My Tone It Up Story (part 2)

UPDATE: This post was written in 2015.

Click here to read Part 1

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Oh my goodness you guys, this month has been big. I feel like I say that every month...well I guess that’s part of the entrepreneur rollercoaster. It’s a constant crazy ride of self-discovery and endless epiphanies and breakthroughs! There are still rocky moments and stomach twisting free-falls but I’m finally getting to a place where I’m STARTING to gradually release my perfectionism, break free from the self doubt and workaholism that have been paralyzing me and controlling me for years, and take the tiny step of blind faith off the cliff. I'm TRUSTING MYSELF and my journey. A little bit more every day.

This past week was a big inner turning point. I had a chance to meet the Tone It Up girls, Karena and Katrina, the two fitness and lifestyle gurus who sparked my entire health and fitness journey back when I was in my quarter life crisis and trying to find my feet after a lifetime in the academic rat race. They inspired me to take the first step on a journey that's led me to meeting some of my best friends, quitting my job and launching my own coaching business, discovering myself, my potential, and my dreams that I kept buried so deep for decades because I didn't know they were an option.

Getting to meet these women in person gave me a fresh perspective on just how far I've come.

The thing is, I was never afraid of failure when I quit my job and decided to go for broke with my coaching business, because I knew it was the right decision. I know that I can work hard and make things happen. The scary part for me has been learning how to trust myself, to accept that I AM HERE for a bigger purpose that's beyond my own comprehension, and I’m good enough to make my dreams happen. My entire life I’ve been hustling and struggling and striving to make it to the “next step.” Get an internship, get straight A’s, find a full time job, “make it.” What I’ve been learning is that I can stop striving and just surrender to where I am, because I’m here. I can’t even put it into words, but it’s been really hard for me to trust that I’m enough, that I can do this, I don’t have to lose weight or earn a certain amount of money or achieve XYZ in order to be recognized as successful.

I am officially declaring that I am DONE with fear and self-doubt. I'm done with perfectionism.

I'm going to embrace the mess and revel in it, because I don't know if I'll ever feel like I "know what I'm doing." I'm learning. I'm a work in progress. And that's ok!

I’m finally growing into myself and becoming the woman I always wanted to be.

I want to share a little more about my “Tone It Up story” because my heart has been SO FULL all week, not just from meeting Karena and Katrina in real life but from spending more time hanging out with the community of Tone It Up girls here in Chicago. This is a topic that’s really really hard for me to write about because it’s extremely personal, and it’s hard for me to open up and get vulnerable...but at the same time I NEED to share it. So I’m sitting my butt down on this rainy gloomy Monday morning and I’m going to let it all out :)

I wrote Part One of my Tone It Up story last year, and it's time for an update!

Where my “Tone It Up Journey” Began

I first discovered Karena and Katrina of Tone It Up in 2012, a huge transitional year. I was 25, it was a year since I’d graduated with my masters’ degree, and I was unemployed, planning our fall wedding, living in the Quad Cities with Ben in my uncle’s vacant condo he kindly let us crash at while we figured things out. It was a rough year, but also a fun and exciting one. I spent my time that spring-into-summer substitute teaching, painting our wedding invitations, half-heartedly applying and interviewing for environmental jobs, going out with my girlfriends, running, and doing workout circuits in the living room to keep my mood up! It was a fun time, but very insecure and up in the air. Ben was interviewing for teaching positions, I had no clue where my own career path was headed and felt completely overwhelmed most of the time, but at least we were together.

I subscribed to Self magazine and fell in love with their Drop 10 Challenge, featuring these two gorgeous trainers, Karena and Katrina. They lived in California, had Barbie bodies, ran a health and fitness business together called Tone It Up, and exuded this carefree and happy energy. I started following their blog and workouts because I liked (and desperately needed) the positive “love your body” vibe they reflected.

Fast forward a year to the summer of 2013, Ben and I had moved to Chicago, I was still struggling to find a full time job and my path in the real world. We finally got iPhones (seriously felt like the last of our generation haha) and I started an Instagram account and started stalking “TIU girls” through the TIU community there. (Anyone who is participating in one of their seasonal fitness challenges, or is a member of their nutrition plan can connect by using hashtags #tiuteam), and watched them post pictures of their food and workouts for accountability check ins.

After a while I was tired of sitting on the sidelines, so I took the plunge and became an “official” TIU member by purchasing their Nutrition Plan. I wasn’t sure if it was actually worth $150 since I already had a general idea of how to eat healthy, but I knew I was feeling off and I needed to take ownership of my confidence and life, so I decided to make the investment and officially join the TIU Community!

(Aww my first official check-in! Thank God my iPhone photography skills have improved...still using the same iPhone 4 though. Proof that you have to start somewhere. Also I'm so grateful I don't have to work summer weekends anymore!)

I set up a private account on Instagram exclusively for my Tone It Up checkins, kept it a secret from all my friends and family because I wasn't comfortable opening up my personal life (oh how far I've come), started working out first thing in the morning everyday (the "bootycall" in TIU lingo), and felt super awkward and weird sharing pictures of my food and workout selfies. I distinctly remember the first time I took a picture of my dinner to post it on Instagram...Ben thought I was crazy. Well, I’ve been taking pictures of my food every day ever since, and the rest is history. After a few months I transitioned my secret TIU account into a lifestyle account and embraced that health and fitness are now extremely important parts of who I am!

My first winter as a “TIU girl” I made friends with a small group of women who also live here in Chicago. We'd meet up for dinner and end up drinking wine and talking for hours and hours because we all just clicked with each other. These girls helped me survive the hardest winter of my life. One of them, Deidre, was a new Beachbody coach back then and told me about the business opportunity of coaching. I blew her off for a couple months because I wasn’t sure if it was really for me, but I was loving Instagram SO MUCH and creating an amazing following of other women. I was going through a rough time personally, but by sharing my daily struggles, victories, and commitment to positivity, was actually having an influence on other women.

 Deidre eventually told me look...you are already spending hours on social media, why don’t you start marketing yourself and take this to the next level? I’ve had an entrepreneurial spirit my whole life (since I sold my drawings for 25 cents in 3rd grade), I always knew I was cut out to do something different, to make a bigger impact in the world, but I didn’t know how and didn’t believe in myself. I had a really strong gut feeling that this was the right decision, so I said yes and became a Beachbody coach. Well THAT decision set off a chain reaction of events and self discovery that has led me to today...it all started with Tone It Up.

The real value, the LIFE CHANGING part, comes in taking the chance to commit to yourself, invest in your health and wellness, and be brave enough to open up and share your journey with others. Once you start treating your body with respect and fueling it with healthy foods instead of tearing yourself down with diets and restrictive plans, once you start working out for fun because it makes you feel happy instead of slaving away at the gym to burn calories...once you start treating your body with love and respect, everything else in life starts to click. You’ll become more confident and driven in all aspects of your life, and you’ll discover a side of yourself that you never knew existed.

This side of yourself is who you really are! Alive, vibrant, energetic, enthusiastic, and full of love and light.

I’ve made so many incredible friendships from connecting with other TIU girls on Instagram, which is funny to explain to people. It's kind of like online dating for girlfriends haha. When I meet another TIU girl, we instantly have chemistry. I think it’s because in the relative security of our private little fitness accounts we feel comfortable opening ourselves up and sharing who we really are, flaws, fears, struggles and all.

The TIU community has embraced me, given me an outlet to shine, helped me learn how to love myself and then pass it on to help other women live happier and healthier lives from the inside out. I've found my path, my purpose, I'm literally able to chase my dreams as a creative entrepreneur and life coach because of the women I've met. 

As an adult, it's so hard to meet girlfriends who you instantly click with, who understand you completely and share your hopes and dreams and lift you up to push your limits and meet your highest potential in every aspect of life. A friend like that is one in a million, and through TIU I've met dozens of them. Grateful, overwhelmed, I've never been happier to be me or more excited to see what's in store for the future!

I've gained a sense of purpose, friendships, and inner and outer strength that I never knew I had. I'm creating my own coaching team (mainly of other TIU girls), a tribe built on the values of love, inspiration, positivity, authenticity, and joy. I've been able to quit my job, dream bigger, create freedom, and pay it forward to inspire other women to believe in themselves too.

The road to discovering myself has been long, hard, full of ruts, mountains (literally), sweat and tears, but I never gave up and this is just the beginning. We all start somewhere. You just have to decide that you're worth it, and do it for YOU.

Be yourself.

xo Anna

Transformation Tuesday: Meet Andrea!

Happy Tuesday!

It's a cool and rainy day here in Chicago, which feels nice after the warmer sunny days we've been having. Today I'm really excited to share another success story from my April Inspire Joy Bootcamp! Every month I host a private accountability challenge group on Facebook for busy women who want to establish healthy eating habits, find "balance," workout consistently, lose weight, gain confidence, get their body back after having a baby, or shape up to rock a wedding dress. We surround each other with positivity, love and support as we work on overcoming all the obstacles and resistance that hold us back from loving and accepting ourselves for who we are right now, at whatever stage we're at in our individual journeys.

Andrea completely blew me away this month with her commitment, determination, and overall transformation! The changes that happen when you start focusing on working out consistently and eating right go SO far beyond weight loss. The physical changes are just a side effect...what's even more amazing is how your entire mindset starts to shift when you put your own health and wellbeing first! Being able to help women experience these breakthroughs is SO inspiring and fulfilling and makes me feel humbled and grateful to be able to do what I love for a job!

But enough about me...let's turn it over to Andrea! I'll let her do the talking :)

I am so proud of you, girl!

Meet Andrea!

Tell us about your story!

Food, health, and fitness have always been part of my life. From playing soccer, frisbee, and tennis through high school to 10 years as a vegetarian, I've always loved exercise and learning about how to fuel my body. When I started law school three years ago, however, the ease with which I approached wellness disappeared. Everything about food and exercise that felt intuitive for so long became difficult as I over-thought my choices and stopped treating food as fuel for my body.

I was drowning in work and neglecting to make time for workouts, and eventually turned to food for emotional comfort and began experiencing serious digestive problems. It created a toxic cycle: I'd use food to comfort myself through rough and busy time only to end up in a place where I'd be body shaming myself, which naturally only contributed to the stress that exacerbated my stomach issues. My doctors have still not been able to pinpoint exactly why my stomach decided to turn on me, and despite countless elimination diets, its been an uphill battle. As I was wrapping up law school this past semester, however, I started educating myself on the role of stress in digestion, how much of it is mental as well as physical, and have spent the last few months trying to heal not by cutting out food, but by relaxing my mind, getting plenty of sleep, and learning how to practice patience and compassion with myself.

Why did you decide to join the Inspire Joy Bootcamp?

The primary reason I joined the Inspire Joy Bootcamp was to break the cycle described above. I essentially wanted to hit the re-set button--while food is certainly a way to feed your soul as you gather and share in experiences with others, it had gone too far beyond that place for me and I needed to refocus. After learning more about the community and support provided by the bootcamp and all of the amazing women involved, I decided it would be the perfect fit. It didn't feel like a pressure-cooker fueled by "fitspo" or unrealistic expectations. Instead, the group focused on lifting each other up with positivity, respect, encouragement, and was driven by the understanding that perfection is ultimately not necessary for living a healthy and whole life. After chatting with Anna about various programs, I signed up for the 21 Day Fix Extreme and dove in.

What have you gained from the experience?

I have gained so much from this experience! While the physical and tangible gains--stronger arms, a flatter tummy--are nice, I've been way more impressed and happy with the emotional and mental gains I've made. As sad as it is, I think this is the first three weeks I've had in a long time where I have not once shamed by body or made myself feel like it wasn't enough. Instead, I've celebrated how much stronger the workouts have made me and I've finally been able to tune in to what my body needs, respect my hunger, and feed myself well-intentioned and balanced meals.

Favorite workout?

Before I started the Fix Extreme, I had burned myself out on intense workouts and was dreading going to the gym every day! It feels great to actually look forward to completing my workouts and my favorites are the Upper Fix and Pilates Fix Extreme. Those resistance band moves are killer!

Favorite go-to healthy foods?

I love all the food, but my staples are hummus, berries, greek yogurt, and nut butter. The program has really helped me work more protein into my diet too which has been amazing, and I love the 21DFX turkey meatballs for dinner!

How do you keep yourself motivated?

The accountability of nightly check-ins through Anna's group was really great, and I try and remind myself of how great I feel when I complete a workout or when I have fueled my body well all day. It also helps to remember why I started--what prompted me to reach out to Anna and start the program in the first place. When I think back to how I felt during that time and why I knew it was time for a re-set, I'm instantly motivated to keep going!

How do you feel about yourself now?

So much more confident and at peace. I'm not walking away from these last few weeks with the abs of Autumn Calabrese, but thats ok! I've developed some incredible habits and so much perspective, and I know that those two things will carry me well beyond the formal program as I continue to heal and nourish my body and work towards my fitness goals.

What advice would you give someone who’s just starting out on her health and fitness journey?

Remember that you are worth it! Taking time to meal plan, exercise, meditate, and rest is not time away from things you "should" be doing--its time that you deserve to devote to yourself and that will help carry you through everything else on your plate. Also, a crucial learning point for me has been that health is not all or nothing. You're not on track or off track--you're living your life and your life should involve both kale salads and ice cream. There is space for both, so remember your wellness journey is just that--a journey, a collection of habits you build up over time, and it won't be "derailed" by giving yourself the freedom to enjoy your life, treats included!

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Read all my client Success Stories HERE!
Are you ready to be my next feature? Learn more about my group coaching services HERE!

Spring in the City + Weekend Recap!

The tulips right now are INSANELY GORGEOUS! It's been a perfect tulip spring. I took this picture with my iPhone 4 camera, can't get over those colors.

And just like that, summer has arrived in Chicago and the entire city is waking up. It always feels like we go straight from 40s to 80s, typical Midwest climate rollercoaster!

May is probably my favorite month here. The trees are getting greener every single day, the flowers are glorious, the days are long, and on the weekends everyone is outside either brunching, gardening, or running. It’s like a big collective “exhale” after surviving another brutal winter, a joyful and calm buzz in the air before the oppressive heat arrives.

For the past few months I’ve been making an intentional effort to turn off “work mode” on the weekends and live my life. This sounds so obvious, but it’s been really hard for me to transition out of full time employee + night/weekend side hustler into full time self employed creative entrepreneur, especially since my job revolves around social media and staying plugged in and connected. It's been SO SO SO freaking hard to define boundaries and balance, even though it's been nine months since I quit my job. I was constantly thinking about my to-do list, my business, and new ideas, to the point that it was driving me insane and preventing me from really being present and fulfilled. Even though on paper I’m literally living the dream, on the inside I was still feeling desperate, stressed, and trapped in the endless cycle of “never good enough.”

After a few months of implementing a daily journaling practice, completing a session of Jess Lively’s Life With Intention Online e-course (SO worth it!), consistently working through The Artist’s Way, getting an amazing life coach Cady to help me process this huge career/life/identity transition, and slowly giving myself permission to back off and have more fun, I’m feeling like I’m finally settling into my groove and finding myself. It feels amazing! The warm weather, sunshine, and flowers are just icing on the cake. Last week was the first week I can remember NOT having any anxiety or feeling overwhelmed. I'm learning how to trust myself, let go of my ridonkulous expectations, go with the flow, and embrace being a beginner!

May has always been my spontaneous, drop everything and carpe the heck out of the diem month. Time to come out of winter hermit mode and live outdoors! This weekend was perfect.

Ben and I have lived in our apartment for almost three years, but we’ve never really connected with any of our neighbors until recently. It’s so fun to have friends in the same building as you. Friday night we met up for game night and played Ticket to Ride with wine and dinner.

Nope, this is most definitely not our house. Yet...

Saturday was the warmest day of the year so far, one of those glorious perfect sunshine-y days that beg to be spent outdoors. We ended up wandering around Wicker Park, feasting our eyes on the gorgeous gardens and old mansions and then went out for a run.

I'm finally in shape enough to be able to run WITH Ben instead of dying and feeling discouraged and frustrated. It’s amazing! And really ironic, since I haven’t even been trying to run more. I 100% credit Insanity and Shaun T for giving me insane cardio endurance and speed!

After running past lots of people cleaning up their yards, we were inspired to go to Home Depot and pick up some gardening supplies and gave our dirty concrete yard a mini-makeover.

Our building is ancient, poorly maintained, and I think of it as "gross," but I'm sick of complaining, feeling resentful that I don't have an updated kitchen etc, so I'm going to take ownership and make the best of what we have right now! I've been craving outdoor space, so now I have a tiny corner on the front porch where I can sit in the mornings to drink coffee, listen to the birds, and journal to start my day with stillness and peace! I'm going to start coming to you from Behind the Fern up there on the porch ;)

On Sunday I went to my favorite fitness studio The Barre Code for a big meetup with some other girls from the Chicago Tone It Up community. We were treated to a killer interval class, free socks, fun swag, and a free week of classes! 

Afterwards we headed out for brunch and mimosas and I ended up making several new friends and talking for hours. I feel so incredibly lucky to live in a big city where I can network and meet other women with similar goals and perspectives. I’ve made so many amazing friends through Instagram since I started my health and fitness account almost two years ago! Kind of like online dating for girlfriends...haha.

I also devoured this amazing book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, over the weekend. It’s all about how to simplify your life by letting go of possessions that don’t “spark joy” so you can live more spaciously and stop being bogged down with clutter and chaos. This book came into my life at the PERFECT time. My mind has been feeling so calm and clear lately, and I want my home and work space to reflect that. I can never feel calm or focused and I think it’s because of the clutter. We always complain about the lack of storage space in our apartment, but in reality we just have too much unnecessary stuff!

I can’t wait to start purging and de-cluttering our apartment! I’ll keep you updated on how it goes…

Did you do anything fun over the weekend?
What's your favorite part of spring?

xo Anna

p.s. TODAY (Monday) is the last day to order Mother's Day scarves from the shop! I've added a convenient "Ready to Ship" section for the designs that are just waiting to be gift wrapped and popped into the mail :)