Within the past year, many government agencies have raced to improve their Web sites with additional content and increased focuses on various populations. While you may or may not trust government information, the sites that focus on health, fitness and medicine may prove helpful. After all, getting up off that couch never hurts, and any site that might encourage you to do this could be worth its salt.

The following fifty free .gov resources for health, fitness and medicine are divided into categories that range from sites that focus on disease to special health programs and even special insurance programs. Each linked resource is linked alphabetically within those categories.

Disease Sites

1. AIDS.gov: Find out what’s new through news items, a blog and a podcast provided by the U.S. government.
2. Fighting Malaria: The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI) represents an historic five-year expansion of U.S. Government (USG) resources to fight malaria in the region most affected by the disease
3. Flu.gov: This site provides complete information about the H1N1 flu, vaccinations and advice for families and for profresssionals.
4. Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS: The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) was established to provide policy recommendations on the U.S. Government’s response to the AIDS epidemic.
5. Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration: This government agency has a a sharply focused mission on facilitating recovery for people with or at risk for mental or substance use disorders.

Nutrition

6. Agriculture and Food: Science.gov is an inter-agency initiative of 18 U.S. government science organizations within 14 Federal Agencies. This portion focuses on agriculture, health and nutrition.
7. Nutrition: Nutrition.gov provides easy access to the best food and nutrition information from across the federal government.
8. United States Department of Agriculture: Stay on top of food alert, farm news, nutrition and more with this Web site and its accompanying blog.

Fitness

9. Healthier Feds: Although the title leads readers to believe this site is for Federal employees, it also is for retirees. The focus is on healthy living, greater individual responsibility and best-treatment strategies.
10. Healthier US: This Web site is part of a broad presidential agenda designed to help Americans, especially children, live longer, better, and healthier lives.
11. Healthy People: This site challenges individuals, communities, and professionals, indeed all of us to take specific steps to ensure that good health, as well as long life, are enjoyed by all.
12. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans: The Federal Government has issued its first-ever Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, and they’re located on this site.
13. The President’s Challenge: The President’s Challenge is a program that encourages all Americans to make being active part of their everyday lives.
14. The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Find out how you can start a physical activity program today and stay active and fit for life while earning Presidential awards.

Medicine

15. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: This site is filled with credible health information on all diseases, responses, preparedness and much more.
16. Health and Medicine: This section of Science.gov focuses on health and medicine resources.
17. Medical Reserve Corps: The mission of the MRC is to improve the health and safety of communities across the country by organizing and utilizing public health, medical and other volunteers.
18. National Institutes of Health: This government site represents the nation’s medical research agency. Find information for all age groups on wellness and lifestyle as well as medicinal news.

Environment and Health

19. Biology and Nature: This Science.gov site carries tons of information about biological systems, including great sites for kids.
20. Earth and Ocean Sciences: One more Science.gov site that carries links for dozens of sites about environment and health.
21. Environmental Health (EPA): The Environmental Protection Agency has shifted its focus in the past year to individual and community health from an environmental perspective.
22. U.S. Department of Energy: Yes, this site contains a lot of information about health, including radiation information, technological resources and environmental resources.
23. USAID Environment: This portion of the USAID site provides information on global environmental and health issues.
24. USGS: The United States Geological Survey site carries information about geology, but it also maintains safety information, tools that can help minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters and manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources and enhance and protect quality of life.

Overall Health

25. Health Finder: Learn how to live well through the information contained on this site.
26. Health Resources and Services Administration: This is a large site that contains information on topics that range from primary care to bone marrow and cord blood donation and transplantation.
27. National Health Information Center: NHIC is a health information referral service. You can find more government health sites linked here as well as other resources.
28. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: This is another government site that provides linked information to health, fitness and medicine sites.
29. Office of Inspector General: Use this site to report fraud and to learn more about how this office runs the Department of Health and Human Services programs.
30. State Health Departments: This list, offered by Healthfinder.gov, provides information and links to all available state health departments.
31. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission: Learn about health hazards as well as unsafe products at this site. There is a section here for kids.
32. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: The HHS offers a wide range of information for public consumption on health, disease prevention, fitness and wellness.
33. U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps: Part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, this site offers information on emergency response teams, public health programs and much more.

Work-Related Health

34. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration): This site, part of the U.S. Department of Labor, regulates and reports health and safety standards for workplaces.
35. U.S. Office of Personnel Management: While this site focuses on Federal civilian work forces, any business can use it to form health and wellness policies for civilian businesses.

Special Health Programs

36. 4Parents: This government site helps parents teach children about healthy sex choices.
37. Global Health: Part of the HHS (see above), this site provides information about global health topics.
38. Health (Department of Veterans Affairs): Although meant for veterans, anyone can learn more about fitness, health, telehealth and even travel advisories from this updated site.
39. Health IT Buzz: Stay on top of Health Information Technology for current and future health and care with this site.
40. Kids.gov: This site is divided into information for various age levels, and includes health and fitness information.
41. Small Step: Young adults and teens can use this site to learn how to eat better, get active and stay fit.
42. The Office of Minority Health: The OMH focuses on health issues that pertain to minority populations.
43. USAID Health: This portion of the USAID Web site focuses on global health issues.
44. Women’s Health: Women and female teens can find links, news and information about health, fitness and medicine specific to women at this site.

Insurance and Retirement

45. Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP): If you need to learn more about CHIP and CHIPRA (Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act), this is the site for answers.
46. Health Insurance Reform Reality Check: The White House offers rebuttals to attacks on current health care information at this site.
47. Insure Kids Now: The federal government and the states together offer health insurance coverage for children through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Find out more about these services here.
48. Medicaid: If you have questions about Medicaid, this government site offers information.
49. Medicare: While this site offers answers to questions on Medicare, if you have Medicare or if you are a caregiver, you might want to visit Medicare.gov.
50. Social Security Online: This site offers information on how to apply for Social Security for disability or for retirement.

If you’re looking for fresh insights and tools for health and medical management, we have the ultimate list of some ridiculously awesome and little-known articles and Web sites waiting for you. You can gain access to online training programs and tools, sleep and nutrition help and get a total picture on what a healthy lifestyle is like through these resources. What a way to begin the new year!

The following sites are categorized and listed alphabetically within those categories. Although some sites are well known (mostly in the “total health” section), those sites now provide some new tools and resources that you may not know about.

Online Training Programs and Tools

1. CrossFit: If you already are in good shape, then kick it up a notch with the training programs provided by this Marine fitness coach.
2. Gmaps Pedometer: Draw a walking/running/cycling route, save it and learn about the calories you’ll burn along the way.
3. How to Lose 20 lbs. of Fat in 30 Days… Without Doing Any Exercise: No, this is not a scam. But, it is a very radical yet healthy way of looking at food and consumption. Enjoy this entire site, especially the article, “From Geek to Freak: How I Gained 34 lbs. of Muscle in 4 Weeks” for inspiration.
4. Map My Run: This site has grown rapidly over the past year, providing runners (and walkers) with routes and the ability to build your own routines.
5. One Hundred Pushups: Follow this six-week training program to increase your strength and to complete a simply awesome goal of 100 consecutive pushups.
6. SimpleFit: This is the simplest site we’ve found for weight loss, muscle toning and home fitness. Free exercise routines, circuit training, a fitness community and natural nutrition are all yours at no cost.
7. The Couch-to-5K Running Plan: This site is all about getting up and moving for health. Using this site, users have gone from the couch to running three miles in just two months.
8. Traineo: You may have heard about this training program, but did you know it was free? Register to join a community set on total health.
9. Two Hundred Situps: A companion site to one hundred pushups, this site offers a six-week training program that may flatten those abs for good.

Awesome Eating and Weight Loss

10. FitDay: Use this free online diet journal to track foods, exercises, weight loss and goals.
11. Healing Food Reference: Offered as a free public service to promote health freedom, this site covers the most common health conditions and healthy-happy foods.
12. MyPyramid.gov: Learn about nutrition basics and about how good nutrition affects your health and daily life.
13. Nutrition Data: Know everything you need to know about what you eat. Plenty of tips here on weight loss, eating for a healthy heart and more.
14. The Daily Plate: Lance Armstrong’s reach goes to your plate with this site that has helped over 800,000 members to lose weight. Free food tracking, exercises and recipes for anyone to use.
15. The Hacker’s Diet: If you want to jump-start your weight loss program in a healthy way, use this site. Although the tag line states, “how to lose weight and hair through stress and poor nutrition,” you may soon learn that this is one geek’s attempt at weight-loss humor.
16. The World’s Healthiest Foods: What are those foods and how easy are they to find and prepare? Use this site to learn more about the healthiest foods in the world.

Quick Nutrition Resources

17. Fast Food Restaurants & Nutrition Facts Compared: This site may turn you off to daily trips at the take-out window.
18. Over 100 Quick and Easy Healthy Foods: This list provides the person on the go with an easy reference to healthy foods for any meal.
19. Shop Once, Eat for a Week: Although focused toward men, this article is perfect for anyone with a busy lifestyle (includes recipes).
20. Still Tasty: Do you keep that milk or toss it? Go here to learn how long your foods and beverages can last on the shelf.
21. Sugar Stacks: If you cannot imagine the amount of sugar in any given food, use this site for shock value and for a great sugar-intake education.
22. This is Why You’re Fat: As if you didn’t know…maybe this site will help you stay away from those foods that are eating away at your wallet and your health.
23. Top 100 Foods to Improve Your Productivity: You can find energy and brain foods here, as well as foods that can improve eyesight and more.
24. What Do 300 Calorie Meals Look Like? If you have trouble with portion measurements, use this site to get a glimpse into “normal” meal sizes.
25. What Does 200 Calories Look Like? Wise Geek shows that you definitely can eat more celery than peanut butter for the same calories…
26. What Happens To Your Body If You Drink A Coke Right Now? If you’re trying to give up Cokes (or any other soda), print out this page and paste it to your fridge now.

You Are Getting Sleepy…

27. Good sleep, good learning, good life: Here’s some more information on sleep. Try it. You might like it.
28. How to Get Great Sleep: This Psychology Today article provides some great tips on how and why to get a full night’s sleep.
29. How to Nap: Don’t laugh – midday dozing is great for mental acuity and overall health. Learn how to do it here.
30. SimplyNoise: Need some white noise to help with that afternoon nap? Switch to this site, click on the oscillating button, close your eyes and enjoy.
31. Sleep Disorders Information: The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute offers a site that focuses on sleep disorders.
32. Sound Sleeping: If rhythmic drums and flute music put you to sleep, then you can use the amazing options available for free at this site.

Healthy Lifestyles

33. 9 Secrets Health Insurers Don’t Want You to Know: If you read this article and the comments to this article, you may begin to realize why getting and staying healthy is important to you life and to your wallet.
34. 22 Ways to Overclock Your Brain: Learn twenty-two easy ways to build brain power (including sleep, play and sobriety).
35. GoodGuide: If you want to live a healthy low-impact life, this site can help you avoid the scams and gain insight into what works.
36. Hacking Knowledge: 77 Ways to Learn Faster, Deeper, and Better: This list provides seventy-seven incredibly easy ways to change your life for the better, from mental to physical health.
37. LocalHarvest: Not everyone knows about this site yet, although it is highly popular among those who want to eat local for fresh foods and to support local food producers.
38. Luminosity: Start your brain training today with the help of this site. Take courses, play games and get assessments of your mental well-being.
39. RealAge: This site is not just for the elderly who want to look younger — it’s also for the young who want to live longer through healthier lifestyle options.
40. Steve Pavlina: Train yourself for new healthy strategies to live a fuller and more productive life.
41. The Good Human: Read the site to learn more about health scams, “greenwashing,” and other issues that may affect you personally and the world as a whole.
42. ZenHabits: If you want to find simplicity in chaos, then this site is for you. Gobble up three articles per week on simplicity, health and fitness, motivation and inspiration, frugality and more.

Total Health

43. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: You may know the CDC for its work in infectious diseases, but they offer so much more in health and medical resources, including national and international health news.
44. Dr. Weil: You may have heard about Dr. Weil, but why haven’t you visited his site? When an eighty-year-old man praises Weil for his simple cure for arthritis (dried ginger in cap form), you might want to listen — especially if that elderly man is your father.
45. EarthClinic: Can you really avoid insurance woes and pharmacies with folk remedies? You’ll never know until you try…
46. MayClinic.com: You may have heard of the Mayo Clinic, but did you know that this institution provides help online from over 3,300 physicians, scientists and researchers?
47. MedlinePlus: You can find health directories and local health help here in over forty languages.
48. RevolutionHealth: Find a new doctor, check your symptoms, learn about foods, exercise programs and general health with this site.
49. Virtual Body: What a great health tool for kids and for adults — learn what healthy bodies look like so you can emulate the images, inside and out. This site also include tips on how to get there.
50. WebMD: WebMD is a popular health-readiness and solution-finding site. But, many folks do not know that they also provide health alerts and news.