AUTISM FITNESS @ HOME is here to help

Henry hates it when people say “okay?” at the end of a sentence. Hearing that one word can cause him anxiety leading to his screaming “okay!” loudly and repeatedly. Because of this, taking Henry to the doctor causes me as well as him a lot of stress. 

Supporting Henry and others with autism means knowing that the key to avoiding stress and anxiety is careful preparation before the doctor appointment. One especially useful tool is a social story that we read a few times before the appointment and maybe even on the way there in the car. The story calmly explains that many people use the word okay at the end of a sentence and that he will probably hear it at the doctor’s office. Okay is just a word and he can be calm and take a deep breath when he hears the word. If he can stay calm, mom will be proud of him and he will earn a trip to the mall to ride elevators. Today Henry has an eye doctor appointment. He reads the story to me a few times on the drive. I park the car, take a deep breath and we get out. Please don’t let the first person we see say okay…

As this example illustrates, on a typical day we autism parents have to think about a lot. Simple activities are not as simple for us as they are for most parents. Because of anxiety and cognitive processing differences, our kids don’t experience the world like most people. We need to think ahead and prepare them. They may need to read a social story before trying something new. We may need to make a written schedule telling them what to expect that they can hold onto and refer to on a day when they feel anxious. We can't ever just “wing it” or wait and see what happens.

Right now we are living an experience no one could prepare for. Social isolation has everyone scrambling to figure out a new normal, and that means a new daily structure. For those with autism, anxiety is probably at an all time high because every plan, every calendar, every schedule, is gone. They need predictability now more than ever. 

What meaningful and appropriate activities can we include on our daily schedule at home? Perhaps it occurred to you to add exercise into your loved one’s day. That’s a great instinct. There is plenty of research that tells us exercise is one of the best things we can do to reduce stress. It has even been shown to alleviate anxiety disorders and clinical depression. We know physical activity decreases levels of stress hormones and increases levels of endorphins, which elevate mood. We can all use a little more of that these days. 

What’s more, lowering the levels of stress and anxiety your child is feeling will reduce the frequency of their anxiety related behaviors (Henry asks the same question or repeats the same phrase over and over when he’s anxious) and might in turn lower the levels of stress in your entire household. 

Knowing this should inspire you to give exercise with your autistic offspring a try, even though we know that our kids are not generally motivated to try new things. They tend to want to do the same activities over and over, maybe the same movie or video game, because it’s what they are comfortable with. How do we get them off the couch? 

No worries. 

Autism Fitness begins by taking their fundamental differences into account. We know motivation is the number one hurdle we need to get over. Because of this, we have proven reinforcement methods that allow us to get athletes with autism to exercise. These methods work, time after time.

Okay, so maybe you went online and found some exercises. That’s a great beginning, but are those exercises even appropriate for your athlete? How do you know they can do them? What if they do them wrong? Will they get hurt? Once again, here is where Autism Fitness has the answer. Autism Fitness exercises are appropriate and doable for our athletes. They have been carefully chosen because they address the specific physical weaknesses that are typical in those with autism. Eventual mastery of these exercises will allow our athletes to move more efficiently and effectively. This is essential for activities of daily living. Talk about meaningful and appropriate.

In Autism Fitness, we meet our athletes at their current ability level and celebrate every achievement, no matter how small. If your child is successful at something you try together, and they see the excitement in your face, they will want to do it more. 

Here’s a little secret: in the year since I started doing this with Henry, he and I have had more joyous shared experience than in the previous 23 years. I don’t think you have to be an autism mom to enjoy doing an activity with your child. But only an autism mom can know what a miracle that is.

Ready to do this? Here is how AUTISM FITNESS @ HOME will work.

I will be sharing short videos produced by Eric Chessen, founder of Autism Fitness. These videos give a concise overview of a single exercise for you to use with your athlete. Then I will follow up with a video of me using Autism Fitness principles to guide Henry through these exercises.

Each time I post a new video, the workout I post will grow by one exercise. That way you will be able to see how we can train as a circuit and see the cuing we use to move from one exercise to another. Please feel free to ask questions! You can comment on the Facebook post or send me an email at imom313@gmail.com. I am looking forward to forming an interactive community where we share and help one another through these trying times.

Mae Lynn

One of our Get Fit NH family members let me borrow the book “The Energy Bus” by Jon Gordon.  I have fallen in love with it and think everyone should read it! The book is about a man, George, whose life is falling apart.  His marriage is on the rocks. His children didn’t like his negativity. His professional work life was not going well either. One morning George went out to his car to find he had a flat tire.  His wife was not able to drive him to work so he had to take the bus. This bus ride was about to change his life. The bus driver, Joy, was on a mission to be an Energy Ambassador and try to energize everyone who came on her bus.  George’s car had to be in the shop for a couple of weeks due to other mechanical problems in addition to the flat tire. Joy had a sign on her bus that said, “The 10 rules for the ride of your life”. Over the next two weeks Joy was going to teach him each rule.

Rule #1 – You’re the driver of your bus.  Joy told George “It is the most important of the rules because if you don’t take responsibility for your life and control of your bus then you can’t take it where you want to go”.  Joy said, “the problem today is that people feel like they have no say where their bus is going or how it is going to get there”. If you are the driver of your bus then you are in control and can create the life you want one step at a time.  The choices we make in life can change our energy and that energy is what fuels your bus. Joy challenged George by asking him what his vision was for life, work and relationships. She also talked about the importance of energy and told George “our thoughts are powerful because they are loaded with energy”. This energy is fuel for your bus.

I believe that many of us, at one time or another, thought that we were not in control of our life.  Stress builds up and we think that our circumstances dictate our future. We will continue to feel out of control if we are not the driver of our own bus. Is your bus being driven by thoughts of failure?  Maybe you have an injury or chronic pain, do you believe that it will always be this way and you will never achieve your goals? If so then you are letting pain drive your bus. Do you struggle with losing weight and making healthy decisions?  Fear could be driving your bus. It is hard to change old habits and sometimes we fear we will fail therefore we don’t make the necessary changes. Each one of us needs to be driving our own bus. What is your vision for your life? What or Who is driving the bus?  Are you taking control of the wheel to make it happen?

Coach Erin

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.