Success over
the Internet
Chapter 12, Maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle
Fitness
Take this fitness assessment to
find out how your personality type influences the type of exercise program
that might work best for you. Results are presented as different
colors connected to personality type. There are explanations of each
type and recommendations for an optimal fitness program based on your type.
http://www.the8colors.com/cfit.asp
Nutrition
The government came out
with new nutrition guidelines in April, 2005. These new guidelines
replace the food guide pyramid. The new plan is called MyPyramid Plan.
Find out how many calories you need and use the meal tracker to improve your
nutrition. Access this new plan at:
http://mypyramid.gov/
This site has a calorie counter. Just enter your exercise and calories
burned are calculated:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6817885/
Live to Be 100
Live to be 100 and
healthy. Take this free assessment to determine how long
you will live. Then read suggestions on how to live a healthier and longer life.
This site is highly recommended.
http://www.livingto100.com/
Find an abbreviated
version of the above site:
http://read.nwsource.com/lifeexpectancycalculator/index.cfm
Try this longevity calculator. It has a sliding bar used
to describe your health habits and you can see the effect of improvement by
sliding the bar.
http://www.peterrussell.com/Odds/VirtualAge.php
Here is another
longevity calculator that is free, but not as complete as the previous ones.
http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/calcs/n_expect/main.asp
Play the longevity game at this
site. As you answer the questions, see visuals that describe your
lifestyle. Suggestions are given for improving your health and
lifestyle.
http://www.nmfn.com/tn/learnctr--lifeevents--longevity_end
Here is another longevity
calculator:
http://gosset.wharton.upenn.edu/mortality/perl/CalcForm.html
Health Questions
This site produced by the National Institutes of Health has very good video
tutorials on common diseases and health issues. Just click on a topic and
listen to the video:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/
The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention provide the latest research on a variety of health topics. Health topics A-Z are listed.
http://www.cdc.gov
Visit the Web MD for answers to your health questions. Wellness topics are
included:
http://my.webmd.com/
The Wellness Web contains a very complete
alphabetical listing of health topics. Learn about nutrition, weight loss, women’s
health issues, stress management, how to quit smoking or find information on an illness or
health topic. It has a fun and relaxing section titled, "Be happy, Be Well" with
games, puzzles, movies, travel, poetry, music and other diversions:
http://www.wellness.com/
Use Yahoo to alphabetically research
information on a disease, condition or general health topic or find information on a drug
or medication. The site includes Find a Doctor, Ask a Doctor, Tests and Tools to assess
health risks and determine life expectancy, Alternative Medicine and Nutrition and
Fitness. Find out the latest health information in Health News. There are also chat rooms
and message boards. Receive quotes on health insurance:
http://health.yahoo.com/
Alcohol
Alcohol 101+ helps college students make safe decisions about
alcohol. It provides scenarios for discussion and reflection.
http://www.alcohol101plus.org/home.html
Visit the Century Council for information and resources for
dealing with drunk driving and underage drinking:
http://www.centurycouncil.org/
The Rethinking Drinking Site is a
new government site that provides valuable research based information on
drinking and how it affects your health. Find answers to these questions:
What counts as a drink? Is your drinking pattern risky? What's
the harm? Thinking about change? The site provides strategies for
cutting down or quitting drinking. There are online questionnaires to
check your drinking pattern and assess signs of problems. The site
provides tools for making a change.
http://www.rethinkingdrinking.niaaa.nih.gov/
This site contains information for adults, teens and others dealing with alcoholism in
their families or communities. There are
referrals to local groups. There is no cost
involved.
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence provides education,
information, hope and help to the public. It
advocates prevention, education and treatment.
http://www.ncadd.org/
Learn about binge drinking
including prevalence, statistics and consequences:
http://www.health.org/govpubs/rpo995/
Take the Self-Scoring Alcohol Check-up to
see if you need to modify your drinking habits:
http://www.habitsmart.com/chkup.html
Drugs
This site is dedicated to living without
drugs. It offers information and assistance
with drug addiction.
http://www.narconon.org
This site indexes treatment centers for
drug and alcohol addiction.
http://www.drug-addiction.com/
This site provides the latest information
and news stories about drugs. It contains a
useful fact sheet on the various drugs.
http://www.drugstory.org/
The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol
and Drug Information provides facts, latest research, treatment and prevention referrals
for alcohol and drugs. It includes the latest government initiatives and campaigns:
http://www.health.org/
Smoking
The Healthline Nicotine Addiction and Dependence Learning
Center has good information on nicotine addiction and quitting smoking:
http://www.healthline.com/channel/nicotine-addiction-and-dependence.html
This site has numerous articles and
suggestions for quitting smoking and has links to many products for quitting
smoking. It features chat rooms and even stop smoking cartoons.
http://www.quitsmoking.com/
This site has many useful resources to quit smoking.
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm
This site has practical advice on how to quit smoking from one who has gone through the
process. It contains additional links for resources to quit smoking. I highly
recommend this site.
http://www.tobaccofree.org/quitting.html
This site contains tips for quitting smoking. It is focused on adolescents. It
has a gallery of humorous anti-smoking photos which are good for getting out the message
about the dangers of smoking.
http://www.notobacco.org/
Addictive Behavior
This Web site is dedicated to getting help with addictive behavior and making positive
changes in your life.
http://www.habitsmart.com/
This Web site uses cognitive therapy to
change a habit. Cognitive therapy is the "psychological treatment of thoughts".
The basic idea is that our thoughts influence behavior. Specific tips are given on how to
stop smoking, deal with alcohol addictions and cope with cravings and urges:
http://www.habitsmart.com/index.html
Are you addicted to the Internet? Check
out the Center for Online Addiction:
http://netaddiction.com/
Sleep
This site contains research articles on sleep, suggestions for dealing with sleep
problems, and discussion forums.
http://www.sleephomepages.org/
The National Sleep Foundation is a
non-profit organization that promotes the public understanding of sleep disorders and
provides sleep-related education.
http://www.sleepfoundation.org/
Stress
The Guide to Healthcare Schools contains 35 resources for managing stress.
It is a collection of college websites, multimedia and other resources:
http://www.guidetohealthcareschools.com/tips-and-tools/stress-management
For a comprehensive listing of stress management and emotional wellness
links:
http://www.OptimalHealthConcepts.com/Stress
The American Institute of Stress is dedicated to understanding the role of stress in
health and illness. It has a good summary of
the causes of stress and relaxation techniques.
http://www.stress.org/
Learn to understand and recognize
stress. This site helps you to optimize your level of stress and to manage life
crisis:
http://www.mindtools.com/page2.html
Mental Health
This site features an encyclopedia of mental health information including the 52 most
common mental disorders, diagnosis, treatment and medications. The information can be
translated into several different languages:
http://www.mentalhealth.com/p.html
HIV/AIDS
"The Body" is an award winning source of information on AIDS and HIV. It has
30,000 documents on prevention, treatment, quality of life and government issues. It
includes how to provide or get help with this disease:
http://www.thebody.com/index.shtml
Planned Parenthood
Access Planned Parenthood information on birth control, parenting and pregnancy.
Information is available in Spanish also:
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/MAIN.HTM