POTT? What is THAT?
That, my friend, is the World (galaxy?) Famous Get Fit NH “Pies Off The Thighs” post-thanksgiving training extravaganza!
Sweat yourself out of that turkey and trimmings tryptophan enhanced coma as we get the whole family from both gyms get together for one of the few times every year.
Don’t Miss It!
Schedule for Thanksgiving Week:
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday: Full Schedule at both locations
Saturday November 28: “Pies Off The Thighs”
Place: Get Fit NH Concord
Time: 8:00am to 9:30am
We had 35 athletes compete in the SkiErg World Sprints this year, and I am proud of every one of you that stepped up and made it happen – outstanding! Every one of you who competed deserves credit, because being in the game is what it is all about.
I did want to highlight our athletes who finished in the top 10 in the world this year. I hope y’all have caught your breath by now. 🙂
Women
40-49:
#3: Kathy Nourse 3:52.7
Men
50-59
#3: Tom Haubrich 3:16.1
Those are some smoking times – love it!
Mark your calendars! We have our next MYZONE Match training scheduled for Saturday November 21st at 8:00 a
m in Concord. Those who attended last time would probably agree that this training hour was quite the learning experience as well as a challenge. During this hour there will be a prescribed zone that we will want you to train in. For many of us we can easily jack our heart rate up into the red zone (90-100% of our maximum heart rate) while others have a challenge getting out of the green zone (70-80% M.H.R). Still others have a challenge getting back into the recovery zones. The purpose of the match training is to learn to control your exertion, control your recovery,and control your breathing. This type of control is and maintaining these zones is not easy and it is the optimal way to train your heart.
If you haven’t picked up your belt yet, you will want to make that happen before this event! There is limited space available, so you MUST register for this training ahead of time, no exceptions please. Space is limited to 28 students, so please do not sign up if you are not 100% sure you can be there – Thanks!
After this fantastic sweat-a-thon we will have our brand new Grateful Plate seminar with Coach Nancy- so don’t miss out. It is 2 for 1 Saturday at Get Fit NH!
Make it Happen!
Coach Meagan
MyZone Match Training
When: Saturday November 21, 2015
Time:Â 8:00 AM Concord
Location: Get Fit NH Concord
It’s crazy to think that 14 years ago today I held you in my arms for the first time. It was crazy you were here at all. Mom and I thought we were done having babies. After all your brothers were already 13 and 14, and we were plenty happy to think that in just a few short years we would have the house, and each other, all to ourselves again. How foolish and selfish and shortsighted that was. What a blessing we would have missed.
When I think back on it, I wonder if much really would have changed. I mean people have babies all the time; people have unexpected, surprise babies all the time. We adapted. A little less sleep, a little more chaos, a lot more joy in the house. Your brothers love you so much. To see teenage boys dote over their little brother was such a joy. The smiles you have brought into our house was amazing, and needed.
I would have never dreamed as I held you on this day 14 years ago that there would be a far different day 11 months and 7 days later. You see that was the hardest day of my life. That is the day I stood in the ER in Concord Hospital and held your lifeless body in my arms for the last time. The most difficult thing I have ever done was gently placing that same body in a hospital bed and walking away, knowing is was the last time I would ever see you on this earth.
But thankfully that was not, is not, the end of the story.
You have another brother and two sisters that you haven’t met yet – Andrew David, who we named after you. Karalynn Joy and Amy Marie. They ask about you sometimes. They want to know who you were, what you did.
What you did? Now that is a big question, with a big answer.
What you did was change my life, and in the process open doors for many other people’s lives to change.
You made a difference.
You see when you died you woke me up. To the fact that I was was alive but not really living. I was content to go to work, come home and watch TV all night, go to bed and do it again. When you died mom was 5 months pregnant with Andrew, and your death took a lot out of us. We were tired, weak and broken. But the way our friends and family and church rallied around us was incredible. They showed us a love beyond words. They made a difference to two people who needed them desperately. The change in my life had begun.
You see your death opened my eyes to how short life could be, and for some how short it actually is.
I realized that if I did not change physically my life would be much shorter. The picture to the right is how you remember me. Overweight, clinically obese if truth be told, out of shape, except round, and unable to do much of anything physically. I am holding up ribbons for placing in a dessert and pie contest at the church picnic. I remember trying to participate in some games and thinking “Man, these kids are really fast.” In reality I just couldn’t move anymore. The same body that had lettered in three sports and served in the Army had been abused by food and lacked the ability to do any much in the way of physical activity. I remember even carrying you up the stairs to your bedroom would leave me out of breath. I realized that if something didn’t change, if I didn’t change, I would not be able to run around with your soon to be born brother like I did with your older brothers when they were younger. I was going to be one of those dads who wouldn’t play catch and throw a football because they can’t.
Your death started me down a path to better health, but it goes way beyond the physical. By the grace of God I have been allowed to impact other peoples lives using the vehicle of health and fitness. I am writing this from a hotel room in Phoenix AZ at the Activeight conference, where my professional peers and I get to come into community , co-create, and discover how together we can have an impact on this world. I would have never dreamed this, never mind actually be doing it, if the path of my life had been different.
You may be gone, but the end of your story has not been written, my son. I miss you terribly, especially on days like this. My heart aches around the holidays, because my entire family has never celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas together, and never will. It hurts me to see the deep pain that mom still feels when she thinks about you. But there is good. There is a verse in the Bible that I had read many times, but I am not sure I ever really believed:
Romans 8:28 ” And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.“
Love God. All things. Good.
They say that time heals all wounds. That is a lie. What time does is help give perspective. The past 14 years have grown me beyond what I would have wanted. They have stretched your entire family. But they have also made me realize that I don’t have to understand all the “why’s” to know God is sovereign and He has a purpose for our lives – He had a purpose for your life. Because you lived and died, my life and the lives of many others have been changed forever. That is good.
Some people reading this may not understand this, but I have a confidence that I will see you again. There will be a day with no more tears, no more sadness, no more death.
I can’t wait for that day.
That will be the happiest day of all.
Happy Birthday Derek.
I love you,
Dad
John 11:25-26 … “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
So, my story is this – at my largest point, I weighed close to 350lbs. I have included a picture because I am told it’s worth a thousand words. I ate awful, I didn’t exercise correctly, and I was just a mess. One day I decided to change. Now I know many of you may wonder what it was that caused that sudden lightbulb moment, and to be honest, I don’t know what it was. Just one day I woke up and everything snapped into focus. So I began my journey, no need to get into all that because I don’t need to write a book, but suffice it to say it wasn’t quick and it wasn’t easy. Now I weigh around 226lbs, I still have a ways to go, I still know there is work to be done, and I am not satisfied yet. Like I said, the picture is where you will really get the full idea of what it was like for me about 3 to 4 years ago.We’re about a week away from the 7th Annual SkiErg World Sprints!
Race 1000 meters November 6–8, 2015, and post your time to the Concept2 Online Logbook to compete for prizes.
Prizes!
The winners of each age group will receive custom engraved cowbells to help ring in the snow season. There will also be prizes for the top three times in each age group.
If we submit 20 or more individual results from Get Fit NH we will be entered in a raffle for a new SkiErg for your facility. A couple of years ago our own Karl Edelmann won that prize – this might be you year.
We are going to open the Concord and Epsom training gyms up from 8:00am to 9:30am on Saturday the 7th, and we want to get at least 20 of y’all into the books.
I had someone ask me this morning “What is a good time?” We talked a little about it, and she said “I don’t want to be embarassed”.
Look I get it. But I’ll tell you what I told her. “The only reason to be embarrassed is if you wanted to do it and didn’t because of what someone else will think. This is about YOU!”
Do me a favor and let us know you are coming by sending in the form below.
Thanks,
Coach Dean
Dr. Laura rocked the house as usual – enjoy!
Dr. Laura Jones Health, Hormones and Weight Loss from Dean Carlson on Vimeo.
As if training isn’t challenging enough? Here is another success story from the one and only Becky Lovell. Becky trained right up until the day she delivered! I am talking this woman training every single training day. This woman did not miss a day of training her entire pregnancy – 9 months! Perfect attendance in itself is impressive- perfect attendance while pregnant? Now that is something worth sharing! I am so proud of Becky. She has been an inspiration to me since long before she was expecting. Becky prides herself on “keeping up with the boys” at 6:15 AM! She can definitely hold her own and then some. Her story is so awesome and I am so excited to see what happens next!
Here is her story!
“I started training at GFNH in 2010 to help maintain my 40lb loss and have become leaner and stronger over the last 5 years. I have set and reached goals in and out of GFNH that I never would have dreamed possible.  One goal that I achieved in October 2014 was to run and finish the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, DC. Ironically, if you had asked me 10 years ago if I would ever run a marathon, I would have laughed and thought you were crazy.  Last fall my husband, Garrett, began at GFNH and gave me a little friendly competition which helped me to set some new goals for 2015.
This year I started out with my new goals, one of which was to get stronger, so I joined the small group training, Training for Warriors (TFW).   About a month into TFW training, I found out that I was pregnant. I have always wanted to be a mom, so at 36 I was thrilled, but knew that I would have to make some modifications to my goals for 2015. With my doctor’s approval I was able to continue with both GFNH and TFW.
Not much changed with my training in the beginning other than the addition of a heart rate monitor with instructions to stay out of the red training zone.  Yes, I was a little more tired, and I did have some nausea, but I began to notice on the days I made it to GFNH I would feel better and have fewer pregnancy symptoms. Over the past few months, I have continued to train at both 6:15 and TFW in the afternoon. Depending on the day and how I was feeling I have not always been able to train as hard as I would have liked. One of the big lessons I have learned with my pregnancy is to listen to my body, and not be hard on myself if I physically couldn’t do some of the more advanced work I am used to doing. The added pregnancy weight and my changing body with baby bump have made a lot of things much harder than before.  Yes, it has been frustrating to have to do some of the regressions, or even ask for modifications, but it would be more frustrating to not be at GFNH at all.
Over the months I have only missed a couple of classes and my plan is to train right up to birth. There have been plenty of days that I have not wanted to go to work, let alone walk through the doors of GFNH. Those are the days I had to dig deep and know that I have friends who would look for me and wonder where I was.  Right, Stacey Haggett? When I needed some motivation, I just look to some of the other people in my 6:15 or TFW classes. I watched Sarah Smith make it to training everyday of her pregnancy at 6:15, and she is now working hard post-pregnancy. Not to mention training at TFW with a pregnant Coach Meagan who has helped to push me to get better. Both have been a source of inspiration.Â
My due date is nearing, in fact I am 39 weeks, and still trying to train as hard as I can. One goal I had during my pregnancy was to be able to do a chirpee at 9 months, crazy I know, but when you are handed a challenge by a fellow classmate… I was able to perform one at 8 months however I am sad to report that as of last week I could not get my chin over the bar. I have spent the last 9 months training hard for a different kind of Marathon in mid-October, with a goal to maintain my strength and deliver a happy, healthy baby.Â
Now it’s time to set some new post-baby goals for 2016!”
Pregnant or not- you can make it happen too! I am so proud of Becky and all of her accomplishments. Some of the accomplishments she is too humble to share are 2 Reach the Beach events, a lot of half marathons, maximum deadlift of 225 lbs, 6 unassisted chins, and so much more. This woman is strong. She is not afraid to pick up the heaviest weight in the gym and squat with it! You too can make it happen!
RTB 2013
Marine Corps Marathon 2014
RTB 2014
Indoor obstacle course 2015 (yes, she was pregnant here!)
Today is your last day with Get Fit NH as a coach, and as you embark on the next chapter of your life I just wanted once again to publicly say thank-you and express my appreciation to you. You have been amazing this week staying the course and getting a ton of work done when many people would have mailed it in. You have continued to show your care and affection for our clients, who I know have done the same to you this week.
Our relationship has been complicated at times, but you have helped me grow as both a coach and leader. I think it is fair to say we have pushed each other harder than we wanted to be pushed at times, but it has made us better, and better is what this place is all about. Once again at this time we are both being pushed out of our comfort zones – you are embarking on a new career, and I, the rest of the team, and our awesome students are getting used to new faces in new places. I am confident we will experience growth once again.
I truly hope you will not be a total stranger. Boston Children’s is gaining a kind, caring, compassionate human being who will bring joy to people’s lives. Continue to seek to make impact wherever you go, the world is a better place because you are in it.
Make It Happen!
Dean
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