Foam rolling is something that is incorporated into a large majority of the warm-ups here at Get Fit, but I feel that the benefits and true importance don’t get touched upon enough! Foam rolling is a form of Self-Myofacial Release, which you can think of as mini massage for yourself (that you don’t need to make an appointment for) that will help you perform better during training and recover properly after!

I am hoping that once reading through this post, you obtain a better understanding as to why we do it and that you might even want to invest in a foam roller!

Benefits of foam rolling BEFORE training:

• Improved circulation of blood - resuming normal blood flow through your muscles through the pressure applied and helping to get better oxygen delivery to those muscles
• Releasing painful trigger points or knots in the muscle that may be hindering your movement patterns
• Decreasing muscle tightness and improving flexibility - rolling the muscles will help stretch and loosen the fascia that surrounds your muscles, helping many other structures move more freely, therefore increasing your ability to perform better!

Benefits of foam rolling AFTER training:

• Help decrease your recovery time - sore and fatigued muscles after a workout can be attributed to lactic acid buildup; as you roll those tired muscles, blood and nutrients flood the area to help your body to recover and remove waste products
• Keep your body less prone to injury - keeping structures throughout the body moving more easily will limit injury caused by restrictions

Helpful tips to remember: Take deep breaths, relax your body and the muscle being targeted, move slowly to gain awareness of trigger points, and apply pressure.

Time to get rolling,
Coach Cari

Mark your calendars for a schedule change and a family training opportunity! On Memorial Day we get together as one big happy family. This year we are combining our Memorial Day family training with   Training for a Cause! Brilliant, right? Memorial Day is about honoring our nations men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom so it just makes sense to take this opportunity to donate to Operation Hat Trick (OHT). For those of you who are not familiar with OHT they are dedicated to American service members as they recover from the visible and invisible wounds of war. They help them move past the traumas of battle so they can focus on their lives and families at home. Donations are appreciated. We especially love that all of the money raised stays in New Hampshire to help our own. So mark your calendar, dig out your red, white and blue and let’s have some fun while doing some good!

When: Monday, May 29, 2017 

Time: 8 AM - 9:15 AM

Location: Get Fit NH Concord 

Do you work for the University System of New Hampshire? Are you eligible for their fitness reimbursement program through Cigna?

If you are - today is your lucky day!

Get Fit NH is now an approved facility for the USNH fitness reimbursement program!

That is great news for you if you are a member of the USNH insurance program. Since Get Fit NH is now an approved facility, you win. We'll do the paperwork so you can use the insurance benefit they provide.

To start using your benefit on June 1, 2017, please:

• Contact Cigna to make sure you have this benefit as an employee of the USNH.
• Contact Stephanie at office@getfitnh.com by May 25th to get your paperwork started.

The past couple of weeks I have been playing the jumping chin game! I have been challenging some of you to give them a whirl. At first with the bench and then without.

Quite a few told me I can’t do a jumping chin! My response? How do you know? If you have never TRIED? How do you know if you are unable to do something right now?

Stop giving yourself a no before you really, truly try. You really, really want to try a jumping chin…what’s the worst that is going to happen? You won’t be able to pull up. You want to deadlift Batman, but it looks kind of intimidating? Try to pull it off the ground (safely) the worst that will happen is it won’t budge!

If you want something you need to BELIEVE that you CAN! No more telling yourself someday or I can’t because…

I believe that anyone who walks through these doors will be able to lose fat, gain muscle and feel amazing. I really truly believe that, but if you don’t believe that then we are going to be stuck….

Coach Meagan

This student spotlight is shining bright on Audrey Fischbein. Besides brining a great sense of humor and hard working attitude to class, Audrey has seen results and has enjoyed her time at Get Fit. Below is a short segment from Audrey’s own experience since joining the family.

Audrey is on the left getting her I Survived shirt!

Why did you choose Get Fit NH?
I met Dean about 6 years ago - his story was very inspiring! The results of others were also incredible so I figured it's time to do something for myself!

What changes did you notice in the first few weeks?
My love for exercising returned. My energy increased and I started to feel strong!

What outside of Get Fit NH has become easier since starting?
I focused on my eating as well so I don't have that tired time in the afternoon! And I can easily get all my groceries in one trip up 2 flights of stairs lol

What are your goals?
Lose inches and get my BMI down! Look as healthy on the outside as I am on the inside.

What have you accomplished so far?
20lbs down. Much better diet, thanks to Nancy and all the nutrition help! Also I have learned to love feeling sore ALL THE TIME!

What is your favorite part of Get Fit NH?
The coaches! How it's always different and fun. The accountability! The challenges! I love how it offers not just the exercise piece but also the nutrition piece!

Great job, Audrey, taking the opportunity and making the absolute most out of it!

-Coach Adam

There is power in the word "don't".

When I "don't" do something, I am in control.

There is no rule that is forcing me, no obligation that I am under, nobody else telling me what to do.

Let's say you want to drop a few pounds and lean up, so you adopt a different eating strategy, for instance participate in "Sizzlin' Summer Slimdown".

Don't say you "can't" eat something on S3, because that is simply not true.

You CAN do whatever you want.

Think about it - the rules of fat loss did not change because you chose to get serious about it, they just came into clearer focus and become more important in the "now" to you. 

Most of us don't like "rules", (especially those of fat loss) but some of us sure need them - I am first in that line!

Here's an example; You decide that from this point on you are only going to eat 3 meals a day, with no snacking. That is your new "rule".

What do you say when you are offered popcorn during the movie you are watching?

What do you tell your own self when you want that last piece of pie in the fridge?

"I can't because I am on this stupid diet" makes you a victim, and we all like to play the victim.

"No thanks, I don't eat more than 3 meals because I am learning to control my hunger" demonstrates an exercise of free will that is a emotionally and psychologically very powerful. Jedi mind tricks if you will. YOU are in control because you made a decision, not because some diet guru made it for you.

And can we talk about that word "Decide"?

We use that word very flippantly.

The root is "cid" or "cis".

Homicide. Suicide. Scissors. Decide.

All the same root - "cid" or "cis" - "to cut or to kill".

What to wear to the gym or whether to drink Dunkins or Starbucks is making a choice, not deciding.

"Deciding" something means you cut off or kill all other options.

Did you really "Decide" to participate in Sizzlin' Summer Slimdown, or is it something you are merely choosing to do until the going gets tough?

If you truly made a decision than anything that is not part of S3 is off the table for you.

Do you understand the power of that?

There is no choice to be made anymore, and that is liberating, not restrictive.

You "don't" do it because YOU decided not to, and YOU matter.

Don't ever forget it.

Coach Dean

I am here to reveal some eye opening numbers!

If you have been training with us for a while, then you are probably fairly familiar with the timing application that we use. You know…Niegel (that’s what we named him!) 3 seconds before each set is complete he counts down- 3..2..1…rest.

It is pretty common when Niegel says “3” many of us STOP moving. Let me encourage you- 3 does not mean stop! 3 seconds adds up…let me show you…

I am using the timing from this week as an example throughout an entire year.

If you stopped at 3 EVERY TIME Niegel said “3” this week then you would have missed 5 minutes of training- doesn’t sound so bad! No biggie, right?

There are approximately 192 training opportunities in a year so if you stop at “3” EVERY TIME Niegel says “3” you are missing roughly 960 minutes of training each year. That’s 16 hours. That’s FOUR WEEKS of training!

3 seconds may not sound like a lot, but believe us when we say every second counts! We only get 2-4 hours a week with you. That is not a lot of time to get some work done. So with that being said- when you’re here let’s get some work done. Don’t just go through the motions. Every second you are with us matters!

Coach Meagan

What I want you to do is to take a look around you. Take a glance at those who you work with and those who you live with and try and make some comparisons. One thing that often stands out is physical appearance, “she/he is taller than me, smaller or bigger in stature, dresses nicely, etc.”. One thing we often overlook are those characteristics and traits that we all have in common. Although this may not always be physical, our internal or psychological drives/motives may be the same!

Something I know for a fact, particularly in those who sign up to train at Get Fit and those who are taking part in our S3 nutrition challenge, is that you are looking to change your identity! Everyone is here for that same simple reason although the motive behind that may not be so simple. Recognizing that a change is needed is crucial towards altering who you are, and many of you have taken that step. So great job!

How do I know that you are looking to become someone different? Because chances are when you first walked through our doors, you were or still are unhappy at where you are at in your life and you have some goals, images, and thoughts ready to turn into action. Maybe you are striving to lose 30 pounds in order to look better, feel better, and be able to move easier than you currently can. Maybe you are in search of showing yourself that you can take action, you are motivated, and that your goals can be achieved with a little push. Or maybe, you are disappointed in yourself and the life you have been living and you are ready for a new chapter. Now when you glance around at those in the gym next to you who may seem “perfect, fit, or have it all together”, just know that they are there for the same reason. They are trying to change their identity just like you are!

Here's my recommendation:

• Take 5-10 minutes out of your day today to write down what it is that you want to change, the underlying why, and what you will be able to do when you accomplish it that you are currently unable to!
• Reach much higher than you think you can- although it may take a long time to get there, don’t give yourself limitations, when you are capable of so much!
• Let us coaches help you!

Don't forget: It is possible to change who you have become and most of your limitations are only in your mind!

-Coach Cari