Better Body Workshop: Running Mechanics and Staying Injury Free

The first experience I had with how passionate Coach Sarah is about running and endurance athletics was at last years Jingle Bell Run. She runs in (literally, she ran from home, a little over a mile) about 10 minutes before the race, pulls some cash out of her pocket at the registration table (I think the registrars were a little bemused by the whole thing) dashes over to the start line, and promptly wins the overall women’s division! We are looking forward to having her share her passion and expertise at this workshop. As we head into the warmer weather and some of you tackle 5k’s and beyond for the first time, this workshop is sure to be a huge help in making sure you stay healthy and get better. Don’t Miss It! – Coach Dean

As spring is finally getting the upper hand, it’s likely there are many people who have been reaching for their running shoes.  The shining sun, the melting snow, the feeling that this big winter has come to an end, the races ahead…those are probably the motivating factors leading most people to start their running regimen.

“Just start running!” might be the training plan.  Sure, this is a great way to get yourself up and out into the wild, but it’s also a great way to injure yourself and set you back from reaching those goals for this season.

“You mean I can’t pick up where I left off in the fall?”  Nope.  Some of you parents might be familiar with the term “terrible twos.”  Well in running, we have the term “terrible toos.”

Too much, too soon, too fast.

Without an adequate knowledge of proper form, correct shoes, and training philosophy, you’re likely to get injured by your own motivation!

Do you want to start running?  Are you a runner?  Is your child a runner?  Are you interested in getting stronger, faster, and healthier so you can close the gap between you and your running goals?

If so (and you know you are), join Get Fit NH for our seminar “Better Body Workshop – Running Mechanics and Staying Injury Free”. We will talk about footwear, proper gait, common injuries and how to avoid them, training strategies and much, much more.

“A 12 minute mile is just as far as a 6 minute mile.”

Don’t be scared, don’t jump in too fast, don’t underestimate your potential…be a smart runner.

I look forward to seeing  you there- Make It Happen!

Coach Sarah

Mechanics of Running and How to Stay Injury Free
Place: Get Fit NH Concord
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2014
Time: 9:30–11:00am
Investment: $25  ($35 after April 12)
Please Bring: Paper and pen, clothes and shoes for light (indoor) running

This Workshop Is Open To The Public.

Success Stories – Ronald Weilnau

Coaching a student like Ronald is a joy. I use the word “student” purposely, because Ronald’s results are directly tied into the fact he pays attention, makes sure he understands, and asks questions about both his training and nutrition. The results speak for themselves! – Coach Dean

‘Thank You, Get Fit NH’

I have fought being overweight since the summer of 1967. It was that summer, when I was 10 years old, that I went from being an underweight child to an overweight child in less than three months. Until my first “Get Fit NH” training session on September 23, 2013, I never stepped into any gym to get help with losing weight or to get a leaner body. Due to my own past failures at controlling my weight and meeting my fitness goals, I had my doubts if I would last the first week let alone join. However, thanks to what I found that during that first week I knew I could continue. Therefore, I owe thanks to many people for my successful start towards a healthier lifestyle.

‘Thank you’, Coach Dean and Coach Nancy for starting ‘Get Fit NH’. Also thank you for developing each training session plus the challenges and workshops that you put together to teach us about developing a healthy lifestyle.

‘Thank you’, Coach Erin, Coach Megan and Coach Sarah for choosing to coach at ‘Get Fit NH’ and for the time you give to answer my questions and to training me. I look forward to many more training sessions.

‘Thank you’ to the fellow clients for you are a big part of ‘Get Fit NH’ and you showed me that I can do this. Thank you for the encouragement and praise that you have provided whether it was knowingly or unknowingly given.

‘Thank you’ to my wife for joining ‘Get Fit NH’ three years ago and never pressuring me to join. ‘Thank you’ for waiting until I was ‘Ready to Do It’. Also thank you for helping me to start eating the ‘PPW’ way.

The picture below shows the results of my first 6 months at ‘Get Fit NH’. The results truly surprised me, as I did not expect to meet my first targeted weight loss goal until the end of June 2014. I past that goal and got to a weight that I have not seen in 35 years. With the next training session, I will be working on a new goal of some additional weight loss and more muscle gain.

When I am asked how I did it, I reply that it is a lifestyle change that I have embraced that included a major change in my diet and more exercise than I have ever done before. However, I like what someone else said one night after training when I was asked, he stated it simply as: ‘He was ready.’

I am ready to continue….

Thank you again,

Ronald Weilnau

Best of the Best – We Are Because You Are!

On behalf of the entire team at Get Fit NH, I would like thank our GFNH family for once again helping us be recognized as the “Best of the Best” gym and Coach Nancy “Best of the Best” fitness instructor in NH.

This is the 5th year in a row we have won a “Best of” award in those two categories, and believe me when I say these are “Family” awards, because we could not do it without you, and we continue to strive to get better because of you.

We are excited about what the future holds, and we look forward to having both our training clients and loyal readers along for the ride.

Let’s Keep Making It Happen!

Coach Dean

Embrace the Burn

Today I am going to dish out a little tough love, but you know what mom says, “Honesty is the best policy.”

Let’s talk about how you feel when you leave the gym…

Here are some of the words we want to come to mind and probably do come to mind often:

• Sweaty
• Accomplished
• Tired
• Energized

(Yes, all those things can happen at once!) 🙂

Here is what we don’t want you thinking when you leave us:

• “I could have gone all 30 seconds, but I stopped”
• “I could have deadlifted that 44k kettlebell, but it was heavy”
• “I could gone faster on the ski erg”
• “I could have snuck in that last rep”
• “I could have done more…but I didn’t”

Now be honest with yourself…have you ever thought that to yourself after training?

Or…now that I mention it would you say you may be guilty of any of those thoughts?

Don’t be ashamed. I’m guilty too sometimes.

Here a great motto to remember when you know you can do more:

Get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Guess what? 40 seconds of band split squats on the same side burns and you know what else? THAT’S OKAY!  I promise if your quads start smoking we will stop you! So here is my encouragement – embrace the burn!

You know what that burning is?

• That is you getting better
• That is you another second closer to reaching your goals
• That is your body THANKING you and telling you “YEAH BABY I’M ALIVE!”

Here are some suggestions to focus on this week (and every week!)

• Leave a little less gas in the tank (Your human tank that is!)
• Stop focusing so much on how many rounds we are doing or how many stations there are
• Focus on giving EVERYTHING you’ve got at every station for every second
• Celebrate the small victories that lead to huge accomplishments

Make It Happen!

Coach Meagan

“Kids for Kids” C.H.A.D. Fundraiser Training – Gonna Be Fun!

The Peets Family

Saturday April 12, 2014 at 3 pm we will be hosting our monthly fundraiser event at our Concord location. We have witnessed some incredible generosity since we introduced these monthly events. In January we raised over $1,000 for Friends of Forgotten Children and in February we collected a car full of personal care items for Rise Again. This month we hope to have an outstanding turn out as we look forward to donating to Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth (CHaD).

This is an organization we hold near and dear to our hearts. CHaD is New Hampshire’s only comprehensive, full-service children’s hospital. They provide an extended system of care that offers advanced pediatric services. CHaD provides outstanding, compassionate care for children and their families. Coach Dean’s sister Deb Peets knows first hand the excellent care provided through CHaD, as her children have been through over 25 surgeries for a condition know as van der Woude syndrome.

“When I told Deb we wanted to do a fundraiser for CHaD she was thrilled” Dean shared. “She put us in touch with some great people up there to help with our efforts, and Get Fit NH is looking forward to a great day!”

You can read the Peets family story here: The Journey of Their Lives: van der Woude Syndrome

On Saturday April 12th our mission to pack the house with you and your children. Our goal is to raise $500 for this absolutely phenomenal and selfless organization.

This fundraiser training is for parents and children ages 6+. All we ask in return for a fantastic training hour is a minimum $10 donation. 100% of the proceeds will be donated to CHaD.

NEWS FLASH: BONUS KIDS NIGHT

After our “Kids for Kids” fundraiser training we hope you and the kids will stick around as we show “Frozen” in our state of the art theatre (Ok, it’s the gym, but it IS a huge screen!) We encourage you to stay after you sweat and make it a family day with us – we will even provide snacks!

Parent’s- it’s time to show your children how it’s done! 

Hope to see you and your family at our family day 🙂

Get Fit NH Concord

287 South Main Street

Concord, NH 03301

High Performance Hips 6-Week Workshop – As Promised!

You asked for it, you got it!

The response to our High Performance Hips seminar was incredible, and as promised we are offering an extended workshop starting in just a few weeks.

This 6-week hip health and mobility workshop will take you through the 9 flexibility factors that were introduced at HPH, but even if you weren’t there we want to see you at this one.

Who needs this workshop?

• Do you enjoy running?
• Do you sit a lot during the day?
• Have you ever had knee issues?
• Have you ever had low back pain?
• Have you ever had hip issues?

If you fit in any of those categories, this is for you.

We will explore how the body compensates for poor movement patterns – ones you might not know even exist. We know that when we can clean up how the hips function we have a much better chance of getting rid of low back and knee pain, it’s just how the body works.

This is a limited enrollment workshop series, so please don’t delay signing up!

High Performance Hips 6-Week
Starts Wednesday April 16, 2014
6:30pm to 7:30pm
Get Fit NH Concord
Enrollment: $127.00

Willpower. You Have It Or You Don’t?

Reading. It’s something that I love to do, so when I have a few hours on a plane, the Kindle comes out and I get to it.

This trip I finally got started on a book I have had for awhile; “The One Thing”, by Gary Keller. I am about 30% of the way through it and already I have been picked up some great nuggets.

One that fascinated me in particular was the chapter on Willpower. I like many get caught in the trap of either “you have it or you don’t”. He calls this myth “Willpower is always on will-call”.

Our experience tells us this is just not right. Sometimes I can look that cheesecake in the eye and tell it “no way”, but at others the thing is half gone before you can say “neufchatel”.

Why is that?

Well it turns out that willpower is a renewable energy – literally. Keller likens it to the power bar on your cell phone. Every morning you start with a full charge, but as the day goes on, every time you draw on it your using it up. At the end of the day you are toast. You know this to be true. For instance think about the times you are more likely to make poor choices relating to diet. If you are anything like me it’s at night, when you are drained (no pun intended) from the days mental and physical efforts.

Keller gives the analogy that willpower is like fast twitch muscle. That’s the stuff we use when we sprint or go all out on the ski-erg. It’s very powerful, but has no endurance.

But it’s not hopeless. We don’t have to accept defeat.

Did you know the food we eat can actually affect our level of willpower?

You see the brain takes up about 1/50th of our body mass, but uses 1/5th of the calories we eat. It is fascinating that the parts of our brain that regulate breathing and nervous responses don’t care if we skip a meal, but the prefontal cortex, which is responsible for focus, short-term memory, solving problems and moderating impulse control gets hammered when it isn’t fed. And even more fascinating is that the brain works much like our muscles. Feed it a low grade, high sugar and simple carb diet, and it crashes fast. But foods that keep blood sugar stable, like proteins and complex carbohydrates are the fuel of high achievers, as shown by studies that have measured task accuracy.

The bottom line is that willpower is a mental muscle that doesn’t bounce back quickly, and you literally have to “feed your mind” a healthy diet to help recover.

And maybe I am a geek, but I think it is really cool that the same food that helps me burn fat and build muscle also helps me have the willpower to make the good food choices that helps me burn fat and build muscle.

The “Circle of Life” Indeed.

Think about it. Just make sure you fuel up first.

Make It Happen!

Coach Dean

Basic Barbell 101 is Back!

We just finished up our first 6 week Basic Barbell 101 a couple of weeks ago and we had a blast. We found that many of our student’s learned that they are a  lot stronger than they (and we) thought!

Starting Saturday April 19, 2014 we will be starting the next cycle of Basic Barbell training. This is a 6-week small group training course with a maximum of eight students. You can even take it a second time if you feel like sharpening those basic skills!

Here are the lifts that we focus on in Basic Barbell 101:

• Barbell Squat
• Barbell Bench Press
• Barbell Deadlift

How is it different than my current training with Get Fit NH?

Great question!

• A focused session of barbell training will help get you stronger, which will allow you to increase your intensity and loading in your regular training
• Being able to train harder and pick up more load = better results
• Basic Barbell 101 will help build confidence in your capability which will lead to greater success in regular training program

Should I take Basic Barbell 101?

• Talk to your coach to determine if Basic Barbell 101 is a good fit for you
• In order to participate you must be screened on FMS and cleared of yellow and purple bands
• We will need to evaluate your shoulder stability when considering this training

Enrollment for this intensive 6-week workshop will be limited to 8 athletes (yes I am talking to you!), so don’t delay. The workshop session will run on 6 successive Saturdays starting April 19th through May 24th. Each session will be 1 to 1 1/4 hour in length.

Enroll through MindBody:

• Click here to access the Get Fit NH MindBody site
• Select the “Online Store” tab on the right side of the menu bar
• Select “Workshops”
• Select “Basic Barbell 101”
• Click “Yes”
• Confirm your purchase and select “Check Out”
• Login to your account to complete your purchase. If you have never logged into MindBody the system will help you out. Please let us know if you have any questions.

I look forward to seeing you there!

Basic Barbell 101
Starting Date: 4/19/14
Time: 8:15 AM
Place: Get Fit NH Concord
Cost: $127

Some Green(s) Recipes for St. Patrick’s Day

While these recipes might not be your traditional St. Patrick’s Day fare, they are easy, tasty, and streaked with lots of beautiful green.

Start your own traditions!

Start Your Day Off Green Shake

• 1 scoop of Raw protein powder (UMP or SFH also works great)
• 1 cup kale leaves, center rib removed
• 1 cup baby spinach
• 1 over ripe banana, frozen & cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger
• 6-8 ounces of water

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Divide between glasses and serve immediately.

Green Egg Casserole

• 8 large eggs – beaten
• 1 cup chopped frozen spinach – thawed and drained well
• 2 Tablespoons Jalapeno pepper, chopped
• ½ green pepper, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare one large casserole dish or two eight-inch dishes with a light coating of oil. In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Pour mixture into casserole dish and cook for 35 minutes or until eggs are fully set.

Crispy Green Beans With Pesto

• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 3 cups fresh green beans, ends trimmed and chopped into 1″ pieces
• 1/4 cup homemade pesto (store-bought is fine but just not as good and healthy as homemade!)
• 1 Tablespoon toasted pine nuts

Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Cook garlic on medium-high heat for about 30 seconds, remove from skillet and set aside. Add beans to the same skillet and sauté for about 6 minutes or until beans are cooked but still crispy. Return garlic to the skillet and cook an additional 30 seconds (just enough to quickly reheat garlic). Remove from skillet and cool down a bit. Toss with pesto, sprinkle with pine nuts and serve. This dish is also very good on a salad, in case you have leftovers!

Pesto

• 3 rounded cups fresh basil leaves (about 2 bunches)
• 1/2 medium garlic clove
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon toasted pine nuts
• salt, to taste

In food processor (I use a blender, but be careful not to overdo or you’ll end up with green slime instead of pesto), combine basil leaves and pine nuts. Pulse a few seconds. Add garlic and pulse again. Slowly add olive oil while the food processor is on. Stop food processor and scrap down the sides with a rubber spatula. Add a pinch of salt if needed and serve.

Salsa Verda Chicken

A bright, refreshing and spicy green salsa recipe served over grilled chicken.

• 1 cup basil leaves, packed
• 1 cup cilantro, packed
• ½ cup parsley, packed
• ½ jalapeno pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small shallot ,chopped
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of ½ lime
• 3 Tablespoons orange juice (fresh is best)
• salt & pepper
• 1 pound chicken breasts
• extra virgin olive oil for grilling

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a blender. Blend until puréed. Combine chicken breasts with half the salsa mixture in a large bowl, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to overnight. Heat a stove top grill pan (or outdoor grill if it’s not 8 degrees where you are) to medium heat. Grill chicken breasts for about 5-7 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through. This will depend on how thick your chicken is. Once cooked through, remove from grill, spoon remaining salsa over the top of each chicken breast. Serve with a lime wedge and garnish with cilantro.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Get Fit Games Results

We had a great time at our latest edition of the Get Fit Games this morning! I want to congratulate everyone who participated for putting themselves out there and getting after it. As your coaches we love seeing the progress you are making as you get better and better. Every time out we see new Personal and Gym records.

The following chart shows everyone who moved up a ranking level or achieved one for the first time – love it!

And this chart shows all the gym records as well as the new records that were achieved today, which are marked in blue. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Great to see those numbers continue to move up – keep up the great work!