Meagan Sbat
Meagan Sbat
Stop it.
If you weigh yourself daily- you have a scale obsession. I hope that wasn’t offensive, but it’s true and it really is not a healthy habit. I am going to share with you a little story about the Coach Meagan you know now and Meagan before Get Fit NH.
Pre- Get Fit NH Meagan was OBSESSED with the scale. I would weigh myself multiple times a day and OBSESS over the number that appeared. If it wasn’t under a certain number it would ruin my day or ruin my mood. I had completely convinced myself that this mysterious number pulled from who knows where was my “fit” weight. Now let’s fast forward a couple of years to Coach Meagan (and more educated Meagan) – she is here to tell you that that is just bologna. I have been coaching and training with Get Fit NH for the past 2 years and since then I have gained somewhere between 15-20 pounds depending on the day. There was not a day in the Marine Corps where I felt more fit than I feel now and I truly mean that. I am significantly stronger now and I actually eat protein now! My Marine Corps days is when I was really obsessed the scale and I lived off of rice, beans and steamed veggies. I won’t get into great detail, because it’s a distant memory now.
I just want you to remember that it isn’t healthy to obsess over the scale and like I said if you weigh yourself everyday then you’re obsessed. Your weight is going to fluctuate and you are going to drive yourself batty. The scale doesn’t measure your lean weight versus fat weight, but I know how to find that out. You want to know the answer? Schedule a body fat with this girl or one of your other coaches. Don’t let the scale control you. You are in control of your results!
I read a disturbing statistic this week. Before I share it I do need to disclose that I do not have children, but it does not change the fact that this statistic is unacceptable. And if you are a parent please realize it is up to you to start making a difference!
This is a fairly recent survey that was taken in New Hampshire. This survey collected heights and weights from third graders around the state. These statistics were based off of 81 different public schools and a total of over 3,000 students.
The survey found that 33.4% of third graders were either obese or overweight. That means 1 in every 3 children! Breaking that survey down a little further found that children in the Belknap/Merrimack county region had the highest prevalence of obesity among New Hampshire third grade students. This is a scary thing.
Overweight and obesity are risk factors for type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and countless other health problems. I am confident that nobody wants their children to be faced with scary health risks.
Guess who your children’s biggest role model is? Yep- you guessed it. Look in the mirror. Whether you want to believe it or not you are setting the example for your children.
Without you what does life look like for them?
I hear way too many excuses that sound a little like this…
“I didn’t buy those Oreo’s for me, I bought them for the kids”
“Eating healthy is expensive, I have to make two separate meals for me and my children”
These are just examples of things I have heard. So what you are saying is that you don’t eat Oreo’s because you know they are not good for you, but you will buy them for your children each time you go to the grocery store? Now let me be clear- I realize this is a controversial matter I am discussing- I am not saying you should deprive your children of these things for their entire upbringing. I am just saying that it is up to you to lead by example.
It is up to you to show them the way. Lead by example. Celebrate your success. Don’t down talk yourself. Be active and be positive about all of the exercise you are able to do. It is a blessing. Treat your body the way you want your children to treat theirs.
Make it Happen
Coach Meagan
It’s true, and you will want to be there!
Mark your calendars:
When: Saturday November 1, 2014
Time: 8 AM – 1PM
Where: Get Fit NH Concord
Who: You, your family, your friends, and some of Concord finest businesses
What: November Family Yard Sale & Fundraiser
This will be our first annual yard sale and vendor fair. We want this event to go down in history so we need your help! Here is what’s in it for you:
Get Fit NH students: Forget spring cleaning! Let’s spare ourselves some time this spring and do some pre-winter cleaning. We are inviting all of you to gather up any items that you would typically sell at a yard sale (ie: clothes, dishes, books, etc) and bring them to Get Fit NH on November 1st and sell away.
We are inviting the entire community to come shop around so if you have things you want taken off your hands we can help! And here is the bonus- You get to KEEP your profit. That’s right- keep it. All we ask is that you invite your friends and family to come check out the big huge yard sale at 287 South Main Street in Concord.
You do however have three choices if you wish to participate in the donation part of this event:
All we ask is for you to invite and share the good word.
So what else is in it for you, you ask? GREAT QUESTION!
We have invited some really great local businesses to come hang out with us as this will also be a vendor fair! We invited Amy Troy from Chichester Massage & Bodywork Center, Evolution Rock and Fitness, Runner’s Alley, and several other businesses to come out and talk to you all, so come join us in supporting these local businesses!
If you are planning on participating in the yard sale please contact Coach Meagan by October 25th. If you are interested in donating to Open Hands Resource Center please bring your items to the gym by 1 PM on November 1st. We will be happy to donate them for you 🙂
Open Hands Resource Center mentioned they mostly need clothes, linens, food, and hygiene products. You never seize to amaze us with your generosity.
Thank you for reading and again please help us make this event HUGE!
Coach Meagan
I have to share with you my goosebumps coach moment on Thursday morning.
You know when someone hits those notes during the National Anthem that give you goosebumps and make your arm hair stand up? Well, imagine those goosebumps, because that’s how a proud coach moment feels! As many of you remember we finished our last “session A” on our training cards Thursday. For those of you who have been here over the past 4-5 weeks you have had the chance to complete this training day on 4 separate days. Now hold on…I need to go a little off track before I go into the goosebump moment. No skipping ahead- this is important!
Training cards. Let’s talk about these real quick- Why are training cards important? Great question.
– We are all here for results, right? So what better way to track our progress then to write it down? If we did (for example) kettlebell deadlifts one week and then you didn’t see that exercise again for 3 weeks would you remember how much load you used and/or how many repetitions you completed three weeks ago? Allow me to answer that for you- no!
– If we keep the same timing and the same exercise and you record your results over 5 weeks then you will see where you got better. Maybe you did more repetitions or maybe you bumped up your load selection.The important take away here is that your body does not want to change. You must make it change. At Get Fit NH we want you to get results safely, effectively and efficiently. If you deadlift 100 pounds one week and then next time you deadlift 70 pounds because you can’t remember how much you picked up last time, but hey those dumbbells are pretty heavy- do you think your body is going to change? NO! It already knew it was capable of that so it doesn’t have to change. Get comfortable being uncomfortable and make your body change.
– Just like we encourage body composition tests we will stress the importance of these training cards. If your not measuring your success then your hiding from your potential.
Now my goosebumps moments that you have all been waiting for…
On Thursday we finished our 4th “session A” training day and I asked a couple of the training times, “who saw improvement over the last 5 weeks?” and every single student in the room raised their hand. Everyone! Seriously that is incredible. Now let’s take it back to before training cards and imagine if I asked that same question…who could raise their hand with 110% confidence that they made improvements over the past 5 weeks? I know many would assume or raise their hand because they measure in other ways, but for everyone to raise their hand and be able to look at their card and say “I got stronger” is pretty stink’n cool!
And that, ladies and gentleman, is why training cards are here to stay. It’s all about getting better and we want to congratulate you for doing just that over the past 5 weeks!
Keep making it happen,
Coach Meagan
Over the weekend I spent a little bit of time packing up my house. As many of you know I sold my home and will be moving to Nashua very soon (not to worry- I am not leaving the Get Fit NH family. You can’t get rid of me that easy!) Anyways as I was packing I came across a binder my mother kept for me while I was in boot camp. She saved every single letter I wrote her all the way from day 1 through day 80. I can’t tell you how thankful I am that she saved these letters. It was funny (now) to relive some of those memories.
Letters/journals are funny like that. They capture the “now”. They capture exactly what you are feeling and how you are feeling and what is making you feel that way. As I read these letters I honestly revisited some of those emotions. At first all of the letters were sad filled with expressions like why did I do this, what was I thinking, I am going to fail, time is dragging, I don’t understand….then the next month the emotions eased up a little. Expressions like I am starting to understand, I really like _____, I need to work on ______, I killed it on _____ and then last month there were hardly any letters, but the ones that I did write were all positive filled with stories about what we did that day and what kind of events were coming up.
So what is the purpose of me sharing this with you?
This can be applied to any goal. My goal was to earn the title Marine.
Was it easy? Heck no!
Was it an emotional roller coaster? Absolutely
Did I learn a lot about myself? Yes
Did I GIVE UP? NO!
If I gave up then, I can assure you I wouldn’t be writing this today and you need to think about your life in the same way. Set a goal today and get excited to share your story. All of those emotions apply. At first it is hard- really hard- but it does get “easier.” By easier I mean you fall in to a routine. You know what works for you. You strive to get better because you know how far you’ve already come. Keep a journal if it helps. Capture the moments and look back on it. You’ll realize on those days that your feeling weak that it is not worth going back.
-Coach Meagan
On Saturday October 11th Get Fit NH is headed over to New Hampshire Motor Speedway to get colorful! The Color Run is coming to Loudon and we have a team ready for you to join, Our start time will be 10 AM.
We always have a great time when NHMS sponsors these events, and seeing as we are now the “Official Gym of New Hampshire Motor Speedway” we want to make our presence known!
. This is a great 5K for the entire family. You can walk it, run it, skip it…..whatever! Big kids and little kids – oh and adults too- can enjoy this event. Go in looking plain and come out with pzazz!
Here is the link to join our team. Please make sure you let us know you joined and we’ll give you the top secret meeting location 😉 Our team name is Get Fit NH!
-Coach Meagan
On Saturday October 4th for the first time in Get Fit NH history we’re getting together the WHOLE family- spouse, kids, AND furbabies. Let’s get together to enjoy the foliage and those last moments of bare sidewalks and cool breeze. It won’t be long before the snow disturbs the peace again (can you tell this is Coach Meagan writing?) so let’s take advantage of it!
We will be walking about a 5K. If your pup is a little older and unable to do that right now- come join us for half! I’m sure Fluffy will appreciate the exercise. If you don’t have a dog- you can still come and if you want I can lend you one of mine (it might be a great reminder why you don’t have dogs!)
Don’t be afraid to invite your friends and their dogs. We welcome all!
Date: Saturday October 4, 2014
Time: 9:00 AM
Location: Get Fit NH Concord parking lot
Hope to see you there!
Over recovery week, I spent some time at the Veteran’s Hospital in Boston. I would like to say it is always a humbling experience, but sometimes I let other emotions cloud what an incredible experience it is to get to go to a Veteran’s Hospital.
I promise there is a purpose I am sharing this with you, but I will get to that later…
As I am sure you can imagine, when I walk into a Veteran’s Hospital I am the youngest patient in there, usually by at least 20 years. I get all kinds of weird looks and most people (doctors and patients) ask me if I am there because my husband or dad served. My answer is always a smile and lifting up my sleeves to show off the ink that I try and keep covered while coaching.
This past week while I was there, I sat on a bench outside of the hospital waiting for the Veteran’s Hotel to open across the street. While I was soaking in the last moments of summer, I was approached by an older veteran. He sat by me and said, “Semper fi!” (Note: Semper fi is a Latin term meaning “always faithful”. It is the Marine Corps motto and it is a term Marines use when they see other Marines).
Anyways, the veteran says “semper fi” and takes a seat. The next part of the conversation went something like this:
Older veteran (reaches out to shake my hand): “Corporal Clark. Korean War 1951.”
Meagan (shakes hand): “Sergeant Sbat. Operation Enduring Freedom, Helmand Province, Afghanistan 2012.”
After introducing ourselves, we started talking about what our jobs entailed while we served. Then, we got into what I do now (which, by the way, I refer to as a life changing coach) and talked about the surgery I was about to have and how it would affect my way of life over the next few months. A few minutes later, his ride pulled up so he lifted himself from the bench using his walker and said:
“You may not be able to tell, but I used to be strong as an ox. I wish I never gave up. I can’t even remember why I stopped, but it wasn’t worth it. I’ve lost my independence because I let myself get weak. Don’t ever give up, Marine. Semper Fi.”
Need I say more? Do yourself a favor and find your “why”! Maybe your why is that you don’t want to have to rely on your children, spouse, or friends to get you to where you need to go because you are too unhealthy and weak to get there yourself. If you have a big enough why, you will find a how.
-Coach Meagan
Last week we talked about commitment.
Remember I asked you to commit to just one thing and send it to me? Well, some of you did and I thought that was great. I am so proud of you guys for your willingness to be held accountable. That is important. I would expect you all to ask me which recipes I made from the Whole 9 Handbook since that is what I committed to – I can take it! 🙂
This week I want to talk about taking action.
It is easy to set goals, right? Anyone can say, “My goal is to lose to test out of my red band” “My goal is to lose 10 lbs for my vacation in two months” or “My goal is to be able to do unassisted chin ups.” That is the easy part! The hard part is maintaining discipline and taking action steps to meet those goals! If you want something to change you must change something you’re doing (that part can sting a little sometimes, I know!) The good news is you’ve hired professional coaches to help you define those action steps in a way that works FOR YOU!
I am going to show you a DON’T version of taking action and a DO version of taking action….
DON’T
Outcome Goal: I want to lose 10 pounds before I go on vacation in December
4 week goal- I want to lose 5 pounds in 4 weeks
Action Steps
1.) Stick to Whole 9 nutrition plan
2.) Train 4x per week
3.) Take Fish Oil supplement
4.) Get 8 hours of sleep
5.) Keep a food log
Do you see where I am going with this??
In this case- less is more! Remember this is a life style change. This stuff is not going to happen overnight. It takes work and it takes dedication. You deserve to meet your goals.
Here is what a DO situation looks like
Outcome Goal: I want to lose 10 pounds before I go on vacation in December
4 week goal- I want to lose 5 pounds in 4 weeks
Action Steps
1.) Train 4X per week consistently for 4 weeks
2.) Attend a Whole 9 seminar
Boom- That’s it!
In 4 weeks we talk again and if and when you successfully completed the action steps then we move on. We progress. We keep the first step and add another one.
I don’t want you to think about the 100 different ways you COULD BE taking action. I want you to focus on ONE thing you can and will do over the next 4 weeks. Heck, I want to know what you are going to do today to get you closer to your goal tomorrow!
Commit to take action- Go make it happen!
-Coach Meagan
On Saturday August 16th at 11:00am we will be headed across the parking lot to Evolution Rock and Fitness. We reserved a time for Get Fit NH student’s to learn how to climb and spend some time as a family.
Evolution Rock + Fitness provides the most modern and extensive climbing walls in northern New England. They have 16,000 square feet of climbing surface, there is something for everyone at all levels of ability, and they were kind enough to build the facility in our neighborhood – you’re welcome! 🙂 There is enough fun in this place for the whole family- make it a family fun day and bring your kids along!
Check out some of the pictures from our trip over there last year. We all had a great time (even Coach Dean, who kinda despises high things). If you have a fear of heights let’s conquer that fear together on August 16th.
The best part is we worked out a great price for you guys- just $20 will get you a climbing class, rentals, and the rest of the day to climb if you’d like. The climbing class will also teach and certify you how to belay. That means you could go to Evolution Rock and Fitness anytime and not have to pay the staff to belay you- score!
We went even further and worked out a membership discount with them. So if rock climbing is your sport or if you want to make rock climbing your sport, then ask us about the discount Evolution has offered our clients!
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