Totaltone- up

Meet the pair whose tu pa women-focused fitness community–and try their workout!

Meet the pair who set upawomen-focused fitnesscommunity– and try their workout!

Tone It Up’s Karena and Katrina deliver workouts that do so much more than just help you, well, tone it up. Their healthy lifestyles are never lacking in inspiration, motivation and fun and they approach fitness with a dose of wellbeing. We needed to know everything about them and how they manage to stay so focused without losing sight of the importance of balance...

How did you guys discover fitness, or have you always been active?

Katrina: I fell in love with fitness in the sixth grade. I was overweight as a child, so when my father asked me what I wanted as a gift at age 12, I told him I wanted a treadmill! My parents were very supportive and created a fully-equipped home gym. I started running and joined the fitness team, and I eventually turned my hobby into a career by going to college to study health science.

Karena: I first fell in love with sports and fitness growing up in Indiana. I watched my mum do Jane Fonda workouts and I did my first half marathon with my dad when I was 12 years old. I later rediscovered that love of racing and became a triathlete. Fitness has got me through a lot of ups and downs in my life and has always been an anchor for me.

Tell us a bit more about Tone It Up – what inspired you to set it up and what have you achieved since you started it?

Karena: Seven years ago, we met at the gym on a Friday night and quickly began hanging out. We started going on long walks and talking about our goals and dreams, and we realised that we both wanted to start a community that brings women together. From the very beginning, Tone It Up was about social fitness and connecting with others based on a shared passion for a healthy lifestyle.

Katrina: We have achieved so much since starting Tone It Up! We’ve grown our team and expanded our business to include a protein business, apparel, equipment, beauty and more. But the core of the brand remains constant: to support women and help them lead their best lives.

How has living in California influenced your healthy lifestyle?

Karena: Living in California makes it so easy and fun to lead a healthy lifestyle! We love to go for a run or a long stroll by the beach. We’re also lucky to have access to some of the most amazing fresh produce. We have a local farmers’ market by our office, so we can go and pick up fresh, seasonal ingredients.

What motivates you to train?

Katrina: Our Tone It Up team! Whenever we’re having an off day or don’t feel like working out, we just go on Instagram and scroll through the hashtag #Tiuteam. We see millions of strong, beautiful women in our community completing their workouts and checking in with us, and that always inspires us!

How do you make sure you stay active even when your schedule is chaotic?

Karena: We like to do our workouts first thing in the morning before things get too hectic. It’s our ‘me time’ when we prioritise ourselves. That way, we don’t get sidetracked with distractions and we’re ready for whatever comes along in the day.

What’s your go-to workout when you’re pushed for time?

Katrina: When we’re crunched for time, any of our total-body and high-intensity interval training routines are perfect. They work multiple muscle groups at the same time and boost metabolism, so you’ll continue to burn calories long after the workout ends.

What is the most important fitness lesson you’ve learnt?

Karena: In order to live your best life you need to take care of yourself first. We are able to be our best selves and therefore better friends, partners and co-workers, when we are healthy.

What do you get out of working out that people would be surprised to learn?

Karena: Exercise give us a boost of energy and alertness when we need to push through a busy day. It also helps us get a more restful sleep. And the benefits aren’t just physical! Working out helps us release stress and feel much happier and more confident. Exercise gives you the power you need to be on top of your game in every aspect of your life!

What are your top five moves for a flat stomach?

We love plank hip dips, exercise ball roll-outs, mountain climbers, starfish crunches and tilts!

And for a great butt?

Deadlifts! Deadlifts are our absolute fave when it comes to forming a round tush. We also love bridge booty dips, deep squats, laying side-leg abduction (for the outer bum) and donkey kicks.

What’s your favourite motivational quote?

Karena: Our Tone It Up slogan: ‘You’ll never regret a workout!’ Katrina: ‘At first they’ll ask

why you’re doing it, later they’ll ask how you did it.’

What are your top tips for staying motivated?

Katrina: Find your tribe! Our #Tiuteam is always motivating each other and cheering each other on. And plan a workout date with a girlfriend. You’ve move likely to show up and push yourself if you have a friend by your side.

Karena: We both love keeping a journal where we write down our goals and second our workouts and meals. Putting words on paper is so incredibly powerful, and it helps keep you honest. Plus, it’s so rewarding to look back at your previous goals and see what you’ve achieved.

If your confidence levels are low, what do you do to boost them?

Karena: We all have our days when we’re not feeling our best. On those days, we suggest putting on a favourite outfit that makes you feel like a total boss! It may seem small and trivial, but the right clothes can instantly boost your confidence and make you feel like the gorgeous, strong woman that you are.

What’s your go-to form of exercise when you need to lift your mood?

Katrina: We love going to hot yoga classes together. We get to sweat it out, release feel-good endorphins, and spend quality time together, which instantly lifts our mood.

What advice would you give to those just starting out in fitness?

Katrina: Find people around you who will support your fitness journey, whether it’s your partner, family members, friends, or a community like Tone It Up. Support is so incredibly important and will keep you motivated.

Karena: You’ll always be busy and you can think of reasons not to start, but you need to prioritise your own health and happiness. As women, we tend to take care of others before ourselves, but it’s essential to give yourself that same came. You can’t help those around you if you don’t help yourself first. And you deserve it!

How do you approach healthy eating?

Karena: We approach healthy eating as a lifestyle. Our philosophy is to eat lean, clean and green, which means making sure our meals are filled with whole, unprocessed foods, such as lean proteins, healthy fats and tons of greens! Our Tone It Up Nutrition Plan was built on these principles, and they help us feel lean and energised.

Do you follow a specific diet or do you have a more 80:20 approach?

Katrina: We follow our Tone It Up Nutrition Plan! We created this plan to reflect what we eat every day. The Nutrition Plan is a meal-by-meal guide with thousands of delicious recipes (including tacos, pancakes, waffles and desserts!). The recipes are all designed to boost metabolism, increase energy and refuel the body after workouts.

What’s a typical day?

Karena: For breakfast, I have coffee with coconut milk and a Perfect Pancake, made with our vegan, organic, non-gmo Perfect Fit Protein. For a morning snack, green juice and a handful of almonds. For lunch, chicken, avocado and veggies on a collard green wrap. For an afternoon snack, cucumber and spicy houmous. For dinner, I love baked salmon with Brussels sprouts, asparagus, butternut squash and diced yellow onions. I like to mix up my seasonings when I cook, but right now I’m loving smoked paprika. Some nights I’ll have a glass of red wine and a square of dark chocolate!

Katrina: I start my day with espresso with almond milk, an egg-white scramble and a Meta D shot from our Nutrition Plan. In the mid-morning, I have a Perfect Fit Smoothie made with our organic Perfect Fit protein. For lunch, a kale salad with tuna on top and a glass of kombucha. In the mid-afternoon, chia pudding. And for dinner, I’ll make turkey mince with a mixture of vegetables and seasonings. I always mix and match.

What’s your ultimate cheat-day meal?

Katrina: You’ll actually never hear us say the word ‘cheat’ because when our girls want to indulge, we don’t want them to feel like they’re cheating or doing something wrong. Instead, you’re enjoying your life. I like to go out for ice cream with my girlfriends. We walk to get it and make it a special outing!

Karena: If you’re going out on a date night and you want pasta, you’re not cheating – you’re living. And you just bounce back the next day. That’s why Tone It Up is a lifestyle. For date nights I love a good cheese plate!

How do you deal with cravings?

Katrina: When we’re craving something sweet, we love to reach for coconut water. It’s hydrating and satisfies our sweet tooth. We also love making treats with our Perfect Fit Protein. You can use it as the base for muffins, cookies, and brownies.

Karena: And as we said, our approach is all about balance. Like most women, we love the occasional glass of wine or piece or chocolate – and that’s totally Of! We just enjoy those things in moderation.

Putting words on paper is so powerful, and it helps keep you honest