The U.S. Government has always had a mandate to provide resources to its people, but many of those resources have been lackluster and most people aren’t even aware of them. It’s been interesting watching how they’ve translated those resources into websites. I’ve seen a gradual increase in quality over the years, but a new site from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has surprised me by its quality and usefulness. The new online resource is called Smallstep.

Smallstep is targeted at teenagers and adults. It strives to educate and offer resources to help you eat better and get physically active. Psychologically, it takes the clever approach of small steps, instead of the popular commercialized and short-lived approach of crash diets and extreme changes in exercise. The site not only provides health facts and ways to live a healthier lifestyle, it also provides a list of related health programs in your area. There’s even an Activity Tracker that lets you:

• Set physical activity goals
• Enter and save your physical activity on a calendar
• Track and view a graph of your progress
• Earn an achievement certificate for reaching your goals!

In addition to targeting teens and adults, they also provide a section for kids called Smallstep Kids.