I lived the Tone It Up lifestyle for a week

Karena Dawn and Katrina Scott run an online fitness empire. If you visit their website, you’ll find that they provide free daily workouts and healthy recipes for a healthy lifestyle. They suggest eating “Lean, Clean and Green,” drinking half your body weight, in ounces (120 pounds = 60 ounces) of water per day, and also suggest replenishing after a workout with a smoothie. I’ve always been one to take up a fitness challenge so I spent a week eating as lean, clean and green as I could, working out every day and making sure to drink water and ingest protein after workouts. I do not have a blender in my NYU dorm, so in place of their suggested post-workout smoothies, I would have a scoop of peanut butter and a cup of water.

Day 1

For breakfast, I had a piece of whole wheat bread with peanut butter and Skinny Mint morning boost tea. The bread and peanut butter is part of the military diet and I like it because it incorporates carbs, fiber and protein which help me start the day.

For lunch, I had half of a caesar salad from Chop’t. I ended up having some pizza because it was an employee at my internship’s birthday, so I indulged for a moment. For dinner, I had an omelet with tomatoes, feta cheese and spinach. Then I did the workout that was sent to me via email by Tone It Up for “Monday Motivation.”

It looked like this:

It was rough, but worth it. Two minutes of planking suck when your abs have been on break for weeks.

Day 2

On day two I decided I would get breakfast at work because I didn’t feel like having peanut butter and bread. I got a “Protein Revolution” bowl from Juice Generation. It was fantastic, and just what I needed. I didn’t get hungry until around 1:30pm.

When hunger struck, I decided to get the most colorful meal possible from the Hearst cafe. It looked a little something like….

I made sure to have carbs, protein, and greens. It was delicious as ever. For dinner I had a tuna melt which totally upset my stomach. Bad mistake.

Then I proceeded to do another Tone It Up workout. It involved dumbbells but since I don’t have those, I did it without. I did squats, lunges and other leg stuff. Since I was feeling jittery, I also did 20 minutes on the elliptical at the NYU gym.

Day 3

This day I went for my peanut butter breakfast again, like day 1. I just love it. For lunch, I had a chicken mozzarella sandwich from Pret a Manger which was only about 300 calories.

For a snack I had some pineapple as well. Then I had another omelet for dinner (my other go-to meal) but this time egg whites and no tomatoes. I decided to take a slight rest day and instead of doing an intense Tone It Up workout, I did a few moves including bicycles, side plank dips, jumping jacks and squat jumps. I did one set of each, 30 reps.

Day 4

For breakfast I had egg whites, pineapples, strawberries and some Greek yogurt with honey – all from the Hearst Tower cafeteria. Egg whites are healthier than the yolk, so I usually choose to ditch the interior. I wanted some natural sugar to start my day as well. Protein and fruit are a great way to kickstart the day!

Then for lunch, I had another fun arrangement. The cafeteria had mac’n’cheese, so I couldn’t just pass that up. I added veggies and some shrimp to make a full, balanced meal (carbs, protein and veggies). It was delicious.

For my workout, I did the “bikini kettle band,” a “bridge march,” and pushups because I didn’t have dumbbells to do the other moves. I also did jumping jacks and high knees for cardio.

Day 5

On this day, I indulged. The Tone It Up ladies say to treat yourself once in a while and to work out with a friend. So, my friend Natasha and I walked for 40 minutes before sitting down to brunch, during which I had french toast and a mimosa. I also had some of Natasha’s egg for protein. We had brunch pretty late because we slept in, so I didn’t get hungry again until that night. We went to New Jersey to see some friends, so we all had pizza. That was my cheat day! We did do a lot of walking around, though, so it wasn’t too bad.

Day 6

The next day, I had yogurt for breakfast. I wasn’t super hungry and it’s best to eat as much as your body wants (called intuitive eating) so I didn’t have much else until later. Around 3pm, I had some chicken and a few handfuls of popcorn. Then for dinner, I had an egg white omelet with spinach and American cheese. I needed some veggies in my life!

For my workout, I did 20 bicycles, 20 squat pulses, and 20 “flies,” 2 rounds of each. I followed up with a scoop of peanut butter to replenish since I hadn’t eaten much that day.

Day 7

On day 7, my breakfast consisted of egg whites, bananas, pineapples and strawberries with low fat yogurt. Another typical but fantastic Hearst Tower breakfast.

For lunch, I had meatloaf with a tiny bit of pesto pasta, saffron rice and green beans. I also had a brownie for a snack because I was feeling really tired and I wanted it. Whatever. It’s fine.

I wasn’t all that hungry after six cups of water and that dank lunch, so I had two slices of cheddar cheese and tomato soup for dinner.

For this Monday Tone It Up workout, I completed a “bent leg booty lift” with 10 reps each side, “jump rope” which is basically a bridge (hip thrusts) with alternating legs, and to add some cardio, I did 50 jumping jacks and 10 burpees.

I also wanted to do more ab work, so I did some bicycles which are my favorite.

I found that this system of eating and working out worked really well for me. I cannot provide a weight change because, as recommended by my CHAARG friends, I ditched the scale and decided to focus on just being happy with the way I look and feel. I can tell you that after a week of this lifestyle, I do feel more comfortable in my own skin. In fact, I said, out loud, that I LOVE my body for the first time in years. I am shamelessly proud of my progress, and will continue to be.