And the Answer Is……

When you walk into a gym you usually don’t think, “How is this place going to help me to eat better?” Get Fit NH strives to help you with just that. The first time I talked with Mae Lynn, she wanted to know how Get Fit NH could help her with running. Once she started and now over three years later, Mae Lynn gives us a little insight into more of the things Get Fit NH has helped her to change.

I asked Mae Lynn one question after our Sizzlin Summer Slimdown Challenge ended.

What do you find was the easiest new habit to change and which one was the hardest?

“Easiest? I found changing my cooking and shopping habits to be very, very easy. It simplifies the shopping process so much when you don’t have complicated recipes and long lists of ingredients to deal with. I go in, grab eggs, bacon, one or two big cuts of meat and 5 or six fresh veggies and fruits and that’s it. Maybe a package of salad and grape tomatoes. I always keep cans of olives and roasted peppers and artichokes in the pantry, and frozen peppers and onions in the freezer. It’s easy to stick with shopping this way when you find you are eating leftovers a lot and therefore cooking less! One big roasted chicken or a pot roast and two big pans of roasted veggies? Boom. Several meals.

Hardest? At first, probably the no added sugar beverages. I never drink soda anymore, I gave that up cold turkey years ago before I even did Weight Watchers. But when I gave up soda, I would still enjoy sweetened iced tea or lemonade especially in the summer. Now I have lemon water, unsweetened green tea, etc. I think people don’t realize real change takes time and often needs to be gradual. I quit soda in something like 2009, did the other sweetened stuff for a few years, and eventually got here.

I think that once you have the basic habits ingrained, having some treats once and awhile isn’t the end of the world.

Once and awhile I still have a sweetened iced tea and I almost always have chocolate milk after a long run. But it’s all about balance, and I feel okay with that as long as what I USUALLY do is a good habit. I have to remind myself it wasn’t always this way! I used to have soda or a sweetened beverage with every meal! Those things add up. When people ask me what they can do I always say change that one thing first. Now I always have water with my meals, and drink a lot of water during the day. If I do ever have a sweetened iced tea I’ll water it down, or ask for half sweet half unsweetened on the rare occasion I’m getting one at Dunks. A little sugar goes a long way for me now.

By the way, I love the new accountability idea. One comment I made on Facebook is that I will probably end up asking for more body fat assessments because my scale really hasn’t moved all that dramatically since I started with you guys, but I have gone from a size 12 to a size 4. Every summer, without exception, I have to buy new summer clothes. The lady at Eddie Bauer couldn’t believe it when I told her I lose weight over the winter.”

Keep on surprising all of us Mae Lynn!

How would you answer that question? 

What do you find was the easiest new habit to change and which one was the hardest?

Another noteworthy piece Mae Lynn added was,

“For as long as I can recall, my cholesterol has been high, and every health professional who ever had the opportunity has ‘strongly urged’ me to get on Lipitor. One stress test technician, after I ran the equivalent of Heartbreak Hill on the treadmill and passed with flying colors, was still downright nasty to me when I told her I intended to continue trying to handle it with diet and exercise and that I simply didn’t agree that statin drugs, designed to indiscriminately remove all fat from the blood, are a good thing for anyone. She said I was being irresponsible and that ‘some people are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol.’ Given that many relatives were on Lipitor, I might have had to concede that point.

The Great Summer MEPS Challenge Is Here!

Hello party people, how is everyone feeling? Great glad to hear you are all feeling fantastic, because I have some exciting news.

I saw Coach Nancy was doing the Great Burpee Challenge with her Epsom crew, so I thought we needed to try to keep up in Concord too.

For all those Myzone users out there (and if you are in Concord why wouldn’t you be a MyZone user??) we have a challenge coming your way to keep you busting it in and out of the gym this summer.

Over the next 5 weeks The Great Summer Exercise Challenge will be taking place.  Fairly simple principle, you will have 5 weeks to earn 3500 MEPs, if you are able to accomplish that your name will be entered into a drawing for a REALLY SWEEEEEEET PRIZE!!!!!! Don’t everybody jump through the roof all at once. 🙂

That’s not all however, an additional ticket will be added for every 500 MEPs you earn over that 3500 threshold.  You earn 3500 you get 1 ticket, 4000, two tickets, 4500, three tickets, etc.

So use this as some added fuel to push yourself to the next level in class and stay active outside of class as well all the way up until recovery week.  Enjoy your summer and lets have some fun and win some cool stuff, sound like a plan?

Coach Adam

Embrace the change and commit to greatness

Do you know the number 1 reason why people just like you choose Get Fit NH?

Accountability!

After our recently completed Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown, we asked “What helped you the most with your success?”

In a landslide the number one answer was…

“I was being held accountable.”

We listened. If our awesome students want more accountability, we are going to keep that momentum going all the time. Since we know this is what you want and more importantly what you need we decided to take action.

Our mission at Get Fit NH is to help you lose fat, build muscle and look and feel great. That’s why you came to us,  and from now on we are going to be more proactive in measuring your success.

Starting in our August session we are going to be weighing you in on a monthly basis. Simple as that. The first week of every month you just need to hop on the scale and we will write down the number. Leaving it to when we “feel like it” is not a good idea. If your body weight is higher than it should be, step on the scale. If the scale is not your friend then you will have a better opportunity of being reminded to get your body composition measured. These are tools that are available to you to be sure we are taking you from where you are to where you want to go.

We don’t want you to dread this each month. Our hope is that you embrace this change and embrace your journey toward a fitter more healthier you!

If we didn’t love you we wouldn’t hold you accountable – lucky for you we do love you all very much!

Here’s to making it happen!

Coach Meagan

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Training For a Cause is Back!

Training for a cause is back! We are due to come together as a family and train together toward a GREAT cause! On Saturday, August 1st we will gather at Get Fit NH Concord and lay some sweat down! We encourage you to invite those friends and family members who you have been trying to get through the doors. This is the perfect opportunity!

This training will cost $10 and every dime will be donated to Operation Hat Trick. This is a local organization that is near and dear to our hearts as this is a program that assists our New Hampshire Veteran’s! You can either donate $10 or you can buy one of our custom Get Fit NH O.H.T ball caps for $15. 100% of proceeds will be donated to O.H.T.

Click here to learn more about Operation Hat Trick! We hope to see you there!

When: Saturday, August 1, 2015

Time; 9 AM

Where: Get Fit NH Concord

Cost: $10 or $15 for a ball cap

Who has earned their way into the spotlight?

Annmarie Timmins! Annmarie has been a fantastic addition to the Get Fit NH family. We are so blessed to have her train with us 4 hours a week. Annmarie is an incredibly hard worker and she always has a smile on her face! Her positive attitude and willingness to be patient and get better have served her well as she is conquering a lingering shoulder injury. I am proud of Annmarie for keeping her eyes on the prize. She has earned her way into the spotlight for her all around dedication toward bettering herself both during training and during the 164 hours per week where she is not with us. Here is what she has to say:

When I left my former career last year to return to school fulltime, I gave up my gym membership elsewhere and joined a local chain gym for $10 a month. I figured I could save money and train myself. I was wrong. When I began looking for a new gym in September, I wanted a place that was supportive, serious about training, and fun. Get Fit NH was an easy choice.

I have been training with a persistent shoulder injury for months with modifications from Coach Meagan and Coach Adam. My goal was to maintain my weight during my toned-down training. Then I did the S3 challenge and saw my body change in ways I never expected just by pairing good nutrition and consistent training. I went from about 140 pounds to 135 and lost eight pounds of fat. Even better, my longtime allergy symptoms, migraines, and digestive ailments have completely resolved for the first time in my life.

I had thought I was eating pretty well before I did the S3 challenge. I already ate lots of raw veggies and good quality protein and was drinking loads of water. But I was also eating dessert daily, cereal for breakfast, and other foods that had hidden sugars. Once I cut those out, my body changed quickly. I feel better now at 46 than I ever have.

I’ll mark my one-year anniversary at Get Fit NH in September and am looking forward to renewing for another year. I like lots of things about Get Fit NH – the schedule, the training routines, the challenges – but it’s the coaches that make Get Fit NH extra special for me. They give me the perfect mix of motivation, support, and challenge.

Thank you for choosing to train with us, Annmarie! Keep making it happen!

-Coach Meagan

The Get Fit NH Summer Challenge is On!

Our July challenge has begun!

The best part is as the winner of this challenge you decide if you are Tropical, Bananas or Just (plain) Nuts.

Training is important. We all know that. Get Fit NH wants to reward you for doing something we all know is important consistently. Every week you have perfect attendance in July your name will go in a prize jar. The more you’re consistent, the more chances you have to win. At the end of July there will be a name drawn in Concord and another name in Epsom. The winner will choose their prize.

What are the prizes? Shhhhhh……. It’s a secret. I love secrets. Here’s a hint. One prize has something to do with coconuts, actually the whole prize has to do with coconuts. Another prize has everything to do with nuts and you’ve got it the third prize is a little of everything.

It’s the Summer of Fun at Get Fit NH, so get on in here!

MYZONE Match Training- Space Limited!

Mark your calendars! We have our next MYZONE Match training scheduled for Saturday July 18th at 8:00 am 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 monthly Whole 9 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 July 18, 2015
Time: 8:00 AM Concord
Location: Get Fit NH Concord

Fight For Yourself

Independence Day has just passed, but the daily battle is not over. Strike up your own war on nutrition at home. Healthy eating is not easy, but Get Fit NH makes it simple using the “Whole9”.

Healthy eating does not have to be such a hard battle. You know enough, the hard part is putting it into action.

Come see how to take that first step forward to a healthier you. We look forward to seeing you there!

You can learn all about Whole9 by clicking here

Whole9 Nutrition Seminar
Date: Saturday, July 18, 2015 This Whole 9 will be right after a Myzone Match in Concord
Time: 9:00am
Place: Get Fit NH Concord

The Spotlight is Shining on…

Brenda Schmieder!

Brenda pictured on right

Brenda earned her way in to the spotlight, because she came to Get Fit NH and went all in! She took our coaching and she put it into action immediately. Brenda is faithful to training and she is serious about her nutrition. She eats like an adult! Because of her dedication and commitment to getting better she lost over 18 pounds during our S3 V.I.P challenge, she has lost over 30 pounds since joining the Get Fit NH family in late February, her pain has decreased significantly in her shoulders and knees and her overall movement patterns have improved tremendously. Brenda is an absolute pleasure to coach. I am proud of you for taking control of your future, Brenda! Here is what Brenda has to say:

My story began, as all of ours do, with my parents! But my decision to join Get Fit NH also began with my parents. Dad is 85 and Mom is 80….I am blessed to have them with me still; but advancing age has not come easily for them. I spent a good part of my fall and winter going to one doctor appointment after another, talking with doctors on the phone and managing medications. My parents live about 45 minutes away, so this made it even more challenging for me to balance their needs with those of my husband, our daughter and my two jobs…..notice I did not mention my own needs!

I used to be in relatively decent shape, but a series of injuries and surgeries put my activity levels on a back burner several years ago. Add to that some serious family health issues that occurred around the same time….suddenly I was not moving and putting on some pounds as I fed my stress with food. Eventually I stopped caring about  any of those good health habits that I once had and pretty much gave up on myself.

It was the end of February when I had my “final straw” moment! That moment led me to pick up the phone and call GFNH. It suddenly cemented in my head that I wanted to age better than my parents have. The years pass so quickly and I want to go into my “golden years” feeling strong and fit. Perhaps, most importantly, I want my daughter to know that her mom took care of herself as best she could. I don’t want her time, or my time, to be spent at doctor’s appointments when I am in my 70‘s and 80’s and 90’s and even 100‘s! I want to be able to climb mountains with my husband again! I decided it was time to put myself back to the top of the list and to invest in me!

I met with Coach Meagan on February 24th and have not looked back! I love the motivation and accountability that I get from all the coaches….emails, phone calls, notes in the mail, encouragement while training…it all adds up. I told Coach Dean one day that GFNH is the only part of my life where I actually like to be told what to do! I need someone looking over my shoulder and helping me to believe in myself. I have never worked so hard at fitness…but I have also never felt stronger or more motivated to keep going.

I quickly learned that we all have to start our journeys somewhere, but that we don’t need to go it alone. From day one I have been coached and motivated by the staff and my classmates. I have learned that there is nothing I cannot do, but that I may need to modify it for my level. I have also learned that it’s “all about the food” and that what we put into our bodies is going to have a direct affect on what we get out of our bodies! Cooking and nutrition are a passion of mine, it’s been great learning about how to make the food I eat work for me!

Since joining GFNH I have lost weight and gained muscle. A scientist by training, I love the measurements and data showing my changing body composition; I find it motivating and actually look forward to getting on the scale each month! Get Fit NH is the perfect gym for me. I have chosen to invest in myself…and investment comes with a price. I have friends that choose the local $10 option and are amazed at what I pay; but I know that good health comes at a cost and I am worth it. If I don’t make the investment now, then I will be paying doctors later! I am determined to Make It Happen!!

Thank you for choosing to invest in yourself and train with Get Fit NH, Brenda! Keep making it happen!

Brenda is such a great example of what you can do with the right support, motivation, and coaching.

Join Brenda Today – Click Here to Start your 2-Week Free trial!

Coach Meagan

Passionate Coach Needed

If You Have A Great Attitude, A Passion for Learning New Things, and a Few Coaching Skills, I Have a Fun and Fulfilling Job Just for You!

From Dean Carlson, Owner

Dear Prospective Team Member,

Thanks for taking the time to visit this site! You should have arrived here because you saw my employment posting. It’s my hope that you are exactly the person I am looking for so I can take this page down immediately and offer you the fun and rewarding job I have available.

So, let me tell you a little about our company and the job.

My name is Dean Carlson, and I am the owner of Get Fit NH, which provides physical preparation and fat loss coaching to our clients in two facilities, located in Epsom and Concord

Our business is dedicated to helping our clients achieve their health, fitness, and performance goals. Our group personal training is fun, team oriented, and is accountability and results driven.

We’re looking for an enthusiastic, motivated, hardworking and energetic person to serve as a part-time assistant coach.

If you are hired for this job, the first 90 days on the job will be on a trial period. During this time period, you will be working early mornings, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Once you become permanent you will have the opportunity to gain experience and grow within the company.

Tasks We Need You to Perform

• Making great first impressions: You will be the first point of contact for all prospective clients. Whether you are greeting someone at the door or answering or returning phone calls, you’ll be responsible for making sure prospects both get the information they need and feel at home from the moment they first interact with us.

• Responding to customer service phone calls and emails: We get quite a few phone calls and email every day. I am very big on customer service. You will need to respond to each of these within 24 hours or next business day with basic information that we’ll provide to you while also providing a personal touch.

• Filing: While not as exciting as interacting with people, keeping our business files organized will ensure our business runs smoothly

Prerequisite Skills and Attitude

These are the skills and the attitude you must already have in order to qualify for this position:

• A current Personal Training certification and CPR card: You must be committed to being an excellent coach, keep your certifications current and constantly be upgrading your skills.

• A “Servant Hood” Mentality: You will be taking care of our clients and prospects. They are all VERY important, so you must be comfortable conversing on the phone, in person, and through email. You must be relentless in finding solutions for them. We’ll teach you the basics of what to say and do, but we can’t teach you how to have a great attitude and a strong desire to help people.

• Desire to learn and grow: I’m serious about this! I want a person who is motivated to get better every day and who isn’t shy about suggesting ideas on how we can improve the business. I do not want a robot that simply follows a checklist, I want someone who learns and grows with our company.

• Organized and Attentive to Detail: This is a must! You will need to catch the little things from scheduling, to wording, numbers, cleaning, etc.

How to Apply

We’re looking to hire the right person as soon as possible. So if this job sounds good to you, follow these instructions precisely. Failure to follow these instructions will result in your resume going in the circular file. This is your first test, okay?

Here’s what I want from you

• Write a resume that includes your education, ALL prior work experience (yes, I even want to know if you mowed lawns when you were 14), and any skills you have.

• Write me a 100-200 word (we will count) cover letter explaining why you are the perfect person to fill this position. Include full contact information (name, address, phone, email) on this cover letter.

• On a separate sheet of paper list at least three references with phone numbers and what your relationship is with the references (i.e. – previous employer, college professor, etc).

• Write me an additional hand-written note, 50 words maximum, re-iterating why you feel I should choose you for the job.

• Put the cover letter on top of your resume and the reference sheet underneath your resume, staple together in the top left corner. Add your hand-written note on top.

• Mail to: 167 New Orchard Rd. Epsom, NH 03234

• Complete and submit form at the bottom of this page so that we can match it up when we receive your resume.

Next Steps

If you followed the instructions properly, we will review your application. If we feel you’re a good prospect, we’ll call or email you to set up a personal interview. If we feel you aren’t qualified, we’ll send you a courtesy email to thank you for your time. If you do not hear from us at all, it means you did not follow the instructions properly.

The sooner we get your application, the better. This will not be a long, drawn out process. I believe in taking action quickly. So get your application in pronto! I look forward to reviewing it and hopefully meeting you personally.

Again, thanks very much for your interest.

Make It Happen!
Dean

P.S. – This is not a corporate type of structure job. I am an entrepreneurial small business owner. I move quickly to capitalize on opportunities. This is not the type of job where just showing up is enough. Get Fit NH is everything to me. If you perform, you will be rewarded. I want nothing more than to find a person who takes real interest in doing good work and contributing to the growth of the business. I recognize and reward performance!

With all that said, enthusiasm and a positive attitude go long way in my book. I’m a very positive, upbeat person and appreciate those qualities in others. As long as you have the basic skills I mentioned,and a great attitude, you’re definitely a candidate! So send us your resume today!

DO NOT fill out this form without reading the entire letter above!