So since I don’t currently have a gym membership, on the days I don’t teach Group Power I try to find other ways to get in some exercise.  In the summertime it’s easy because I will just go for a run outside, but with the weather being cold (and not to mention snow), I usually end up in front of my TV doing either a video game or a YouTube video.

I was perusing the Popular page on Instagram months back and came across two beautiful-looking toned girls working out, and since I am always looking for inspiration photos I decided to follow.  The two girls ended up being Karina and Katrina from Tone It Up, which most recently I have been obsessed with.

Tone It Up is an online community of women of all ages whose common goal is the same thing – to tone it up.  The site, toneitup.com, contains free works, recipes, inspiration, and more, all curated by trainers Karena and Katrina, who are real-life best friends who also have their own tone it up stories (complete with before and after shots).  In addition to the free stuff online, they also have a nutrition plan, which is made up of what they eat, recipes, how to tone up, and explanations of the different foods you should avoid, amongst other things, as well as their own protein, Perfect Fit Protein, which contains 15 grams of protein and is organic, gluten-free, raw, vegan, non-GMO, Kosher, non-fat, low in sodium, and free of sugar, dairy, lactose, cholesterol, soy, corn, wheat and allergens.

I haven’t tried the nutrition plan because I’m not big on meal plans in general.  I like knowing what is healthy for me and then making my own meals.  As for the protein, I have ordered a trial of their Perfect Fit Protein, which contains three packs of the product, so once I get it I’ll do a review.  If I like it I’ll order a full package of stuff (the shipping to Canada is killer though).

The thing I love the most about Tone It Up is the overall lifestyle of the program and the fact that the trainers Karena and Katrina are so passionate about what they do.  I have been doing some of their YouTube routines and let me tell you, for some of them I was working up a real sweat.  The routines I have done by them have been circuits, so the videos are like seven minutes or so long and then you do it three times.  Usually they are on the beach, so that coupled with their banging bodies, gives you a lot of inspiration while you are doing the workouts.  The moves are quite easy to do and you don’t really need any other equipment other than free weights (you could even use a water bottle or two) or an exercise ball; you really do feel the workout for the next few days.  They have a bunch of videos on their channel as well as the Livestrong Women channel, so there are tons to choose from (which, if you are anything like me, you get bored quite easily with the same routine).

In addition to videos with routines, they also post other stuff like healthy eating tips, grocery hauls, and more, so viewers get to see the foods they are eating and recommend.

I thought I would dedicate today’s Fitness Friday to Tone It Up because honestly, I really do appreciate all that Katrina and Karena have been doing to help girls just like me.  The Tone It Up community seems really driven and supportive, that although I’m not part of it, as someone looking in, I really give a lot of kudos to what the two ladies have managed to accomplished.

I also appreciate the fact that they share free food advice online.  At over $100, I don’t think I would buy the nutrition plan, but there are a few recipes you can find by them (like their protein pancakes) for free, as well as tips to eating healthy and getting lean.  They aren’t telling you to only eat soup for every meal, or some other weird diet plan, they show you the kinds of foods that you should be eating and then it’s up to you if you want to implement them into your diet.  Their workouts are also fab and quick to do.  I stream them from YouTube via my AppleTV, but they also offer a DVD as well.

For those interested, Katrina and Karena are the trainers this year for Self magazine’s annual Drop 10 Challenge.  I have tried to do these challenges in the past with Self, where you track everything online, however, I found it hard to keep it up.  Instead of following the plan to a T I just like using it as a guide and getting tips from it.  For example, I totally want to try out the HIIT workout they listed (I just gotta get to a treadmill first).

Anyways, I just thought I would share my experiences with Tone It Up and pass on the message.  I literally stumbled upon the girls and really wish I would have known about them sooner.  I just started doing their YouTube routines and implementing some of their healthy eating tips, but I’ll let you know if they help with my journey to tone up.

Have you heard of Tone It Up?  What are your thoughts?  Are you on the Tone It Up nutrition plan?

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