Do Something That Scares You!

For those of you who have already seen some of the photos of Nancy, Lori, Laurie, Glenn and me skydiving, you are well aware that we did something that scared us most of us – jumped out of a plane at 14,000 feet!

For me the scariest part was on the plane on the way up and just before the jump.

It wasn’t fear of the height, or even the fall.

It was the fear of the unknown.

I had never done it before, I wasn’t in control, and I couldn’t be sure of the outcome.

But if you think about it aren’t those common denominators in most if not all our fears?

Could be skydiving, could be doing a 5K, could be starting (or committing fully) to a training program, or could be trying brussels sprouts for the first time.

What if…? We think of all the negative possibilities, while rarely focusing on the amazing outcomes that could, and many times does occur.

I’ve had the blessing of a number of first over the past few years.

• I lost 100 pounds for the first (and last) time.
• Did my first 5K.
• Had my first (and second) daughter (Yes I know Nancy did the hard work)
• Married off my first (and second) son.
• Did my first Spartan Sprint, Warrior Dash, Renegade Playground Challenge, and Tough Mudder.
• Jumped out of an airplane.
• And many more I can’t think of right now.

Each of those things caused me unnecessary anxiety (isn’t all of it unproductive and unnecessary?)

• What if I don’t reach my weight loss goal?
• What if my time is too slow (for what?)
• What if there are problems with the births?
• What if the girls wise up and back out? 🙂
• What if I break my neck? (That would apply to both the runs and the skydiving)

Wouldn’t it have been more productive, and wouldn’t I have enjoyed myself more if my mindset was totally focused on the positive?

• I am going to look and feel so much better and be so much healthier when I reach my goal!
• This will be my benchmark for improvement for next time!
• I can’t believe I am going to have a daughter after four boys! How cool is that?
• I am so proud of my boys for becoming fine young men marrying amazing women!
• I am doing what most guys my age (or any age) wouldn’t dream of doing, with the woman I love. What a blessed life I have!

And while all those thoughts went through my mind as well, I am sorry I let some of the negative creep in there too, because none of the things I was worried about happened, and even if they had, worrying wouldn’t have stopped it.

I am not saying you shouldn’t plan, prepare and consider outcomes. But don’t live life being paralyzed by the fear of the unknown and “what if’s”. That’s no way to live. It will suck the joy out of everything you do, and we need all the joy we can get.

So what thing that you have been afraid of are you finally going to do?

What fear are you going to overcome?

What challenge are you going to tackle?

How are you going to Make It Happen?

Love to hear your thoughts!

Coach Dean

Success Story: Susan Moseley

We absolutely love it when y’all share how your hard work at Get Fit NH has made a difference in your life. I received this wonderful email from Susan, who has made some amazing changes in her life over the past few years. She embodies hard work and dedication, and is always looking to expand her knowledge. Thank-you for choosing to train with us Susan, and keep getting better!

Hi Dean,

I know this is long overdue…, but here goes

    How do I love Get Fit NH?
    Let me count the ways:

1) I’ve lost 35 pounds in the last 3-4 years (and went from close to a size 16 to a size 8), but this past year at Get Fit is the first time I can remember losing fat and gaining lean muscle.  The first photo is me two years ago on a bike trip in Italy, after having worked really hard for 6 weeks to get in shape for the trip.  The second is a few weeks ago in Bow, NH.  And, yes ladies, bike shorts with the padding are far less attractive than yoga pants!

2) This really should be number 1. The coaches at GetFit are by far the best of any coaches, personal trainers or group trainers that I’ve ever worked with.  I’ve worked with Erin for a year and feel as if I’ve had a personal (and very personable) trainer the whole time. Megan is a fabulous new coach and Dean is an incomparable resource of knowledge and community.    

3) I could have worked out at home, but I would never have achieved the same results as I have at Get Fit. Working out with a group and seeing others succeed is a powerful motivator. Got to love the zany, talkative and hard working 4:15 class.

4) I love the daily emails. Even though I read the Science in the Public Interest, Tufts and Mayo Clinic nutrition/health newsletters, I always pick up something important to consider from Dean’s emails.

 5) I could go on with many more impressions, but since so many GetFitters stay and train for 1, 2 or more years, I’d be stating the obvious.

     Thanks,
         Susan

Tank Tops Are In!

Coach Nancy, resident Get Fit NH supermodel (instead of taking a break after a 14 hour day) insisted on letting you know right away that the awesome new  tops y’all ordered are in!

We will get them sorted ASAP, should be in the gyms the next time you train.

Please pay when you pick up – only $15!

Thanks for wearing our stuff!

Declare YOUR Independence

As we celebrate what is now obliquely called the “Fourth of July” (Isn’t that like calling Cinco De Mayo the “5th of May”, only a lot worse? – but I digress) I want you to think about some of the things you can declare your Independence from now and forever.

Here’s a few to get you started, but let’s hear yours too!

Repeat after me: “I declare my independence from…”

Negative people. Enough said.

Time Vampires. Facebook, texting, email, tv. Stop living someone else’s reality. Make your own.

Thoughts that I “don’t deserve” to be what I know I can be. Healthy, fit, a size 4 – whatever you want.

Pill pushers and weight loss gimmicks. There is no “magic pill” – stop looking.

Food company lies. No matter what they say, some things just aren’t healthy for you to eat.

Too much sugar. It’s everywhere, and yes, it is addictive and it is toxic when you eat too much.

Couch potato syndrome. Training for 1 hour a day and sitting on the couch or lying in bed still qualifies you as a couch potato. Get outside, get moving, and enjoy life!

Excuses. Easy for me to say, harder to live. But when it comes down to it all excuses usually fall into two broad categories. Time and Priorities. We all have 24 hours in a day, and we all need to decide what is really important enough in our lives to take action on. Wishing on a star only happens in Florida and California.

How about you?

What things can you declare your independence from that will move you closer to your goals, dreams and hopes?

What say you?

8 Ways To Eat Fresh

1. Plant your own backyard garden or patio garden. Do you have a green thumb? Tomatoes, cucumbers, beans, herbs, lettuces, and many more veggies and fruits can be as easy to pick as going to your own backyard. Not much of a green thumb? Small patio containers will supplement your family’s dinner nicely.

2. Free Food is always wonderful. Raspberries and blueberries can be found many times while walking along your favorite trail or next to the road. Please be sure to ask the landowner first. There are many logging areas near us and before the trees take over often wild berries thrive. Along a stream we’ve often found grapes in September.

3. Visit a Farmer’s Market or Farm Stand. These farmers grow and raise everything. If your garden didn’t do too well or if you would like a vegetable that you didn’t plant, visit a farm stand near you. The Farmer’s Market in Concord, which operates each Saturday morning, sells veggies, fruit, free range meats, eggs, and many other items you remember from your grandmother’s kitchen.

4. Welcome Localvores! Nothing is more local than buying New Hampshire raised meats. Miles Smith Farm in Loudon raise Scottish Highlander and Angus beef . You can visit their store to select beef that is naturally raised without hormones or antibiotics.

Please call 603 783 5159 or visit http://www.milessmithfarm.net for more information.

5. PYO- Pick Your Own Farms are plentiful in New England. How about strawberries from Rossview Farm? Deb and Adam from Concord always pick there and the proceeds this year are going to New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic Violence. Rossview is located at 84 District 5 Rd  Concord. You can call for hours of picking 228-4872.

It won’t be long before apples picking is here. I love Appleview in Loudon.  http://www.applevieworchard.com

You can find many other fruits, veggies, and even Christmas tress at local farms. Check out this site for more information. http://www.pickyourown.org/NH.htm

6. Join a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)-  have summer and winter shares of crops. They grow them and you pick them up. You can have fresh all year round and not have to get your fingers dirty.

7. The Seacoast is close  enough we can almost smell the salt air.  Our favorite market is Durham Market Place http://www.durhammarketplace.com. The drive is worth the time. They have so many varieties of seafood fresh from our shores. It’s the only place I go for fresh tuna steaks. Every Monday they host a Farmer’s Market so you can take advantage of fresh produce as well.

8. Support restaurants and food vendors that buy locally produced food. The Celery Stick Café found in The Concord Food Coop prepares foods from seasonal local produce. http://www.concordfoodcoop.coop/

Don’t Drool, Its Bad for Your Keyboard!

Move over pasta, bread and rice, I have better things to add to my plate.

The amazing Jenn H. from 5:00am Concord created this recipe in order to fill her plate with more veggies. It looks great and taste even better! Keep on filling your plate with veggies.

• 2 cups Zucchini sliced thin
• 1 cup mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 3/4 cup cottage cheese
• 1/8 cup fresh Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Slice the zucchini with a mandolin and place on the bottom of a pan sprayed with peanut oil. Top with chopped mushrooms and cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese on top. Season however you like, I like to add basil stirred into the cottage cheese. Bake it at 350 for 30 minutes. I have also done this with 4oz of browned ground turkey. I usually have a container of it (made up ahead) in the fridge ready to go at all times. 🙂

Enjoy!

Get Your Feet Wet with the Merrimack River Trail Triathlon!

Northeast Delta Dental

Merrimack River Trail Triathlon

Compete as an individual or a team, families welcome!

4K Off Road Bike through cornfields

3K Run along the proposed Greenway Trail

3K Paddle on the Merrimack by canoe, kayak, SUP

Merrimack River Trail Triathlon
Sunday, July 21st , 2013
10:00 Individual, 11:30 Team Start
6 Loudon Road, Concord (behind Buffalo Wild Wings)
$20 Individuals/ $10 per team member

Every entry supports construction of the Merrimack River Greenway Trail, a paved off-street path following the Merrimack River and eventually linking NH’s North and South Rail trails for 114 continuous miles.

Help us make it a reality!

Register at http://www.mrgt.org/events or 8:30 Race Day

Questions? Contact Tom Walton 603-223-1537

Damsel in Defense!

What a great name for a company that sells products for personal protection from harm!

Cathy Steenbeke of Damsel in Defense will be at Get Fit NH to show off exactly what her company offers on Tuesday, July 16th at 7pm in Concord.

They have a wide range of products to protect yourself on the go or in the home. There is a sign up for this event at both Epsom and Concord, so please let Cathy knows how many people will be there.

Check out the Damsel In Defense website here!

Recovery Week Reading List: Mission Nutrition

I know you are all super busy, and sometimes you just don’t get to read like you would like to.

Well next week you are going to have an extra hour or so a few certain days, so howsabout taking the opportunity to catch up on some reading and making yourself better in the process. Better Eating = Better Health, so read up and then put it into practice.

Here is a compilation of some of our favorite “Mission Nutrition” topics.

Nancy ‘s Top 5 Grocery Shopping Tips

Three Rules to Easy Eating On The Go

Meal Planning Made Easier

Keep It Simple!

10 Ways To Eat Fresh

Food Labels. What You Need To Know

and if you don’t have a Get Fit NH Cookbook yet – pick one up this week!

Success Story: Jill G

Keep the success stories coming in! There is no better feeling as a coach to have someone send us a note telling us how thrilled they (or their doctor, or spouse, or even kids) are with how their body is changing, looking and feeling. Thank-you!

Jill sent us this latest update and great news. Keep it up Jill!

“Today I had a follow up visit at my doctors office to discuss my lab results. I have been diagnosed with high cholesterol for nearly 20 years. I like many people cannot take any medication for it. The side effects are bad.  I was prepared to hear the results I always get,  it’s too high.

Well not today!

My doctor told me my results were better then perfect. My good cholesterol was off the charts good. Having lost a brother 6 years ago to heart disease and both parents having heart issues this comes as the best possible news ever.

My doctor said all my hard work has paid off. Changing my lifestyle almost 2 years ago and joining this amazing team at Get Fit has definitely paid off. A big thank you to all of you for creating an environment that I want to be a part of everyday and for pushing me a little harder every day. I couldn’t have done it with you!!!” – Jill G.