What I've Learned from Tone It Up

Share. Love. Inspire. Sweat. <3 Tone It Up has helped me learn how to love my body.

I’ve been following Tone It Up (TIU) for at least 6 years now and lets just say, I’m like a Tone It Up poster girl- I wear their socks basically every day of my life, do TIU workouts all week long, eat their protein powder every day, own both of their books, carry their pink water bottle around everywhere I go, and follow along with their TIU nutrition plan. I remember finding their free workout videos on Youtube when I was a sophomore in high school and quickly falling in love with the trainers Karena and Katrina (K+K) and their amazing workouts. On my 16th birthday my sister bought and surprised me with their Beach Babe DVD 2 and I cried (lol). I have loved watching Tone It Up grow in front of my very eyes and I have to say I am sooo thankful for Tone It Up, the community, Karena and Katrina and all the other amazing and inspiring studio Tone It Up trainers. Over the years, I’ve learned SOOO much from following them and I’d like to share some of that with you today :) So here’s what I’ve learned from Tone It Up:

FAD Diets Are So Out. I’ve learned that if you maintain a healthy lifestyle (eating healthy/ nutritious foods plus regularly working out), your body will reward you. You will feel and look your best. By doing this, you aren’t dropping pounds really quickly only to gain it all back when you give up the diet for a few days, rather, you sustain a healthy balance in your life that keeps on rewarding you, which will help you get and stay lean.

There are no such things as “cheat meals”, as K+K say, it’s called “enjoying life”. Enjoying a cake at a birthday party or going out for a drink or two with friends is called enjoying and living life. It is healthy to work hard and still fulfill a craving every now and then- as long as it’s in moderation. Of course K+K wouldn’t encourage you to eat ice cream every night but if you are really craving it, have some and share it with someone else and keep the rest of your meals clean while still keeping up with your normal workout routine. Like I said, if you have a craving, fulfill it, don’t feel guilty, and go on with your healthy lifestyle. Also, going out to eat doesn’t mean you can’t still stick to your goals- order healthy and avoid fried foods. If someone offers you something that gets in the way of your goals just say you aren’t in the mood. I try to eat as healthy as possible and still treat myself from time to time. But I also have found ways to fulfill my cravings in a more healthy way- for example, when I am craving ice cream, I will either go for a Halo Top ice cream (grocery store ice cream that has better more simple ingredients) or make my own at home- there are tons of clean ice cream recipes out there!!

“Eat lean, clean, and green". This is a Tone It Up nutrition staple. Enjoy lean proteins, clean and unprocessed foods, with lots of green veggies. I try to eat the least amount of packaged food as much as possible and stick to real whole foods. Typically my proteins are chicken breasts, lean ground turkey, and fish. My favorite green veggies that I cannot get enough of are brussels sprouts, asparagus, spinach, and avocados.

Using the buddy system really helps keep you going. Connect with others during your fitness journey, whether it be a friend you already have or any of the amazing TIU girls on instagram that quickly become your friends and accountability partners (shoutout to my girl Becks @becsea). The tone it up community is an amazing thing and must be taken advantage of because there are thousands of women out there with similar goals wanting to connect with you!!

Working out in the morning has you making healthier choices for the rest of the day. If you physically got up a little bit early to get a work out in, you are just more likely to not pick up that tempting donut sitting in your office at work. After that morning workout, you feel happier and more confident the rest of the day and you will most likely want to keep making good choices for your body.

HIIT & full body toning routines are extremely beneficial. The TIU girls are always talking about EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption)- the way our bodies use more oxygen after a high intensity workout, causing us to burn more calories during recovery time following a workout. That means, doing a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) routine (mixing toning and cardio) will cause you to have EPOC which will have your metabolism boosting and burning calories for the rest of the day. You’ll definitely get that glow on and will probably still be sweaty even after showering off. There are sooo many fun and free HIIT routines to try on the TIU Youtube page if you are interested!!

Meal prep leads to a week of success. Tone It Up girls always know about meal prep Sunday- you set yourself up for success before your week begins and have all your meals planned out and ready to go to keep you on track with your goals. Spending at least an hour-maybe two- one day a week is all it takes to keep your nutrition on point- I think that time is well worth it, you just gotta make it happen.

I hope these little things are helpful to you and your goals, just like they are to mine :)

Adoringly Yours,

Natalie <3