Spotlight Shines on Get Fit’s Own Snowboard Superstar

Hannah is pictured in the middle on the 1st place podium as she celebrates her accomplishment.

Spotlight time!!! This time I have chosen to spotlight Hannah Kelsey.

A little over a month ago, Hannah reached a huge achievement in snowboarding. Here are her results from the National Championships held at Copper Mountain, CO:

•    1st Place USASA Nationals Slopestyle, Women 18-24
•    2nd Place USASA Nationals Rail Jam, Women 14 & Over
•    2nd Place USASA Nationals BoarderCross, Women 18-24

Hannah has been snowboarding for 7 years overall, 6 of which have been competitively. She was on the snow about 60 days this year riding with the Waterville Valley BBTS snowboard team. She mostly enjoys and focuses on the freestyle/trick side of the spectrum.

Having one of our own family achieve something like this, on this level, is huge. I have had the pleasure of coaching Hannah in class as well as in our Athlete Academy and there are few, if any at all, that work harder than she does. She is always willing to push her training including taking on modifications and suggestions in order to make her training as effective and sport specific as possible. I am extremely proud of Hannah and her huge accomplishment. It is not something that comes easy or without hard work. Keep up the good work, Hannah!

-Coach Adam

Happy Belated Birthday to Get Fit NH!

Dan has been with us from Day One! And yes, that is his “Eight Year Swag”!

True Story!

Yesterday was the 8th anniversary of the very first day that “Get Fit NH Bootcamp” was held (There was this little thing called MOTHERS DAY we though deserved top billing 🙂 ) We started at  5:00am in the morning on our property in Epsom, and we haven’t looked back since.

The name has changed (Another True Story, we haven’t called ourselves “Bootcamp” for 4 or 5 years) because we have changed. We have grown into an industry leader, and continue to evolve and get better for one reason.

You.

My life is better because of all the people who have walked through our doors over these last eight years, and for that I am grateful. It is what drives the team and me to serve you to the best of our ability, every day. Do we fail at times? Yes we do. But it is always our goal to learn from our mistakes and use them to serve you better next time.

This last year has come with many challenges, some of which we continue to face. Finding that “just right” next coach to add to the team has been elusive. Thank-you for your continued patience. The hardest part of this job is seeing our students leave, no matter what the reason. We have had and are having students change careers, retire, and move out of state. They take a piece of me with them, and are greatly missed.

My family has also seen challenges this year. Owning a family business is not easy, no doubt about it. Nancy is the glue that holds it all together. You know her as “coach”, but to me she is “incredible mom” and “love of my life”. None of this is possible without her. My kids are growing up so fast – again. Hard to believe our youngest Amy is already 9. Harder still to know my oldest will be 30 soon. It is my deepest desire when I write our “9th Birthday” letter next year that I can say I spent more time with them than I did this year.

What can I say about the Get Fit NH Team? Meagan. Adam. Stephanie. While you may see them for an hour a day at most, they put in an incredible amount of time and effort into making this thing work. While they may be “employees” according to department of labor, to me they are more like family. Sons and daughters who make me want to work harder to help them fulfill their career aspirations and goals. I don’t even want to imagine doing it without them.

So Thank-You. Thank-you for being a part of our lives. Thank-you for the effort you put in to make yourself better so you can serve those special people in your life better. The world needs more of you. I am privileged that you call me “Coach”.

Dean

3 Years and Still Shining

The spotlight is shining on Marie Oosterman from 5 AM Concord! I asked Marie to share her story with us, because she is a fire cracker. She gets in here every single day and works her butt off. She will be one of few that braves a snow storm even all the way from Hopkinton to make it happen. Over the past three years I have had the opportunity to watch Marie grow as an individual and become significantly stronger. We both remember when I used to tell her, “hips up!” on her push ups and front planks and now she rocks out push ups like she has been doing them her entire life. Marie’s story is humble, so allow me to brag a little on her behalf. I am proud of how far Marie has come and I am thrilled that I have been her coach for the past three years. Here is what Marie has to say-

“My name is Marie from 5 AM in Concord. I joined Get Fit NH 3 years ago because I wanted to lose some weight and gain muscle. I have successfully been able to do that. I also learned to eat healthier and I have built up my confidence. I have formed some great friendships and this truly is the highlight of my day. Each training is so different. I love how I am encouraged to train hard and the encouragement from my coaches- even just a “great job, Marie” means a lot to me. I love how they care about their clients.”

It has been a pleasure to coach Marie for the past 3 years. I look forward to many more!
Thanks for making it happen, Marie!
Coach Meagan

Pick Up Something Heavy!

A while ago I read a book called, “The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess”. This book was written by some of the finest coaches in the industry – Lou Schuler, Cassandra Forsythe, and Alwyn Cosgrove. There is a quote in the book that I think of often when I am coaching:

“Your body’s goal is to reach stasis so it can stop making adaptations to the stresses you impose on it.  Your goal is to keep imposing new stresses so your body keeps making adaptations.”

Now despite the name of the book, this quote applies to anyone looking to get strong, get lean, burn fat and build muscle. We talk about weight selection often. A lot of times you’ll hear your coaches remind you to pick up something heavy! Let me explain to you why we stress this so much.

I will start by telling you some of the things we take into consideration when writing a training program for you to get effective results:
•    Safety
•    Efficient and effective exercise selection
•    Purposeful exercise selection
•    Purposeful timing sequences
•    Mastery
•    Exercise progressions for all fitness levels

If you have been training with us for some time, then you probably know that we have specific strength days and specific metabolic day. Allow me explain what is happening in your body on those days.

Strength Days:
I won’t get too scientific on you. I just want to educate you. The more you know about what’s going on inside your body, the more educated you’ll be when selecting your heavy weights.

These days are designed to tear into your muscles fibers and allow them the opportunity to grow and get stronger upon recovery. Let me give you a personal example:
Dumbbell Bench Press- If these are programmed into my upper body day, then I am going to start by selecting 5 pounds more than what I KNOW I can lift. You see, if in my mind I already know I can press those 35 pound dumbbells, then my body definitely knows I can already do that. If I want to see a change in my body and my performance (which I do) then I need to try something more. My muscles already know I can do that. My body has adapted to that stress already. I need to create a new stress. I need to tear into those muscle fibers and allow them the opportunity to tear, recover/rebuild and grow.

Recovery:
I know you’ve heard us explain the importance of recovery- but let me explain based on the example above. Let’s say on Monday I just did my dumbbell bench press. I need to give myself at least Tuesday and Wednesday to allow those specific muscle fibers to rebuild and recover. In your training program, we are conscience about tearing into the same muscle fibers two days in a row. You may have heard us explain how your body does its best work when you’re recovering and here is why. Those exercises require more energy to perform and consume a lot more energy as your body recovers from them. Which means after you kill it on the training floor you will continue to burn calories as your body tries to recover and rebuild those muscle fibers. Which means you’re still burning on Tuesday from your training session on Monday!

BUT- if you select a weight that your body already KNOWS it can perform, then you’re not doing yourself any favors.

Quick side note for the Ladies- Believe me, picking up heavy load WILL NOT make you bulky. That is a whole other blog in itself- but just know you do not have the testosterone in your body to create such results. Leaner, faster, stronger, healthier means kill it on your strength days- pick up something heavy!

The fitness industry is always improving. You can rest assured knowing that you’ve hired professional coaches who are consistently continuing their education to keep up with the improvements. We will continue to learn how we can help YOU get the safest results- that is a guarantee.

Until then, keep making it happen!
Coach Meagan

IMPORTANT: Schedule Change For Rock-N-Race

Can you believe it is almost May! When did that happen? May is an exciting month around here with S3 in full speed and the Rock N’ Race 5K. If you have not signed up for the Rock N’ Race then we would love to have you on our team. We pick up the t-shirts and bibs on Tuesday morning and they are ready for distribution by that afternoon. That way you don’t have to wait in the crazy lines when you get there!

If you train in the afternoons then please take note that we close down on that Thursday May 19th. We want EVERYONE to get behind this race and all that it stands for. Cancer has probably affected your life to some degree so let’s get out there and support the Payson Center. You can sign up with Get Fit NH and Beat Cancer using this link.

2016 Rock N Race Is Here: Let’s Do This!

We have you covered though! If you are an afternoon student then we are going to have all regular afternoon training times on Wednesday May 18th! We will be doing the same training as Thursday, so morning students don’t try and double up (you know it is tempting!) Thursday morning training times will remain the same.

Mark your calendar so you don’t forget. We appreciate your flexibility while we go out and support the Payson Center!

Make it Happen,
Your Coaches

Follow the Plan!

Follow the plan. Don’t try to outsmart it, just follow it.

So I am finishing up a specific nutrition plan for the second time. I tried it last year. No need to get super specific, but basically it’s a 28-day nutrition “challenge” for lack of a better term. It’s designed to help get you kick started or blast through a barrier.

Let me tell you the difference between last year’s attempt and this year’s attempt. First and foremost, I did the training mentioned in the plan this year. It was planned out for me, day by day, week by week and I followed it to the T this year. Last year I tried to outsmart it. Instead of doing as much lifting, I just did our two metabolic days here and did some other stuff on the side. So I didn’t follow the plan. Last year, I also decided I was going to try my own supplements. I didn’t use several of the ones suggested in the plan, and just went out and bought similar versions of some of the things mentioned. This year, I just went straight to the source and bought the kit for the challenge. Everything they suggested, and everything I needed.

So just to recap – last year I tried to outsmart it and do it differently, and this year I followed it step by step, supplement by supplement, training exercise by training exercise, even down to the amount of rest between sets.

Here were my results (granted, I still have a week left, but still…):
Last year: lost 10 lbs and lost .5% bodyfat, almost 7lbs of muscle
This year: lost 12lbs and lost 3% bodyfat, while increasing muscle mass

So again lets recap – last year I tried to outsmart the challenge and my results…not what I wanted at all. This year, I followed it to the T, and with a week still left…almost exactly what I wanted.

It just goes to show, follow the plan. For those of you that are doing S3 especially, FOLLOW THE PLAN!!!! You guys are paying for our successes and our failures, so trust the system we have laid out for you to lose that weight, don’t deter from it, and see it through to the end. Its already thought out, poured over, hours of work and variables thrown into the mix. All you have to do is follow it and you will be successful.

Make it Happen,
Coach Adam

6:45pm Couple Hits The Spotlight

For my next spotlight, I want to shine the light on two students who continually and consistently are a staple of my 6:45 class. Those students are Audrey Langevin and Eric Hastings! They always make the effort to get here with the exception of extreme circumstances. They also are prepared to come in, challenge themselves and work hard every class every week. Great job guys!
“Hi Adam,

We Chose Get Fit because the fitness place Eric & I was attending closed. I researched online several fitness places in Concord area and Get Fit seemed the best fit for us, plus we could try it for two weeks to see if we liked it. Although I had worked out at the other fitness center for 7 years which was a “kettlebell boot camp”, I quickly realized I had not been working to my full potential. For me it was like starting from ground zero. I was so weak I couldn’t do a plank. It took me a couple of months to get the hang of the routines and to change a lot of incorrect form.

The biggest change for me was when I started the Whole 9 Whole 30 program. I did it for 90 days before I started to reintroduce some foods back into my diet and I still do a modified version of it and haven’t gained the weight back.

Picking stuff up from the floor or ground got a lot easier for me. I used to bend over to pick stuff up now I just squat down, retrieve and I’m up and moving.

My goals are to continue working towards strength and balance. I would also like to get to the point were I’m close to 95% whole foods all the time. 

My favorite part of Get Fit is how I feel getting dressed in the morning, everything fits and its a size smaller than a year ago.

Thank you Adam.

Audrey

Hi Adam,

Why did you choose Get Fit NH? My wife and I had been attending a different type of workout in the Concord area for the previous 7 years but the owner had to close due to a change in his daytime job hours. We wanted to continue with some type of workout but expand it into something more varied that included a balance of cardio and weight training. We researched a few places online and felt that, not only did Get Fit NH offer the variation that we wanted, but Get Fit NH would also let us try it at no cost for two weeks. This would give us an opportunity to see if it was the type of workout we wanted to be part of.

What changes did you notice in the first few weeks? We found that we WANTED to go to our workouts because we enjoyed the workout variation so much along with the instructors and the other participants. Next month will be one year since I joined Get Fit NH. About 6 months after I joined, my doctor noticed a big improvement in my overall flexibility during a physical examination, especially in my hips.

What outside of Get Fit NH has become easier since starting? After a few months of steady participation, I noticed that the everyday activities that require a strong core were easier to do. I could actually feel that the strength was coming from my core and not from my lower back. I truly believe that my body learned to shift the need for strength from my lower back to my core, which of course did away with those occasional lower back issues that I had learned to accept as part of life. My wife and I are long time kayakers and the first time that I went kayaking about 3 months after starting the Get Fit NH program, I noticed that my stronger and more disciplined core made kayaking easier and more enjoyable. 

What are your goals? To continue participating in this well thought out and disciplined workout for as long as we are in the Concord area.

What have you accomplished so far? I feel that I have added a high level of cardiovascular fitness to my life, something that I was missing. I have always worked to keep my strength up but I did not pay attention to my cardiovascular fitness and my core strength. Get Fit NH has such a well rounded approach to working out along with the dietary classes and guidance that they also make available.

What is your favorite part of Get Fit NH? The whole Get Fit NH experience is my favorite part. As I mentioned previously, I enjoy the varied workouts, the instructors and the other participants very much. Add to that, the number of time slots available to work out, the discipline and timing used by the instructors during the entire workout session, and the cleanliness of the facility make the entire Get Fit NH experience my favorite part.

Eric Hastings”

Keep up the fantastic work and effort!

-Coach Adam

This Just In: Watching TV More Leads To Less Reading

I love to read. There are some really smart people out there, and you won’t find many of them with your butt plopped on the couch in front of the TV. I hear often “I don’t have time to read” from people who just finished telling me about the last nine episodes of House Hunters. Word.

Here’s some suggestions:

Negative self-talk is not harmless, it is not humility, it is not anything less than poison for the soul. Greg Woods tell us why If You Want To Get Better, You Must Think Better

There are worse role models for active aging than this guy.

Jayne passed this article onto me, and it should make us think twice about “settled science”.

I really, genuinely, truly don’t obsess over becoming a millionaire, but these are some good traits to possess, regardless.

And finally for today, this article on nutrition for ahem, maturing athletes (that’s you), reveals why digestion is so important as we get older.

Happy Reading!

Coach Dean

And The Answer Is……

This morning’s question was “Why?”, as in “Why do you train at Get Fit NH?

“For myself, my family and for my community. Thank you for making a difference in my life. Have a great day” – Chris 5am.

Chris has a pretty fantastic reason. How about you? Why do you train each day? As I asked this at each training time, I heard many different responses.

• Health
• Fitness
• Family
• Its Fun
• I like it
• Its my habit
• This is where I want to be
• To move
• To be more flexible
• To be stronger
• To not have another knee replaced
• To age gracefully
• This is my family

So many reasons why.

My Why?

I want to be able to sky dive at age 93. I didn’t particularly care for skydiving the first time, but if my grandkids ask, “Hey GiGi, do you want to go skydiving with us?”, I will have a choice.

Its my Why? It gets me up in the morning. It reminds me to always move. It’s because I love my grandchildren. But more importantly it is because I love myself enough to give myself a choice.

How about you?

Coach Nancy

We All Need A Coach – Even Us Coaches!

Recently, I had myself a little pity party because of some pain I had been dealing with. It was bad. It was downright embarrassing, actually. I skipped training, drank a glass of wine and ate like crap. Guess how I felt the day after? The exact same – go figure. Not only was I still in just as much pain, I also felt regret for skipping training and eating like crap. Maybe you think your coaches are these super humans who never get down on themselves and never make bad choices and never get hurt, but that’s so far from the truth. I will speak for myself here – I am human (and I am pretty sure my fellow coaches are too!). I need help and more importantly I NEED A COACH! Guess who came to my rescue when I was down on myself?

Coach Dean. Yep. That’s right. Your coach is my coach. He needs a coach, I need a coach, we all need a coach.

I want to come to your rescue, too. We all throw ourselves a little pity party now and then. It is important that you let someone rescue you. Don’t build on your pity party. Don’t use pain as an excuse to make bad choices. You know and I know that skipping training and poor nutrition don’t lead to a pain free life or a happy life.

Let’s keep making it happen. Together we will keep training smarter and eating better 🙂
Coach Meagan