It may seem pretty simple and obvious at first, but it rings true on every occasion. Just think about it for a second. How many times has change happened in your own life without you first taking action? I can count zero times for myself. Granted there may have been other things happening before that moment, but eventually you had to take action. 

Having inspiration, ideas and insight, or imagination for new possibilities are all great things to have and think about when it comes to setting yourself up for success in whatever you pursue. Even though these are powerful tools, unfortunately these are not enough. We cannot think, strategize, hope, want, or envision ourselves into change. No matter how much time you spend on it or think about it. The only way you can create that change is by taking action.

A good way to help you take action is to break down what you need to do in order to achieve your goals. So start by writing down what your goals are. Once you have a specific goal, now you need to identify a skill. Which is the ability or capacity that you need to achieve said goal. Then you break that skill down into practice. This will be something you do that will help you build the skill. After that, you break it down into small daily actions. These are small specific tasks or behaviors that you can do daily and consistently. After repeating this over time, it will eventually become a habit. Helping you work towards completing your said goal. Remember only action creates change! 

Coach Dylan

Regardless of what your goals and ambitions are in life, it will take a fair amount of dedication before you accomplish those goals. Whether that is learning a new skill, starting a new career, or pursuing a new interesting hobby. In order to be successful, you need to be persistent. And it is no different when it comes to your fitness goals.

While I was scrolling through my social media feed I saw a quote that stuck out to me. As it is so true when it comes to health and fitness. The quote said, “be consistently good, not inconsistently great.” A lot of times we get so caught up in how hard we train when we workout. And I have certainly been a victim of it too! We think that if we aren’t lifting the normal weight we are accustomed too or we aren’t doing the same exercises that we are “missing out” on the workout. We feel like we need to be all in. And if we can’t then it is nothing at all. When really the opposite is true. Your workouts shouldn’t be an ALL OR NOTHING approach. Like I and other coaches have said, we would rather have you train all your days per week at 60% maximum effort over a longer period of time than 80 to 90% maximum effort and then fizzle out after a week. 

So remember, your ability to be consistent with your training as well as any nutrition plan over a long period of time is what will yield you great results. Aim to be consistently good, not inconsistently great. 

Coach Dylan

When you’re trying to lose weight, to build muscle or to improve your general wellbeing, good nutrition and consistency is KEY. A healthy meal plan can help you to nourish your body and provide it with the essentials it needs to perform at its best. Making a healthy meal plan part of your lifestyle can help to set you up for success with your goals!

Making a Meal Plan You Can Stick To

A meal plan can teach you how to balance meals and how to fuel your body properly. We know that consistency is important when it comes to health, so here are some tips to stick with your plan!

Have realistic expectations

Following a nutritious meal plan can have many health benefits, but it’s only going to work if you want to do it. You are more likely to want to follow a meal plan that is realistic for you and your lifestyle. 

We all have different needs, different goals and different bodies, which means there is no such thing as a single ‘perfect diet’. Once you make that shift in mindset, there is less pressure from yourself to be ‘perfect’ when following the plan. 

Aim to eat healthily and follow your meal plan without feeling as though you have to give up your favorites. Look for balance. Enjoy those favorites in moderation if you wish, but try not to give in to every single craving. Soon you’ll have built up those mental muscles that make it easier to resist cravings when they arise.

 Shop smarter

When you have meals already planned, you save time and money in the grocery store.

Have a shopping list ready and grocery shopping can become less hassle too. You’re less tempted to fill your cart with convenience foods or unhealthy snacks, and you have everything you need to prepare meals at home with no waste!

Meal prep

Meals don’t have to be boring aka the standard chicken, rice and broccoli. One of the best ways to stay on track with your meal plan is to spend some time each week on meal planning and preparation. Start by prepping your protein in bulk and freezing any left overs to be ready to go for the next week…time saver! Then prep your carbs (vegetables, fruits, grains) and healthy fats (avocado, nuts) to have a balanced meal. You can save time by buying precut or frozen vegetables, minute rice, chopped fruits, cooked proteins, etc.

Pre-plan before going out

Social situations can make it hard to stick to a meal plan, but it doesn’t have to derail your hard work. Planning ahead can help you to navigate social situations comfortably. Heading to a restaurant? Research what’s on the menu and choose something that resembles your meal plan or if you plan to order something you love, lessen your snacks prior and allow yourself to enjoy that meal. Heading to a friend’s place for dinner? Offer to bring a healthy side dish. If you’re following your meal plan the majority of the time, it’s absolutely okay to indulge or to deviate from that plan every now and then. Again, it is balance! 

Eat delicious food!

Any meal plan that makes you miserable is going to be hard to follow. Instead, find a meal plan that feels enjoyable, fulfilling and offers plenty of variety. Think of a healthy meal plan as a way to give your body the best fuel possible. That doesn’t mean you need to spend extra on premium ingredients — choosing fresh produce or ‘real foods’ and skipping the packaged, over-processed varieties, can make a huge difference to your health. Find healthy swaps or ways to make your favorite meals into healthier versions. 

Following a healthy meal plan can take time and practice, so remember to be patient with yourself and give yourself some grace! Don’t be upset with yourself if you slip-up, it is a learning process. Persistence can really pay off in the long-term, so even if it takes a few tries, keep at it as it is sustainability that we are after.

Coach Ashley

Simply, it is most important to understand what your body needs to get from the food you  eat. If you can get the balance right, it’ll be easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle and fuel  your training, work, home life and social life. 

To eat healthy, there are three things to consider: the types of foods you eat, how much,  and how often you should eat. Once you understand the best way to eat for yourself, you  can be confident that you are providing your body with optimal nutrition to fuel your daily  activities, as well as your training. 

Variety is key 

Eating healthy means including a wide variety of foods, from each of the five food groups. 

Choosing a variety of nutritious foods throughout the week can help to ensure sufficient  intake of all the macronutrients and micronutrients the body needs. Eating a variety  of foods will provide you with the energy to get through your day, increase your quality of  life and even help you to live longer as it reduces your risk of developing chronic diseases. 

So what are the five food groups? Vegetables and legumes (beans and lentils); fruit; grains  (ideally wholegrain or high fiber varieties); lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and  seeds and legumes/beans; dairy and alternatives. 

The groups represent foods that provide similar amounts of the key nutrients the body  needs to be healthy. For example, vegetables provide lots of vitamins and minerals as well  

as fiber for very little calories, and dairy foods (and their alternatives) are a good source of  protein, calcium and vitamin D.  

Depending on your age, basal metabolic rate and activity levels, you’ll need different  amounts of each food group. However, generally speaking, most of us need roughly 2  servings of fruit, 5 servings of vegetables, 4-6 servings of grains, 2-3 servings of protein  and 3-4 servings of dairy each day.  

The simplest way to eat the correct amount and serving is to focus on balancing your plate  and portion sizes. Ideally, each meal should obtain a protein, carb and fat source. By doing  this, you will be able to obtain the nutrients you need and be on track to meet your goals.  

“A healthy outside, starts from the inside.”

This is something I started learning about in one of my continuing education classes and it's very important. That’s deep health. As coaches, it is our job to help you with your fitness journey and improve your physical health. But the truth is, your health has many aspects that we should all be trying to improve each and every day. Deep health is about thriving in all domains of human experience and life. 

This includes our physical health, mental and cognitive health, emotional health, existential/purposeful health, relational and social health, and environmental health. 

Physical: I feel healthy, energized, and thriving. I perform and function well. 

Mental: I feel alert, focused, competent, and thoughtful. I learn, remember and solve problems well.

Emotional: I feel a full range of emotions, but mostly calm, hopeful and positive. I can express emotions appropriately. 

Existential: I feel a sense of meaning and purpose. 

Relational-Social: I feel connected and authentic with others. I feel supported. I belong. 

Environmental: What’s around me supports my health and wellbeing. 

These domains of deep health are all connected and when we can find the right balance to practice each of these it allows us to grow and excel as human beings and gives us a sense of vitality and purpose in the world. As I have talked about before with many clients. When you come to the gym, you aren’t just there for a workout. It’s more than that. It helps you unwind and decompress from all life’s stresses. Gives you a safe environment where you can grow and be supported by like-minded people. Build strong relationships and give you a sense of belonging. Ultimately, the gym is your sanctuary. Built to provide shelter and peace from any storm. 

Coach Dylan

We are approaching our second recovery week for 2021, woohoo! This is a very important time to allow our bodies to recover! After a hard 12 weeks of training our body gets tired and sometimes with fatigue little aches and pains start to reveal themselves. By taking a week off from hard training every 3 months we allow our bodies to rest and recover so that when we get back in the gym we feel rejuvenated and ready to take on a new phase of training. 

We have grown significantly over the last several weeks, so I am going to educate our new peeps a little more. 

At Get Fit NH our program is periodized. That means the training builds on itself over a 12 week phase. At the end of the phase our body has made significant progress...stronger, leaner, faster. Well, even elite athletes don't train 52 weeks a year. Our body would be beat up, injuries would pop up and with injuries often come set backs. That is not our philosophy. We train SMARTER so that we can stay in the gym and work hard. We schedule our recovery weeks around major holidays as those tend to be heavy travel times anyways. Aside from the recovery week in March, you can expect recovery weeks scheduled around 4th of July, Labor Day and Christmas. 

Our next scheduled recovery is July 5th through July 9th. As promised several months ago we will also offer a Get Fit NH test day on Saturday, July 10th. We run a test day, which I will explain in a moment, the first Saturday immedietly following a recovery week when our body is in its freshest form. 

So, what does a test day entail?

The testing day will always look the exact same. You will come in for a warm up and we will do 5 exercises for one minutes. You will count your reps, record your reps and the weight you used on our testing forms and that will be it. The next time we offer a testing day, we will bust the forms back out and you will see what you did last time and see how you progressed. You can expect 30-45 minutes of time for a testing day. It will be simple, efficient, visual and measurable- that's what it is all about! If there is an exercise you are currently unable to do then you will skip it all together. The measurable exercises will be:

Goblet Squat

Deadlift (trap bar or KB)

Push ups

Pull ups

Knee Grab Abs or in and outs

1000 m Ski Erg

This is absolutely free, of course and must be scheduled. Spots are limited. Last time we had a lot of no shows, not cool! If you want to do, do it. If you are unsure please hold off on reserving a spot! Sign up HERE for Saturday, July 10th at 9 AM

Another insane year in the books (almost)! How do you do what you do? I still have not quite wrapped my head around that, but wow, you're impressive. The last two school years especially will go down in history and you will forever talk about these years as the craziest years of your teaching career.

Who is rewarding your efforts?

We are. Yep, Get Fit NH sees you. We have so many teachers here at Get Fit NH and we see them continue to show up, work hard, cope with stress and it is respectable. So here's how we want to celebrate you...The next few offers are for new peeps only, but don't worry current teachers, we got you!

1.)  The rest of the month of June is FREE for teachers so hurry up an take advantage of this time here

2.) For all teachers who register, we will enter ONE name into a drawing to win the entire of month of July for FREE and any teacher that signs up in July will receive $50 off their first month.

3.) CURRENT CLIENTS WHO ARE TEACHERS....For every teacher you refer to us and chooses to stay in July, we  will give you $50 AND enter your name in to win a massage at Intuitive Touch! For all current clients who refer teachers to us who are not teachers, we will give you $50, but we are reserving the massage treat for our teacher peeps.

Let's grow together and celebrate these MVPs

Coach Meagan

Greetings my friends. After the first week of S3 under our belts I wanted to take this opportunity to talk about ways to help you stay on track with your nutrition challenge and better set you up for success. One of the big ones is creating an environment that supports you. What do you mean by that, you ask? Let me explain.

I am sure you can agree with me that what’s around us strongly shapes our behavior. In my nutrition course they talk about what they call “Berardi’s First Law.” Which states, “If a food is near you and conveniently available, you’ll eventually eat it” -Dr. John Berardi. And let's be honest, it’s the cold hard truth. So the environment that we find ourselves in can strongly influence our choices and eating habits. If you find yourself chilling at home and you are constantly walking by a bag of chips or even some Oreos. Chances are greater than not you end up snacking on those foods at some point.

Having the willpower to fight the temptation of indulging in snack foods is a lot harder when those foods are around you and constantly available. Eventually, you will crack and have some. And hey, that’s ok! But if you want to stay on track to hit your goals, then you might need to do a kitchen makeover. Start getting rid of all those snacks that don’t provide you with the necessary nutrients your body needs. Start putting more healthy alternatives right in the open for easy access. This way you are tempted with an apple or a banana rather than junk foods. Hope you find this helpful and use it to your advantage in your nutrition challenge. Good luck everyone!

Coach Dylan 

It is true, we are hiring! We are on the hunt for a unicorn and we need YOUR help to find the magic! 

We are growing and growing fast. The pandemic gave us a run for our money (literally, ha!) but it is no longer keeping clients out of the gym. Our goal is to provide our clients with an incredible coaching experience and help them get the results they are ready to work for. We take this job very seriously, BUT we don't take ourselves too seriously 🙂 

Here is what the job entails:

Getting to know 275 awesome clients. Learning their first name, their last name, what do they like to do, what are their hobbies, why are they here training, what is holding them back, how can we help them get to where they are trying to go, keep them accountable, push them, modify for them, crack super lame jokes while also being incredibly professional, smile, be enthusiastic, create an experience, have high energy, encourage them, celebrate with them...

We don't ask for much....if it is the right person  😉

Here's the part that often scares people away...remember, we are looking for a unicorn...

The first class starts as 5 AM. That means a show time of 4 AM which often means an alarm going off in the early 3 AM hour...We need to find the person who jumps out of bed and is PUMPED to get to the gym and have ENERGY and ENTHUSIASM by 5 AM. We have 4 (unicorn) coaches now and we believe there is a 5th one out there. Do you know them? 

Qualifications:

Must hold a certification- CSCS, NASM, ACE, ISSA....We are not picky, but must hold a current certification. Resumes that do not notate a certification will not be reviewed

A background in Exercise Science is a huge bonus 

No brainer qualifications MUST HAVES: 

MUST have professional and social skills 

MUST have problem solving skills

MUST be reliable

MUST lead by example

.....MUST laugh at my lame jokes.....and must be incapable of taking a serious photo

What's so great about working aside from amazing clients and a bomb team? 

• Full time
• No split shifts
• 3 weeks of vacations PAID yearly
• No weekends- SAY WHAT? Yep, you read it right. No weekends
• Starting salary (depends on experience): $31K-35K
• Health insurance after the 1st 90 days, we pay 50%
• 401K after the 1st year with up to 4% match
• Continuing education credits 

Send me your resume with subject line "I am the next Get Fit NH unicorn"

Meagan@getfitnh.com 

3 seconds to change your life

Are you ready for this? 3 seconds to change your life, what could I possibly be talking about?  Well here it is, the last three seconds of that round when you are here in the gym.  I know many of you have heard us as coaches talking about the most important set/seconds/rep being the last one.  Here is why, it goes well beyond just getting one more rep in for the purpose of building strength, it also helps our determination in parts of life.  

Yes of course just from the overload principle if you get one more rep than you did last time your body will anatomically improve.  That is important, but for this I am speaking specifically to a mindset.  Those last three seconds of that set where the voice starts counting down are the most important because of the will it takes to push through the finish line.  Rather than stopping because you know the rest is coming.  Do you have it in you to see things through to the end.  People think training is just about sets and reps, but the truth is that many of the principles we see in here translate outside the gym as well.

Here’s a great example, how many of you have done our S3, done our jumpstart, or any other nutrition based challenge we have done here?  Now how many of you have gotten down to that last day or two before the end, and even though you have been incredibly disciplined, and lost a ton of fat, go “ehh its over tomorrow and I’ve been perfect thus far, what’s one drink tonight really going to matter?”.  In the long run maybe you are right, what difference is one drink really going to make, but then how do you feel after.  You stayed disciplined all that time but couldn’t make it the last 12 hours? Why? You made it through 37 days and on the 38th you just say “ehh im basically done”?  

There aren't many things in this world that you can say are fact, most are just theories and ideas that haven’t been proven wrong yet.  Here is one thing I believe to be fact, it is in those moments when you hear the “3….2…1….” that your true character is tested.  How can you truly know yourself if you don’t give it everything you have, if you have more in the tank but decide to quit early.  Those last three seconds are when your will power is the lowest, when your determination is the lowest, but where the meaning is the highest.  If you can push yourself to make it through those last three seconds without quitting early then you broke through your own wall and often it's easier and easier to push all the way after that.  

Those three seconds where you see the light at the end of the tunnel, but stay disciplined and don’t try to get there early are the most important in your life.

-Coach Adam