Resisting eating a donut for breakfast every morning is hard. Making it to the gym every day is hard. Drinking a gallon of water a day is hard. Getting at least eight hours of sleep each night is hard. Being "healthy" is hard.

It is nearly impossible for me to scroll through Instagram or Facebook without seeing beautifully arranged acai and quinoa bowls, a girl in a complex yoga pose, and a journal perfectly propped in a comfy bed along side green tea before midnight on a Monday. The images that are on these social media sites, while stunning, inspiring, and motivating, have clouded my perception of the true meaning of being "healthy." I am by no means shaming those people on social media who post images of their "healthy" lifestyle. If you are happy, you do you.

I like to believe that I live a fairly "healthy" lifestyle, and that is something that I take a significant amount of pride in. I am very involved with the type of food that I purchase, and the vitamins and health benefits of all that I consume. In addition, I make a very conscious effort to do something active once a day whether that be rowing practice, attending a yoga class, or going for a run. Everything regarding "health" I am very aware of and spend probably way too much time thinking and feeling guilty about the times when I am not being "healthy."

At Starbucks, I really love when the barista lays on the vanilla syrup in my coffee, but I opt for just a plain iced coffee most of the time to avoid the extra artificial sugar. At breakfast restaurants, I really love ordering white toast as a side to my omelette, but I opt for a side of fruit to avoid the extra carbs. At my peak moments of tired-ness, I really love sleeping in until eleven, but I set an alarm to make sure I get a workout in to avoid "wasting time." I couldn't exactly pinpoint when this pivot in my mind occurred in creating this consistent negativity in my head to obtain a "healthy" lifestyle, of feeling guilty for eating my favorite foods or for skipping a workout on a Sunday morning. I don't understand why this "health" craze came to be and when measuring your self-worth and beauty came down to the yoga poses you can execute and the exotic fruits you choose to buy at the grocery store.

I am most definitely not undermining the importance of eating foods that benefit your body or being active to create a happy body and mind, but this constant guilt I feel for "cheating" on these things needs to end. Since I have made the decision to eat whole, non-processed foods, I have noticed a significant change in my body, confidence, mental health, and energy levels. Eating a "healthy" diet feels great. And since I have made the decision to be more active, especially in joining the rowing team, I have noticed a leaner, more toned body, a happier outlook on life, and being genuinely proud of myself. All of these things are why I love living a "healthy" lifestyle, but the guilt that comes along with falling out of habit with this lifestyle needs to end.

"Healthy" is subjective. What is considered "healthy" to me, may not be considered "healthy" to you. I understand that there are scientific explanations for the things that are genuinely considered "healthy" for your body, but at the end of the day if you are not content with yourself and the way that your mind treats you for the food you consume and the exercise that you may or may not do, are you really "healthy?"

Working on a balance of treating my body the way that it deserves to be treated while treating my mind the way that it deserves to be treated, will be something that I will always struggle with in being "healthy." I will continue to purchase the "healthy" groceries that I routinely buy and will continue to do my best to be active every single day, but I need to learn that skipping out on being "healthy" for a little is also an important "healthy" habit as well.

So, order that vanilla syrup in your coffee, order that side of buttery white toast, skip that workout that you promised you would wake up at eight in the morning for on a Sunday. Heck, eat a donut or two, just because you feel like it. Being "healthy" is so important, but also means so many different things, remember that.