

Health and Wellness Resource Center. Provides instant access to carefully compiled and trusted medical reference materials. Includes nearly 400 health/medical journals, numerous reference volumes, over 700 health videos from partner Healthology, Inc., hundreds of pamphlets and health-related articles from 2,200 general interest publications in addition to a broad collection of Gale reference titles. Material contained in this Resource Center is intended for informational purposes only.

Credo: Click "Health & Medicine" and "Food, Drink & Nutrition." CREDO is a user-friendly search engine designed to help with research on thousands of topics. Just enter your search query (as you would in Google), and CREDO instantly scans millions of entries from over 70 publishers. Consider it your own private online reference library. Search results are drawn from the entire research collection, including images and sound files, enabling you to get relevant answers from a number of sources at once. Each reference title can also be accessed individually. New editions and new book titles are added regularly.

Gale Virtual Reference Library (GVRL): Click "Medicine" and "Nation and World." The Gale Virtual Reference Library is a database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. Sources may be searched individually or together.
Titles of interest in GVRL:
The Gale Encyclopedia of Diets, 2013
Men's Health Concerns Sourcebook, 2009
Women's Health Concerns Sourcebook, 2013
Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, 2003

More databases (arranged by subject)

Framingham Resources

Framingham Conservation Commission
www.framinghamma.gov/index.aspx?NID=137
Details about Framingham's 400 acres of protected land that is open to the public, links to related organizations and places of interest.

Framingham Parks and Recreation Department www.framinghamma.gov/parks
Offers an extensive array of sports and fitness activities for all areas. Administers town parks and recreational facilities.

General Resources

Let's Move. http://www.letsmove.gov/
Let's Move! is an initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama to help tackle the problem of obesity in children.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest. www.cspinet.org
This nonprofit education and advocacy organization focuses on improving the safety and quality of our food supply. 

Men's Fitness Online http://www.mensfitness.com/ 
Provides links to practical articles, trendy but sound, on diet and fitness for varying levels.

WomensHealth.gov: Fitness and Nutrition. http://womenshealth.gov/fitness-nutrition/
A federal government website managed by the Office on Women's Health in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Food and Nutrition Information Center https://fnic.nal.usda.gov/
Extraordinarily comprehensive. Use the Topics A-Z menu in this Department of Agriculture site to find more links than you can imagine on scores of topics--weight control, vegetarian nutrition, and much more. A searchable food composition database allows you to look up the nutrient content of thousands of foods.

Ideafit www.ideafit.com 
The IDEA organization of fitness professionals provides fitness news and thorough, readable articles on fitness issues.

American Heart Association- Getting Healthy
The American Heart Association fitness site offers tips and advice based on fitness level and an online exercise diary.

Mayo Clinic http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle 
Visit Healthy Lifestyle for short, readable articles on nutrition and fitness, including illustrated exercise programs for core strengthening, balance, and more. 

MEDLINEplus www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/healthtopics.html
The National Library of Medicine site features up-to-date news and links to articles and sites for many aspects of food and nutrition or fitness and exercise.

Nutrition.gov www.nutrition.gov 
Federal meta-site links to the best food and nutrition information as well as to government programs, including WIC and food stamps.

The Nutrition Source www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource 
The Harvard School of Public Health Department of Nutrition offers clear, balanced information and recent research.

President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports www.fitness.gov
Notable for its Resource Page, which provides extensive links to government fitness resources and to health and fitness organizations.

For professional assistance locating the information you need:

• Telephone the Main Library Reference Department at 508-532-5570, extension 4361.  
• Email your questions through our Ask A Librarian page. 
• Visit the Main Library or the McAuliffe Branch for free access to the Internet and databases, and for assistance with research. 

To arrange a speaker or a group tour highlighting the library's practical information resources, call 508-532-5570, ext 4347, or email Michelle LeMonde-McIntyre at MLeMonde-McIntyre@minlib.net.