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.**

Currently... 01/13

Hello, hello! Happy Thursday! 

So, despite my WIAW absence this week, I totally feel like blogging today! It was convenient that I just so happen to see this survey-type-thing on Heather's blog, and felt like it was a current must-do! 

Current book: we're reading The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom in English IV, and I love it so far. I'm not much of a reader (unless it's a blog... or about food...), but this book is genuinely interesting and thought-inducing! Totally a recommended must-read.

Current Music: Ho Hey by The Lumineers.

... and maybe some Beauty and A Beat by Justin Bieber.

(Sorry, I love me some Biebs! Not so much Nicki Minaj, though...)

Current Guilty Pleasure: Arizona Heat spicy mustard! Holy guacamole is it good!

Also, the combination of cinnamon sugar anything with cream cheese... Which calls for one of my newest creations... (Inspired by these babies!)

Cream Cheese Stuffed Cinnamon Sugar Protein Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 scoop (28g) cinnamon roll (or vanilla) protein powder

1/4 c (26g) ground flax

2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon

1-2 tbsp sweetener

1/2c (113g) plain Greek yogurt
1/2c liquid egg whites

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 large ripened banana (or just microwave it without the peel for about :30 to soften if it doesn't seem ripe enough)

Cream Cheese Filling:
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 tbsp powdered (confectioner) sugar

1-2 tbsp milk of choice (I used almond)

Directions:

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a loaf pan with non-stick baking spray.

In a bowl, mix all dry ingredients aside from your sweetener.

Now blend yogurt, sweetener, egg whites, vanilla extract, and banana until smooth or desired consistency.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Combine ingredients for filling.

Pour about 3/4 of the batter into your loaf pan, then spread your filling through the middle. Use a spoon or spatula to evenly distribute, then pour the rest of the batter on top. Distribute the rest of the batter the best you can, then sprinkle extra cinnamon and sugar on top.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

(Inspiration and adapted recipe/directions from here.)

Current Nail Color: Simple glitter nails!

Strobe Light by Sally Hansen

Current Drink: Sugar Cookie Tea

Saying I'm obsessed is putting it lightly! I've gone through over 5 packs of these since October... 

Current Food: smoothie bowls, inspired by Heather herself...

Oh, and Cascadian Farms' organic Cinnamon Toast Crunch!

Holy WOW is this stuff so delicious! CTC is my favorite, and this tastes almost identical! It's so nice to have the flavor and deliciousness minus the sugar and continuous processing.

Current Favorite Show: Full House or Zoey 101!

Current Wish List: Zuzana Light's new DVD, and maybe some new nail art "stickers"...

I LOVE these things!

They work and stay on AWESOME! And the best part is, you don't have to wait for them to dry!

Current Needs: more time... and to do better in pre-calculus... a 40% is not a good way to end math in high school! 

Current Triumphs: I... I don't know! I've been quite confident lately, and I've been feeling so much stronger... Do those qualify as "triumphs"?? 

Current Bane of My Existence: math!!!!! Math, math, MATH!! Ahhhh!

Current Celebrity Crush: ironically enough, me and my friend were talking about this in class today!

I guess I can say Louis Tomlinson...

*Drools* 

Current Indulgence: does cereal count?!

This stuff is the equivalent to crack.

I mentioned how Cinnamon Toast Crunch was a love of mine, but this stuff tops that by a long-run! I used to eat Blueberry Muffin Top cereal, but then they stopped existing out of the blue and I have been craving them ever since! This 'Blueberry Crunch' from Target is just as amazing.

If not, then definitely PB2. Not much of an 'indulgence', but I add it to nearly EVERYTHING!

I just got two new jars, less than a month after purchasing the first two!

Current Blessing: Heather said it perfectly! My health, life, family, friends...

Current Slang: "is this real life?" "Did that really just happen??"

(Hahahaha... It's okay to laugh at me. I can't help but laugh at myself!)

Current Outfit: I started off wearing this while typing the beginning of this post...

(+ shorts and neon sneakz)

and am ending it wearing THIS:

Current Excitement: to finally hangout with a close friend this Saturday! We're going to Applebees' "half-price apps" to get some half-priced appetizers for some ultimate snackage on Saturday night with her friend that she wants me to meet so we can all be the three best friends that ANYONEEEEEE can have! (High fives and kudos to you if you know where that's from! ) I also get to conquer some "fear foods" that night and I am READY!

Current Mood: happy, but quite hungry... Putting a whole new meaning to HANGRY!

 Current Link: uhhhhm... hmm... What about my current favorite boy & girl YouTubers!?

Rachel & Byron Talbott and Nikki & Dan Phillippi!

Your Own Worst Enemy

Imagine there were 2 plates with desserts on them. Yes, desserts. That thing most of you calorie counters fear! (I know I did at one point.)
You knew the first plate contained 200 calories worth of pure, fresh fruit on it. Then, all you knew about the second plate, was that it totaled 100 calories.
Now, calorie counters, which one would you psychologically choose? Would you choose plate one, because you knew of all it's benefits? Or would you choose plate two because it contained less calories?
You'd probably choose plate two. I knew I would have. Why is that? Because you are letting a number consume you. You're not thinking of the benefits of the food. You're thinking about the calories. Not whether or not the calories are "good" or "bad" for you. Not whether or not plate two could contain a miniature sized chocolate bar with 15 grams of unnatural, refined sugar. Nope. You're letting a number control you, all because you "want to lose weight". You think it's healthy, right? I know I did. Emphasis on did. (And, no, that chocolate wouldn't be a "bad" choice if you MEANT to choose it and actually WANTED it. The point I'm trying to make is, why did you choose the chocolate? Not for a treat, for the lower calorie amount. That's the point I'm trying to make.)

Now, I know for a fact not all calorie counters are like this. But, I do know most are. Even girls who are just trying to "watch what they eat" do this! Is it healthy? Not even close. By focusing on a number, you are becoming your own worst enemy. Numbers are not everything.

Calorie counting, for me, had it's pros and it's cons. But, once it comes down to it, the cons override the pros and I actually honestly wish I never in my life ever let myself count calories. Not a single one. It kinda put me in a mental prison, you know? I've looked at food as a number, not as fuel... All because I let myself get obsessed... Just. To. Lose. Weight. which is such an unimportant factor in life. There's so many opportunities I've resisted because of being "afraid" of what I'm gonna eat. Being this way made me drop down to an even lower weight than originally planned, nearly underweight, actually.

Calorie counting made me start to fear foods. No food should be feared. Not even a 1500 calorie, 25 gram of fat meal from IHOP should be feared! Why? Because having it once in a while won't do a thing to you! It won't hurt you, and it won't effect your progress. You won't gain 20 pounds from one meal. It takes countless meals on end. But, with the mindset I developed from counting calories consistently, I thought the opposite. I thought if I had a cookie, I'd gain all 70 pounds I had lost back! I knew it wasn't logical... But there was something in me that told me it was logical. That something told me to resist any and all "unhealthy" food because I'll have to double my workout and burn off all the calories from it, or I would gain. And, honestly, when it comes down to it... Even if I did consume 7000 calories of "bad" food in one day and gained two pounds... Who would notice? No one, that's who.


I put myself on a path to somewhere I never thought I'd be. I used to be able to enjoy and appreciate my food. I used to be excited to have a "cheat" day, or a day where I just ate what I wanted. But, I haven't had one in awhile because I put myself in a routine of eating basically the same things, all considered healthy, every day. Calorie counting ultimately turned me into an orthorexic... I never thought I would have ANY form of disordered eating or thoughts. It's hard to believe, actually. People have told me orthorexia is a "good" thing... Yeah, I could have a worse ED, but it's honestly just as hard as any other one. I can't even begin to explain how wrong someone is when they say orthorexia isn't a "bad thing". It's a struggle, just like any other eating disorder. It's hard, it's tough, and it controls you.

But, this is what I want to end off saying: it's not about deprivation, and it's not about avoiding foods of any kind. It's not about avoiding situations where you may eat unhealthily, and it's not about living life focusing on numbers. What's it really about? Balance. Balance, moderation, and listening to your dang body! I feel too young to be worrying so much, but I'm ready to completely let go of worrying about calories... How about you, fellow calorie-counters? I'm ready to challenge myself with any "fear food" I have... Are you?

Disclaimer: again, I know counting calories isn't ALWAYS unhealthy, but the point I'm trying to make here is, most people think that obsessing over the amount of calories in something is healthy... It's not! Nutrition > calories. Always.It's okay to be aware... It's not okay to be obsessed.

P.S. You know who obsesses over calories and acts like it's healthy? HUNGRY GIRL! GOSH! This morning when I was watching her show, she said granola was "bad for you" because the small serving size and high calorie/fat amount... BUT, YOU DON'T EVEN NEED A LOT OF GRANOLA TO FEEL SATISFIED! There's a reason there's a smaller serving size on most granola packages... DUH! Oh, and then she continued to go on and say plain cereal flakes are better for you because the "big" serving size and lower calorie amount... She's giving people a TOTALLY wrong mindset for food. (I do like some of her recipes, but sometimes... She's crazy, haha.)

As We Go On, We Remember...

Well, yesterday was my last and final day of junior year… (Meaning I finally took my last final and it’s summer break now!)

Honestly, it's a pretty bittersweet filling! It’s SO weird to think about… I like summer and I like having off and all, but it's so hard to believe in 12 months, I'll be the one graduating. I'll be the one applying to colleges. I'll be the one growing up.
(Realistically, we grow up everyday. But, I mean, actually growing up!)

I literally do feel like it was yesterday that I was sitting in my third grade classroom, thinking about years to come... Thinking about having nine years of school left... I remember seeing students who had my same teacher years before me, coming in visiting, saying they were graduating that year...
Now, I'm one of those people.

I’ve learned A LOT this year, and I’ve gained A LOT, too… Not only academically, though. Between mid-sophomore year, and all throughout junior year, I learned more about myself than I've ever known before! I became what I never thought I'd ever in a million years be. I became confident. Through trial and error, through mistakes, through failure... I learned a lot. And, honestly, I’m finally pretty dang happy with myself and my appearance now! If you would have asked me this a year or two ago, I would have said I would never be confident. I would have said the most negative things about myself and my appearance. I never thought I’d be able to say that I would even have the slightest amount of confidence. Funny how things change, right?

I also discovered my complete love for health and fitness, as well! Which also came as such a surprise, being I literally despised every single vegetable aside from lettuce and the occasional cucumber up until March 2012... Along with despised exercise... And even the thought of exercise... up until the end of last year. I’m still learning, and I’m still recovering from bad habits I developed, but hey… Things will ONLY go up from here, and recovery is possible. I'm still learning, and I still have time to learn!

I'm really discovering who I want to someday be. I'm really loving the new confident, outgoing person I'm becoming. I may have been completely different in the past, but who is one to judge? I'm changing for the better... and I'm finally becoming me.

Positivity is key, my friends, and I will NEVER give up! I’m here to learn, to inspire, and to be. That's exactly what I plan on doing, too. There’s no point in worrying about or over-thinking every little thing! Life’s way too short, and time clearly flies. You’re never guaranteed a tomorrow, so make things easy for yourself, and enjoy EVERY moment you’re alive! I'm talking about EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT! Be appreciative and positive, and just all smiles. BE SO HAPPY THAT YOU MAKE EVERYONE ELSE AROUND YOU HAPPY, TOO!