An apple a day no longer tops the list of how to keep the doctor away this New Year as highlighted in the exclusive survey conducted by EverydayHealth.com to provide readers the “12 in 2012: Top Doctor-Prescribed New Year’s Resolutions for 2012.”

Everyday Health collaborated with MedPage Today, the fastest growing medical-news professional website (comScore) dedicated to informing healthcare physicians of breaking medical news every day, and presented a survey to thousands of primary care physicians across the country to determine the resolutions most critical to living a healthier life in 2012.

More than 135 million Americans vowed to make New Year’s resolutions last year, so this list is sure to be the most talked-about topic around the water cooler. With EverydayHealth.com‘s help it will be easier than ever to not only make the healthiest resolution, but also to learn how to actually keep it – often the hardest part. The complete survey results will be revealed on EverydayHealth.com December 26, 2011.

Encompassing the all-important categories of nutrition, exercise, medical and lifestyle, each resolution will be accompanied by selected comments from doctors around the country regarding its overall health benefits and helpful resources for resolution maintenance in the New Year, found on EverydayHealth.com. The top 12 doctor-recommended resolutions for 2012 are:

Beyond the doctor’s dozen, EverydayHealth.com readers will also get the inside scoop on five additional noteworthy – and even surprising – physician-prescribed resolutions: having more sex, not texting while driving, not giving up coffee, going tech-free once a week for two months, and forgiving people.

• Monitor your blood pressure
• Quit smoking
• Exercise 30 minutes each day
• Lower your cholesterol
• Get a diabetes screening
• Control your portions
• Get a flu shot
• Take the stairs whenever possible
• Sleep at least 7 hours a night
• Eat whole grains, not refined flour
• For women, perform a self-breast-exam every month
• Spend more time with family and friends

Everyday Health’s Medical Director Dr. Mallika Marshall, a Harvard-trained expert in pediatrics and internal medicine as well as a respected medical journalist, shares her insights on following the doctor’s orders in the New Year. “Every New Year’s, Americans vow to make a positive change in their lives but often cannot think beyond the popular choices of exercising and losing weight,” explained Dr. Marshall.

“It’s reassuring for people to know what doctors from around the country say should be top on your list.  Some of the answers even surprised me, but each resolution is very valuable in helping Americans live a healthier life in 2012.”

Since keeping New Year’s resolutions can often prove most difficult, another valuable list generated from the doctor survey highlights useful items to help live a healthier life in 2012.

Items fall into categories like sports and exercise (bicycle, pedometer, running shoes, racket), personal health statistics (scale, blood pressure monitor, glucometer, training watch with heart rate monitor) and healthy hobbies (gardening tools, dog leash, piano).

EverydayHealth.com also collected personal insights from doctors on the resolutions they find hardest to keep – namely exercising, losing weight, avoiding junk food, and getting enough sleep – revealing that doctors often struggle to maintain the very advice they give to patients every day.

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