It is that time of year when everyone seems to be getting sick.  No one likes being sick and there are preventive measures you can take to keep yourself healthy.  These guidelines may seem obvious, but it is always good to have a reminder.

-Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing.

-Wash your hands after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.

-Wash hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds.  Pay attention to under the fingernails. You may also use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

The next question: Is it okay to exercise when you are sick?  

According to Mayo Clinic a general guideline is that exercise is okay if symptoms are all above the neck.  This includes symptoms associated with the common cold: runny nose, nasal congestion and sneezing. Exercise is not advised when the symptoms are below the neck: chest congestion, hacking cough or upset stomach.  If you have a fever you should definitely not exercise because working out with a fever will raise your internal body temperature even more.

If the best decision is to stay home from training that is ok!  A couple of missed days is not going to derail all your progress.  It is important to listen to your body. Be courteous of others- if you are coughing heavily and blowing your nose then please sanitize! Feel free to use the sanitizer wipes to wipe off your foam roller or other equipment 🙂

Thank you!

Why if out-training your nutrition is your goal…it's probably not going to happen.

I talked about this subject recently in a why Wednesday but if you did not see it, here is the crux of it.  It all comes down to how much your body can actually take when it comes to exercise. You may have read or heard about the story that came out a few years ago now about Michael Phelps.  That he had to eat some ridiculous amount of calories per day, if I remember correctly it was something like 10,000 calories a day. It was crazy, things like 5 mcmuffins and pancakes for breakfast with a whole host of other stuff (most of us couldn’t even eat that many calories in a day unless we ate literally nothing but ice cream all day long, they maybe.  Just for reference, that's about 8-10 pints of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream in one day, I don’t care how big a sweet tooth you have, that would be hard to do).  

We hear stories like that and we know that exercising requires energy (calories).  So obviously we get to the point where you think “well I can eat more because I exercise” which in some aspects is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT, HOWEVER!!!  That quickly devolves into “I went to the gym today so a whole pizza and beer for dinner it is!”. Here is the problem with that, a large pizza probably contains 2000-3000 calories on its own, that would take 2-3 training sessions to burn off (for your average person).

Someone like Michael Phelps has a training session something like:

 1.) Wake up: long run

2.) Strength and conditioning work

3.) Hours of pool work, finishing up with some sort of cool down work that would probably be a full workout for most of us.

He’s been training that way for 5-10+ years, he can eat that many calories (needs that many calories) because his body is so far adapted to exercise, it can actually burn 8000 calories in one day (you probably would burn about 3000-4000 running a marathon).  

This is why it's so important to work both sides of the equation, exercise and nutrition, because if your goal is to out work your nutrition you are probably not going to be able to keep up that level of activity.  Or after a couple weeks you’re going to start finding yourself with nagging injuries that won't go away, or major ones, which is going to force you to step back, which will just compound the problem you are having. Unless you are a super high-level athlete there is no “eat whatever you want and still burn it off”.  Sorry to say, this is something that I have had to come to grips with myself.  

One other very important thing, for reasons that I’m not going to get into in this blog (the explanation could go on for pages) hyper limiting calories does not work either.  I don’t want anyone going away from this blog thinking “ok so I'm going to have a can of Tuna and an apple a day and I'll lose 10lbs by the end of next week!” It just doesn’t work that way so please don’t attempt it.  This is just to put some numbers in perspective!

Coach Adam

Pain or discomfort is something we are always asking you, our wonderful clients.  There is a big difference between these two and we always get asked if it is ok to train with pain. This is a big subject and coach Adam took some time to talk about it!

We are updating the Kettlebell Class schedule to a 5 week program instead of the original 6 week. Thanksgiving is pretty important for friends and family so there will be no class that week! Instead we will be doing 5 weeks of kettlebell classes starting November 13th running to December 18th, excluding November 28th!

The 5 classes will be a drop in format for $20 a class, unless you would like to sign up for all 5 ahead of time which will be $79! 

Why Train With Kettlebells:

People have been using kettlebells to burn fat, build lean muscle, and improve mobility since early 1700's! Using kettlebells has been a proven method of improving your health for so long, I would even argue it is one of the best methods of burning fat while building muscle. Another wonderful reason to train with kettlebells is they do not take up much space and for most trainings you only need yourself and one bell! 

What Will We Be Doing In Class:

This class is designed to build up the fundamental movements of kettlebells and create a strong foundation you can take anywhere to train with kettlebells! We use a mixture of Kettlebells, TRX, and body weight to bring complete trainings for anyone! We like to take our time and really focus on quality of a movement to maximize the results we get! This class is perfect for anyone of any fitness level, if you are trying to take your first step into fitness or you're a fitness vet trying to add some new material into training this class is for you! 

Is This Only Open To Get Fit NH Members:

NO! This class is open to Get Fit NH members and anyone who is not currently a member! So if you think this is something for you sign right up! 

*To keep classes running smoothly each class is capped at 10 people*

Class Times And Cost:

Class Times: The class will be held on wednesdays at 4 different times:

• 5:30 AM
• 6:30 AM
• 4:30 PM
• 5:30 PM

Cost:

• Drop- In's: $20
• 5 Class Sign Up: $75

If You have any questions  or would like to sign up for all 5 classes please reach out to me at :

Brian@getfitnh.com

Exercise is such an important part of our health. Our bodies were made to move and be active. So it’s no wonder why we can experience numerous benefits from exercising, both physically and mentally. As exercise doesn’t just improve our physical fitness but our mental well-being as well. 

For starters, exercise can help improve our overall mood and happiness. As it helps our brains control feelings of depression and anxiety. We also increase the production of hormones called endorphins when we exercise. Our bodies release this hormone to produce positive feelings and help us deal with pain. I know I can speak from experience on how exercising helps our moods. As I feel a lot better about myself when I workout, compared to when I don’t for an extended period of time. 

Exercising also helps us build muscle. Which can help increase our metabolism and the amount of calories we can burn. This helps us burn fat and lose more weight. Regularly exercising can also help build bone density which can help prevent osteoporosis as we get older. Contrary to what we might think, exercising can actually improve our energy levels as well. Helping people who suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and other illnesses and chronic diseases. 

One of my favorite benefits of exercising is the improvement in sleep quality. As the energy we expand during our workouts can help our bodies in the recuperative processes that take place when we sleep. Helping us recover and repair muscles, organs, and other cells in our body. Which will help us feel and perform better during the day. 

There are so many more benefits to exercising and a lot of ways we can be active in our lives. Try to find the things you enjoy doing to help you stay active. Like going on walks, hiking, playing a sport, biking, skiing or snowboarding, etc. Anything to get you moving more and help improve your health and quality of life.

-Coach Dylan 

We all know it’s important to stay hydrated when we work out, but it’s just as important to make sure we drink water every day regardless if we workout or not. Our bodies are mostly comprised of water and it is used during every cellular process throughout our system. So it is extremely important that our bodies get the necessary amounts of water it needs to function at a high level. 

The benefits of hydration are numerous. Hydrating helps flush out the toxins within our bodies. It helps lubricate our joints. As well as helps promote cardiovascular health. It also can help reduce your desire to eat. A lot of times when we think we are hungry, we are actually just dehydrated. So try drinking some water next time you feel the urge to snack. 

Speaking of hydration, it is important to realize when we are dehydrated as well. As there are a lot of side effects that come with it. You can start feeling dizzy or lightheaded, especially when exerting yourself. You may experience sleepiness and fatigue, dry mouth, and even headaches. All the more reason to drink water and make sure we stay hydrated!

So the big question is, how much water do I need to drink? I’ve heard of the 8x8 rule, drinking eight glasses of water that are 8oz each, daily. The answer though really varies from person to person. Factors like the climate, how much you exercise, and if your sick in the bathroom can cause you to lose more fluid. Which will require you to hydrate more than usual. The most important thing is to trust your body and listen to the signs. Try bringing a water bottle with you throughout your day to make sure you are drinking more water periodically. That way we can stay well hydrated and healthy.

-Coach Dylan 

Unfortunately, shoulder issues are all too common.  Many shoulder issues can be related to poor posture.  Therefore, it is important to learn how to “pack your shoulders” in order to protect the shoulders and put them in optimal position.  By packing the shoulders it places the head of the humerus (upper arm bone) in the most centered position of the socket. When the shoulder is not properly aligned it causes stress on the muscles and they become shortened.  The human body is fantastic at compensating. Despite having misalignment, your body will usually continue to perform what you ask of it. When you learn how to pack the shoulders before an exercise the stabilizers of the shoulder are activated.  This allows for better movement patterns. You can pack the shoulders by bringing them down and back. This allows the shoulder blades to rotate down and come closer together. Packing the shoulders is important in just about every upper body exercise.  Some examples are pushups, rows, overhead pressing and chest press. You may hear the coaches tell you to keep your shoulders out of your ears and avoid shrugging. This helps reinforce proper position for the shoulders during each exercise. Often times when we perform planks or pushups we are not focused on our shoulders.  We are more concerned with just keeping our body up.

 The following videos show what it looks like to pack your shoulders during a plank and pushup hold. Remember, if you are allowing your shoulders to roll forward you are causing excessive stress on the muscles. If you have any further questions regarding your shoulder position please do not hesitate to ask one of the coaches

Do You Have a “Bad Back”?

It is not uncommon for people to experience low back pain sometime in their life.  However, because the human body is so complex, the problem area is generally not where the pain seems to point.  Unless you have disc herniation or fractures it is important to look at other areas of the body to reduce the low back pain.  It is important to understand the function of the low back, or lumbar spine.  Physical Therapist, Gray Cook, promotes the Joint By Joint Theory.  This theory states that joints alternate between mobility and stability as their primary functions.  The lumbar spine primarily serves as a set of stability joints. The thoracic spine (upper back) and the hips are joints that are meant to provide mobility.  When these joints are no longer as mobile as they should be then stress is placed on the low back and core stability is compromised. The low back muscles tend to be overactive and overworked because the glutes, hamstrings and abs are not being used efficiently.  Often times we are not using our glutes therefore the hamstrings are working overtime. Not only do we need to focus on increasing our mobility in hips and thoracic spine, but we also need to work on core stability. You can’t work on one and not the other or else the problems will persist.  Here are some suggestions on exercises you can perform to increase mobility and stability:

Mobility:

-Use foam roller or lacrosse ball on glutes and hamstrings

-Pinwheel or Pigeon Stretch

-Foam roll upper back

-Bretzel Stretch

Stability:

-Planks

-Deadbugs

-Birddog

-Leg Lowering

If you are experiencing a “Bad Back” talk to the coaches at GFNH so that we can help you determine the best exercise to promote mobility, stability and function.

-Coach Erin