Colossal Class Challenge – Bring the Heat!

You will be feeling the burn with this challenge in August!

Put your competitive hats on, it's time to get pumped! Have you ever wondered to yourself, "Which class works the hardest?" or "I'm competitive, so my class is the BEST one"? Well, here is your chance to prove it!

Beginning Monday, August 1st and running through Thursday, August 25th, each class will be its own team competing against all the other training times. Concord teams will compete against all the other Concord teams, and Epsom teams will compete against the training teams from Epsom.

Concord - we have a MyZone challenge for you, and Epsom - you've pushed a 135 lb sled, and now you'll be pulling a weighted tire! Here's how the challenge works for each location:

   GFNH Concord: MEPs Madness Challenge

  • Your team's goal is to have the most average MEPS.
  • Only MEPS in the green, yellow, and red zones will count.
  • August 25th is a hard deadline for uploading final MEPs! If your MEPs aren't uploaded by that Friday, then tough cookies!
  • Teams by training time: 5am, 6:15am, 7:25am, 8:30am, 4:15pm, 5:30pm & 6:45pm.
  • *Important Note* YOU MUST ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE YOURSELF THROUGH MYZONE! This is the only way your MEPs will count. We cannot add you to the challenge. Instructions are below on how to join the challenge.

GFNH Epsom: Tire Drag Challenge

  • Your team's goal is to pull the tire for the most amount of laps.
  • Coach Nancy will set the distance and weight.
  • You get to do the pulling!
  • August 25th is the last day to pull the tire, so make sure you start early in the month!
  • Teams by training time: 5am, 6:15am, 9am, 4pm & 6pm.

We know what you are thinking... "But Coach Adam, 6:15 has 30 people that use MyZone and 7:25 only has 12, how is that fair?", or "Coach Nancy, we only have 10 people in our class pulling the tire, but 6pm has 15 people".  Don't worry - we will be counting average MEPS per team member in Concord, and average laps per team member in Epsom.

The MEPSand laps for each team will be updated here during the month on these awesome scoreboard thermometers that Coach Dean created. This way you'll be able to see how your team stacks up on any given week!

The challenge is ON! Let's go teams!


For those of you who are participating in Concord's MyZone Challenge, we need you to accept an invite in order to take part. It is SUPER EASY and SUPER QUICK!! Here are the instructions:

1. Go to http://moves.MyZone.org

2. Click "Log in" in the top right corner.

3. Log into your account with the email and password you set up.

4. After logging in, you will be taken to your member page where a box will pop up. Click the green circle to accept the challenge.

5. You're ready to go!

The Athlete Academy Spotlight is Shining

sam o spotlightThe Athlete Academy student spotlight keeps shining!

This time it is beating down on Sam Orzechowski!

Sam is going into his junior year at Concord High where he was a part of the state champion track team! He works hard and always has a positive attitude every time he comes through the door. He is always looking to have fun and enjoys training, getting stronger and getting faster. It truly wouldn’t be a day at Athlete Academy without him trying to throw a dab randomly into a core or agility exercise. He is a kid with amazing character who I know will go far. Keep up the good work Sam!

-Coach Adam

Save

Yesterday Does Not Determine Today

Have you ever had one of those days where you were just totally off track? You missed training, you forgot your lunch so you made poor choices to cope and since you ate like crap you might as well polish of a Ben n’ Jerry’s and call it a day? We have all had those days. Those days suck. Those days are dangerous. Having that kind of day isn’t the end of your results so don’t throw in the towel! Leaving yourself in that rut could be detrimental to your results, i dont feel sorry for myselfthough. There is a saying written up on the wall (or ceiling in Epsom!) that says, “I don’t feel sorry for myself.”

I love this saying. Do you know how many days I have to tell myself this? Maybe I was compliant all week and then WHAT? The scale went up!? SCREW THIS! I’m having pizza! Your Get Fit Family and your coaches are here for you on those days where you just cannot get out of your own way and those days that you are ready to throw the towel in, because your compliance didn’t give you immediate feedback. Giving in and feeling sorry for yourself is certainly not going to take you where you are trying to go. An off day should not trickle into the next day and the next day.

Reality check time- Is there somewhere you need to improve? Have you let an off day turn into a bad habit? What bad habit are you kicking today and how can we help?

Let us help you pick yourself up and try, try again,
Coach Meagan

A Great Tasting Plant-Based Protein Supplement?

pdp-pf-vanilla-1lb_grandeJust a brief note to let you know we are now stocking PlantFusion “Complete Plant Protein”.

We have been looking for a Plant-Based protein supplement for awhile that doesn’t taste like freeze dried woodchuck AND is an excellent alternative to whey or egg-based supplements.

Besides being a great alternative for our vegan friends, for some of us rotating protein supplement sources is a good idea to avoid developing an intolerance to any one type. I have found that whey protein bug my stomach after using them awhile, and by using a different protein source (such as plant) for a few weeks I can go back with no problem.

The nutrient profile is almost exactly the same as UMP: 21 grams of protein in a 120 calories serving, which is outstanding for plant based supplements.

Remember these are SUPPLEMENTS, in other words they should be used in addition to eating whole foods most of the time. Even the best protein shakes and bars are a processed food, so don’t built your whole nutrition plan around them.

We are currently stocking Chocolate and Vanilla at a significant saving off the retail price, so give it a try and let me know what you think!

nutritional_values_PF

EXTRAVAGANZA of the YEAR

I am beyond excited to invite you to our 2nd annual Strongman/Strongwoman competition Olympic style and our first ever Operation Hat Trick (OHT) Extravaganza. This is going to be the party of the summer so mark your calendars and invite your friends. As most of you know OHT is a veteran’s organization we support. This organization helps New Hampshire’s own heroes. All of the money raised stays right here in NH.

With a $15 donation you will get:hatrickhat
•Entry into the Strongman/Strongwoman competition (optional)
•A custom Get Fit NH/OHT ball cap

You can come to watch or you can come to play – everyone is welcome! We even invited our local news stations in hopes to make this event a big deal. Our NH veteran’s deserve our support.

Here’s what you can expect:
•A rockin’ band
•Strong people
•Happy peoplewarhammer
•Insane amounts of fun

I would be delighted if you came and supported this amazing cause. A lot of time and hard work went in to making this happen and I want to make it HUGE!

Strongman/Strongwoman competitors this is what you can expect:
•Sled pushin’
•Car pushin’
•Boulder movin’
•Ax holdin’
•Rope pullin’

Who’s in?

When: Saturday August 13, 2016
Time: 10 AM
Where: Get Fit NH Concord
Cost: Donation

Spotlight Couples Edition Ray and Anne

The spotlight is shining bright on a very special Get Fit NH couple. Ray Orzechowski and Anne LaForce. These two train so hard every day and they bring smiles and encouragement to everyone they encounter. I am so glad that these two choose to train with us. I am reminded every year that it is because of Anne that Concord came to be! It is very much because of Anne that I get to have the best job in the world and it is very much because of Anne that YOU are here too! So whenever you are sore, thank Anne ;-)! In all seriousness, these two are so influential and I am excited to share a little bit of their story today.

 

“Anne started training at GFNH 7 years ago, after seeing an ad for a “bootcamp” that looked very intriguing. Even though we lived in Concord, she traveled to Epsom 4 days a week for the 9am ladies class. It was March of 2009, and it was a recovery week the third week she was there. She was bummed, as she was just getting into her routine, and even asked Nancy for some exercises to do on her own. Anne now looks forward to those weeks off!

She kept bugging Nancy and Dean about when they would have a class in Concord, and a few months later they started at Concord Dance Academy. She was nervous to train under Dean, as he was pretty intimidating, but we’ve now come to realize that Nancy is really in charge!

It was Anne’s continued enthusiasm and excitement about the training that got Ray interested. Ray started training in January of 2010. He has been a faithful “ 5 AM’er” for the past 6 years, and truly enjoys the special bond that has formed with his fellow early birds! We both have definitely gained strength and muscles and are truly enjoying the daily challenge and variety. As we’ve continued to train, we have seen such great improvements in our outside pursuits. We have become better mountain bikers and skiers, and feel so much stronger and more fit. For Anne, the nutrition coaching has been very beneficial and she has made positive changes in her eating habits. Although Ray has not participated in the nutritional benefits available through Get Fit NH, Anne’s healthier habits have certainly made him more aware of the benefits that eating a healthier diet can make. anneandray

Training together at Get Fit has been a blast. We are able to commiserate about sore muscles, compare our workouts, and stay fit together. We bike and ski often and it is such a great way to stay in shape. Working out at Get Fit NH has provided tremendous balance to our lives as we try to manage the everyday elements of work, family, community involvement, and all the other aspects that we all try to master. I’m certain that the level of stress in our lives would be far greater were it not for the “release valve” that training provides!

Even after all these years, we love the variety of training. No two days are ever the same. With the MyZone we can monitor our workouts in real time to track changes. Anne uses the HRV to assess her daily readiness for training. We try to take advantage of everything Dean and Nancy have to offer. With their desire to constantly change and improve, we are all the beneficiaries, and we both anticipate being with them for many more years!”

So there you have it. It is amazing how someone else’s influence can change your life and because of that touch hundreds of others. Who are you influencing to be better?

Thank you Ray and Anne for being such a bright part of my day. Your hard work is more appreciated than you know.

Keep making it happen,
Coach Meagan

Save

Save

Save

Save

Bands are Not a Punishment!

If you have been here for a while, then you are familiar with our Functional Movement Screen (FMS). The FMS is a prerequisite before ever stepping foot on our training floor. Why are we such firm believers in this screen you ask? Let me explain…

fmsFor starters, the purpose of the FMS is so that we can train you the best and safest way possible for YOU. If you stepped through our doors, it is because you want to get better in one way or another and you want to hire a coach to take you from where you are to where you are trying to go. The FMS reveals those nagging aches and pains, it reveals old injuries, and it often reveals asymmetries or potential risks. I can’t even tell you how many times I have screened someone and they didn’t even know they had something going on until they performed the screen.

Let’s think about if we didn’t screen. Let’s say Sally Mae walks in for the first time. I have never seen her move. I didn’t know her past or present injuries. I have no idea if she has great mobility, hypermobility, or total immobility. Then I hand her a kettlebell and teach her how to kettlebell swing- YIKES! I had no idea her hamstrings were tight, no idea that she had back surgery 17 years ago, no idea that she had no control of her core. Can you imagine the risks I just put before her just by handing her a kettlebell and not doing any kind of movement screen? The scary thing is that there are few training facilities that offer a movement screen. So while sometimes you may not like the FMS, be thankful that it is catching potential injuries AND keeping you in the game longer. If you’re hurt, then you take that risk of not being able to train at all.

So why rescreen every 12 weeks? Well, life happens and things change. While we are training smarter to get better, we will be able to see that some screens are improving. On the other side, life happens and things change and we may catch another potential risk. Maybe your late night basketball sessions with no stretching or mobility work are tightening up those hamstrings, or maybe your new job that involves a lot of typing and sitting are locking up your thoracic and causing some shoulder immobility. If we catch these things, then we can help you work through them before causing an injury.

So with that being said, even if you have been here 1, 2, 3+ years and you started with 1 band, then no bands, then 3 bands…it’s okay! Kill it where you can and take a step back where it’s necessary. Like I said, it will help you stay in the game longer. So if you think your bands are a punishment, think again! They are to protect you, because we love you 🙂

-Coach Meagan

The Sawyers Earned a Spotlight

saywersI love hearing ‘ah ha’ moments. You know, those special points in time that transformed a life for the better? There are so many different and amazing moments that change a person for a lifetime. I think I like to hear them so much because I don’t have one. I grew into healthier eating. I slowly gravitated towards being more fit. It was a process for me. Now I am being encouraged by others with similar stories to my own. Hearing that our 2016 Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown winners had a similar story thrilled me. Kellen and Carolyn Sawyer motivated each other through the six weeks of S3, but they are tackling S3 2.0 with that same determination. I’ll let Kellen tell you how it all got started.

“We first came to Get Fit NH (GFNH) a few years ago, with Carolyn starting almost 5 years ago and Kellen starting 3 years ago.  Carolyn first started when she was invited by another member, and she finally got Kellen there a little over a year later, after lots of asking.

Our initial experiences were similar, we were both a little intimidated by all the new things to learn and by the pace of the trainings.  Carolyn did quite a bit better, as she has been athletic her whole life and active, and was able to adapt to the changes rapidly.  That’s not to say she didn’t have her sore days, and the days when her legs were so tired it was an effort to walk up the stairs, but she stuck with it.  Kellen saw all of this and wondered why on Earth she was going through all of this as he watched from the comfort of the couch.  That made it a harder sell to get him to go the first few times.  HCarolyn S 4e had it rough as well, as he had not been regularly active for too long.  The first few weeks were really difficult and tough, but he stayed with the encouragement of Carolyn, and especially Coach Nancy.  The biggest things we learned after the initial 2 weeks was it was important to try, no matter your limitations; we actually felt really good after training; and to beware of Fun Fridays.

Now, all these years into it, we are both feeling better than we have in some time.  We’ve both lost weight and kept it off and increased our strength and flexibility.  We have a better understanding of what to expect, and are more willing to push ourselves a little harder every time we go.  The challenges in training are always evolving, so we don’t tend to get bored with repetitious exercises.  We both push each other and encourage each other on the harder days, and keep each other accountable to go.  At this stage, we really look forward to going and occasionally have to compromise on how many times a week we each get to go.

Overall, our combined experience has been wonderful.  Everyone at all of the training times have been really awesome, especially the 6:00 PM Epsom session.  We were welcomed into the Get Fit family by all of the people whkellen Sawyero train there and by all of the coaches.  Getting to be a part of GFNH has changed our lives for the better, and we look forward to being part of the family well into the future.”

Taking steps, moving forward, one change at a time, has proven to reap abundant results over the long haul. To the Sawyers and to everyone that is progressing slowly or having those ‘ah ha’ moments- Keep Making It Happen.

Coach Nancy

 

 

Save

Save

3 Seconds to Change Your Life

First, before I get started, I do want to say that over the past few months I have seen you all as students improve in this area (along with many other areas as well, but I’m focusing on this one today).

3 secondsAre you ready for this? 3 seconds to change your life…what could I possibly be talking about?

Well here it is – the last three seconds of that round when you are here in the gym. I know many of you have heard Coach Dean talking about the most important set/seconds/rep being the last one. Here is why – it goes well beyond just getting one more rep in for the purpose of building strength, it also helps our determination in other parts of life.

Yes, of course, just from the overload principle if you get one more rep than you did last time your body will anatomically improve. That is important, but for this I am speaking specifically to a mindset.

Those last three seconds of that set where the voice starts counting down are the most important because of the will it takes to push through the finish line. Rather than stopping because you know the rest is coming, do you have it in you to see things through to the end? People think training is just about sets and reps, but the truth is that many of the principles we see in here translate outside the gym as well.

Here’s a great example, how many of you have done our S3, 21-day Jumpstart, or any other nutrition based challenge we have held? Now, how many of you have gotten down to that last day or two before the end, and even though you have been incredibly disciplined, and lost a ton of fat, go “Ehh, its over tomorrow and I’ve been perfect thus far, what’s one drink tonight really going to matter?”. In the long run, maybe you are right. What difference is one drink really going to make? But then how do you feel after? You stayed disciplined all that time but couldn’t make it the last 12 hours. Why? You made it through 37 days and on the 38th you just say “Ehh, I’m basically done”?

There aren’t many things in this world that you can say are fact, most are just theories and ideas that haven’t been proven wrong yet. Here is one thing I believe to be fact: it is in those moments when you hear the “3….2…1….” that your true character is tested. How can you truly know yourself if you don’t give it everything you have, if you have more in the tank but decide to quit early?

Those last three seconds are when your will power is the lowest, when your determination is the lowest, but where the meaning is the highest. If you can push yourself to make it through those last three seconds without quitting early, then you broke through your own wall and often its easier and easier to push all the way after that.

Those three seconds where you see the light at the end of the tunnel but stay disciplined and don’t try to get there early are the most important in your life. You may think I’m being over dramatic, but here’s a question – are you normally someone who quits when they hear that last three seconds counting down? If yes, do you also find yourself bingeing just before the end of S3? Do you find yourself stopping for unhealthy food when you are 15 minutes away from healthy food at home, because you are hungry and don’t want to wait another 15 minutes? If I were a betting man, I would say that is probably the case.

So make those last three seconds count! Prove to yourself that you have the determination to finish what you started. It will translate in here as well as out there. Don’t stop, push through, and make it happen!

-Coach Adam

Another Couples Edition Spotlight

Our next Spotlight Couples Edition is Dan and Kelly Gauthier. Dan recently started with us at 5 AM and it has been super fun to have him join the family. Kelly has always been a joy to coach and seeing them together now is so special. There is really something special about couples who train together. It definitely makes for a fun training hour! Here is what they have to say about their experience.

Who started training here first?
I (Kelly) started training here first, it was 5 years in June!

How long did it take you to get your spouse on board?
Dan mentioned “maybe” wanting to try it out a couple summers ago. At that time my
thoughts were, “well…you see honey, that’s kind of MY time”. That was the end of
that (very brief) interest. He jumped board with me back in November 2014 for a 21
Day Detox, lost (a lot) of weight, and then decided it was time to tone up! He
joined “another” local gym when they opened last May, he soon lost interest and
phased out of that. So, I guess it’s taken me/us almost 5 years to get him on board!

What was the break through moment that made him join?

Having successfully lost weight, and turning the big 5-0 in February, he decided
it’s time to get in the best shape of his life! He also figured that if I’ve stuck12932645_10154121888413410_1382056796008168453_n
with Get Fit for this long, it must be good! 🙂 #becauseitoldhimto

How has training together affected your home life?

I think I’ve told him every day since he started, how much I love that we get up and train together. It makes such a difference getting out of bed at 4:15am, and being able to turn the light on to get dressed! It’s always fun to re-cap the training together and give each other a hard time about who lifted more weight.
#sofarthatisme

What do you love most about training together?
Training together makes it easier to have similar goals. We support each other 24/7,
now both inside the gym, and out!

I love this little interview! It is so special to see these two supporting each inside and outside of the gym. I am so proud of Kelly for finally letting Dan rain on her hour a little bit and I am so proud of Dan for making this move and getting here to train with us. 5 AM is even more special with these two
Keep making it happen,
Coach Meagan

Save

Save

Save

Save

1 79 80 81 82 83 191