This time the spotlight shines on Amy Doyle. Amy and her husband, Jim, have been part of the Get Fit NH family for a while now. Amy is part of our 5am class in Concord and always comes in with a smile, a willingness to work hard, and a shrug (we are working on the last one). All joking aside, Amy has been a fantastic addition to the family and we love having her in class. Here are some of Amy’s own words about her journey at Get Fit NH...

Why did you choose Get Fit NH?

My husband, Jim, and I joined Get Fit in July. After spending years going to gyms, we were looking for a different approach to working out. I had many colleagues at Bow Memorial School that trained at Get Fit and we decided to give it a try. We were both hooked after a few workouts.

What changes did you notice in the first few weeks?

Almost immediately I noticed that I wasn't feeling hurt and dinged up all the time. It was typical for me to experience pain while training, and I had come accustomed to working though chronic shoulder pain during my workouts. The first month showed me that this didn't have to be the case. The workouts at Get Fit were making me stronger, but not at the cost of being hurt. I also noticed that I was able to do more functional skills without pain and effort.

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

What are your goals?

When I first started at Get Fit my goal was to lose 10 pounds. Like many people, I struggle with the number on the scale. Over the past few months, my goals have changed. I want to be healthy, strong, and know how to fuel and care for my body. I won't lie though...I want to be able to do a chin-up!

What have you accomplished so far?

What is your favorite part of Get Fit NH?

My favorite part of Get Fit are the coaches. I am so appreciative of their vigilance during the workouts to keep stubborn people like me safe and accountable. Without their guidance, I would still be struggling with injury and pain.

Keep the hard work up and the shoulders down, Amy!
-Coach Adam

When you lay down to go to sleep at night, do you ever think about your day and reflect on what you did to better yourself that day? I highly doubt it. Most of us have a mind going one million miles a second and we’re making to-do lists in our head, thinking about our kids and planning out the next day or thinking about work, etc. I know I rarely lay there and think about me.

But, wait! We (you and me!), WE are important too! Shouldn’t we all be striving to get a little better each day? I have two challenges for you:

1. Before you go to bed each night set yourself one small goal for the following day. It could be to read 10 pages of a book you have been meaning to pick up again, or to go to bed or wake up at a certain time. It could be to make it back to training if that has been slipping away from you. Set one goal that you KNOW you can achieve the following day that will help you get just a little bit better. Write it down!
2. Before you go to bed and before setting a new goal for the following day, check off that you completed your daily goal. If you didn’t make it happen, then reflect on what got in your way and come up with a plan to make it happen the next day.

It is way easy to put yourself on the back burner over and over and over again. I never quite understood this until I had kids. I get it now, but we are important too and taking some time to ourselves each day is not going to hurt anyone!

-Coach Meagan

Now, maybe when looking at that title you probably had one of two thoughts, either “what the heck is he talking about” or “WAIT THERE'S A PAUSE BUTTON!?!!”. Hopefully it was the former, not the latter. We as humans always look to solve puzzles and plan things accordingly. What do I mean by that? Well… work is going haywire, Billy-bob and Suzie-Q both need to be at hockey and soccer practice on opposite sides of town at the same time, and someone has to get home to let the dog out...and if you are a family member at Get Fit NH, you also have to make your training today. So, we as humans try to put everything into its own category. We look at when kids’ seasons will end and we look at when projects will be done at work, and “that’s when I’m going to start eating right” or “that’s when I’m going to get back to training”.

Here’s the somewhat depressing, but completely honest answer…ITS NEVER GOING AWAY ENTIRELY!!! 3 months down the road when you expected everything to get easier, other things have cropped up and you have spent the last 3 months not caring about yourself without that magical open period finally showing itself.

That’s why this next part is important. No matter how much free time you think you will have coming up, in today’s world I think we can all agree we never end up with as much as we expected. That’s why it’s even more important to keep moving. You CANNOT hit the pause button. Life will always throw obstacles your way but you can never just all together stop eating right and exercising.

Think about it like a bike, you go on a long bike ride, lots of big hills and the like. Which option is going to get you to your destination (or your goal) more quickly?

• Option 1: You keep the bike on its highest gear and every time you get too winded, you stop and wait to completely catch your breath.
• Option 2: You start to get winded and instead of stopping, you just drop to a lower gear. You can take a breath but you are still moving towards your destination. Then once you catch your breath again, you go back up to the higher gear.

Option 1 is you hitting the pause button. It’s you saying “I’m putting it over there in the corner until I have time to even think about it”. Option 2 is where you want to be. Is it as easy as option 1? No, of course not, but you have goals you want to achieve and you WILL NOT get there if you hit the pause button every time things get hectic. Life isn’t like a movie where if you pause you can come back and just pick up where you left off. During that time you put it in the corner, you will have fallen further from your goal and will be even more reluctant to start again.

Don't hit pause, and keep making it happen,
Coach Adam

Guys I truly despise closing, I really do, but this storm is forcing my hand. Rather than making you wait and have go get up early to figure out if we are closed for the morning or not, I have decided to make the call now.

Right now we fully intend to be open in the afternoon. The snow is forecast to taper off and/or stop by early afternoon, which should give us enough time to clean up and get ready for afternoon training

As always, please use your judgment. We want you first and foremost to be safe, and hopefully this will be the end of the need to cancel training for the rest of the season.

Things you can do instead:

1) Get a little extra sleep, and then spend some time on a foam roller, doing your correctives, and flexibility training. You have enough knowledge to make this time productive.

2) Do any additional nutrition planning and prep work for the week.

3) Jump on one of the training videos below. There are options for bodyweight only as well as band training.

4) Don't stress out! 🙂

Training Options Here!

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I wrote this blog a couple weeks ago as I was approaching the end of my pregnancy (which came a little sooner than expected!). I was taking time to reflect on how different my body felt, so its from the perspective of when I was still pregnant.

The human body is a pretty incredible machine. Over the past 8 months my body formed another human- craziness! A true miracle, indeed. The human body capability is unbelievable. I am currently 22 pounds heavier than what I was 34 weeks ago. My body has changed and it feels different in many ways. While many differences are pregnancy related – others are not. What used to be simple is now a struggle for no other reason than I am heavier than what I am used to. Here are three big changes in life just because I am heavier.

1. Getting up and down off the floor. What a simple part of the day this used to be. With all the classes I coach on a daily basis, this was a mindless activity I never really thought twice about it. Before I get up now I have to carefully roll myself on to my side and use my hands and sometimes knees to stand myself up. When you are not overweight, getting up and down off the floor is not a chore.

2. Training enjoyment. Because I am heavier, I am winded quickly. I am not able to lift as much as I know I am capable of because my range of motion is limited. It is overall more exhausting. When the weight comes off training is easier and more enjoyable.

3. Confidence. Yes, pregnancy is a beautiful thing, but when you’re heavier and don’t feel as “in shape” as you once were, your confidence takes a beating. I don’t walk as fast, I don’t do stairs as fast, I get out of breath easier and that can be kind of embarrassing. My clothes fit, but not like they used to.

I know this blog has the potential to be misperceived. While many of the things mentioned are directly related to growing another life, my intent is to help you understand that life is easier when you are carrying less weight around.

My intent is to help you understand that the human body is INCREDIBLE and your genes are not likely the reason why the weight is not coming off.

My intent is to help you see that life CAN be easier and things like getting up and down off the floor, training and self-confidence are not impossible.

If you want it – you can make it happen. The only person giving you a “no” is YOU!

The only person saying you can’t or won’t is YOU!

I can find a BIG family of supporters who can encourage you and assure you that YOU CAN!

-Coach Meagan

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We won't leave you hanging though - if you want to train, you can Make It Happen!

P.S. Scroll to the bottom for a surprise! 🙂

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You've already seen Rita in the spotlight last week, and now her daughter Jess is shining, too!

I asked Jess to write something up, because it has been AMAZING to watch her transform on so many levels. Her confidence, her attitude, her commitment, and her form (just to name a few) have come a very long way in a pretty short time. I cannot imagine NOT having her and her mother Rita in our 5:30 training hour. She is consistently on the perfect attendance poster. She lifts heavy every time and she makes those around her smile. It has been an absolute joy to coach Jess. Proud would be an understatement to describe my feelings about her performance. Here is what she has to say...

Jess and her mom Rita winning our "Best Mother-Daughter Accountability" award!

1. What was your absolute biggest challenge prior to starting at Get Fit NH?

I had two really big challenges before before I started with Get Fit. The first one was staying committed with what I was doing; I'd go to the the gym for a few months straight and eat really well and then completely fall right off the wagon. I think one of the reasons because of that was that I was doing it alone. My second biggest challenge was that when I was at the gym I was to intimidated to go weight section of the gym. I knew that it was an important part to working out but seeing all those buff dudes working out made me really self conscious.

2. What changed after starting?

All of that! I feel that having my mom going through this with helps big time. When I'm having a hard time getting motivated, she's always there to get me going and vice versa. Its also nice knowing that everyone one who goes to Get Fit is there for the same reason and probably has felt the same way at the gym.

3. What specific results can you share?

I've been feeling so much better! The best result is that I sleep so amazingly now. Before I would sleep so inconsistently that I'd wake up exhausted.

4. What would you say to somebody on the fence about starting?

I'd say that going to Get Fit has been the best money I've ever invested on myself. The atmosphere is so welcoming and everyone is incredibly friendly. The coaches are always there for you and make sure that you're doing exercises properly. They're so encouraging and want to see you reach your full potential. I absolutely love it here and everything about it.

5. What has kept you coming back all these months?

When I found out about Get Fit from my mom it couldn't have come at a better time. I had just lost someone incredibly close to me to suicide and Get Fit has be an amazing outlet for what I went through. I'm now focused on becoming the best possible version of myself and Get Fit is definitely helping me take steps in that direction.​

Here is another thing I love about Jess. She is in her 20's so she is younger than our typical student, but SHE GETS IT! She is setting herself for up for success so young by investing in herself and finding a way to make it happen. I am so so so thankful that Jess (and Rita) came to Get Fit NH. Keep making it happen, ladies! ​

-Coach Meagan