Linda D. shows us it’s not ALL about the scale

While body composition and weight loss is certainly a significant part of the overall picture of training, there is another huge benefit to regular resistance exercise, and that is the effect on health markers such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, resting heart rate and more. The incredible Linda D. tells us what she found out at her last physical. Keep up the great work Linda! – Coach Dean

Yesterday I had my annual physical, and I felt very ambivalent going in. My recent birthday had a big Zero in it, and my cholesterol, etc. numbers have been getting as bad as the ones on the scale. Still, I have been at Boot Camp faithfully for 6 months (even though that is basically my first regular exercise in 40 years). I just bought smaller jeans, and I know I am a lot stronger than I was.

Results?
My blood pressure is now 126/70. My pulse is down from 80 to 72. My cholesterol numbers are lower than they have been since my kids were born, and my HDL (the good stuff) is so high that I now have “negative risk” for heart disease. And, oh yeah, I have lost 17 pounds, but no height. My doctor announced it was the best he has seen me in 20 years.

I still have a long way to go, but what has really changed is the way I look at it. When I started, I just wanted to lose weight. Then I realized I wanted to get strong. Now, I can taste what it is like to be healthy. I keep working toward better food choices, and this kind of feedback–along with all the friendly support from Dean, Erin, and the great people in my class–makes me believe I will make it happen.

– Linda D

Jingle Bell Run/Walk 2011

Can you believe it’s that time of year again?

I know it doesn’t seem possible, but we are gearing up for the annual “Jingle Bell Run” to benefit the Arthritis Foundations.

Last year you raised over $1100 to fight this crippling disease, and our goal this year is to have 50 members on our team and top that $1000 mark again.

This truly is one of the most fun events on our calendar, and we always look forward to seeing Mary and Joyce bring the “Jingle Dogs” out for the festivities.

Join our team, the “Get Fit NH Reindeer Warriors” by clicking here!

Pumpkin In A Cup

Don’t forget that Monday is our 4th annual PUMPkin Workout, but there is more to those big orange globes than just chuckin’ them around! Pumpkin is one of our Superfoods – nutrient dense and flavorful, and if you haven’t tried these two recipes, you are in for a tasty surprise.  Leave the candy on the shelf and do your body good with these two fall favorites.

Pumpkin Pecan Shake

1/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 scoop vanilla Ultimate Muscle Protein
1/8 cup pecans
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 cup of ice
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons ground flax seed

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

1/3 cup pure pumpkin, canned
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon Stevia
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup water
Ice

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.

Dear Clueless:

“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

4th Annual PUMPkin Workout

You heard me right! On the spookiest of all days, October 31st, Get Fit NH will be PUMPin some serious vegetable (or is it a fruit?)

No, we will NOT be doing slamball with the pumpkins, but we will have a great training session that proves once again there are absolutely NO excuses for not getting your training in, with or without ghosts, goblins or gremlins.

So here’s the deal – Scour the patch and bring in the best pumpkin you can find for Monday’s training. The bigger the better!

Don’t wanna play?

That’s ok,  we have 50 pounds kettlebells you can use instead!

(And Keith, this year I think you can do better than that)

Make It Happen!

Coach Dean

P.S. From Coach Nancy

Please don’t carve them first. Costumes and scary socks are optional. (You might have to go to Epsom to get the sock comment). You don’t need to know anything besides bring a pumpkin for your training time. Really, I mean it, a pumpkin. They are orange, grow on a vine in someone’s garden.

Carrot Leek Soup- Yummy!

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

• 1 large leek, discard the green top and slice the white portion.
• 1 onion, diced
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 8 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch
• 1 (32- ounce) box of chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 cup half and half

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.

I’d Rather Pay You!

Advertising is one of the necessary evils of doing business. It’s all too easy to sit back and assume “everyone” knows about you and your amazing product or service; oh that it were so easy!

There’s an incredible number of ways to advertise, and the thing I despise most about print, or radio, or even some online advertising is you never know if your message is getting to the right people – the ones who want or need what you have.

At Get Fit NH, we have invested thousands of dollars in the most incredible advertising possible – the advertising that you our clients do.

That’s what our Referral Rewards program is all about. We think the best possible advertising that can be done is by our amazing clients who have experienced first hand what Get Fit NH can do for body, mind and spirit.

So I am asking you to keep doing what you have been doing, and tell your friends, neighbors, co-workers and family what Get Fit NH has done for you and what we can do for them.

We will make it worth your while, I promise. Make sure you pick up some referral cards in the gym and give them to people you know can benefit from it. As always they will get a no obligation 2-week tryout at no cost, and if they sign a package with us they also receive $50 off their first 4-week session.

And the $50 you earn is just our way of saying “Thanks” – for training with us and for Making It Happen!

Take a look at all these happy clients who have earned Referral Rewards

An Ode to Nancy (and Dean) by Jennifer Schwab

I hate the gym.  The gym was always a vicious cycle for me.  First, I would commit to going everyday and working out.  I would do really well for week one.  I’d skip a day on week two.  I’d go one day on week three.  I needed to see other people by week four.  I’d sit at home alone with Ben and Jerry.  They would console me at first, but eventually they’d tell me to get my tubby butt off the couch.  And then my bank statement would guilt trip me into making something of that $60 a month I’d already spent in my 12-month contract.  So back to the gym I went…and the cycle continued.

It’s not that I don’t want to be healthy.  I want to be active and fit into pants that don’t stretch.  But it was all those machines.  There were the endless rows of treadmills, begging me to be a part of the machine.  “Be a good little hamster and run on our wheel.”  And the outfits.  The gym membership machine dictates that you look good while you work out.  Perfect hair.  Expensive, color-coordinated outfit of awesomeness.  And the latest iPod.  Oh, and I can tan at the same time too?  Because we all know that is real health right there.

It’s all too much for me.  I don’t need more guilt and expectations in my life, I’ve got plenty on my own.  I don’t want a machine, or to be a part of one.  What I need is a community.  I need Gretchen and Claudia and Lisa… I need people who will cheer me on.  What I need is something new to challenge me everyday.  What I need is Nancy (and Dean by proxy).

Thanks guys.  You’re stuck with me now.

Jen

Is There A GAP In Your Training?

Reality Check – If you were driving across the country you would not just point the car in a westerly direction and step on the gas. You would look at a map, program your GPS, calculate how many days you were going to spend, driving out, make reservations where you were going to stop for night, and calculate how much the trip would cost.

Your outcome was making it to California in one piece. Your action steps were the planning, preparation and packing. You follow the map, you are going to get where you want to go.

Have you taken 5 minutes and enrolled in our Goal Achievement Program (GAP)?

There is something far more important than a trip to Hollywood at stake.

Saying “I want to lose weight” is far different than writing down a measurable outcome goal and than the steps you are going to achieve that goal. It’s like hopping in the car and having no idea where you are going and how to get there.

There’s a better way!

Here’s an example of  what good planning might look like:

Outcome:

I will lose 5 pounds in the next 4 weeks

Action Steps:

I will attend bootcamp 4 days for the next 4 weeks

I will limit starchy carbs to after training sessions only

I will eat breakfast with protein and veggies every day

There is a destination and a roadmap to follow. And while there might be unexpected construction along the way, we can deal with that when we get there.

At the end of 4 weeks you will then measure the outcome and evaluate if you were committed and completed the action steps. The process then starts over again for the next 4 weeks, using what you learned over the previous month to adjust as necessary.

We have made that super easy for you to accomplish. By enrolling in GAP all you have to do is take 5-10 minutes a month to chart your next 4 weeks out. Then 30 days down the road you will receive a follow up evaluation. Submit that to your coaches, ask for help as needed, and then chart your course for the next 4 weeks.

What are you waiting for?

Enroll In The Goal Achievement Program Now

Make It Happen!

Coach Dean

Get Fit NH is Now Hiring

Get Fit NH’s Fitness Revolution is seeking an Assistant Coach at their Concord, NH location to work a MINIMUM of 12 hours per week.  Fitness Revolution is a company dedicated to changing the lives of its clients by delivering a great fitness experience, providing excellent service, and building a community.

Interested individuals must be dependable, punctual, and passionate about learning, as well as hold a nationally recognized personal training certification or relevant degree.

To learn more about the position, fax your resume to 603-617-3405 and then call Dean Carlson at 603-344-2652 between the hours of 1:00pm and 3:00pm weekdays.