Blog Posts by The Editors at Sharecare

These simple tricks will make your resolutions stick!

By John C. Norcross, PhD

'Tis that time of the year again: 40 to 45 percent of adults in the United States will make New Year's resolutions, continuing a tradition that began in ancient Roman times.

Resolutions run the gamut of self-improvement, but the majority concern health behaviors, such as losing weight, starting exercise, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol use.

Associates and I have conducted multiple studies on self-change in general and New Year's resolutions in particular. Making a resolution is a valuable opportunity for you to increase the quality of your life.

Take our resolutions solutions quiz

In fact, 40 to 46 percent of New Year's resolvers will be successful after six months. Contrary to widespread public opinion, a considerable proportion of New Year resolvers do succeed. What's more, scientific research indicates that you are 10 times more likely to change by making a New Year's resolution compared to non-resolvers with the identical goals

Sharecare has your ultimate healthy holiday gift guide.

By Marianne Wait

If all you want for Christmas is to be finished with shopping, don't despair. We at Sharecare asked some of our top health and fitness experts for a little help in knocking off the hard-to-please recipients on your list. Here are the items they'd most like to give-or get for themselves.

Holiday Survival Guide

Making spirits bright
Yoga expert Kristin McGee suggests a couple of gifts that manage to be naughty and nice at the same time. She starts with sampler packs of heart-healthy red wines, in small "tasting" sizes, from TastingRoom.com-it's a great way for your friends to figure out whether they prefer a hint of strawberry in their wine or "flavors of the forest floor." For friends and family members who prefer to satisfy their sweet tooth as they coddle their heart, McGee suggests antioxidant-laden dark chocolate from SweetRiot.com. Think your loved one's heart needs its cockles warmed? McGee loves the exotic yet homey blends at Kusmi Teas.

The country is in a deep loss. These tips will help parents talk to kids during uncertain times.

By David Kessler

Dr. Oz and I met privately with some families of Newtown, Connecticut after his show taped today. I shared tips with them about how to help kids in uncertain times. While they are dealing with intense grief, the country is also in deep loss. All our kids are hearing about it, now from friends and in school. I hope these tips will help.

Blog: 5 Ways to Help Kids Feel Safe in an Unsafe World

1. Do not try to keep what is going on from your kids. Even elementary school kids talk about these shooting. Your family style may be to protect the kids from this reality, but many other families are telling their kids and then all kids talk to each other in school.

2. Show them a recorded news broadcast that you have previewed. During the unfolding of a tragic event, most TV is live and you cannot anticipate what your children may see.

3. Talk to your kids about the event that is happening. Use simple language that they can understand, which is age

Here are the top secret things slim people do during the holidays.

By Michael Roizen, MD

If your waistband gets tighter with every holiday party, give yourself a traffic ticket -- for speed eating. It's tempting to blame your aunt's famous triple-chocolate rum balls and that box of sugar cookies in the office coffee room for seasonal waist gain, but a compelling Greek study suggests that how fast you eat may be as important as what you put on your plate (or eat right out of the bag, carton or box).

The secrets to eating mindfully

Researchers already know that speed eaters are twice as likely to be overweight as those munching leisurely. Now they know why: Scarfing down food faster than a mini-vac reduces the release of appetite-regulating hormones into your bloodstream. These chemicals normally tell your brain to get your hand out of those sugar cookies, pronto. You need them more than ever during the all-you-can-eat buffet that stretches from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day. Yes, the time of year that makes 90 percent of us gain anywhere

The holidays aren't always merry. These 10 things can get worse during the holiday season.

By Sharon Orrange, MD for Sharecare

The holidays aren't all happiness and cheer. They can also bring relationship strain, health problems and downright sadness. Here are 10 things that get worse over the holidays.

1. Your mood.
There is great debate about whether the incidence of depression is higher during the holiday season. Seasonal affective disorder ("fall-onset SAD") may account for the blues over the holidays. It's characterized by increased sleep, increased appetite, increased weight, irritability and heavy feeling in the arms and legs. SAD is a seasonal pattern of major depressive episodes. Many believe that depression is balanced out by more social support from family over the holiday season, which may help cushion the blow.

Blog: Fight SAD Before It Starts

2.Your relationship with your partner and loved ones.
Many of you travel to visit relatives during the holidays (not real vacations but rather obligations), and strained relationships with

Add the peppery-tasting holy basil to your stir fry to relieve stress.

By Rachael Anderson

You've probably heard of the Fountain of Youth, a legendary spring that makes you young again when you drink from its waters. Unfortunately, no one's found it yet-but Medicine Hunter Chris Kilham has found something almost as good: the garden of youth. Kilham recently teamed up with Mehmet Oz, MD, to share the plants you can eat to add years to your life.

Dandelion
Most of us think of dandelion as a pesky weed, but to Kilham it's much more. In fact, he says dandelion is one of the most beneficial plants. It helps detoxify the liver, fights inflammation, promotes weight loss and aids in digestion. There are a few ways you can incorporate dandelion into your diet. One is to use the greens in a salad. (Don't eat chemically treated dandelion found in your backyard, which is not safe, says Kilham.) Another is to drink dandelion tea, which you can find in most health stores.

Incorporate dandelions into your diet

Tulsi
Tulsi, also known as holy

Sitting all day may be the worst thing you can do for your health. These tricks will get you moving.

By Rachael Anderson

Most people think smoking is the worst thing they can possibly do for their health. But in reality, perhaps the worst thing of all is something most of us do every day: sit. We sit when we drive, work, eat, use the computer, watch TV and read. In fact, before you read any further, you should probably stand up. It turns out that the more time you stay planted on your rear, the less time you're destined to live on this planet.

Take a break from sitting

Here's what we know:

Eye-opening research shows that keeping your butt in a chair (or on the couch) for hours at a time can lead to cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature death. One study by the American Cancer Society found that women who sat six hours a day were 37 percent more likely to die by the end of the 13-year study period; men who sat were 18 percent more likely to die. Another study tied 49,000 U.S. cases of breast cancer and 43,000 of colon cancer to

Sharecare found 6 ways you can avoid secret health hazards restaurants may be hiding.

By Rachael Anderson

Are you getting more than you bargained for when you eat out? Mehmet Oz, MD, and Top Chef All-Stars winner Richard Blais take you behind the swinging kitchen doors to reveal the secret health hazards restaurants are hiding and share their six top tips to help you enjoy your meal without regret.

1. Look for these hints that the kitchen's dirty
"Just because the place looks great does not mean the same for the kitchen," says Blais. To make sure that a restaurant's kitchen is clean without barging through the doors, Blais says you need to pay attention to these subtle signs. If you see a bus bin next to a food prep area, crust around ketchup bottles, or glasses stored upside down on a counter, these are red flags that the kitchen might be a mess. And if the bathroom is dirty? The kitchen probably is, too, says Dr. Oz.

This is the dirtiest thing a restaurant serves

2. Order your meat "medium"
According to Blais, an old restaurant trick is to