I love cookbooks. I love to make people happy with cooking. I love to eat food. Food makes me happy. 

I also get agitated because cooking takes a long time. I forget to plan and prepare so I end up stressed and rushed. ​I often serve the same thing over and over. Am I truly making anyone happy for a lifetime with my food skills? Do I know what foods should be on my plate? How much do I need to eat? Can my kids eat the same thing I do? What foods will make me healthiest? What foods can harm my body? 

Jumpstart Nutrition Coaching is your one stop for the answers to these questions. While we can't solve every issue in an hour, we can get a good jumpstart on them.

Begin Your Jumpstart

Date: Wednesday, April 12th

Time: 6pm sharp to 7pm

Place: Get Fit NH Epsom

See you there, 
Coach Nancy

In reading a book a couple days ago, the idea of sticking to what works and what you know works was highly prevalent. What the author was referring to was sticking to his program and trusting the system they had created. 

There is always going to be some new system promising “six pack abs in 3 weeks” and that you have to be dedicated to sticking with the system and not jumping from one new idea to the next to the next. That can be difficult when it comes to fitness with so many different opinions and a new book coming out every 35 seconds on Amazon. I’m not talking so much about the system as I am in trusting your instincts and what you know, unequivocally, has worked for you.

The reason I bring this up, is in reading this portion of the book I remembered back to when I used to work at GNC (gasp!). I have mentioned this before but I distinctly remember one day my manager bought a couple boxes of pizza in for us. Upon me being told this, I must have raised an eyebrow, “pizza…at gnc…really?” because I remember her saying “yeah, it’s got protein, some vegetables, it’s got what you need in there”. I remember this because I remember how quickly my mind spouted off with “oh, you’re right”. Everyone reading this knows that eating pizza is not good for you. I knew it then and I know it now. However, because my mind wanted it, when it heard that small bit of twisted logic, my brain latched onto it like a drug addict as I downed my third slice.

It all comes down to this - any one of you reading this knows: vegetables…good, protein...good (forget about source, vegan versus animal, any of that, just protein in general), sugar…bad, pizza…bad. The things you want have a way of twisting your mind until you come to a decision that it is actually good for you. As our clients, you guys have education on the subject. 95% of the time if your first instinct is “that food is bad for me” then you go with that instinct. Don’t get caught trying to convince yourself pizza is good. You can know pizza is bad and still have it every once in a while. When we start twisting the logic that bad foods are good for us, that’s all our mind needs to latch on and rationalize it over and over. So, remember - pizza and sugar = bad, vegetables and protein = good, don’t twist it.

-Coach Adam

Man that snuck up on us FAST!

You are running (see what I did there) out of time to register for the 2017 Rock N' Race and get your custom "Get Fit NH & Beat Cancer" t-shirt. 

Do you really just want to have a plain t-shirt when you could get a sweet customized one?

Don't be that guy.

Seriously.

Click Here N.O.W. NOW and register!​

Please do your part and honor Jim, Catherine and ALL the deserving folks that need our help. The deadline is April 18th for your custom shirt!

P.S. - It's a BLAST!

P.S.S. - We shut down the gym for the race, so you might as well come! 🙂

Patty is one amazing lady. I know she doesn’t see it as much as I want her to, but she stands out in a room. She is the one with a positive attitude no matter what is on her calendar or how she feels. When I asked her to allow me to do a spotlight on her, she wasn’t thinking she had a story to tell. But Patty is just like me in so many ways. She works full time, has a wonderful family and grandchildren that she wants to play with for many years to come. She works hard in the gym just like so many do. Yet Patty is also a hero. She doesn’t give in to discouragement when the drive to training becomes an hour each way. She doesn’t stop trying to eat healthy when she is down with a cold. Life goes up and down but Patty keeps getting up and brining others up right along with her. I know many of you will relate to Patty’s spotlight because in many ways you are like her.

“I have read every spotlight Get Fit has posted, so when Nancy asked me to write something up about me, I was very surprised. I don’t see myself as any of those prior spotlight people. They are all huge success stories. Me, well, hmmmm. I like to think of myself as more of a “keep trying” kind of girl. I am more of the turtle in the race with the rabbit. I have had my successes, but I have also had my setbacks, but like the turtle, I keep on going.

The reason I started at Get Fit was all because of a friend/coworker, Michelle. She had started at Get Fit and when I started complaining that my scale must be broken because it never went down any more, she said I should go with her. Still not convinced I wanted to go, she again shared her wisdom with me by saying, “Patty, just go…what are you going to do at night anyway? You will just go home and lay on the couch” (that Michelle, she is a very smart lady). So, off I went and you know what? Yeah….I hurt like a son of a gun those first couple of weeks. I knew I was out of shape, but seriously, that was bad. It taught me that I never wanted to get that bad again, so I continued on.

I have done the detox several times, the S3 (one of my personal favorites), and several of the nutrition workshops. The nutrition part is big for me. I am not a huge fan of veggies, I know, I know…they are good for me. Nancy took that information and challenged me by telling me I had to try two new veggies the next week. Scary thought, but I did it. Who knew spaghetti squash and daikon are really good. Daikon now replaces the pasta I would have put on my soups and spaghetti squash now replaces the pasta in my spaghetti dishes. Might not be a big win for some, but for me, it is huge.

I told Patty her next vegetable to try is Jicama. I know she’ll like it, especially if she makes Jash Browns.

Keep on making it happen, Patty!

Coach Nancy

Voting season is here! Thank you for helping us win for our 8th year in the Hippo "Best of" awards. There is no doubt we have the best students in the whole world- thank you!

We are moving on to the Concord Cappies 2017! Last year we finally took first place for "Best Fitness Center or Health Club." In previous years we have been taken down by PF! 

In order to get this win we need YOUR help!

Please head back to VoteGetFitNH.com to vote for Get Fit NH!

This survey is easy breezy- no need to vote for 15 categories to qualify.

Question 31: Best Fitness Center: Get Fit NH Concord and Epsom

And please...Vote for your other favorite local, family owned businesses! 

We appreciate your help so much!

Make it Happen!

THE Get Fit NH Team

And this time it's shining on Julie Robinson!

Although Julie has only been with us a little over a month at this point, she has been a great positive addition to class! She works hard and is very accepting of ways to improve and keep getting better. Here is a little more information about Julie’s journey at Get Fit NH in her own words…

Julie is pictured on the far left getting her "I survived" shirt!

“I heard about Get Fit NH on Facebook. I read about the 28-day metabolic challenge and it spurred my interest. I have always loved working out and am always looking for new ways to improve my overall health and flexibility and decided to give it a try. I am a runner, but like anything else, if that is all you do your body becomes accustomed to the effort and you stop seeing results. I also have been doing cross fit training for many years now but know there is always more you can learn and add to your workouts. One of the great things about Get Fit NH is the team of coaches. They are always cheering you on and giving you pointers on better form to get the most from the exercise and not injure yourself.

I have been at Get Fit NH now for about 6 weeks and have found that I have more stamina and a bit more flexibility. I have also learned that for many years I have been doing a lot of my exercises wrong! I have severe scoliosis and have difficulty straightening my back, I tend to round my shoulders to compensate. With Coach Adam and Coach Cari's help I am improving on my form. This has helped me when not at the gym too because I am now more aware of my poor posture and find myself constantly working to improve it.

I also like the nutritional portion of the Get Fit NH program. I have a very restricted diet but have learned a lot already on how I can add some variation to my often times bland diet. What is really nice about the program and the staff at Get Fit NH is they are always giving you options on how you can improve physically and nutritionally and explaining how you will get your best results by incorporating both into your routine. I have met some wonderful people through Get Fit NH, it is fun to work with people that have the same goals and needs. It truly is a great group of people and I am enjoying it very much!”

Keep up the great work, Julie!

-Coach Adam

You voted and it counted! Thank you so much for taking the time to vote. The results are in and you did not disappoint yet again! We are now 8 years strong in the "Best of" awards all because of YOU! Check it out...

Best of the Best Fitness Instructor: Nancy Carlson Get Fit New Hampshire, 287 S. Main St., Concord, and 167 New Orchard Road, Epsom, 344-2651, getfitnh.com

Thank you, thank you, thank you! None of this is possible without you! Make it happen!

Get Fit NH Team​

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The request was: "I'd like to learn more about how to transition safely back to training after injuries. After going through this several times I find it challenging both mentally and physically. It's hard for me to know when I'm overdoing vs training carefully."

Who has ever felt this way? Most of us deal with aches and pains, but injuries can be really frustrating and confusing. So, how do we know when it is safe to train a movement pattern that was once painful?

1. Nobody knows your body better than you do. Each training day your coach will check in with you. When we ask you how you are doing we want to know everything. Your day, your mood, your aches and pains…all of it! We want to know on a scale of 1-10 what your pain is today. There is a fancy chart hanging on the wall to help guide you. If we don’t know we can’t help you. We even want to know if you have a slight headache or heartburn! All of it!

2. Let’s pretend like you felt a tweak in your back while you were cleaning the garage over the weekend. It’s not bothering you now, but it happened….we need to know. Even if you think it is nothing, we need to be cautious to prevent injury.

3. Be mindful of your progress. What is your pain today compared to when you first injured? What is your pain today compared to last week? What is your pain today after training yesterday?

4. Are you aware of this injury while you’re not in training? What bothers you at home? Are you noticing it more or less with day to day activities?

We put Amy in the spotlight a few weeks ago, and this time it's shining on her husband, Jim. Like Amy, Jim has been a fantastic addition to the Get Fit NH family, someone who always comes in with a positive attitude and works his butt off time in and time out. Jim tells us a little more about his time with Get Fit NH...

Why did you choose Get Fit NH?

My wife Amy had heard about Get Fit from some of her co-workers at Bow Memorial Middle School. They raved about what a great program it was, and she really wanted to try it. We had a membership at the Concord YMCA, but hardly used it at all, and both wanted to find a workout solution that got us excited and motivated to be in the gym. It seemed like Get Fit was making it happen for her friends, and so we decided to give it a shot. What a great decision!

What changes did you notice in the first few weeks?

Well the first thing I noticed was how out of shape I was…ha! But it wasn’t long until I remembered just how great it felt to be in the gym and exercising regularly. You get through that initial sore period, and then everything starts to feel much tighter and better. Feeling better and better like that becomes its own form of motivation (at least for me!) I enjoy working out, but haven’t always had the best discipline. Get Fit has really helped me with that. I never thought I would be “that guy” who gets up at 5:30am to go workout, and yet now I’m doing it on a regular basis (4:30am on Mondays and Fridays!).

What outside of Get Fit NH has become easier since starting?

One of the biggest impacts I noticed had to do with my annual participation in the Reach-The-Beach Relay. I’ve run in it since 2012, but almost every year I would end the relay with some kind of nagging injury or pain (plantar fasciitis, patellar tendonitis, shin splints, etc.). Keep in mind, my only preparation for the relay was running. However, when I ran in it this past fall (after having been at Get Fit for just 3 months), I felt much stronger than in any previous year, and I finished with absolutely zero aches and pain (and that was even with a grueling 9 mile run with plenty of hills!). I credit that largely to the workouts we do at Get Fit. The full body strength and conditioning that Coach Dean and his team prepare have a huge impact on my overall fitness level.

What are your goals?

I was really big when I was younger (topped the scales at 280 lbs. my freshman year in college), and so weight has always been an issue for me. I have a tendency to yo-yo when it comes to my weight. As everyone knows, the older you get the harder it is to keep the weight off. I’ve set a long-term goal to take charge of this area of my life and make a permanent commitment to proper weight management and control.

What have you accomplished so far?

I started at Get Fit last August, and so far I’ve managed to lose 15 pounds as far as the scale reads, and have seen a 5% drop in my overall body fat composition. I’ve also gone from an XXL down to an XL, and feel like I can confidently set my sights on getting back into an L before July of this year.

What is your favorite part of Get Fit NH?

The coaches and the workouts they design. One thing I really appreciate about the coaches is how encouraging they are, gently pushing us to strive for more, but never making us feel like we aren’t getting to where we need to be. I guess what I mean is that they take the time to get to know you, it’s not a cookie cutter approach. They understand each one of us is different, and we are doing “our” workout even though everyone else is doing the same thing. It’s like the old adage “the weight is not the goal…the weight is the tool you use to achieve your goal.” To that end, I also really appreciate how vigilant they are about making sure we are using proper form so we don’t hurt ourselves.

Great job, Jim! Keep it up!

Coach Adam