New year, new you: How to make small changes that can add up to a healthier new year

NEW YORK -- It's that time of year when people vow to go on a diet or head back to the gym to improve their health.

But in spite of best intentions, it doesn't always go so well.

Dr. Nidhi Kumar was on call with CBS2 to share small changes that can add up to a healthier new year.

She talked about how to make a new habit or break a bad one, foods to eliminate from your diet and the benefits of movement.

Watch the interview above for her expert tips and more.

Watch Christina Fan's report

According to the fitness app Strava, most people quit on their New Year's resolutions in just 19 days.

To increase your odds of succeeding, psychologists recommend setting small, achievable goals and make sure you have a support system in place. 

"You can't do anything without a team, so you bring one or two buddies along on the resolution ride so you can refer to them, they can refer to you," psychologist Dr. John Palmer told CBS2's Christina Fan.

Rather than setting a high bar, experts say it's more important to focus on consistency. 

"It actually then creates a little bit more momentum because all you have to do is commit to just the one tiny task every day. And you'll see, by the end of 30 days, you may just actually commit to a new habit," Dr. Neeta Bhushan said.

The key is to make a daily effort instead of a perfect effort.

Experts say it's important to set resolutions that make you happy and for the process to be gratifying rather than punishing.