The 10 Best Resolutions to Make This Year

Healthy Resolutions to Make This Year

Can't remember the last resolution you kept? You're not alone. Of the 120 million Americans who ring in the New Year with a resolution, 36 percent ditch their vows by the end of January.

If you're looking for somewhere to point the blame, wag that finger at your resolution itself. The typically made (and broken) ones -- lose 10 pounds, drop a dress size, make those butt dimples just a bad memory -- don't keep you motivated over the long term, says Philip Wilson, PhD, an associate professor of psychology at Brock University in Ontario. Why? They're external (aka more focused on guilt and how you want others to see you than on having fun and feeling healthier). And people who make health changes to feel good follow through more often than those who make changes to look good, according to his research. Plus, when you don't reach your look-great goals as quickly as you'd like, you get discouraged. Regular victories are vital to wanting to stick with anything, Wilson says. So by resolving to perform a certain action -- rather than get a certain result -- you'll get a little high each and every time you follow through.

The result: You'll stick with your resolution. And in the end, you could actually score that smaller number on the scale you've been vying for.

Here, 10 easy-to-follow resolutions that will turn your health around for years to come.