By Kaley Bell

Last year was a good year. I have a lot to be thankful for. I got into college, graduated high school, got my first job and became a part of the D-1 track program at Fordham University.

Around this time last year, I didn’t know which college I was going to, how I was going to get there or what I was going to do to pay for it. My goal last year was to go to a good college. I was so scared that I was going to have difficulty choosing where I wanted to go.

It was by chance that I got onto the track team at Fordham. Every day, I am thankful that I get to be a part of this team and I am thankful to be at Fordham in general.

When I hear the saying, “new year, new me,” I automatically groan. Every year everyone says this, and it has definitely lost its meaning. Why do people always say the same thing, but never change? It’s like our words today have lost meaning. We all believe that they have.

In making my “Yearly Goals” list, I was ready to take the full meaning of these words. I wanted to make changes this year, specifically when it came to my performances, both athletically and academically.

When I think about the amount of times that people have made the statement, “new year, new me,” I feel like it does not reflect how I’m trying to create a more successful year for me. the year 2019 is definitely a new year, but in terms of me, I am still the same, just a more improved version.

Right now, it begins with a change in diet and exercise patterns. Toward the end of last year, I was not satisfied with my performances and I wanted to get better. I knew to do that, I would have to change a lot more than my mentality.

I have started looking for new ways to enhance my diet, so that I lose unnecessary weight and gain the lean muscle I need to be a successful sprinter. As all athletes, bodybuilders and trainers know, diet is a major performance enhancer. The food you eat is like gas in the car: you need to put in the right fuels in order for it to work.

When it comes to exercise patterns, I find myself looking for new ways to enhance my form and technique in sprinting. Because the short distances are so particular, I know that I am going to have to do some outside practices, as I need to find a new way to enhance my performance. This entails going out of my way to find a diet and exercise pattern that fits how I can be my best self.

For 2019, it is new year, new student; new year, new athlete; new year, new sister; new year, new friend. This year, I am going to be the best that I can be at everything I do.