Health & Wellness Tools: (click title to go to specific topic)
 How Well Do You Take Care of Yourself?
Exercise and Physical Activity
Nutrition
Healthy Weight
Immunizations
Adult Preventive Health Screenings
Tobacco Cessation
Stress Management
 Preconception and Pregnancy Care
Depression
Substance and Alcohol Use
Helpful Links
How Well Do You Take Care Of Yourself On A Daily Basis?
Take the Wellness Challenge! Each day, do the following:
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Drink 64 ounces of water
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Eat 5 servings of fruits and/or vegetables
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Exercise 30 minutes
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Eat 3 meals
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Take 30 minutes of relaxation activity
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Spend 15 to 30 minutes in meditation or quiet time
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Get 7 hours of sleep
Are you getting enough physical activity?
It is recommended that adults be physically active at least 30 minutes a day on most days. Children should be active at least 60 minutes a day. If you are looking for a way to motivate yourself to be more active, try one of the programs below:
Wisconsin's Governor's Challenge
The Wisconsin Governor's Challenge was introduced to motivate kids and adults, individuals and groups, to have fun while staying active. This program uses a paper log for individuals to track their activity. Visit  www.wisconsinchallenge.org
The President's Challenge
The President's Challenge is a program that encourages all Americans to make being active part of their everyday lives. No matter what your activity and fitness level, the President's Challenge can help motivate you to improve. You can sign up as an individual or group. School-age children can join too! You can earn points for over 100 different activities while logging online. You can purchase medals, pins at certain point levels. Click here to visit the website.
Pedometers
Keeping records of your steps and/or distance can keep you on track to stay physically active. You can record your daily totals in any log, or get your pedometer and log through one of the pedometer walking programs offered online (including the President's Challenge).
Helpful tools to calculate your target heart rate and calories burned.
Nutrition
Ever wonder how much fat, salt and sugar is in everyday foods?
MercyCare has put together some of the most popular foods and snacks and compared them on the graphs below. See how your favorites compare.
 Interactive Tool: Are you getting enough fruits, vegetables, and fiber?
Determine your ideal body weight. Click on the links below to calculate your body mass index (BMI) and Waist-to-Hip Ratio.
 BMI Calculator
Waist-to-Hip Ratio
Determine calories needed to maintain or lose weight
Immunizations
Get the best protection for you and your child. Make sure your child is immunized on schedule! Click on any of these helpful links below:
Wisconsin Immunization Registry
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Adult Preventive Health Screnings
Getting preventive screening tests are among the most important things you can do for yourself. Take time to review these guidelines for screening tests and use the charts below to remind yourself when you need to see your doctor. Become a partner with your doctor or nurse to decide when you need your screenings. Share your family history, speak up, voice your concerns, and always ask questions.
Preventive Screening Time Table
Interactive Adult Preventative Health Screening Tool
Estimate Your 10-Year Risk of Having a Heart Attack
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MercyCare offers tools and medical treatments to help our members quit smoking.
Click here to see a brief overview of the MercyCare smoking cessation program.
What is the cost of tobacco use? Try these calculators to see:
How Many Cigarettes Is That?
Do You Need Help to Quit?
MercyCare wants to help you quit using tobacco. The following web sites are filled with helpful information and programs to assist you along the way.
Quit Line
The Wisconsin Tobacco Quit Line is a free telephone service to help you successfully quit tobacco use. Quit Line cessation specialists ask questions about tobacco use and quit goals of each caller. 1-877-270 STOP. For Spanish: 1-877-777-6534. For Illinois call: (866) 784-8937
QuitNet
24 hours a day, 7 days a week this site is home to the worlds largest support community from smoker and ex-smokers alike. This free program puts you in touch with people who can help - people who understand what it's like to want to quit smoking and lead a healthy lifestyle free from tobacco.
American Institute for Preventative Medicine
Whether you wish to quit entirely or simply want to control your smoking, SMOKELESS® will help you succeed. And, the program works not only for cigarette smokers, but all tobacco users, including those who smoke pipes, cigars and use smokeless tobacco. We are also available to help you all along the way. Please feel free to call our smoking cessation counselors at 1-800-345-2476 (8:30 am to 5:30 pm eastern standard time) if you have any questions. We care about your success.
10 Stress Management Tips - follow this link to learn how to deal with the stress in your life. Read the tips and take the quiz. You can receive a certificate upon completion. When you enter the site a box will appear asking for your name. Press cancel if you do not wish to receive a certificate.
Every woman needs folic acid for the healthy new cells her body makes every day . . . even if she is not planning to get pregnant.
Most women do not know how important folic acid is for their bodies and for the health of a baby they might have in the future. Folic acid is a B vitamin that can prevent many serious birth defects of the brain and spine. If you are between the ages of 18-35, you should be consuming 400 micrograms (400 mcg) of folic acid daily even if you are not planning on becoming pregnant. This recommendation is in place for the following reason:
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50% of pregnancies are unplanned
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Birth defects of the brain and spine happen within the first few weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman even knows she is pregnant
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Folic acid needs to be taken daily prior to becoming pregnant to prevent birth defects
For more information:
Maintaining good habits while you are pregnant is important to help ensure that you and your baby are healthy. Click on the link below to learn more about your pregnancy and what to expect.
Questions During Pregnancy
Interactive Tool: Healthy Pregnancy Quiz
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Depression is a common mental health disorder that can be treated by primary care physicians or mental health specialists. People with depression often feel sad, down, and blue, and they may have loss of interest in joyful activities, low energy, sleep problems, poor concentration, feelings of excessive guilt or self-blame, and they may experience thoughts about death or suicide. Thoughts about death or suicide require an emergency evaluation.
Adults and adolescents may screen themselves for depression using the PHQ-9, a common screening tool. Click on the following link to take the depression screening test. If you take this screen on-line, you can take the information to your health care provider to discuss the results of the screen and to see if any further screening is necessary and to discuss treatment options.
Many people have alcohol or drug abuse problems. These problems are frequently called addiction disorders. Addiction disorders are treatable, and many new treatments are available for alcohol and other drug use disorders. Your primary care physician or your behavioral health specialist can screen you for the presence of these disorders. If you take these screens on-line, you can take the information to your health care provider to discuss the results of the screen and to see if any further screening is necessary and to discuss treatment options. Outpatient support groups, counseling, day programs, and more intensive treatments may be available to you. At your first assessment appointment it can be determined which treatment will best suit your individual needs.
Mercy's Online Health Library
Self assessment tools, anatomy explorer, condition explorer and more...
Over-the-Counter Medicine Interactive Cabinet
Here you will learn about how some over-the-counter medicines may interact with prescription medicines.
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