We Have A Problem at Get Fit NH

Here’s the problem.

We have the most dedicated, determined and consistent clients anywhere.

When that comes to training that is fantastic. However it also means that you never want to miss a training session, no matter what. And that can and has been a problem. Stick with me and I’ll tell you why.

Our cancellation policy is different than most. We do not rely on the school districts to make the call, primarily because for our purposes they make it too late. Our first training session is at 5:00am, and the school districts make their decision later than that.

Here’s how we decide.

On the mornings we know that the potential for weather is bad, we are up at 3:30 to evaluate the situation. If it’s just snow we usually just get the plow out, clean up the yard and we are good to go.

This morning was a little different. At that time it was freezing rain and the roads were not yet treated. I took the car about 1/2 a mile down the road, and the traction control was buzzing the whole time. I came back to the house and looked at 2 different weather sites. At that time they were predicting the temperature was going to be hovering at 31-32 degrees until after 9:00am. We now know that turned out not to be the case.

Back to the “problem”.

We have had clients who just do not want to miss end up in snowbanks, down ditches, and one even rolled her car. I have dedicated my life to being the best coach possible, but it is not worth risking your life to train. There are safety issues surrounding clean-up of the parking lot, proper staffing, etc. that also need to be considered.

I hope you know we don’t take making that call lightly. We have closed 2 mornings and 1 afternoon in all the years we have been in business. I absolutely love the fact that some of you are ticked off at me that we closed, not because I want you to be mad, but because you love to train.

If you have any questions (or just want to vent at me) please let me know.

Thank-you,
Dean

Morning Bootcamp Training Sessions Cancelled

We’ve been up since 3:30 trying to decide, but the roads are not plowed, and I took a drive and it’s nasty out there.

I despise closing, but for all our sakes I feel it is the right decision. I anticipate we will be open this afternoon, so if you can make it then we will see you there!

Be careful out there!

Dean

Mark Your Calendars for a Morning of Romance

Love is in the air! Valentine’s day is right around the corner, Nancy and I are just about to celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary, and we are excited to announce a very special morning planned on Saturday, February 18th.

While we have a lot of couples who train with us, this event is not exclusive. This is your chance to show your sweetheart what all the excitement is about, and you don’t even have to sweat!

We’ll start the morning with a brief seminar we are calling “Lean On Me”, where we will talk about the importance of supporting healthy nutrition, exercise and lifestyle change starts at home.

Our program will be highlighted by Amy Troy of Chichester Massage, who will be teaching us how to effectively help our partner recover from that tough training session or maybe just a tough day with a soothing massage. What better way to show your special someone you love them? This hands on session is sure to be a hit.

We also are going to have a special live “Cooking with the Carlson’s” demo where you and your partner will see how quick and easy it can be to prepare delicious meals – together. We will then get to sample some great tasting food you’ll be sure to want to make at home.

We will be sending out a registration form soon, and space will be limited, so be on the lookout.

Heart to Heart

Date: Saturday February 18th

Time: 9:30am – 11:30am

Cost: $20 per couple

Location: TBD

Helen and Melissa Eat Pizza, What!?

No, they didn’t go “off the wagon”, what they did do is come up with a couple of really great options to cut down the starches and make a great tasting pizza that doesn’t have to be loaded down with a bunch of junk!

After all there’s a lot of great things to be said about a Pizza topped with fresh tomato sauce, loaded with veggies and topped with some fresh mozzarella cheese. The magic of these two recipes is they go a step further and add some unusual (and tasty) crust options.

Now don’t be fooled into thinking you can eat all you want, because calories still count, but put away your skepticism and give them a try – in fact we have had a number of clients who made Helen’s recipe and they could not believe there was no bread, and neither could their family – it’s that good!

Helen’s Pizza Crust

Helen, one of Get Fit NH’s finest, talked up this recipe so much we had her send it to us to make. Its a hit with our family too.

Helen said, “Here’s a pizza recipe with 1.7 grams of carbs! Well, that’s if it serves 8…. In our house, it doesn’t but you can do the math. And, the kids couldn’t even tell the difference! This is the only pizza in our house and I don’t miss the “regular” at all.”

Crust Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1 cup shredded Colby and Monterey jack cheese
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. basil

Combine above  – this is the crust. Honest! Use a 13 x 9 pan.

Bake this ‘crust’ at 450 degrees until browned to desired crispness/doneness, about 25 minutes.

It does not stick to the pan.

Then top with ¼ cup pizza sauce, more or less to your taste or your carbohydrate load. Add any mix of toppings that you like. You can also add additional cheese on top. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted to desired point.

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

Melissa, a superstar in Epsom, found this recipe and tweaked it a bit to make it her own. Amy and I made this for our family at  lunch. A hit enjoyed by all.

Ingredients:

• 1- 1/2 cup cooked, riced cauliflower
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 6-8 crushed garlic cloves
• pizza sauce, shredded cheese and your choice of toppings

To “Rice” the Cauliflower:
Take 1 large head of fresh cauliflower, remove stems and leaves, and chop the florets into chunks. Add to food processor and pulse until it looks like grain. Do not over-do pulse or you will puree it. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can grate the whole head with a cheese grater). I used a Vitamix blender and placed the cauliflower in three small batches to achieve the desired grain appearance.

Place the riced cauliflower into a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes. There is no need to add water, as the natural moisture in the cauliflower is enough to cook itself.

One large head should produce approximately 3 cups of riced cauliflower. The remainder can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.

To Make the Pizza Crust:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. I used peanut oil in a spray bottle and spread it around with my finger tips.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1 to 1/2 cup cauliflower, egg and mozzarella. Add oregano, and crushed garlic, stir. Transfer to the cookie sheet, and using your hands, pat out into a 9″ round. I made three pizzas with 1 cup cauliflower in each. It was a bit too thin to hold the crust like a pizza without folding it over. Next time I am going to use the larger amount of cauliflower.

Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

Remove from oven. To the crust, add sauce, toppings and cheese. Place under a broiler at high heat just until cheese is melted (approximately 3-4 minutes).

Melissa said she added spinach and mushrooms to her pizzas while we added a mix of peppers, mushrooms, olives, and red onions. The toppings are endless. next time I’d love to make tomato slices and fresh basil or spinach, garlic and feta.

Can anyone come up with other topping ideas?

Coach Nancy

Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Deb Saks of 5:00am Concord fame sent in the original recipe for Stuffed Cabbage Casserole. I revised it a bit to fit into PPW eating plan. (protein, produce, and water (a tall glass of water served with the meal is not included below))  Thanks Deb for another hit with our family! Drew said he loved this (and that’s saying something!)

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• 8 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 head green cabbage, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (14.5 ounce) petite diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 can (28 ounce) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups low fat mozzarella cheese

To Prepare:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a large glass casserole dish (I used an 11 x 13).

Heat a frying pan on medium heat; add the ground beef and the onion. Cook until it is brown. Once done add the garlic, thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add both cans of tomatoes. Simmer until it is hot.

While it is cooking, cut the cabbage into coarse pieces roughly 1 inch.

Remove the tomatoes mixture from frying pan and set aside. In the same frying pan add the cabbage and cook until it starts to wilt. It will finish cooking in the oven.

Layer half the cabbage in the casserole dish, top with half the meat/tomato mixture, then repeat. Cover with tin foil and bake for 40 minutes until the mixture starts to bubble.

Remove foil and top with cheese. Bake uncovered for an additional 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot, and keep in mind leftovers can be frozen.

Wicked Winter Workout 2012

Mark your calendars and plan to be at the 2nd Annual Get Fit NH “Wicked Winter Workout”.

Now that we have a few inches of snow, I think it’s about high time we get outside and have some fun!

We are off Thursday the 2nd, so make it a point to get here!

Wicked Winter Workout

Check out highlights from last year here

Visit our event page on Facebook here

Get Fit NH in 5 Chapters

Passing this along from our friends at Precision Nutrition. This poem is a great illustration of the process of change, and the truth that small steps in the right direction add up to big things. You don’t have to be perfect, just a little better than the day before.

Autobiography in 5 Short Chapters
A Poem by Portia Nelson

Chapter I

I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk
I fall in.
I am lost … I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter II

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place.
But, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter III

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in … it’s a habit … but,
my eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

Chapter IV

I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

Chapter V

I walk down another street.

Keep Walking, and Keep Making It Happen!

Coach Dean

Wolfe’s Den: The glass is half FULL… Day 50

Or in this case, Day 50 of the 100 Day Burpee Challenge… the half way mark. Only 50 more days and another 1,275 Burpees (editors note: it’s actually 3775, but who’s counting?) to go. The question now is, am I in or out?

As it is now 10:30pm and I am in the process of accomplishing my 50 burpees in increments of 10. Do 10, catch my breath, 10 more- stretch a little, 10 more- oh yeah, I’m supposed to breathe while doing the push up, 10 more- with a concentrated effort to breathe not pass out, and the final 10- that didn’t take too much time out of my day/night and woohoo! I’m done!! … until tomorrow… Day 51 = 51 Burpees! (and the vicious cycle begins again!) 52 Burpees on Friday, 53 Burpees on Saturday, 54 Burpees on Sunday… and so on until 100 Burpees on Day 100. Who’s idea was this anyway?? More importantly, what was I thinking saying, “I’m IN!” ?? (again why is there no one to slap some sense into me?)

It had to be because this was one of those Concord yahoos idea (and I mean yahoo in the most loving sense 🙂 ; and lets just say Epsom does NOT sit on the sidelines. Or maybe it was the whole ‘counting’ thing, we all know I am a counter (Tabata’s are one of my favorites). Yes I took the time to count how many Burpees we were actually doing! Or maybe, just maybe, it was the whole “Challenge” word that said ‘sign me up’! (I do love a challenge)

I guess it really doesn’t matter at this point, I’m IN… we’re half way! which is pretty exciting, because of course I’m thinking, it wasn’t that bad. I can say that now, because my 50 are done. Prior to, there was a whole lot of whining.

I have done 1,275 burpees in the last 50 days! I even see more muscle tone in my shoulders- yup, when I close one eye and squint … there! see it?!

Then there is the whole, not being one who is very coordinated to do a pushup, I thought this could help. Dare I say, I am getting closer to the floor than I ever have? Ok so maybe they are still painful to watch, I still get ‘stuck and cant move’, but I keep going. That’s what its all about, just keep going.

Someone has to keep Nancy and Karl company… Besides, I’m only in it for the t-shirt… and oh yes, there WILL be a t-shirt!

Blog you later.

gretchen <3

Pledge to the F.L.A.G.?

As we announced last week, we are preparing for a limited re-opening of our Fat Loss Accountability Group (F.L.A.G.)

To learn more about  F.L.A.G. click here, but DO NOT ENROLL, we don’t want your money until you have read and understand completely what we are asking.

Your coaches and our F.L.A.G. clients have both learned a lot about what does and does not get results through an accountability group. First of all it is important to realize that an accountability group is not magic, it takes work. What most of us need is the willingness to face reality that losing fat takes hard work, getting out of our comfort zones, and taking action consistently.

I am guessing a lot of you have enough knowledge to start seeing success, the key is putting that knowledge into action. The F.L.A.G. group is designed to make sure you are taking that action.

Did I use the word action enough?

Some of our F.L.A.G. group has thrived and seen tremendous results, others never really got off the ground, but most are somewhere in the middle. Making steady progress toward their goals, having good days and not so good days. Falling down and picking themselves back up – sounds a lot like life, right?

You won’t find any hard sell or sexy ad copy here, because that doesn’t do anybody any good. In fact we want to be absolutely sure you really want to be part of our group. It is a very small investment, and sometimes that’s not conducive to you doing your part. If we charged $1000 a month I bet you get it done! 🙂

So here’s the deal, if you want in, please take this short survey and tell us why. We would love to work with you, but we want to be absolutely sure you really want to do what it takes.

Make It Happen,

Coach Dean

Click here for the survey, and we will get in touch with you shortly.

Thank-You Dr. Jones

Many thanks to Dr. Laura Jones of Whole Health Concord for giving us a great talk on healthy foods and healthy eating last evening. We learned that our food choices are more about weight control, but also getting and staying healthy, inside and out.

And thank-you for an amazing turnout – with 60 people coming out it looks like we will be investing in more seating next time Dr. Laura speaks – thanks for making it work!

So you invested an hour and a half of your time – now what are you going to do with your new found knowledge?

Most of us process new information one of three ways:

1) We dismiss it.

“It’s too radical.”

“It’s too hard.”

“It’s too expensive.”

“I’m too busy. ”

“Nobody really eats that way.”

2) We file it away

“I like what she had to say, but I need to look into it more.”

“Interesting, I’ll think about changing some things.”

“I’ll start next week.”

3) We take action

We choose just one thing that we can implement – today.

Here’s one of Dr. Laura’s tips that I know works great because my family eats this way.

Yesterday’s dinner becomes today’s lunch. Simple as that. Take your leftover protein and veggies, pack them up to go, and bring them to work.

Experiment with that for one week. And then build on that experience. Step by step.

Here’s the link to http://EWG.org, which Dr. Jones mentioned last night. The front page has direct links to “The Clean Fifteen” and the “Dirty Dozen”.

I look forward to seeing you next time!

Coach Dean