What is "Healthy?"

I have one question for you guys:

What does "healthy" mean to you?

Does it mean avoiding junk food completely and making SURE you NEVER miss a workout?

Is it more about 80/20/listening to your body? (80% good-for-you, 20% good-for-the-soul)

Healthy is, and technically SHOULD be, different for everyone... Because everyone is different.

No person has the same body, the same exact needs, cravings and wants, as another.

Personally, I'm more towards the second choice. I feel like a healthy lifestyle is a non-restrictive lifestyle. It's a lifestyle where if you want to eat carbs at night, you eat carbs at night. Where if you want to have that gigantic cinnamon bun covered in frosting for breakfast, you fully ENJOY that cinnamon bun covered in frosting for breakfast. It's not a lifestyle where you void off any foods in your life, unless for health reasons. (P.S. What is up with this new gluten-free "trend"?! If gluten doesn't effect your health... don't go gluten-free. Be grateful you can even have it!)

Food of any kind should not carry guilt alongside of it. Whether it's a bowl of oatmeal or a bowl of Doritos, neither one of those should EVER make you feel "guilty" about eating them. Unless you eat this bowl of Doritos for breakfast everyday, it will not effect you negatively (unless you're allergic obviously!). It will not make you fat. It will not make you a disgrace. It's not a "slip-up". It's a part of life. Yes, eating what you truly want IS a large part of a normal life.

If you truthfully don't like cookies, don't eat them for dessert. But, if you LOVE pasta night and try to fulfill that craving with a salad instead... Girl, that ain't gon' work! Just eat the bowl of pasta! Don't feel guilty. Feel HAPPY that you fulfilled that TRUE craving! Because, in reality, THAT is healthy living. Listening to YOUR body. Not listening to diet fads, or what you hear what works for others. Only YOUR body knows what IT wants.

A balanced, moderation-filled diet is not the only importance to a truthfully healthy lifestyle, though. Another great importance is your exercise. Working out for you, on your time. Doing what you love, when you want to. When you can. Resting when your body needs/wants rest. Not feeling "forced" to burn a certain amount (this is TOTALLY something I personally struggle with), not feeling like you NEED to workout or you can't eat for the day. Not feeling like you need to cancel date nights, days out with friends, family outings, etc. just so you can workout. Because, think about it... What will you more likely look back on? That one workout, or that one night out with good company? (...I think we both know the real answer to this one!)

In conclusion,

Life cannot be enjoyed if you surround yourself with numbers, or obsessive thoughts and actions.

If anything, take from this post the courage to give up any restrictive mentality you are living with.

Especially if you have been living like this for months on end, it won't be easy. It WILL take time. It WILL take effort. It WILL be hard. But that's when you have to prove you are strongest. That's when you try your hardest, from this moment on, to truly listen to your body.

If you hate running, but love lifting, don't run. Lift.

If you hate lifting, but love HIIT, don't lift. Interval train.

If you hate broccoli, but love spinach, you know which green to choose.

If you hate cookies, but love brownies, treat yourself to a brownie.

It's that easy. Life is too short, too beautiful, to be lived negatively or forcefully.

If you feel guilty, you are doing something wrong. Use your power to change that something.

Only ever do what works for you.

Live for you.

The Peter Pan Diet

Hello darlings!

Inspired by Lindsay, this post is dedicated to foods I would eat if I were living in Neverland.
By that I mean foods my inner fat child would eat solely because it loves to eat... Foods not based on nutrition value, but on pleasure! Basically just what I would eat if calories, nutrition, my health and my body weren't an issue! My foodie guilty pleasures. 

I really like the concept of this post; it's making me think back to my childhood favorites, and it's also giving me ideas for my next challenge/treat day/meal! 

1. Oreos dipped in peanut butter... Any kind of peanut butter...

This was always my #1 favorite snack for the longest time. Honestly... I miss it!

2. Blueberry Muffin Tops cereal with vanilla almond milk

3. Applebee's mozzarella sticks

4. Reese's eggs

Somehow, even better and way more addictive than regular Reese's cups!

5. Take 5

6. Chili's sweet potato fries

7. Starbucks cream cheese-filled pumpkin muffins

8. White chocolate macadamia nut cookies... Preferably Pepperidge Farm

9. Dunkin' Donuts cream filled powdered donuts

10. Cannolis

11. Strawberry frosted Pop Tarts

... or maybe S'mores, warmed up in the microwave

12. Homemade Italian sausage meat pie

I could honestly go on forever... but I won't for your guys' sake (and mine, at this point)!  Truthfully, I love healthy living! I love healthy foods, I do! But, I also love these foods in moderation. I no longer believe that a healthy lifestyle equals deprivation, or restriction of ANY food. Because that's not equivalent to a healthy lifestyle. That's equivalent to the beginning of an eating disorder.

Honorable mentions:

• waffles with real butter and maple syrup... and maybe some peanut butter...
• BAGELS! Channeling my inner Jenn and saying ALL. THE. BAGELS! Preferably an everything with bacon, egg and cheese. And ketchup.
• froyo with loads and loads of toppings!
• Twix chocolate bars
• cinnamon rolls with frosting
• Dunkaroos
• McDonald's french fries
• LITTLE DEBBIE COSMIC. FREAKIN'. BROWNIES.

In conclusion, I just really love food! Healthy and nutritional or unhealthy with an equivalent of zero nutrition -- if I like it, I like it. If I could live off of oreos, peanut butter, steamed vegetables and fruit my entire life... You bet your booty I would! But, life is about treating yourself, and treating your body well at the same time. No food should EVER be off limits. There's no reason for it to be, unless you're allergic or it makes you extremely sick. Otherwise, there's no excuse to not enjoy a big ol' fresh-out-of-the-oven soft, chewy chocolate chip cookie every now and then!

Now, enjoy one of your absolute favorite foods for me this weekend, yes? Yes.  I will CONQUER a "fear food" or two this weekend, in honor of this post.

What would YOUR 'dream' Neverland diet consist of? What's that ONE food you will NEVER, EVER give up?

**All photos are from Google images and/or Tumblr! I do not take credit for any of the pictures above.**