By now, everyone has hopefully decided whether they will stick to their new year’s resolution or not. Whatever, it’s your life.

America’s most popular resolution is to lose weight, get into shape or something along those lines.

Good for you, America!

Dieting is a misconception in our world. You hear about diet pills or only eating certain things to get thinner. Fad diets are not that healthy.

I want people to start wanting to be healthy rather than just losing weight.

The whole reason behind dieting is to help people lose weight. People should try eating a balance of the five food groups rather than extreme diets.

Make sure your daily meals are filled with enough protein. Meat is healthy for you. Don’t forget it, because it isn’t a typical diet food.

Also, drinking diet pop will not make you lose any more weight than normal pop.

Sugar is a natural product that comes from sugar cane. Would it not be slightly healthier to have more natural earth-grown ingredients than the fake stuff in your diet drink?

Instead of having a small bag of potato chips, try having cucumbers. Don’t like cucumbers? Try it with light ranch.

Yes, ranch is not quite the healthiest thing in the world, but a cucumber with ranch is roughly 60 calories compared to the 140 calories in one bag of Doritos. And you get a vegetable as a snack; there’s one of your vegetable servings right there.

Many people think cutting out certain foods will make losing weight easier. It can, but does it make you happy?

If you cut out fast food, go ahead and treat yourself once every two weeks or so. Don’t you give your dog a reward after being good?

In case you haven’t noticed, we are in college, and we have to walk everywhere it seems.

Maybe you could try taking a longer route to class if you have the time. Walking burns calories, lessens the chance of having high blood pressure and helps you live a longer life.

Our school has many ways to exercise: a pool, a gym and a weight room. There are even bikes that you sit on your butt and move your legs to whatever speed you want.

Don’t go to the extremes to diet or to lose weight. It is simply about staying healthy.

Ask your doctor what he or she would like you to do.

Diet pills usually have short-term effects and the weight comes back.

Going out exercising and just eating healthier gives you long-term effects toward your future.

Instead of saying, “I need to go on a diet,” try saying “I am going to start being healthier.” And be happy with it.