What’s your New Year’s resolution, Eagles? Junior Kelly Carrillo’s New Year’s resolutions are simple: “Drink more water and eat somewhat healthier.”

As we transition into the new year, most of us make resolutions to improve our lives. Whether it’s to workout more, get better grades, or eat healthier, many of these resolutions don’t make it past January. According to The Details, a news site census for this year’s resolutions, 66 percent of people who made resolutions had a fitness-related goal. Nowadays, society has high standards of fitness for both men and women’s body images. Despite these societal expectations, nearly 1/3 of the population is overweight or obese, according to ‘The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluations’ latest statistics.

Obesity in the U.S. has become an epidemic and if it keeps increasing at the rate it is now, it can become a very serious problem.

Although the U.S. is only ranked #27 on the list of the most obese countries, there are still a staggering 68.6 percent of adults in America that are either overweight or obese, as stated by The State of Obesity’s annual report.

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the qualities of being obese are being roughly 35 pounds over a healthy weight for your height and having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. Being overweight or obese significantly increases your risk of  heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

You can do many simple things in your everyday life to prevent becoming overweight, or simply to lose weight. Drinking a lot of water each day not only helps you stay healthier but also helps improve the growth of your hair and nails as well as hydrating your skin. Eating smaller portions at mealtimes with more nutrients helps you lose weight and feel more energized, instead of feeling tired after a big meal. And of course, exercise is a big part of losing weight. Exercising causes your body to release endorphins that make you feel happier and less stressed, which actually helps energize the body.

There are several ways you can achieve your weight loss goals you might have set for the new year. Instead of making big goals that you will most likely abandon, like going to the gym 6 times a week, set goals that are more realistic, like only going 3 times a week. Also allow yourself to have one cheat day from your diet a week to have your favorite meal or dessert. Surrounding yourself with motivation is key to staying on track. Whether it’s getting your friends to start the healthy living with you or turning to social media, having motivation is the most important thing when trying to lose weight or just become fit.

When going ahead into the new year, simply work on improving yourself for the better. The start of the new year is the perfect time for self awareness and knowing things about you that you want to improve. Take the saying ‘new year, new me’ to the next level. Even just small, tangible goals, like Kelly Carrillo made, can make the biggest differences when trying to achieve your new year’s resolutions.