Mckenna Hayes, junior, was posed in her kitchen with a green tea matcha latte in one hand and a slice of avocado toast with a sunny side up egg in the other. Her curly hair was neatly tossed into a bun on top of her head wrapped with a boho headband, and her arms were crossed over her classic t-shirt that read, “good vibes.” The health guru lives lavishly from her homemade, organic breakfasts and morning yoga, to her ability to stylishly layer a white jean jacket over anything after a workout and a snack.

She wakes up to post and update her followers on her newest creations, workouts, and trends she supports through her Instagram account @guuuudeats. In the second semester, when most are figuring out their college essay angles, Hayes took it upon herself to try something completely different. By staying active on her blog and in real life she is able to stay organized and positive. For this avid blogger, her numerous workouts and recipes are an outlet to unwind and de-stress.  

Hayes started off finding inspiration in food bloggers, cookbooks and sometimes Youtube. Her idol is @leefromamerica who Hayes modeled her account after. She wanted to change the way she ate for the better and it has flipped her life upside down for the better. At first she just sent her friends pictures of her concoctions, but soon after, they insisted she create an account to share her recipes with the world. Hayes wanted to find a quirky name that interested readers but also represented her as a trendsetter, and not long after, @guuuudeats was born.

She goes through a similar process with her workouts. This love for exercise came from feeling lost after quitting her sport of soccer to make room in her schedule for her next steps in high school. She spent months battling herself at the gym at a loss of what to do. Run? Bike? Ab workouts? What does the body truly need to be healthy? She was introduced to CorePower Yoga and SoulCycle and has just fallen madly in love with the both of them and hugely recommends them to all. Yoga is not only enlightening to the body but to the soul, relieving any built up stress of the day, and cycling is to get a good hard workout in to really push limits.

“She knows what she wants and works hard to attain it,” said Ambika Sharma, junior. Sharma is a good friend who usually finds herself on adventures with Hayes. Hayes often drags her around the Chicagoland area trying new exercise classes along with an organic smoothie and snack.

Hayes finds inspiration throughout her everyday life and blog which is evident through her lifestyle. She makes sure to always make time in her growing schedule to squeeze in a workout and the concoction of a recipe.

“I have a unique style and I try to keep my food colorful and representing who I am,” Hayes said.

The goal is to continue to blog and gain popularity on social media so she will be able to affect the lives of others through finding the best way to work out and eat for the body. She hopes to inspire health revivals in anybody she gets her hands on.