1. Mentality:  Probably the most important part of why training is important is the mentality or the mental strength that is required to do so. Also on the flip side what you are reinforcing to yourself if you skip it. I'm not talking about skipping one Friday if something comes up and you just can't make it, I am talking about Fridays upon Fridays of skipping. It teaches, even if it's just subconsciously, that its ok to not
   finish what you start. That after three days it “ok close enough”, that is a dangerous sentiment to have, it’s the same as taking the opportunity to do 21 days of clean eating and on day 20 saying “well I made it 20 how big of a difference is 1 day going to make”. Nutritionally and training wise maybe not much, at first, however it’s a slippery slope at first its one week. Then the next week you think “I skipped Friday and felt fine, don’t really feel like going this week either” then the trend continues.
   Missing one class might not have a huge impact on training but if that trend
   continues that’s 4 classes a month and 48 classes a year. Don’t give yourself an
   excuse to not finish what you started, it starts with one thing, but we are all humans,
   if we give ourselves and inch we will take a mile. It may start with training, but
   before you know it it’s bleeding over into nutrition and general life responsibilities.
2. Training: The programming at Get Fit NH is designed to affect your system in
   different ways to elicit and overall training response. Many of you already know
   this but training is written as 2 days of Metabolic work (most closely resembling
   cardiovascular training) and 2 days of strength work. That means that the training
   is written to work as a whole balanced program over a weeks span, so missing a
   Friday leads to an unbalanced week of training. For the best training effect we have
   to take advantage of all of it. Can you really tell me that missing 48 trainings in a
   year won't affect you?
3. A general sense of accomplishment: it's no secret that Fridays trainings are
   challenging, and on Friday you are tired, stressed, and ready to end your week as
   soon as possible. The sense of accomplishment you will feel after making sure you
   gave it your absolute all and saw the week through to the end will be great.
   Fridays are important too, don’t give yourself and excuse, it probably will not stop
   there!
   -Coach Adam

We had such a fun time giving away a prizes from our April and May referral challenge, we decided we HAD to keep the challenge going to June and July. So get talking! All those BBQs you are going to and fun summer outings are great opportunities to talk about your story and encourage others to start theirs too!

If you refer someone to us in June or July and they sign up we will give you a $200 gift card to S&W, Bass Pro Shop or EMS so you can deck yourself out with whatever mountain biking, fishing or camping gear you desire! 

On top of that, we will put your friend's name in a separate drawing to win a $50 gift card to Under Armor so they can deck themselves out in new training gear. 

A great way to get people into training is to take advantage of Friends and Family Fun Fridays. This is less of a commitment for them than saying they will do two weeks for free. Let them see who we are and we will show them what we can do for them. Together we can make a big difference. 

We are happy to encourage Friends and Family Fun Fridays at all training times through the summer! 

Can't wait to see who the lucky winner is August 1st!

Coach Meagan

Some of you may have seen my Why Wednesday a couple weeks ago about this topic, but I wanted to go back into it because I do think it's so important.  In reading a book to help myself out recently I realized how much I was allowing myself to become a victim of my circumstances. Or more accurately allowing myself the excuse because of things that were happening to me.  I think one of the biggest examples of this is my relationship with food. That is the main reason I am writing this blog and using this example. When something bad happened or I had a rough day the first thing I would do is use food.  So what I was saying is “I’m a victim of my day so I can have this”.

Another example that many of you might be able to understand as well is the “If it's in the house I’m going to eat it”. I remember getting legitimately angry at people for bringing things home that I could have because I would eat them.  Again what am I saying? “You are victimizing me by bringing that stuff here” which gives me the excuse to mow down on it. Coming to that realization has helped me immensely because if there is one thing I never want to be considered it is a “victim”.

Don’t misunderstand me, you do not have control over everything that happens in your life.  You’re going to have to deal with crabby people, difficult work associates or customers. No one has complete control over the things that happen in their life.  What you DO have 100% control over is how you respond to those scenarios, are you going to allow yourself to be a victim of your circumstance? Or are you going to decide to still fight, be positive, stay strong.  To realize that you can choose whether or not you allow yourself to be a victim, or not allow yourself to be puts you in control.

-Coach Adam

This has been a hot topic in our accountability group recently. I have been harping on the importance of keeping a journal and how it could seriously change your attitude and help you embrace self-love. Diaries and journals might be outdated or seem immature, but I am here to tell you why they are NOT and how answering 3 simple questions to yourself each day could truly make a difference in your quality of life!

First, let me outline WHY you should journal:

1. It’s an inner therapy session. Releasing your feelings and your doubts, guilts, etc can help you let go. Rather than keeping negative energy built up inside, you can release it by “confessing” to yourself and giving yourself the opportunity to move on.

2. You can set yourself “mini” goals each day that make you feel successful. These mini goals add up into big results and a person who feels PROUD of themselves.

3. You can reveal trends about yourself If you are journaling daily that you got 3 hours of sleep then you can use that information to set yourself a “mini” goal like, “Screens off and In bed by 9PM” Small changes like that build up to big results and a well rounded, happier and healthier human

Here are three things you should ask yourself everyday as well as some examples of what those answers look like

1. What did I do GREAT today?

1. I made it to the gym!

2. I drank 80 ounces of water today and even though I was in the bathroom more than normal, I feel hydrated and energized

3. I ate ALL of the meals on my plan today and stayed away from the donuts in the breakroom

4. I shut my screens off by 10pm and did not check my email until after I worked out this morning

5. I made a meal plan!

6. I scooted past the cookies at the grocery store!

2. What did I struggle with today?

1. Emotional eating- rough day at work (Explain what happened or what DIDN’T happen) for example, I was so stressed at work today because we were short handed I came home and ate an entire bag of tortillas and salsa OR I came home and ate an entire bag of chips and salsa, because I didn’t have a PLAN

2. Traded gym time for extra sleep or because I got stuck at work

3. Didn’t follow through on my meal plan- got take out instead

4. Went to the grocery store starving and loaded up on the good stuff, but also ice cream and chips that will taunt me until they’re gone

5. Threw away half my groceries from last week because I had take out every night

6. Drank nothing but soda today and ended  up with a massive headache

3. What am I going to do better tomorrow?

1. I’m going to make it to the gym at 5AM

2. I’m going to get 32 ounces in by 10AM

3. No take out. Eat my meal plan!

4. Screens off by 10pm

You will notice that the goals for the following day are SPECIFIC and MEASURABLE so that next day when you go into your journal you can check off that you did do it or you did NOT do it.

Answer to yourself. Figure out what is holding you back and overcome it by setting mini goals each day. Show yourself forgiveness by admitting to yourself where you are struggling and celebrate yourself by patting yourself on the back where you are crushing it. We are all a work in progress!

Coach Meagan

• Snacking!

• I am not talking about a morning or afternoon snack. I am talking about the snacking that goes on while you are making your meals. You know, a handful of almonds while you are cooking- or 2, 3, 4, handfuls of almonds. Or the cheese and crackers while your dinner is cooking. That’s a lot of calories that adds up!

• I recommend getting one of those veggie trays and putting raw veggies in it so if you feel like you need to snack or you are so starving then the food you are putting in your mouth is nutritious and low calorie. Sometimes we end up eating a mini dinner before dinner and that is how we pack in unnecessary calories

• Iced water and lemon with a fancy straw. If you are trying to keep your mouth busy this is a great way to keep it busy calorie free!

• Right now many of us are in “challenge mode,” but non challenge mode is the sweets control or out-of-control!

• I am not talking about a square of dark chocolate daily that makes you feel like a super human- That is not crushing your results. What could be crushing your results is 3-4 days of desserts, sweets, sodas/juice, etc. While those things are ok 10% of the time if your goal is to lose weight then you will have a very hard time losing weight with multiple days of several sweets. Our bodies don’t metabolize as quickly as they once did. You can choose to play the victim, not fair card or you can decide your goal is more important. Either way you are still a fabulous person. Because what you eat, when you eat, how you eat, where you eat does not and will not ever define who you are.

• Mindless eating

• Raise your hand if you are guilty of this! I am the QUEEN! Not even hungry, why am I eating? Because it is in front of me and/or available. If you have the control to bring great choices into your house then that is fabulous, but some of you don’t have the luxury- DANGER!

• If you are guilty of this then I HIGHLY suggest keeping a food log for a few weeks. Put it on your fridge and make a point to write down everything you are eating. This will create more awareness and show you how much you are eating and you truly might not even realize it.

• If you are struggling with weight loss there is a VERY good chance you are eating too much for what your body needs and yes when you cut calories you WILL feel hungry until your body adjusts to a new normal. It is absolutely never recommended for women to consume less than 1200 calories and men less than 1500 calories because that comes with its own issues.

If your goal is weight loss or to change something about the way you look and feel then chances are we need to look at food. These are three things that come to mind that could be a “simple” fix for you or at least create more awareness. Most of you are in challenge mode, but some of you are not so let’s work on getting 1% better today!

If you have not joined our private (free) accountability group then let’s make that happen!

Coach Meagan

Pushups are one of the best exercises! However, they can also be one of the most challenging for many people. I want to discuss the importance of practicing push ups from your toes rather than your knees. When a pushup is properly executed, the feet are together, and the glutes and core are engaged. Everything should be tight as the body moves as one unit through the range of motion. When a pushup is performed from the knees it is more challenging to engage the glutes and core.  Your low back is more likely to be in a hyperextended position when you are on your knees.

Push ups are not just an upper body exercise. They require core strength and proper movement patterning. Often times when we are going through the Functional Movement Screen and we look at the Trunk Stability Pushup (the red band) we see people lift their chest off the floor first and their hips sag.  Gray Cook, who developed the FMS, states that “The Trunk Stability Push up is used as a basic observation of reflex core stabilization, and is not a test or measure of upper body strength.  The goal is to initiate movement with the upper extremities in a push up pattern without allowing movement in the spine or hips.” Therefore, if you practice push ups from your knees you are not training the core to execute the way it should in a push up from the toes.

I want to encourage you to work on the eccentric (the lowering phase) part of the pushup. Eccentrics are a great way to build strength and you will be recruiting your glutes and core! Take your time on the lowering phase of the pushup (3-5 seconds) and focus on making sure that your chest makes contact with the floor before your hips. You may feel like towards the bottom of the movement you are just flopping on the ground but that is ok!  As you continue to work on them you will flop a little less each time. You can also do Band Assisted Push ups which will help keep your hips in the proper position while you work on core stabilization. Keep working at it and you will see improvements!

-Coach Erin 

“You will falter, fumble, and fail in life, but failing at something does not make you a failure.  Failure is not final – unless you choose to not get back up.  The key to growing from failure is refusing to quit.”

That quote was in my reading of a book by Christine Caine and I absolutely loved it!  I believe that many of us have a fear of failure. I also believe that the fear can often hold us back from making changes in our lives because we are afraid of the outcome.  

“What if I fail? What if I don’t lose the weight this time around or I just gain it all back? What if I hurt myself by trying a new exercise or lifting something heavier?”

As a result, we react to our fears by staying in a comfort zone.  I will be honest I was scared, when Meagan asked me to come back to Get Fit NH. After our meeting when I accepted the position, I went home and tried to do a Squat Thrust. I thought my hands were going to break due to the Fibromyalgia pain.  My mind started racing, “How am I going to coach when I can barely do a Squat Thrust or get up and down from the ground without significant pain?”

 I reminded myself that Meagan would not have asked me to come back if she did not believe in me.  It was going to be a long road and a lot of hard work, but I knew deep down this was what I wanted to do. I could not let the fear of failure hold me back. These past six months have not been easy, I have fumbled, and I have fallen. However, with the support of Meagan, Adam and Brian, the rest of the Get Fit NH Family and my personal family, I have made progress.  I want more than anything to see you succeed. We are here to support you along your journey. When you falter, you can count on your Get Fit NH Family to be there for you! We are in this together!

-Coach Erin