By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - We all make New Year’s resolutions and when we do, let’s face it, we tend to overdo it a bit.

Some people say they will eat 1500 calories a day or run three miles each morning. You get the idea. But the truth of the matter is that New Year’s resolutions are a good idea if they are balanced and reasonable.

A couple of examples are the idea that desserts will be eliminated except for one night each week or to make an honest attempt to exercise for thirty minutes three times each week.

The key to a resolution is making certain that you do it routinely. If you make the task extremely difficult the odds are strong that you will fail and in the long run that will leave you with a broken resolution.

If you find that you can keep your resolution you can try to improve next year. Take it in gradual steps.