Web can help with New Year's resolutions

From...

by Tom Mainelli

(IDG) -- Technology makes our lives easier and better. So it should make keeping a New Year's resolution a snap, right?

Okay, that's a bit much to ask of anything. But you can use the Web to help research and formulate a good plan to make your resolutions stick. Here's a starter list of Web sites likely to fill the needs of most resolution makers.

Exercise and Lose Weight

"If I just lost 20 pounds, I'd feel so much better." How many people say that? But losing weight and getting into shape in while staying healthy isn't easy. These sites may have something to offer.

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Check out PBS's Frontline story on fat (see link below). Need a little motivation? Start at this site, which points out that more than 91 million Americans are considered overweight. A profile of the broadcast series on the topic, the site offers tons of useful data and links to other informative sites and articles.

A great place to get basic, free information about exercise and weight loss is the Just Move Web site managed by the American Heart Association. The site includes tools for classifying your own fitness level, coverage of the latest in fitness news, and a personal fitness diary feature to keep you on track.

His company's Web site might be on shaky ground, but Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General, had the right idea when he founded Shape Up America. The site is heavy with useful information and tools. Its Body Fat Lab can help you to determine how much fat you're actually carting around. The site also offers some fee-based programs, such a weekly monitored plan for weight loss.

Quit Smoking

"I'll quit next year." That year is here: Do it right with the help of these sites.

The Tobacco and Cancer section of the American Cancer Society Web site offers a wealth of data on the dangers of smoking, tips on how to stop, and information on the Great American Smokeout.

When you need to talk to somebody about the pressures of quitting, you can turn to QuitNet. An online community of quitters, the site offers chat areas and tons of useful information on how and why to quit. There's also a personalized calendar tool to help plan your success.

Feeling sorry for yourself, quitter? Check out some of the somber statistics at the thetruth.com. The organization behind those body bag commercials on television, its site shoots from the hip, too. Check out some of the graphic photos of what smoking does to your body, and you'll think twice about lighting up again.

New Year's resolutions the Web way
January 4, 1999
New Year's resolutions with Web connections
December 30, 1996
Resolutions for smart online buyers
November 29, 2000

Top 10 health and nutrition downloads
(PCWorld.com)
Why health care will never be the same
(The Industry Standard)
More people using the Web as a doctor
(The Industry Standard)
21st century health care
(CIO)
Drkoop tries a harsher remedy -- layoffs
(Computerworld)
Health Web sites publish ethical principles
(The Industry Standard)
CIO's health and medical resources
(CIO)
Dinner with IT
(Computerworld)

Frontline: Fat
American Heart Association, Inc.
American Cancer Society, Inc.

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