The 'Tone It Up' Girls Share 8 Rules For Living The Fit Life

The "Tone It Up" girls, aka fitness and health enthusiasts Karena Dawn and Katrina Scott, helm the mega-successful #TIU universe based in sun-drenched Hermosa Beach that includes their website and an array of popular social media platforms: Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and an Instagram account (with over 1.2 million followers) highlighting workout routines, nutrition plans, motivational quotes, lifestyle tips, products and the power of female camaraderie.

The pair first met while working out at a Manhattan Beach, California gym. They became friends and realized the positive impact fitness had on their lives.

Scott says she was bullied as a child. "I was the heaviest girl in my class ... and I was teased on the bus," she said. Life turned around when her supportive parents put together a home gym for her: "I started to discover taking care of myself and finding self-respect and love through fitness, and in high school I joined the tennis team and I really started to develop relationships and friendships."

Dawn grew up watching her mom do Jane Fonda, Kathy Smith and Denise Austin fitness tapes and was super-active as a kid. "And then through high school I had some family issues ... I was in a dark place for about 10 years of my life and I turned to drug abuse and very self-destructive behavior, and there was depression," she said. "In my early 20s I finally had this aha, breakthrough moment where I said, 'OK, I'm either going to ruin my life or I need to make a change.' I thought, 'When was I the happiest in my life?' It was being 12, running a half-marathon with my dad and being active as a child. And so my healing process and therapy was getting healthy again and I got into triathlons and surfing."

After bonding over their similar backgrounds, they began to wonder how other women might benefit from their experiences. "We thought we could really share that passion with other women and hopefully change their lives too," Dawn said.

Continue reading the story to find out their advice on how to feel your healthiest, fit best.