Apps to help keep your New Year's resolution

The arrival of the New Year has brought plenty of resolutions, such as losing weight, saving money and quitting smoking.

But the age-old problem with New Year’s resolutions is that they only tend of last for a few weeks—if that. One way to help ensure better success in achieving your resolution is to track your progress.

And like almost everything else, there’s an app for that.

Several applications available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry can help you keep track of your progress and also encourage you during the process.

If your resolution was to get in shape, then you might want to check out one of the calorie counting apps. With this application, you just type in the name of the food you’re eating, and it tells you how many calories you’re consuming. Also, this app allows you to set goals, and then tracks your progress.

Another popular resolution is to save money. One application that can help monitor your finances is “Mint,” which gives you a big picture view of your finances by setting monthly budgets and showing where money is spent. You can access this app online and through mobile apps.

Mint isn’t the only money managing app out there, and you can check out some of the other available resources in your provider’s app store.

One of the other typical, and most challenging, resolutions is to finally quit smoking.

If that’s your goal in 2011, you might consider getting the “Livestrong, My Quit Coach” app. With this application, “personalized inspirational photos, motivational tips and progress charts will keep you on track while achievement badges will reward you for progress.”

These are just a few of the most popular resolutions and helpful applications, but whatever your goal is for this year, it’s likely that an app is available to help in the process.