How to Use Prevention.com's FREE Online Health Tracker

This is the best online free program I've discovered yet to keep track of your daily calorie intake, your exercise level, and your body measurements, just to name a few of the things this Health Tracker covers. This is a comprehensive look at your overall health. If you are willing to commit to entering your information each day, (which would only take a few minutes…you're on the computer anyway, right?), you'll see your progress each time you log on. This site is packed with information! It is simple to sign up and get started today!

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Computer
• Willingness to input food choices, activity, and body measurements
• A few minutes each day once you sign up

1. The link you want to visit is:
   http://www.prevention.com/cda/healthtracker.do?fdpath=oi%2FFitDay%2FHomeGuest.html&rdata=FitWrapper&rpagename=HomeGuest&rpagecategory=Home
2. The link above takes you to the initial page. At the bottom left, click on the red button, "Get Started".
3. The next page will prompt you to sign up for an account. You'll be asked for a username (your display name for posting in the forums), your e-mail address, and a password that you create. You'll also be asked if you are male or female, your zip code and the country in which you reside. On this page, you'll have the option of subscribing to several health related newsletters (although this is not required in order to sign up for an account). Be sure to read Prevention.com's guidelines and, if you agree with them, click on "I Agree".
4. The next page says you've been sent an e-mail to confirm your account. Go to your e-mail account and use the link within the message to "Activate Your Account". If you don’t see a message in your regular inbox, be sure to check your junk inbox. Add Prevention.com's address to your address book so you are sure to receive your newsletters (if you signed up for them).
5. You've confirmed your account and are now ready to get started! When you clicked on "Activate Your Account" link within the e-mail message, you should see a message that says you've now confirmed your account. This page will have a red "Continue" button. Click on that and you'll be redirected to the sign-in page at Prevention.com.
6. You are now at the home page. All the way over to the right of the page, you'll see a tab that says "My Health Trackers". Click on it and you'll see a page with several tabs. This is the place to input all of your personal information. The tabs include: My Profile, Foods Eaten, Activities and Exercise, My Weight, My Mood, My Body Size, My Custom Measurements, Calendar View, and My Reports. These are each customized for YOU and by YOU. They'll help you take charge of your health and be an encouragement to you as you progress toward your personal goals.
7. Be honest with yourself and put in the real numbers, what you actually ate that day and how much activity you truly performed. Otherwise, the results you see on the page won't be accurate.
8. Get started today on the road to better health! You'll be so glad that you did.

Tips & Warnings

• At the bottom of the Foods Eaten tab, there is a visual of a pie graph. As you add your foods eaten each day, it breaks everything down between carbohydrates (and each of the three types), fat, calories, protein, fiber, and alcohol. It's really cool!
• The tab with My Body Size asks for several measurements. Be sure to log these the very first day you begin entering other information so you have an accurate picture of how you're doing.
• The My Custom Measurements tab is just for you. Track other things that are important to you such as blood sugar levels, caffeine intake or the amount of sleep you get each night.
• My Reports tab has several different types of reports listed. You can click on any one to get your own personalized report, based on the information you've entered.
• It's best to use them daily as to keep excellent track of your progress. You might even want to create a shortcut on your desktop so it's a gentle reminder daily to enter your info.