Adlab is over… Now what do I do?

Adlab was a major time commitment. Anyone who has known anyone taking this integrated marketing communications capstone course at Ithaca College has heard or seen the effects… The majority of my weekends were spent on campus and sometime around the plans book due date I stopped sleeping. I also ate solely breakfast sandwiches and coffee for a straight week. I’ve always been someone who puts their health first, but you can imagine what this has done to my figure. With graduation and summertime just around the corner, it’s time to get my rear in gear.

I’m turning to my trainers, Karena and Katrina, to help me get where I want to be. These ladies are the founders of Tone It Up, a fitness lifestyle brand and supportive community of women who all share the desire to be fit, healthy and happy. This is their welcome video to introduce you to the brand:

 

I realize that you may or may not be thinking, “This is real-life workout Barbie.” I did, too. After a few times seeing the girls pop up in my search results, I visited the site and tried some videos. I dare you to try one- at first it looks pretty, but it burns. They also offer tons of information to help you learn how to take care of your own body. These women helped me build the body I’ve always wanted with cardio, barr, pilates, yoga, weight-lifting, and HIIT -inspired training. They release a new workout every Tuesday and in addition, produce DVDs and comprehensive nutrition plans available for purchase. The plan comes in various options like original, vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free or gluten-free vegetarian.

Part of what makes Tone It Up successful is that Karena and Katrina are so relatable. They are real life best friends and business partners. If you’ve tried P90X before, you know how annoying home workouts can be (I find Tony incredibly annoying). But these girls kind of make you feel like you’re just hanging out with some girl friends. They make great videos and don’t sell quick-fix diet pills, which I like.

Another part of what makes Tone It Up successful is that it really works- and you don’t have to count calories. It’s not a quick fix diet plan, but instead uses a balanced lifestyle approach. The plan offers hundreds of recipes that taught me how to make healthy meals exciting. Take a look at some of these transformation posts that Karena and Katrina post on their blog site weekly to inspire members to keep working.

See Micah’s story here: http://toneitup.com/2014/04/motivation-monday-micahs-story/

And here’s a user’s personal transformation video:

 

In addition to posting transformation videos, photos and stories, they sponsor challenges to engage customers. During these challenges, girls participate by posting “check-ins” on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with specific hashtags. Using the hashtags, Karena and Katrina monitor participation and award a select few products and giveaway items as well as the chance to win even bigger prizes.

I follow these girls on YouTube, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram, use the Tone It Up app, participate in the community, and receive email updates. I also bought one of the home DVDs and the gluten-free nutrition plan. The plan comes as a digital download in PDF form, so I had to print it myself. You could say that I’m somewhat of a Tone It Up junkie.

I work out twice a day and eat lean, clean and green, as the girls advise. First thing when I wake up, I down a glass of water and fit in a 20-30 minute workout (usually cardio). I eat a big breakfast as well as 4 or more other meals throughout the day. Then later, usually in the afternoon or evening, I fit in a weightlifting or toning workout. Sometimes I switch it up and get my butt kicked by Jillian or take a fitness class at the campus gym.

I love the TIU family. Its so incredibly supportive, whereas some of the people in my life are not. Getting fit is tough enough without someone asking you why you work out or eat salad for lunch. Being part of a community of girls with the same goals as me makes it so much easier. I don’t prioritize my health to be skinny, because that’s not my goal at all. I just want to feel alive and feel fit, and I believe that moving my body and feeding it right is the only way to do it. I’ve had more energy with Tone It Up than any other time of my life.