By Erika Stalder, Designed by by Isabelle Rancier, Refinery29

Sooo…about those New Year's Resolutions. Though most of us have the most noble of intentions, not to mention dedicated wallets (Americans will spend a projected $5.6 billion this year on resolution-related stuff and services), the statistics are grim: 75 percent of us ditch our goals to become fitter and healthier by the second week of January. For intentions that are born with the brightest of hope, the reality is downright depressing.

We're here to combat these dismal trends by offering 12 low-to-no-cost (and, more importantly, achievable) ways to stay healthy and well throughout the year. Mind you, these are not the secrets to losing 20 pounds in 20 days or reaching a higher state of being during your lunch break. Instead, we've discovered little ways to tweak your days (and nights) that yield a high impact when it comes to getting - and staying - healthy.

More: 29 Beyond-Easy Way To Cut 100 Calories From Your Diet

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A new documentary about a heart-stopping subject--gendercide, or the systematic killing of newborn girls in countries like India and China simply because they are girls--has inspired one super-cool man to help raise awareness through music.

After seeing just the trailer to the new film, It's a Girl, rapper Omékongo Dibinga was moved to compose a powerful hip-hop song of the same name. Upon hearing it, the film's director Evan Grae Davis joined forces with Dibinga to film a music video, which they shot together in New York City with the musician's daughters and niece.

In it, Omékongo, a hip-hop artist, poet and organizer of the motivational 1,000,000 Youth Campaign, raps: How have we forgotten that the woman is key / to open the future's door for our children to see? / The phrase 'It's a girl' should bring cause to rejoice, / but we kill innocent victims who have no choice.

"I wrote this song because hip-hop is a global force, yet too many hip-hop artists do not use their powerful

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Get a jump-start on losing extra pounds with these essential cleanse foodsAs a nutritionist, I always suggest that my clients get a jump-start on weight loss and a new way of eating with a short "cleanse," to help eliminate cravings, wake up the digestive system, and prepare the body for a new healthier way of eating. Do you make bad choices when you're hungry? Outsmart your stomach with these 8 Tricks to Suppress Your Appetite.

Figuring out which foods are best for a "cleanse" can be tricky. So many foods feel refreshing and rejuvenating-hot tea, raw vegetables, and fresh fruit come to mind. And with good reason: foods with insoluble fiber (like raw veggies) or a diuretic effect (like green tea), promote speedy digestion and "flush" the GI tract. These foods can be considered the best "cleanse" choices. Here are some of my faves and why they just might work!

Artichokes contain antioxidant plant compounds called caffeoylquinic acids, which are used to treat hepatic (liver) disorders because they stimulate bile flow. Bile helps the body to digest fats, and

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It's almost Tuesday.Feeling totally emo? Not surprising, since January 21 is officially the worst, most depressing, day of the year, also known as “Blue Monday.”

More on Shine: Beat the Cold-Weather Blues: 7 Cozy Home Essentials for Winter

This annual nadir was discovered by UK psychologist Cliff Arnall, who has written a formula that takes into account despair-causing factors like bad weather, distance from the holidays, and abandoned New Years’ resolutions. Crunch the numbers and what you get is the Monday of the last full week in January, this year being the 21st. It’s the saddest day of the year.

More on Yahoo!: Seasonal Affective Disorder: Don't Let It Get You Down

Though it's often been dismissed as pseudoscience, "Interestingly, no one has ever disputed any of the factors that appear in my formula," Arnall told Yahoo! Shine.

All, however, is not lost. We rounded up some ways to combat the Blue Monday blues.

Watch Cute Animal Videos: Funny animal vids like “Cat Sitting Like a Human” and “Pig

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by Charlotte Andersen

Boost muscle tone by loading up your diet with these healthy foods.Calories aren't the only things that count when it comes to a jaw-dropping body: If you aren't eating the right nutrients, you aren't going to slim down or build strong, sexy muscles.

See, every time you curl or press, you're actually breaking down your muscles, causing microtears in the fibers. It's when you're resting that your body rebuilds and strengthens your muscles-and in order do so, they need the proper fuel, including these seven vitamins and minerals, identified by experts as a sort of menu for muscle. Follow the pros' recommendations for getting your daily dose of each through food or supplements, and you'll see and feel a difference from head to toe.

1. Vitamin C: Adding color to your plate may help you add definition to your arms. Vitamin C-found in all fruits and vegetables-"is responsible for the health of the blood vessels, which support the muscles' needs for oxygen and nutrients," says John Cuomo, Ph.D., of USANA Health Sciences, a

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Happiness interview: Sonja Lyubomirsky.

I got to know Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky through her work, which includes the fascinating book The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want (just the kind of book I love), and then I met her in person when we appeared together in this episode of the Katie Couric show.

Now she has a new book, The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, But Doesn't, What Shouldn't Make You Happy, But Does.

She's one of the leading writers and thinkers on the subject of happiness, so I was very eager to get the chance to pose some questions.

Gretchen: What's a simple activity that consistently makes you happier?

Sonja: Research shows that there are many simple activities that reliably make people happier. My favorite is doing acts of kindness. The generous acts don't have to be random and they don't have to be a certain kind (e.g, anonymous or social or big, etc.). We have found that almost any types of

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Start our day off with a juice cleanseStart your day by consuming 100 fewer calories. "It's a relatively small amount of calories that you'll hardly notice," says Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, author of Belly Fat Diet for Dummies. In other words, you won't feel hungry.

1. At breakfast: Go on a juice "cleanse."

If swigging OJ is among your morning rituals, skim your portion in half. Six ounces of juice (of any kind) contains about 100 calories, and if you're drinking from the standard 10- or 12-ounce bottle, you could be downing twice that amount. Better yet: Eat an orange instead (you'll get more fiber, making you feel more satisfied and helping you eat less) or switch to water. To add flavor, mix one ounce of fruit juice into the water or freeze 100-percent fruit juice in ice cube trays and add one or two cubes to the water, says Palinski-Wade. Or, extract flavor from fruits, veggies, or herbs and infuse them in your water with Zing Anything bottles.

2. At breakfast: Make over your milk habit.

Getting a milk

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By Bryn Mooth, for SparkPeople

If you're watching your calorie intake, the most problematic part of your anatomy may be your sweet tooth. Our bodies are hard-wired for an attraction to sweet foods since sweetness signals that we're taking in the calories (energy) needed for survival. The problem arises, of course, when we're not burning those calories. But we can take steps to moderate those sweet cravings and choose the right foods to satisfy them. Here are some tips to show your sweet tooth who's boss:

Don't deprive yourself. Allowing yourself a small serving of dessert or an afternoon snack can help you stay on track and prevent full-blown sugar binges. Savor your treat, and then even it out with a little extra exercise. Moderation and balance are the keys here!

Eat whole foods. If you're hankering for a cookie, then eat a cookie-but make it a good one. Don't reach for sweets that are artificially low in calories, sugar or fat like diet cola or ''lite'' yogurt. It's better to have

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