Greetings Get Fit family, I hope you all are doing well! I’d like to take this opportunity to write to you about something I find very helpful to one’s well-being and mental state. That is all about finding your escape. You might ask what I mean by that, let me explain. To me, it can be a place, an activity, a hobby, anything that helps you focus on YOU and what you are doing and not everything else going around you. 

I find this to be very important considering the circumstances we all are living in right now. As these are hard times we are facing. With that comes a lot of things that can start to worry us, get us down, and even depress us. And that’s ok, that is life and what it means to be human. But what is not ok is to let yourself wallow in it. Do not let yourself succumb to the anxiety, depression, and all the negative emotions that are weighing you down. You need to distract yourself from these feelings and try to let them go. That’s where your escape comes in.

For me, it is always basketball. I know that whenever I was going through a tough time, I could always grab a basketball and go to any hoop and just shoot. I wasn’t focused on anything but what I was doing and it helped me relax and clear my head for a bit. For you, it doesn’t have to be a sport. It can be a favorite hobby like drawing or painting, maybe it’s yoga or some meditation. It can even be as simple as going for a walk. Whatever helps sooth you and provides that escape for you. As it gives you a moment to catch your breath and just breathe, and tell yourself everything will be alright. Find your escape.

Coach Dylan 

Do you have a vision for your life?  When challenges arise, it is helpful to have people close to you who share your vision.  In “The Energy Bus”, Rule #4 is “Invite People on Your Bus and Share Your Vision for the Road Ahead”.  The bus driver, Joy, tells her passenger, George, that while he is the driver of his own bus, he also wants to invite people onto his bus.  Joy explains “the more people you pick up along the way the more energy you create during your ride”. The goal is to fill your bus with positive people who will support your endeavors.  At some point you made the decision to make health and wellness a priority in your life. You may not even know it but by joining Get Fit NH you asked people to get on your bus. When you first met with one of the coaches at Get Fit NH you may have shared your vision for the road ahead.  Maybe you wanted to lose some weight and get stronger so you could do the things you love. This could be running, hiking, skiing, biking or keeping up with your kids/grandkids. Your coaches have taught you about exercise and how to fuel your body. Your Get Fit NH coaches have always been in the front row seats of your bus!  As you keep driving your bus you realize that you have invited many others onto your bus. Maybe you told your classmates, I want to run this 5K or I want to lose some weight and they have been by your side for the bumps in the road and celebrations along the way. You keep sharing your vision as it may change over the years and your bus has become packed with those who share your vision.  

Recently, you were driving your bus and you came to a huge roadblock.  You just can’t see around it despite your best efforts. Thank goodness you have a bus full of people showing you a different route and encourage you to keep going.  This road is not paved, and it doesn’t look like it has been travelled before. You are stressed because if you follow this road you don’t know if you will have a flat tire or mechanical issues.  Your passengers remind you of your vision and that you have travelled some pretty rough roads in the past. They also remind you of the tools that are aboard your bus because everyone has contributed to that tool bag.  While the road is uncertain, you decide to travel it anyways because you have the support that you need!

Coach Erin

Snacking is something you may be struggling with.  Now that you are constantly in the same place (most likely your home) without the option to really go out, snacking could be something you are having trouble with.  

Or just in general eating things you might not normally eat because it's not an option all day! Maybe it's snacks you have for your kids, or even deserts that maybe you’d have every once in a while but since it's there...and you are also…you find yourself indulging more often.  Here are some simple ways to set yourself up to stay away from it.

• Don't buy it 

• Have more supportive food options prepared.  It's easier to snack if there isn't a more supportive option available.

• If you are going to have some, plan it.

• Put it away, in a cupboard, a closet, etc.  If its easily accessible (candy in a candy dish) you are way more likely to grab it multiple times a day.

• Put it up or down a set of stairs. 

• Put it in a closet or something similar across the house. 

• Make it a pain to get to.

• Drink a glass of water before eating.

These are just a couple of any number of ways you can set yourself up for success.  The idea is to make it as difficult as possible to get to the option. 

Coach Adam

I’m sure if you are like me right now, you are probably a little out of your whack with your day to day activities given our current circumstances. That’s to be expected as most of us have been turned upside down and are trying to keep our head on straight. Right now it is very easy to find ourselves loafing around the house during this quarantine. It’s easy to stay up late and sleep in if we are not required to do so otherwise. I know because I have done it as well. But we can’t let it become repetition and get sucked into bad habits and all the bad decisions that come with it. 

So I think the best thing we can do right now to combat this is by trying to get into a good solid routine. I say this not just to you but me as well, as I also need to be accountable and more productive with the extra time given to me. For starters getting on a consistent sleep schedule can do wonders. Try and give yourself a bedtime at night to keep you from staying up. And give yourself an alarm to wake you up at a decent time. This will also help you get a good night’s rest. 

Another thing that can help is to write down some goals and tasks for yourself to complete throughout the day. For example, I can write down to study and read my book for an hour to help with my continuing education. By doing this I am now holding myself accountable and giving me a clear attainable goal. And by completing this and checking it off, I am filled with accomplishment knowing that I was productive and got it done. Just a small act like this can help get that ball rolling and yourself motivated to accomplish more throughout your day. 

Try and complete your workouts during the same time every day. So if you are a morning person and are used to working out early, then get it done early. Same if you are used to doing it later in the day. The more consistent you are with your workouts, the easier it will be to get into routine. These are all little things that can help make a big difference in trying to get ourselves in a good routine every day and stay positive and productive during this difficult time. Hope this helps you!

Coach Dylan

Here’s Henry performing a farmer carry in the gym.

Here’s Henry, Spring 2020, helping his Dad carry a heavy trash can of leaves. He’s choosing to help because he knows he can.

Here’s Henry, about a week later, helping carry this year’s Christmas tree from the yard to its final resting place in the woods. A year and a half ago he would not have done this. I am positive that at the point where he lost his grip, he would have also lost all interest and wandered off. But he didn’t. He picked it back up and finished the job. 

It turns out that the Autism Fitness activities we perform together in the gym aren’t just things to do to pass the time. They just might be the key to building confidence and perseverance in a person with autism, two necessary qualities of a productive human being. 

Perhaps people with autism don’t show initiative because they aren’t aware of what their bodies can do. And how can they be if their bodies aren’t doing things? 

If Henry is used to successfully carrying very heavy things in the gym twice a week, it’s not such a big imposition to ask him to carry something that isn’t that heavy at home. He does it because he knows he can.

Our Autism Fitness exercises are not just something our athletes are doing. The exercises are actually doing something for our athletes. Our athletes are growing not only in strength, but in ability and confidence. That’s why we do what we do.

Carry On!

Mae Lynn

Greetings everyone, I hope all of you are doing well. I just want to take this time to continue a conversation that Adam started with his Facebook video he posted on March 21. If you didn’t see it, I highly recommend you go check it out as he makes some very good points in his discussion. The  video is about positivity and opportunity. So I would also like to talk about the subject in this blog. 

Obviously, I know that these are challenging times that we all are facing and going through. It is easy to get caught up in the effects of the virus and how it is impacting everyone's lives. But just like Adam was talking about, we can either focus on the negatives, or we can try to focus more on the positives. Take this unfortunate circumstance and turn it into a chance to better ourselves. 

For example, I will be taking this extra time to continue my education and learn more about nutrition and how it impacts the body. Some of you may do the same and learn more about something you may be interested in. Maybe it's just reading a book or working on a particular hobby of yours like art or music. Some of you have kids at home continuing their education online. I know it can be challenging to get them to focus and do school in a home atmosphere, as I have two younger siblings doing the same thing. But utilize this opportunity to spend more time helping them learn. And if you're like me, probably teaching yourself also along the way. 

There are also positives to not being able to go to the gym. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no substitute for amazing coaches! You could even drag other family members to join in on the fun with you! There are positives to every negative. We just have to find it. We have to remain optimistic when we are filled with doubt and fear. It’s times like this that we must come together to support one another, however we can. For I believe we will become stronger after facing this adversity. Remember, you can’t have a rainbow without a little rain. 

Coach Dylan