Tone It Up!

As I’ve alluded to before, fitness and nutrition are a huge part of my life. I’ve taken numerous nutrition classes, trained to become a Personal Trainer, and have even been a group fitness instructor. In another life, I was meant to be a fitness/nutrition guru. Who knows what the future holds. 😉

I tend to be aware of new fitness and nutrition ideas and trends, because I am constantly researching and reading about those topics! I’ve been hearing about Tone It Up for a while now, and I was convinced early on that it’s a great lifestyle plan. I say lifestyle instead of “diet” because Tone It Up trainers Katrina and Karena show you how to live a healthy, wholesome life…not just how to lose X amount of weight. Most people can’t stick to diets, because they are typically so restrictive. What I like about Tone It Up is that it teaches you how and most importantly, why, to eat whole foods that fuel your body and help you achieve your healthiest life. It reminds me of the quote “Eat to live, not live to eat”. This plan helps you understand what foods to consume in order to have plenty of energy, radiant skin, and an overall “healthy” feeling. It also incorporates a fitness plan that helps your body tone up and reduce body fat while gaining lean muscle tissue.  We all know that muscle burns substantially more calories than the same amount of fat does, so replacing excess body fat with lean muscle is very helpful at maintaining a healthy metabolism.

It took me awhile, but I finally decided to purchase the Tone It Up plan. While the initial cost might seem a bit pricey, once you purchase the plan, you get access to any update that Katrina and Karena introduce…and they release new additions often! When I purchased the plan a few days ago (it’s now 129 pages!), I also got four extra mini-plans, including a Workout plan, Beach Babe Summer plan and a holiday plan with fabulous healthy holiday recipes. Any updates or additions to the plan are included for life, so I never have to purchase any additional info from Tone It Up! It’s completely worth the cost, in my opinion.

As soon as I got my plan (you get a digital copy of the plan, for immediate download!), I started reading through it and planning out my meals and workouts. I love having structure, and since I’ve been working full-time, I haven’t devoted time to making a structured eating and fitness plan (I used to have plenty of time for this when I was in college….sigh). Joining the Tone It Up team means that I can re-introduce a structured routine into my life, which I know is going to be fabulous. Not only do I want to get healthier and more toned for summer, but my wedding is coming up in 6 months(!) so I want to look and feel my best. 🙂

I started the plan a bit casually yesterday, because I was still reading the plan (129+ pages is a lot to take in!) and I needed to start planning meals and workouts. After work, I took my grocery list to Trader Joes and walked out with plenty of fresh, healthy foods to kick off the beginning of my Tone It Up plan!

Day One – not following the plan “perfectly” but closely 🙂

• Breakfast – whole grain cereal, soy milk, blueberries, coffee
• Snack #1 – lowfat cottage cheese, strawberries
• Lunch – lowfat cottage cheese, banana
• Snack #2 – Luna Protein bar
• Dinner – Salad with grilled chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, flaxseeds, balsamic, hummus
• Snack #3 – nonfat greek yogurt, blueberries

Day Two – first day following it exactly – I’m doing the “7 Day Slimdown” to jumpstart the plan so it’s a bit more strict than the rest of the plan!

• Bombshell Spell – metabolism booster/energizer drink
• Breakfast – Slimdown Protein Pancake
• Snack #1 – Apple Pie Larabar
• Lunch – Kale salad with green veggies and tofu
• Snack #2 – Broccoli and hummus
• Dinner – Grilled chicken and green salad with flax seeds

The main takeaways when following the Tone It Up plan is just to eat cleanly…consume whole foods…avoid processed foods…avoid fake sugars (use Stevia instead!)…watch your portion sizes…don’t be afraid to eat fruit (some “diets” shun fruit because it has sugar)…etc. Its very simple and straightforward, no crazy diet antics involved! I already have more energy and feel more alert…and this is my second day of following the plan. If you are looking for a way to revamp your health & well-being – I’d recommend giving Tone It Up a try. I promise you won’t regret it! 🙂