Nancy Carlson
Nancy Carlson
Want to avoid feeling (and looking) like a stuffed turkey on Thanksgiving day?
Here’s 5 Tips for keeping control and prevent yourself from developing the dreaded “couch coma” while still enjoying that incredible meal.
Eat Breakfast– Thanksgiving finds most of us rushing around baking and preparing food for the feast later in the day. If we take time to think about eating we feel we should avoid it since we KNOW we’ll eat too much later on. Eating your regular meals in smaller portions sizes keeps our blood sugar levels even. This internal function will help your mood stay level (which your family may thank you for) as well as avoid that starving sensation which can lead us to overloading our plate at the main meal.
Exercise before and or after your meal – Your body will respond well to getting out in the fresh air and moving after the meal. Exercise aids in digestion but also getting in some movement before that meal will keep us focused on why we are thankful. We have bodies that can move and our health is important to us.
Desert Desserts – While eating sweets is probably planned for most of us on Thanksgiving we don’t have to eat obscene portions for our desserts. Our ‘Treats’ should be planned and thought out ahead of time. If dessert is served buffet style ask someone else to pick you something that looks good. Tempting yourself by ‘seeing’ all the choices can defeat an otherwise healthy meal. If you can’t find someone to decide for you, stick to a small plate and fill it only once. (This tip works well for the main meal too) No one says you have to have seconds.
Drink plenty of water – Drinking a glass of water before and during your meal helps you to feel full, helps your food digest better, and gives you the ability to keep your hands from filling your mouth with calories. (Besides if you drink enough you’ll also avoid the tired- needing- to- take- a- nap- after- turkey feeling because you’ll be making trips to the bathroom)
Be generous with your leftovers – What goes on at Thanksgiving stays at Thanksgiving. If you are hosting the meal, send your guest home with the leftovers, especially the desserts, sauce covered veggies, and casseroles. Keep the turkey for your turkey caesar salads, turkey soups, and turkey roll ups.
Bonus Tip – Don’t just be present at Thanksgiving – Give Thanks! Enjoy your time with family, friends, and those you come in contact with over the holidays. Going into a “treat meal” like Thanksgiving with a plan will help you overcome the guilt associated with overeating. Winning the battle of not eating too many calories that leave you with a weight gain will jump you into the holiday season with confidence to be remain healthy and happy the whole year.
Have a wonderful holiday,
Coach Nancy
It hardly seems possible, but Thanksgiving is only a couple of weeks away! Just wanted to give an early heads up for that weeks schedule.
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday: Full Schedule
Thursday: Fort Mountain Turkey Trot 8:00am
On Thanksgiving Day before enjoying the Turkey we’ll join Danno from the 6:15 crew for a hike up Fort Mountain In Epsom. The walk is beautiful suitable for most people so bring your friends and family. We will meet at Epsom Bible Church parking lot and leave there via car pool to the bottom of the mountain. The crew will be leaving the parking lot at 8:00am so don’t be late. Bring your binoculars. Our kids had a blast last time running the trail with Tom’s dogs. Its fun for the whole family. See you there!
Saturday: The famous “Pies off the Thighs” post-Thanksgiving workout. 9:00am Get Fit NH Bootcamp Concord
“I’m having trouble planning my meals and know what I should be eating. I know the basics, protein, veggies, no starches… But those are just words and I find myself stuck with a bag of carrots in the fridge and nothing else because I don’t know what’s ‘good’ or not. This causes me to order out at work or grab a box of Mac and cheese because I feel like I don’t have a clue.” – Clueless
Write down all the meals your family likes to eat in a week. Most people eat the same 7-9 meals over and over.
For my family it the main dishes (protein) often are:
Hamburgers
Tacos
Steak
Grilled chicken
Salmon
From there I simply look for ways to cut out the carbs (starch/sugar) and load up the veggies.
Hamburgers– we make them naked ( no bun) I usually add a salad, frozen veggies, raw veggies (Whatever I have on hand: carrot, celery, green peppers, cucumbers), or grilled zucchini.
Tacos– no chips or wraps. Lots of salad, tomatoes, olives, guacamole, salsa, refried beans (lowfat), with a sprinkling of cheese.
Steak- adding a salad with some feta cheese, and steamed green beans is a family favorite.
Grilled chicken- tomatoes with basil sprinkled on top, garden salad, and a bag of mixed frozen veggies.
Salmon- I like it grilled but we also make salmon cakes when I can’t get to the grill. Our favorite with this one is mashed cauliflower along with broccoli sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Don’t complicate things – making it easier makes it more likely you will do it!
Coach Nancy
Wednesday, November 2, at 6:00pm Get Fit NH Epsom will host a “Taste Of Excellence”, with all donations and proceeds going to our local area food banks, just in time for Thanksgiving.
You will have the opportunity to find out first hand why we have made the choice to offer The Meal Movement, Dale’s Raw Protein Bars, Ultimate Muscle Protein, and Prograde to our clients, and all all be available for you to sample.
The price of admission is simply canned or boxed goods that can be donated and distributed to those in need.
On top of being able to taste the delicious food you’ll learn the benefits of each of these products. You’ll walk away with information on when to use them, how to purchase them, how easy they are to add into a busy lifestyle, and a few helpful recipes.
Did I mention you get to try them out?
Often I will tell someone that UMP (Ultimate Muscle Protein) is the best protein I’ve ever had but they are unsure. Does it really mix easy like Nancy says? Does it taste great with water?
And is Meal Movement simple to use? Do the pictures on the site portray accurately how they taste?
Does Dale’s Raw Protein Bars hit the spot after a training session?
And what is Prograde Fusion?
All will be available for sampling. (That means you get to try them)
Still not sure? Here is what a few of our clients are telling us about Meal Movement, Ultimate Muscle Protein, Dale’s Bars, and Prograde.
“Oh , and about the meal movement, it is good. I am using it for the “convenience” factor. I like all the stuff I have tried so far. I especially like the portion size of the veggies and the fact that they only take 90 seconds to heat up. I may just be able to get all my veggies in now.” – Kathy N.
“Why we know the Meal Movement is so great? – because when I’m really busy, we can still have a good nutritious meal & we are no longer tempted to eat bad take-out food because of fatigue/time issues. Greg now has nutritious meals for his 12-hour+ work day because they are easier/take less time to heat up than home meals I could pack. This means he isn’t starving when he gets home and tempted to eat too much right before going to bed. The variety is incredible! The food is just as delicious and attractive as the photos you made! We can order what we want – the Meal Movement doesn’t pick for us. We like the meat/vegetable package – we don’t have to order anything we don’t want. Within the meat/vegetable package we can also pick exactly what we want. Our 21-yr old also loved it. Combining that with bootcamp, Sarah lost 13 pounds and 3 1/2 inches off her waist in the short time she was home this summer. It was very fun to each have a different meal at the same time! They are very reliable about delivery notification too. “ – Judy S.
“Meal Movement has been a great success for me. I am rather fussy about what I eat. I like variety and Meal Movement delivers with a great variety of meats and veggies-all of which taste great! We have saved money many times by avoiding take out or delivery.The best for me has been taking the meals to work. I no longer eat a deli sandwich or an unhealthy snack, I get a great meal compliant with the PPW principle.” – Greg S.
“Several months ago my knee pain hampered my workout (hard to do squats and even harder to get up and down when your knee hurts) I took an anti inflammatory, a lot of omega 3’s, plus ice and elevation. All of this did not handle the pain. I read the success stories on the Prograde website about Krill Oil. I ordered some and low and behold the pain is gone after about two weeks of taking it daily. I think I will still be cautious about doing a lot of deep squats for awhile, but Krill Oil is the best. “ – Claudia E.
“I really like the strawberry and banana Dale’s Bar because of the real banana and strawberries in it. They taste great!!!” – Tom R.
“Karl and I use UMP pretty much every day. Typically we do pre-workout shakes on bootcamp nights. Surprisingly we have learned that UMP is so much more than just a shake. Karl’s favorite nighttime snack is Ooey Gooey Brownies, which we found in the Get Fit cookbook (some chocolate UMP, some peanut butter, you can’t go wrong.) Personally I like the brownies using the vanilla UMP and some almond butter. After the gym, dinner and showers, these brownie bowls definitely hit that sweet spot on cold fall and winter nights! Using the Get Fit cookbook and Gourmet Nutrition, I’ve made banana bread squares, zucchini bread, granola bars, chocolate peanut butter bars, muffins, and a variety of shakes! Aside from using it to make sure we are getting enough healthy protein in our diets, I love experimenting with it to see what else I can do with it!” – Jill E.
Let us know you’ll be coming. Oh and by the way, you’ll get to taste these products that night. 🙂
Anne, one of our great FLAG clients, mentioned she had made Carrot Leek Soup for her snacks this week. I had never had that before and it intrigued me, especially since I had a lonely leek in the bottom of my fridge. Wow, and I had carrots too. And on top of that a cool fall day and you’ve got perfect soup time.
I was able to quickly prepare this and I let it simmer most of the morning. It smelled fantastic. (ask the ladies only team at 9am who came into the house)
Here’s the recipe. Dean and I had one of the protein sources from Meal Movement along side the soup to complete the PPW lunch.
Carrot Leek Soup
Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the olive oil until tender in a dutch oven. Do not brown. Add the broth, carrots, leeks, and the salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the veggies are tender. Stir in thyme. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Process the carrot mixture in a food processor or Vitamix blender until smooth. Return to the dutch oven and slowly add in the half and half. Heat until warm. ENJOY, I know you will.
What do you see when you first walk into Get Fit NH’s Training facility?
Why is Get Fit NH not just another place to ‘workout’?
To get started at Get Fit NH I need to:
What are the trainers like?
(We’ll I only know who the nicest trainer is. Seriously though, I am proud of each trainer at Get Fit NH for who they are and how they do their job.)
Who can do this?
I hope this made you smile, and helps you realize that it’s time to get off the couch and get into action!
Coach Nancy
I enjoy the Fall. I love the change in temperatures and the change in the leaves. My kids and I love to pick apples and to grow pumpkins. Our counters are loaded with the apples we picked at a farm last week. This morning we harvested 11 pumpkins the kids grew from seeds. They of course wanted to carve all of them up right after picking. Instead I sent them off to find piles of leaves to rake and jump into.
While the Fall theme is on my mind, I thought you might like to try out two of my favorite Fall shake recipes.
Apple and Cinnamon Shake
Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend on high for one minute. For a delightful touch sprinkle a dash of cinnamon on top. This shake is perfect to enjoy right after a training session.
Pumpkin Pecan Shake
Put the ingredients in a blender and blend for one minute. If you like a thinner consistency, feel free to add water a tablespoon at a time. Sprinkle with a dash of pumpkin pie spice for an added garnish. This shake is great anytime during the day for a super quick meal on the go or a great mid day snack.
These two shakes are liquid nutrition at its finest. They are high in protein, high in fiber, and contain healthy and essential fats.
While Fall might not be your favorite time of the year, I bet these shakes will make the top ten list for you.
To your best health,
Coach Nancy
I was given “Robert Ringer’s 20 Life- Guiding Principles” to read. He compiles a list of 20 sayings that he uses to focus his life and direct his activities.
There were a few on this list that hit home.
His number 12 fits right in with Get Fit NH’s motto – “Make It Happen”
It states – “Never fall into the trap of waiting for something to happen. Make it happen.”
The first time reading through the list, I paused only because he used our saying. Get Fit NH embraces the fact that we can all make it happen, no excuses.
But as I read over the list again, I really had to stop.
The first part of this principle has us not falling into the trap of waiting.
Do I do that? What does that look like? How can it be avoided?
Yes I do that, and I think we all do.
We’ll start an activity or set a goal and for the first few days, maybe even weeks we strive and work at it. We might see some progress. But then for some unknown reason to us, we slowly let go of that passion. Eventually a month or two down the road we figure that avenue didn’t work so we try something else.
We start something new, see some progress, and then let it pass into oblivion.
And we do the same thing over and over, expecting a different result – “this time”.
This phenomenon could be related to our business growth, our job, our training, or our nutrition.
I’ve worked with many clients who for a week maybe even two will log food, eat PPW3, and drink plenty of water. They really are making it happen! They see some changes in their energy levels, their body composition improves, and they might see the numbers on the scale move.
The momentum should cause us to kick it into high gear, but only a few do. In fact many of us do the opposite, we get distracted and our progress slows, and we are left wondering what went wrong.
In our minds, because there is still activity going on, we expect things to keep progressing.
I mean I am not doing it exactly like I was that was giving me these great results, but it’s close enough, right?
Just going through the motions won’t help. It is consistent application of what I know, over a period of time, that is going to get me to where I want to go.
We can read all the books, monitor all the blogs, and go to all the meetings, but I can tell you first hand our continuous quest for more knowledge is a trap.
The trap of seeing but not doing, of knowing but not applying.
Don’t believe me? Ask your co-workers, family, or friends; to see how many of them have a cookbook relating to some particular diet plan? Ask them if they read the basic principles and did the diet.
It’s human nature not to like being told what to do, at least for very long.
Before I was a trainer I remember this “diet” I was on.
I went shopping for all the specific foods, cooked everything just like they said for one week. The second week, I kind of did the plan but tweaked it to suit my needs, the third week I continued to tweak it myself because the family needed me too. The fourth week looked nothing like the first but I was still doing it. And slowly I fell into a trap. I thought I was doing it but I wasn’t.
It really had nothing to do with the plan – it had everything to do with me.
So how do you continue to make it happen? How can I stick to the plan?
With your training at Get Fit NH we do the planning for you. As long as you continue to come you will move forward in your fitness goals.
The “Other 165” are a bit more difficult.
How do you continue moving forward at breakfast, lunch, the times out with friends, and on the weekend?
Its all in the plan and the planning.
TheOther165.com is a site we have created to help you. We’ve put tools at your finger tips. Tons of information, videos, and testimonials are a button away.
You have to make it happen. Each day doing what it takes to get there. Don’t stop when you reach the 1/2 way point.
Keep getting better – keep moving ahead.
Have you enrolled in our Goal Achievement Program yet? The only cost is 5 or 10 minutes of your time to write down what you want to achieve over the next 4 weeks, and submit an action plan to get there. Don’t underestimate the power of written goals. This program will move you forward, but so don’t wait for it, Make It Happen!
But we don’t want you to fall into the trap that because you signed up for TheOther165, you will magically transform in 2 weeks or less.
Enroll in the Goal Achievement Program Here
To your best health,
Coach Nancy
Right before recovery week Scott received his “I Survived Get Fit NH” gray T- shirt. Scott made a simple comment to the 4pm “Happy Hour” that everyone needs to hear.
“10 Pounds and 1 Pant size”. Short but oh so sweet!
I asked Scott to write down a bit of the story behind his fantastic accomplishment.
“I broke my ankle really bad in a fall from a ladder about 13 years ago and have lost full range of motion in my ankle joint. This has led to bio-mechanical issues in my hip joint which suffers from arthritis today.
However, this has not prevented me from committing to staying fit and active since turning 50 earlier this year.
With the help of Nancy and Get Fit NH Bootcamp, I’ve lost 10 pounds and a pant size in 6 weeks. The workouts and stretching we do at Bootcamp have actually reduced the pain and stiffness in my hip. So don’t let an old injury prevent you from “making it happen.” If I can do it, you can too!” – Scott Decker
Each of our individual goals are met with support at times and difficulties at others. It is the constant day to day activities over the course of time that form habits which lead us to meeting our goals.
Great work Scott. Keep making it happen!
Coach Nancy
Spicy foods are my favorite – I love the zing! Combine spice with a stir fry and you have one of my favorite meals to make (and eat). Don’t like spicy? That’s ok, you can tone it down as much as you want.
Stir fry is great because it so flexible. More ginger or chili sauce will add more heat, and if you like the crunch of celery add 1/4 cup more to suit your taste. Have unexpected company? Just double the recipe.
Here’s one of my favorites!
Spicy Pork Stir Fry
Ingredients:
Instructions:
Prepare marinade by combining the egg white and 1 Tablespoon of rice wine vinegar. Stir marinade into sliced pork, cover and refrigerate for an hour.
After the pork is done marinading, mix 3/4 cup chicken broth, 2 Tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 teaspoons chili sauce, and 1 Tablespoon cornstarch together to make the sauce.
Drain the excess marinade from the pork, then arrange the pork, vegetables and sauce close to the stove for easy access.
Heat the wok to medium. Spray with a light coating of peanut oil. Cook the pork for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring constantly. Transfer to a plate.
Clean wok with a paper towel. Heat to high and spray again with peanut oil. Add celery and stir fry for 30 seconds. Then add the spinach, tomatoes, garlic, scallions, and ginger. Stir fry until the spinach wilts and tomatoes start to break down just a bit.
Add the pork and sauce to wok. Stir all items for another 3 minutes until sauce thickens.
Garnish with sesame seeds, sliced jalapenos, or chopped cilantro if desired.
Don’t be greedy, and share this delicious meal with someone you love! 🙂
Enjoy!
Coach Nancy
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