Wellness Resources
Nutrition
Eating right is vital to promoting health and reducing the risk for death or disability due to chronic diseases such as heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, stroke, and osteoporosis.
In fact, it has been estimated that dietary changes could reduce cancer deaths in the United States by as much as 35 percent.
- Quick
Easy Tips to More Fruits and Vegetables
- Fruits and Vegetable Calendar
- What Color is Your Diet?
- Cooking the Heart Healthy Way (recipes)
- Eating Right the Girl Power Way
- How to Use the Nutrition Facts Panel on Food Labels
- Milk Matters
- Cooking with Soy
- Knowledge for Healthy Eating
- Heart Healthy Bean Recipes
- Consumer Nutrition Alerts
- American Dietetic Association
Physical Activity
Americans young and old should incorporate regular physical activity into their everyday lives. Choose activities that fit into your daily routine that speed your heart rate and breathing, or increase your strength and flexibility. Examples include walking to work, gardening, or mowing the lawn with a push mower. Besides building strength and aerobic fitness, regular exercise relieves stress, provides motivation, promotes relaxation, and facilitates sleep.
- Learn the Basics about Fitness
- Find Outdoor Recreation in the USA
- Women's Health
- Physical Activity Tips
- Strength Training: Why and How
- Physical Activity in Your Daily Life
- All About Walking
- Physical Activity and Weight Control
- Exercise: A Guide from the National Institutes on Aging [PDF]
- MyStart! Online for Individuals
- Exercise and Arthritis
- The President's Challenge: Adult Fitness Test
For more fitness links, see Workplace Health & Wellness
Diseases and Conditions
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the nation. Death from cardiovascular disease is only part of the picture, up to 1/4 of Americans live day to day with some form of this disease. Smoking, being overweight, leading an inactive lifestyle, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes are all risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease. These resources can help us all lead healthier lives.
- American Heart Association
- Heart Attack Warning Signs
- 10 Ways To Control High Blood Pressure Without Medication
- Your Guide to Lowering High Blood Pressure
- Advice for Patients with Hypertension
- High Blood Cholesterol - What You Need to Know
- Cholesterol Counts
- Diabetes & Me
- Diseases & Conditions A-Z
- Drug Resource Center
- Ask The Expert
- Arthritis Conditions & Treatments
- Surgeon General's Family History Initiative
- WebMD Diseases & Conditions
Weight Control
If you are overweight or obese, carrying this extra weight puts you at risk for developing many diseases or physical ailments such as: high blood pressure, hypertension, high blood cholesterol, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallstones, gout, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, some types of cancer, and psychological disorders (such as depression, eating disorders, distorted body image, and low self esteem).
- Body Mass Index (BMI) calculator & Understanding Your Results
- Aim for a Healthy Weight: Information for Patients and the Public
- Choosing a Safe and Successful Weight Loss Program
- Do You Know the Health Risks of Being Overweight?
- Helping Your Overweight Child
- Overweight and Obesity: What You Can Do
- Surgeon General's Healthy Weight Advice for Consumers
- Find a Nutrition Professional
- How Can You Spot a Fad Diet?
- Taking Off Pounds Sensibly
- Healthy Weight: Preparing for Change
- Getting Started: Losing Weight for Long Term
- Calorie Control Council
Prevention
Preventive screenings and tests save lives. Unfortunately, many Americans do not routinely follow some basic health screening recommendations. Routine screenings can identify a previously undiagnosed condition or risk of condition. This allows physicians to intervene early with treatments and therapies to control the condition or inform the individual of lifestyle changes that can be taken to improve health outcomes and costs.
- Staying Healthy at 50+
- Child Immunization Schedule
- Health Topics A-Z
- Healthierus.gov
- Healthfinder.gov
- Women's Health
- Fight
Flu and Pneumonia
- Child Health Guide
- Smoking Cessation
- Vehicle Safety
Mental Health and Stress Management
Stress is part of life. Caregiving, work and family demands, illness and financial pressures all can cause stress. If you don't control stress, it can lead to health problems. Stress can disrupt not only your concentration, but also your sleeping and eating habits. It could weaken your ability to fight illness. And it could lead to depression. Stress can become overwhelming.
If this is the case, you may want outside help from a counselor, therapist, or LIFELINE (your Employee Assistance Program) to examine approaches to reducing the symptoms of stress and help you decrease the stress in your life.
- Depression Guide (28 pages) [pdf]
- What is Depression?
- Depression Screening
- The Role of Stress in Disease and Illness
- Eating Disorders
- Stress Management
- Laughing at Stress with Humor
- Test Your Funny Bone
- Managing Traumatic Stress
- Work Out Your Stress
- Breathing Techniques
- Employee Assistance Program
- Finding Better Sleep
We spend the greater part of our waking hours at the workplace. Your daily work habits can either improve or hamper your desired health habits. Find out how to stay more active at work, adjust your workspace for comfort, manage stress, avoid workplace hazards and more.
- Workplace Central
- My Daily Yoga
- Desk Exercises
- Cubicle yoga handout [PDF]
- Active at Any Size
- How to Select videos
- Subscribe to the HealthQuest Wellness Blog
- American Cancer Society
- American Heart Association
- American Medical Association
- Centers for Disease Control
- EurekAlert! (online, global news service operated by The American Association for the Advancement of Science
- www.Health.Gov (portal to a number of multi-agency health initiatives and activities of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other Federal departments and agencies)
- National Institutes of Health
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
- U.S. Federal Food & Drug Administration
Online Health Calculators & Tools
- Body Mass Index
- The BMI is a measure of your weight relative to your height. BMI is a reliable indicator of total body fat, which is related to the risk of disease and death. Use the BMI calculator to estimate your total body fat.
- Food and Activity Dairy
- Record keeping is one of the most successful behavioral techniques for weight loss and maintenance. Write down your diet, exercise, and behavioral goals at the bottom of the diary.
- Menu Planner
- The interactive menu planner is designed to guide daily food and meal choices based on one day's calorie allowance. It may be used in advance to plan a meal, or at the end of a day to add up total calories, as well as fat, and carbohydrates consumed.
- Menus
- These sample reduced-calorie menus provide an example of a balanced diet for 1200 and 1600 calorie menus. Traditional-American, Asian-American, Southern-Cuisine, Mexican-American, Vegetarian-American menus are available.
- Making Health Behavior Change
- Making changes in regards to your health is hard to do. Setting specific goals and realizing why you want to change is the first step. This website provides guidance on how to make behavior changes one step at a time.
- Calorie Counter (Search for Individual Foods)
- Search through this database for the foods you've eaten throughout the day. This website is a fast and easy way to keep track of how many calories the foods you enjoy count for in your daily total.
- Exercise Calculator (For Individual Activities)
- How can you burn off some of those extra calories before they turn into extra pounds? Try this “Get Moving! Calculator” to see how many calories you expend doing your favorite exercise or activity.
- Weight Maintenance Calculator
- Find out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.
- 2000 Calorie Meal Plan
- These delicious meal plans were created by dietitians who won the Calorie Control Council’s Healthy Menu Contest. They average 2,000 calories a day and are low in total fat and saturated fat.
- Fast Food Calorie Counter
- The Fast Food Nutrition Explorer will help you make healthier fast food choices when on the go. You can 'power search', compare restaurants, and even check out combo meals.
- Interactive Health Tools
- You can view your 'baby's growth timeline', download recipes for your PDA, send an e-health card, view your 'body by numbers', or take the 'Chocolate Quiz' all in one click at this Harvard Medical School website.
- WebMD Health Tools
- Individualized guides for maximizing health and wellness. Check out the My E-health records, Ovulation Calendar, or Immunization Schedule sections just to name a few.
- Real Age Health Assessment
- RealAge Assessments include quizzes and other tools to help you determine your risk of disease and what you can do to reduce that risk. Each assessment is based on scientific research tailored to you.
- Allergies and Asthma
- Arthritis and Back Pain
- Cancer Prevention
- Controlling Your Stress
- Diabetes
- Fitness
- Getting Your ZZZZsss
- Heart Health
- Immunizations
- Mental Health
- Nutrition
- Safety
- Self-Care
and Prevention
The links below require Adobe Acrobat Reader and a browser version of 5.0 or higher. Netscape and Internet Explorer are supported, although the latter is recommended for best viewing.
About
the Back and Back Problems
- Assess
Your Joint Status
- Arthritis
and Physical Activity
- Diet
and Your Arthritis
- Managing
Your Arthritis Pain
- Types
of Arthritis and Related Rheumatic Diseases
- Cancer
Clues that Can Save Your Life
- Diet
and Cancer Risk
- Sun
Safety, Choose Your Cover
- What
Are the Risk Factors for Colon Cancer
- Alcohol
and Holiday Stress
- Women:
Managing the Balancing Act
- How
Do You Spell Relax
- Ideas
to De-Stress Your Day
- Relaxation
Techniques
- Solutions
to Life's Little Stressors
- Stress
and the Art of Coping
- Ten
Strategies for Conflict Resolution
- A
Dozen Ways to Improve Your Walking Workout
- Basic
Stretching Routine
- Exercise
and Weight Control
- Exercise
Log
- Fitting
Fitness into a Busy Schedule
- Setting
Fitness Goals
- Sneak
Activity into Your Day
- Check
Your Cholesterol and Heart Disease IQ
- Facts
About the DASH Diet
- Heart
Attack Warning Signs
- High
Blood Cholesterol, What You Need to Know
- Protect
Your Heart, Prevent High Blood Pressure
- Your
Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure
- Be
Heart Smart, Eat Foods Lower in Saturated Fats & Cholesterol
- Food
and Nutrition Quiz
- Food
Intake Diary/Log
- Soy,
Not Your Average Bean
- Steps
to a Healthier Diet
- Time
for an Oil Change
- Are
You Kidding Yourself About Smoking?
- Preventing
SARS (Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome) in the Workplace
- Preventive
Exams for All Ages
- Tests
You Can't Live Without
These links require Adobe Acrobat Reader and a browser version of 5.0 or higher. Netscape and Internet Explorer are supported, although the latter is recommended for best viewing.
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900 SW Jackson Street - Topeka, KS 66612
Phone: 785-296-3981