Yes, new year, new me.

Now this won’t be one of those New Year's resolutions that everyone has, such as “I’m going to stop drinking Starbucks coffee,” knowing that you and your roommate are about to grab a caramel cappuccino in the morning on the way to your 8:30 a.m. math class. I’m talking about being genuinely concerned about my health and needing to take some action to feel better mentally and physically. Taking it past the step of simply wanting to go to the gym and work the treadmill for 30 minutes each day.

I’m going to work on three main things: getting fit, eating right, and working on myself as a person. 2017 will not be another year of wallowing in my self pity, not getting the things I deserve, and not being the person that always seemed so far away. This is now clear in my face and I'm ready to change.

So first, getting fit. It's not about getting that toned body to look like a model. To me, this is something more about feeling better inside. I keep hearing that working out brings positivity into your life and generally makes you feel better on the inside. Not as simple as looking good in my bikini for spring break, I want my insides and mind to feel so wonderful that I don't need a bikini to feel good.

With all the bad and unfortunate things that happen in life, feeling good about myself mentally and physically will definitely help.

I will also work on eating healthier. These last few days being home, I decided that my splurge on eating whatever would end when I step foot into school Monday morning for class. Even though I did eat endless bad-for-your-health items, I made a plan to begin that day and I'm sticking to it. I've planned trips to the grocery store and made the necessary lists to start me on track to a healthier life.

Now, I know it's easy to say I'll stop drinking pop forever, not eat starch, or cut out meat in my life, but I know that those things might not happen 24/7. Instead of setting unrealistic goals and saying no more pop, I might reward myself with one pop every two weeks and water the other times. Instead of cutting meat out my diet, I'll stop eating red meats instead. Instead of not eating starch, I'll try zucchini noodles instead of the regular unhealthy ones.

Lastly, allowing my self to change into the person I would like to be, think, and feel. We can look at all the people around us and know that we lose many people because they didn't take care of themselves. For them, I'm sorry and I learned from their mistakes. I will learn from my previous mistakes because I want to live a happy and full life. Seeing some of the things people go through make me want to better myself so their suffering does not go to waste.

Now, I don't claim to be some professional nutritionist, but I am someone who is concerned with my health. Just someone looking for a better life to live, for myself.