Blogging is totally new to me. Instagram and my smartphone are still new to me. So after setting up my blog this week, I’ve been requesting feedback from just about anyone. Sometimes you get questionable feedback, like this:

“Also, realistically speaking, try doing more sit ups and pushups and cardio? Looking hotter and fitter doesn’t hurt your reader ratings :)“

The smiley face at the end of that is adorably infuriating.

The photo that sparked this golden advice is this:

In the photo, I’m standing under a waterfall in the Peloponnese in Greece and I’m stoked.

Did anybody notice my spectacular shorts tan? I didn’t until just now because, oh sorry, I was too busy having fun.

My face says “oh hell yes, I am enjoying my life so much”, not “I really hope I look good in this bikini”.

My focus that summer was not sit-ups. My world revolved around 7 hilarious, unique teenagers, my hysterical co-leader, and the amazing sounds, sights, and food of Greece. I’ll never choose sit-ups over eating gyros and Greek yogurt every day, and that’s why I don’t look like a Sports Illustrated model in that photo.

That photo is not about sit-ups, push-ups or cardio. That photo is about being brave enough to go out and enjoy your life with deliberate choices, made by you, about how you want to feel good. For me, that summer in Greece, that meant mind-blowing meals and great company, not hyper-focusing on my bikini body.

The photo is on the internet, and I did put it there. I get that. The internet is a wonderful place for body critics, but I will never be one. Not of myself and not of anybody else.

My tips for how to look good on the internet? Be having the best time. Be loving your life and who you are, and be excited to share that with people who value you. Be honest, open, comfortable, and real.

Anyone who is critical of your bikini body? You’re having way more fun than they are.