Welcome to "Today's Focus" - the new blog for Right Focus Fitness. By following this blog, you’ll have an opportunity to follow along with the Autism Fitness magic that happens regularly here. Each blog post will focus on specific concepts and insights related to our Autism Fitness approach.

In the last couple of months, much has been going on behind the scenes. As I continue working with my athletes in their individual programs and having them amaze me pretty much every session, our mission is gradually taking shape. We now have two more coaches certified to train athletes using the Autism Fitness approach and we have begun planning what we will be able to offer in the coming months. First, we will now be able to provide one on one training for more adults on the Autism Spectrum than was possible when I was the only certified Autism Fitness professional here. Second, we have a plan that will enable us to reach out to the wider community. While our one to one training will continue to focus solely on adults, we will also offer the three hour Autism Fitness “Try This @ Home” hands on workshop for parents and caregivers of athletes of any age. I held the first of these in November at Get Fit NH and it was well received. At the workshop, I encouraged parents to think of fitness as a life skill and they left empowered to go home and set up an environment to help their own athletes with autism make fitness a part of their lives. Our plan going forward is to do these a few times a year at Get Fit NH and even “take our show on the road” to bring the magic of Autism Fitness to camps or day programs where this programming would be useful. 

Please follow us here and watch our Facebook page. We will be announcing our first workshop in the coming weeks as well as the availability of more one on one training opportunities. In the future, I’ll be using the blog to share videos and write educational pieces about Autism Fitness concepts and principles.

Yours in the Movement for Movement,

Mae Lynn 

UPDATE 3/28/2020

I wrote this blog post just a few days ago, but had not yet published it. And then everything changed because of the rapidly spreading CoronaVirus. All of a sudden, I could no longer work with my athletes at the gym. Henry and I were isolated at home and we needed to figure out a new normal. Today we were spending time outside and I was thinking about how hard this is, especially for people with autism. Families everywhere are coming to a new understanding of how important structure and routine is for their mental health. But autism parents have known it all along. For my Henry, the difference between having a schedule versus not having one means the difference between a calm, peaceful, interactive day and a very anxious day with a lot of ritualistic behaviors and stims. He depends on his monthly calendar that we keep on the fridge and checks it several times a day. Seeing “gym” on the calendar on our regular gym days as well as all the other activities scheduled on the other days was his rudder in a stormy sea. In late March, gradually these activities were erased, until the calendar was blank. 

There is nothing more anxiety provoking for Henry than an empty calendar. It was pretty clear to me that that calendar had to come down and get replaced by a new daily schedule each day. Filling that schedule was the next challenge. I know I share that challenge with all parents, but I especially relate to autism parents who right now are trying to be everything to their families: teachers, direct support staff, chefs, housekeepers, etc. all while trying to explain it all to our kids who most likely will not be able to understand why the rug has just been pulled out from under them. It’s up to us again to provide them with some stability - and the sooner the better.

Over the last year, Autism Fitness has given us functional, meaningful activities to enrich Henry’s days. Now when so many others are looking for this very thing, I’ve decided to tweak the mission of our program for now. I’m going to use this blog and our Facebook page to coach and encourage parents to add exercise to the daily schedules of their athletes with autism during their time at home together. Since we are all at home anyway, there can be no better time to “Try This @ Home.”

We're all in this together, let's make it happen.

Mae Lynn

On Thursday, Governor Sununu called for all non essential businesses to suspend operations until Monday, May 4, 2020. We know this will surprise you, but Get Fit NH falls in the "non essential" category. We are both crushed and relieved that we are not forced to continue making these tough decisions. 

Just because we are not in the gym does not mean we are not moving! Here is our plan over the next 40 days...

1. Continue offering excellent TrueCoach programming and coaching. We will continue to modify training as needed for each individual and make changes as needed. We want to meet you where you are at and help you be successful during this tough time. Moving your body and creating time for you are two things that should be in your daily schedule
2. Offer 121 video chats using Google Meet. We will post availability weekly so you can click the online scheduler and pick a time for a quick ten minute check in with any coach. 
3. Live streaming. We will live stream the workout everyday so you get to see a coach and do it along side us. We will stream the workout in TrueCoach and you will be able to watch it later if you miss it!
4. Milestone card will still be completed - expect a call to help you stay on track

This is not forever, this is just for now! Staying strong and committed to yourself through the hard times is a set up for a life time of success and continued results. 

To watch the full video of the "press conference" we did on Friday night click here it is a good listen offering suggestions on how to tweak the programming to fit your unpredictable schedule. 

We are going to be technology pro's when this is all said and done!

Stay healthy,

Coach Meagan

Why hello there and welcome to this week's episode of a national crisis!

How are you doing? No, really, how are you doing?

Don't be ashamed to feel and admit that you are experiencing fear, uncertainty, anger, anxiety, stress...guess what? 

You're in good company. 

I know you feel alone, we all do. But you are so far from truly being alone. This was not in anyone's goal setting session at the beginning of March. This was not in anyone's business plan in January. You cannot plan for this kind of thing, but you can come out on the other side with new skills and results.

It is REALLY hard to see the big picture right now, I get that. It is REALLY hard to stay positive right now, I get that too. I would challenge you to write down 10 things you are grateful for. Start there to grab hold of your bigger picture.

Then, focus on the things you CAN control like:

• Creating a daily schedule to fit your new normal
• Mindful eating and meal planning
• Drinking water
• Turning screens off by 9pm
• Completing TrueCoach training EVEN THOUGH IT IS NOT THE SAME (Remember, NOTHING is the same right now!) 
• Stop scrolling on Facebook and reading the negativity
• YOU CONTROL YOU! You cannot control what other people are doing so don't let it run your life!

Look, I know a lot of you are hurting right now and that hurts me. I know many of you have been laid off, some of you are teaching remote while also trying to help your own kids learn remotely and I know some of you are getting hit hard financially. 

For the sake of your mental health focus on the things you CAN control! Use post it notes and stick them on every cabinet, every door, every mirror. You are worth it! You matter! 

You (alone) are not in control of this pandemic

You cannot control if your boss is forced to let you go

You cannot control the financial impact

You cannot control what others do

You CAN control how you take charge of YOUR health today

Rising up through the hard times IS results!

​Coach Meagan​​

Everyone who decides to start training and working out does so with a goal mind. It may be multiple reasons, or maybe they have a single purposeful goal that he or she is trying to achieve. Regardless of their own desires or reasons, almost always there is motivation backing their choice to start exercising. Motivation is a powerful tool to help us start something, continue to do it, and hopefully achieve whatever it is we are trying to do. 

So my question to you is, what is your motivation? What is your motive for exercising? It can be anything. Maybe you have a goal to lose ‘x’ amount of weight. Maybe it’s to gain muscle. Or perhaps it's to try and get stronger to lift heavier weights. To run a marathon or compete in a race/competition. Whatever your goals are you must be motivated to achieve it. Otherwise you may lose interest. 

Once you become motivated it's easy to act on it. But the key is to stay motivated, regardless of how long you may have been working towards your goal(s). How can you stay motivated? First, try to remember why you started in the first place. Think back to before you even started, and then look at how far you’ve come in that time. How much did you improve since then? Regardless of the answer I guarantee all of us have had some amount of success since we first started. Now relish that success. Let your past achievements fuel you to reach even new heights. Set new goals to continue to push yourself and be the best you can be. Stay hungry, stay motivated and Make It Happen!

Coach Dylan

All too often we can get caught up on a number. Usually this number resides on the face of a scale in terms of weight. Don’t get me wrong this number is important and it should be for a multitude of health reasons. But please try to understand it does not mean everything. Especially in terms of your time and success in the gym. Let me elaborate by what I mean.

Yes, losing weight is a crucial aspect of why many of us workout. But it is also not the only benefit of training. Working out helps us build muscle and strength, works on our mobility, and can help prevent injuries. It also can help improve our mental health as well. Losing weight is just a byproduct of training as it helps us burn more calories. True weight loss happens in nutrition. As you might have heard the expression, “abs are made in the kitchen.”

I know a lot of you are participating in the Milestone Club and completed the 21 Day Nutrition Challenge and that’s awesome! Those are great accomplishments but understand, losing weight takes time and consistency. It does not happen overnight, or in a week, sometimes it may take months to see significant results. So if you do not meet your goal by your next weigh in please don’t stress out about it, as that does nothing for you. 

Your weight fluctuates daily. I can weigh myself one morning and be 145lb, then weigh myself later that same day and be 150lb and that is normal. As we are consuming food and fluids throughout the day that impacts our weight. So I beg you not to stress about the scale as it is just a number at the end of the day. Try to celebrate your success by how you may be feeling now, compared to how you started. How much stronger you might have become since training. Or how certain clothes fit you better now or may even be too big. Point is, don’t let the scale take away from the hard work you put in the gym. Every time you step through those doors you are striving to be better than you were yesterday, and that's what really matters.

The last couple of weeks have been pretty historic. I can only hope we don't have to face this in our life time again and I can only hope that it disappears as quickly as it hit. That is why we have made the decision to stop classes effective immediately. We plan to resume in person training on Monday, March 30, 2020. 

The country was declared in a "state of emergency" on Friday. On Sunday afternoon the Governor closed all schools for the next THREE weeks! This is serious stuff and our number one concern is and always will be your safety and our team safety. 

Luckily, one of the two weeks we are choosing to close is already a scheduled recovery week. Adam will be sending email invites to our online coaching platform. TruCoach. Be patient as we are working hard to get this plan rolled out and ready to use for all of you. 

Once you get your email (give us 24 hours) you will have an invite to create your account. Once your account is created you will have access to training for the week of March 16th. The system allows us to see who completes the training! The guess work of, "what should I be doing?" is done for you and furthermore the accountability piece is taken care of as well. If your training is not complete we will be reaching out to you to see how we can help you keep moving!!! We recommend that you complete your training at your normal training hour to stay in your routine. 

The week of March 23 is a scheduled recovery week so please take that time to recover. Enjoy some time outside! Go for a hike, a walk, a bike ride. 

We will be here for you virtually, you can count on that!

Thank you for understanding and we will see you back Monday, March 30, 2020

Coach Meagan

We have received a lot of questions about what we are doing to keep the gym a safe place as the world is faced with Coronavirus...

Here are things you may not know that do regularly:

• Disinfect floor between each class
• Wipe down benches with disinfectant wipes between each class (when used)
• Wipe down TRX handles, ski erg handles, bands, dumbbells, kettlebells, foam rollers and knee pads. THIS IS NOW A DAILY REQUIREMENT FOR OUR TEAM!
• Vacuum after each morning session and evening session
• Professional cleaning twice per week
• Dust (with antibacterial polish) twice per week 

With recent national concerns we have definitely upped our cleaning game and we are asking that anyone with a flu like symptoms or fever steer clear of the gym. We also ask that if you have or plan to travel to Italy, China, Iran or South Korea that you steer clear of the gym for two weeks per recommendation of the CDC website.

I think we can all agree that we can take some personal responsibility and make sure we

• Wash hands frequently. There is a bottle of hand sanitizer on the gym floor and in the lobby. 
• Avoid touching your face
• Cough and sneeze into your elbow 
• We also have Clorox wipe and sanitizer wipes on the bench which you are welcome to use to wipe down something you are questioning using 

We are doing the best we can to keep Get Fit NH a clean and safe space.

Strength and power Pt. 2 and Golf mashup

I have 7 clients in the class who love it so much they want to continue another session! Since this is the case I am only opening up 5 spots, act fast!

One round of the strength and power class is in the books and I am happy to report it was a great success!  So I have decided to open up the class for a second session. I have also decided that I will mashup this class with the golf class I did last year.  Formatting will be the same but the training for those who are looking for more rotational based sports training will have different training written more specific to their goals.  Reminder: I am only opening 5 spaces! So space is very limited! Due to the nature of the class more than 12 people in the room can get congested and coaching suffers, to get everyone the coaching they are looking for I am only opening space for 5 people to join the class! Act quick because space is limited!

What you get;

• Personalized training (everyone has their own individually written training based on their goals)

• More hands on coaching (a maximum of 12 people will be in the room which allows for more one on one coaching)

• Different exercises

• The smaller class size allows me to do some things that are different than in normal group training sessions.

This class is for you if;

• You are a rotational sports enthusiast (Golf, Softball, ect)

• You like a challenge.

• You want to pick up heavy stuff.

• You want to move fast, jump, and throw stuff.

This class will consist of individualized training written for each participant, which will progress over his or her time in the class.  While this is a challenging class this format allows me to work around any pain or movement restrictions you may have in an individualized manner.  This is a class that builds on itself therefore there will be no drop-ins, however we are offering the class in 4 weeks blocks so if you find that you are unable to make 4 weeks in a row there will be opportunity to make up the class in the later weeks.

When: 7:30 am Saturday morning for 12 weeks, April 4th-June 20th 2020

Where: Get Fit NH Concord NH

Cost: 4 weeks- $167, 8 weeks- $279, 12 weeks- $357

If you have any questions please contact Coach Adam: Adam@getfitnh.com

This is a general rule that I try to employ when trying to make any sort of change.  Make the habit or thing I'm trying to get away from harder, and make the one I want to replace it with easier.  Now what exactly do I mean by that? Lets use food as an example because that is often what I am always trying to make a change to.  What I try to do is make it as difficult as possible to get myself unsupportive foods and make it as easy as possible to get/eat supportive ones.  What exactly do I mean by that? Well for example if there is unsupportive food in the house (I don't have complete control over that comes into and out of the house) I put it somewhere far off.  Usually it's up high, down low, buried behind other stuff, anything I can do to make it more challenging to get to. For those of you with the ability, maybe keeping it in another closet at the opposite end of the house.  

The nice thing is that this strategy works for everything!  Let's say you want to keep a room more organized/area/whatever it may be.  Make it take as little effort as possible, chunk the tasks associated with that together.  Let's say you want your bed made, clothes folded, bedroom floor clear, and who knows what else.  You know what will make that a lot more daunting? Make the bed...go down stairs and eat, do “x,y,z” else, come back up grab clothes, go to drop in the washing machine, come back ect.  That's a lot of extra time and effort, an easier thing to do would be to do it all in one fell swoop and not have to come back again. Make bed, pick up stuff off floor, whatever else, grab laundry then go to put it in.  That whole room is taken care of. Same sort of stuff can apply to making cooking easier. Get everything you need measured out from the very beginning, get everything you will need out first, utensils, bowls, ingredients, if it is something that needs the oven turn that on first.  Get the ingredients measured out in their own bowls etc. Then just run straight through the steps. You will be surprised at how much time it saves you over grabbing the spice, putting it in the bowl, then going to grab an egg, coming back and putting it in the bowl. Or getting to the end and having to wait for the oven to heat up.  Find ways to do as little “moving” as possible, more trips=more time=less likely to do it (which is why adding more trips and more time to something you are trying to stay away from helps on the flip side) and overall that will help you out!

Coach Adam