And this time it's shining on Julie Robinson!

Although Julie has only been with us a little over a month at this point, she has been a great positive addition to class! She works hard and is very accepting of ways to improve and keep getting better. Here is a little more information about Julie’s journey at Get Fit NH in her own words…

Julie is pictured on the far left getting her "I survived" shirt!

“I heard about Get Fit NH on Facebook. I read about the 28-day metabolic challenge and it spurred my interest. I have always loved working out and am always looking for new ways to improve my overall health and flexibility and decided to give it a try. I am a runner, but like anything else, if that is all you do your body becomes accustomed to the effort and you stop seeing results. I also have been doing cross fit training for many years now but know there is always more you can learn and add to your workouts. One of the great things about Get Fit NH is the team of coaches. They are always cheering you on and giving you pointers on better form to get the most from the exercise and not injure yourself.

I have been at Get Fit NH now for about 6 weeks and have found that I have more stamina and a bit more flexibility. I have also learned that for many years I have been doing a lot of my exercises wrong! I have severe scoliosis and have difficulty straightening my back, I tend to round my shoulders to compensate. With Coach Adam and Coach Cari's help I am improving on my form. This has helped me when not at the gym too because I am now more aware of my poor posture and find myself constantly working to improve it.

I also like the nutritional portion of the Get Fit NH program. I have a very restricted diet but have learned a lot already on how I can add some variation to my often times bland diet. What is really nice about the program and the staff at Get Fit NH is they are always giving you options on how you can improve physically and nutritionally and explaining how you will get your best results by incorporating both into your routine. I have met some wonderful people through Get Fit NH, it is fun to work with people that have the same goals and needs. It truly is a great group of people and I am enjoying it very much!”

Keep up the great work, Julie!

-Coach Adam

The request was: "I'd like to learn more about how to transition safely back to training after injuries. After going through this several times I find it challenging both mentally and physically. It's hard for me to know when I'm overdoing vs training carefully."

Who has ever felt this way? Most of us deal with aches and pains, but injuries can be really frustrating and confusing. So, how do we know when it is safe to train a movement pattern that was once painful?

1. Nobody knows your body better than you do. Each training day your coach will check in with you. When we ask you how you are doing we want to know everything. Your day, your mood, your aches and pains…all of it! We want to know on a scale of 1-10 what your pain is today. There is a fancy chart hanging on the wall to help guide you. If we don’t know we can’t help you. We even want to know if you have a slight headache or heartburn! All of it!

2. Let’s pretend like you felt a tweak in your back while you were cleaning the garage over the weekend. It’s not bothering you now, but it happened….we need to know. Even if you think it is nothing, we need to be cautious to prevent injury.

3. Be mindful of your progress. What is your pain today compared to when you first injured? What is your pain today compared to last week? What is your pain today after training yesterday?

4. Are you aware of this injury while you’re not in training? What bothers you at home? Are you noticing it more or less with day to day activities?

We put Amy in the spotlight a few weeks ago, and this time it's shining on her husband, Jim. Like Amy, Jim has been a fantastic addition to the Get Fit NH family, someone who always comes in with a positive attitude and works his butt off time in and time out. Jim tells us a little more about his time with Get Fit NH...

Why did you choose Get Fit NH?

My wife Amy had heard about Get Fit from some of her co-workers at Bow Memorial Middle School. They raved about what a great program it was, and she really wanted to try it. We had a membership at the Concord YMCA, but hardly used it at all, and both wanted to find a workout solution that got us excited and motivated to be in the gym. It seemed like Get Fit was making it happen for her friends, and so we decided to give it a shot. What a great decision!

What changes did you notice in the first few weeks?

Well the first thing I noticed was how out of shape I was…ha! But it wasn’t long until I remembered just how great it felt to be in the gym and exercising regularly. You get through that initial sore period, and then everything starts to feel much tighter and better. Feeling better and better like that becomes its own form of motivation (at least for me!) I enjoy working out, but haven’t always had the best discipline. Get Fit has really helped me with that. I never thought I would be “that guy” who gets up at 5:30am to go workout, and yet now I’m doing it on a regular basis (4:30am on Mondays and Fridays!).

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

One of the biggest impacts I noticed had to do with my annual participation in the Reach-The-Beach Relay. I’ve run in it since 2012, but almost every year I would end the relay with some kind of nagging injury or pain (plantar fasciitis, patellar tendonitis, shin splints, etc.). Keep in mind, my only preparation for the relay was running. However, when I ran in it this past fall (after having been at Get Fit for just 3 months), I felt much stronger than in any previous year, and I finished with absolutely zero aches and pain (and that was even with a grueling 9 mile run with plenty of hills!). I credit that largely to the workouts we do at Get Fit. The full body strength and conditioning that Coach Dean and his team prepare have a huge impact on my overall fitness level.

What are your goals?

I was really big when I was younger (topped the scales at 280 lbs. my freshman year in college), and so weight has always been an issue for me. I have a tendency to yo-yo when it comes to my weight. As everyone knows, the older you get the harder it is to keep the weight off. I’ve set a long-term goal to take charge of this area of my life and make a permanent commitment to proper weight management and control.

What have you accomplished so far?

I started at Get Fit last August, and so far I’ve managed to lose 15 pounds as far as the scale reads, and have seen a 5% drop in my overall body fat composition. I’ve also gone from an XXL down to an XL, and feel like I can confidently set my sights on getting back into an L before July of this year.

What is your favorite part of Get Fit NH?

The coaches and the workouts they design. One thing I really appreciate about the coaches is how encouraging they are, gently pushing us to strive for more, but never making us feel like we aren’t getting to where we need to be. I guess what I mean is that they take the time to get to know you, it’s not a cookie cutter approach. They understand each one of us is different, and we are doing “our” workout even though everyone else is doing the same thing. It’s like the old adage “the weight is not the goal…the weight is the tool you use to achieve your goal.” To that end, I also really appreciate how vigilant they are about making sure we are using proper form so we don’t hurt ourselves.

Great job, Jim! Keep it up!

Coach Adam

To some of y'all it might seem strange that as a gym owner and physical prep coach that I would suggest you can get too MUCH exercise, but it's true. 

​With our next scheduled recovery week coming up, I want you to explore further with me the concept of "enough" in relation to exercise.

​It seems counterintuitive - do less, gain more? Well, as the answer to many exercise related questions;

It Depends.

There are two sides to the story. On the one hand some of us don't have the skill (and sometimes will) to push ourselves hard enough to make progress. Skill? How hard can it be to sweat? When I speak of skill I mean being able to cleanly move through an exercise pattern with proper form. You know what I mean. You get a lot more "bang for your buck" when you can do a full range squat than just a little "halfsy" right? That's why we ​work on cleaning up your movements; so you can do them safely and with maximum effectiveness.

On the other hand some people are just exercise junkies. Seriously. Strenuous exercise releases endorphins, which are chemicals that make us feel good. Endorphins are why we can feel so good even though we just got our butts kicked. The downside is they can literally become our "drug". Pushing our bodies to the limit is a high we start to seek.

​But too much of a good thing is a bad thing. There is a point of diminishing returns. There comes a point when excessive exercise along with too low of calories will become a vicious cycle of fatigue, injury and even weight gain. UGHHH! 

Learning to push harder is good. Exercising hard and pushing it to the max, every so often, is a very beneficial thing to do as we seek to hit new goals and discover what we are capable of.

But there are limits on both the intensity of exercise and the frequency of exercise.

We've talked about the "hierarchy of training" before.

In other words, which type of exercise will give me the most bang for my buck, depending on the number of hours I have to allocate per week?

I absolutely love this graphic from our partners over at Precision Nutrition. It perfectly illustrates this concept.

MORE isn't better, BETTER is better.

Here's the focus points I want you to get.

• Resistance Training comes first
• Intervals or Sprints come second
• Active recovery (swimming, yoga, walking, mobility work) is important, but not above the first two.
• Leave time to do the fun stuff you enjoy.
• There is an upper limit to how much actual training you should do, no matter how many total hours you choose to be active.

We structure our training in the gym around these principles. The big rock is going to be strength training. You see that manifested in dedicated strength training days, and also on other days where we do "metabolic resistance training" - training that uses resistance (all the tools; dumbbells, kettlebells, bands, suspension trainers, etc.) but where we move at a faster pace. Our finishers revolve around the interval and sprint work, and we also get some mobility and flexibility work in there as well, which is part of your active recovery.

And then there is recovery. Training hard and under-recovering is bad mojo. Eventually there is going to be one too many straws on the camels back.

​That's why we schedule Recovery Weeks as part of our Training Program. They are not willy-nilly, random, or unnecessary. They are an integral part of each training cycle. (You read last Tuesday's post, right?)

Recovery. It's up to YOU to Make It Happen!

Coach Dean​

Next Scheduled Recovery Week: March 27 - April 2, 2017

If you are new to the concept of recovery weeks, please read on.

If you have been training with us for awhile and you have ignored recovery weeks, read on.

Especially you.​

Recovery weeks serve a critical function within the training cycle (more on that below for those of you who want to see the science).

You may have noticed that as we get closer to recovery week the daily and weekly training intensity has increased.

That is purposeful.

Because we are working toward a week of MacroRecovery, we are intentionally working at a higher level.

Then we will take a scheduled, purposeful rest.​

Because whether you think so or not, you cannot and should not train really hard, all the time.

In fact one of our training program design principles is what is referred to as MED.

Minimum Effective Dose.

In other words, what is the MINIMUM stimulus we need to get better - stronger, leaner, better conditioned, etc.?

What? The minimum you say? That is NOT my style. Go hard or go home!

That WILL work, at least for a short time. Until your training overwhelms your ability to recover, and you start breaking down.

How can you tell that is happening? That you're not recovering fast enough from your training? Here's a few warning signs:

Altered Heart Rate and Blood Pressure

You are having a hard time getting your heart rate up, or it's beating like a racehorse when you feel like you aren't really doing much.​

Poor Sleep Patterns

​An increasing pattern of the inability to sleep restfully.

Decreased Performance

Your training loads have stagnated or even decreased.​

Mood Swings

One of my big ones (no secret I know - sorry).​

Eating Habits Disrupted or Compromised

It's not just a matter of will power. Overreaching and overtraining can cause physical cravings if our bodies are missing crucial nutrients because of too much physiological or psychological stress.​

Decreased Immunity

If you are getting sick frequently (eg. more than one cold a year) your immune system is probably compromised.​

Increase In Injury

This could be not recovering from the normal microtrauma caused by training, for example you are sore for 2 or 3 days after training, or you are getting strains, sprains, aches and pains that you normally do not.​

Lack of Progress (Plateau)

This could be either in body composition (not losing bodyfat/gaining muscle) or not making gains in the gym.​

Enter Recovery Weeks

Recovery weeks are designed to give you rest; physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.

You see stress is not just a "mental" thing. Do you realize when you train you are stressing yourself out, on purpose? That gets added on top of all the other stress in your life, whether it be work, home, or the jerk who cut you off in traffic. Your central nervous system doesn't care, it just knows when you have too much of it, and it doesn't like it!

​And while you can't stop the knucklehead from driving like an idiot, there are things you can do to avoid excess systemic stress, and taking recovery weeks is one of them.

Here's My Top 5 Things To Do On Recovery Week

1. Catch up on my reading
2. Get some extra sleep
3. Spend more time with my family
4. Eat at a more leisurely pace
5. Visit somewhere I haven't before (this week is normally our "Spring Break")

​What about you?

You see you don't have to "not move" for a week. There is nothing wrong with getting outdoors, taking a walk, hitting the rock climbing gym, spending some time on the foam roller and stretching, getting a massage, and/or taking some long showers or baths.

Those things will aid your recovery and help you relax; running 2 or 3 or 5 miles every day (or every other day), or going to spin class, will not. 

I train hard, but more importantly I train and recover appropriately. 

I am in it for the long game. When I am sick, or excessively tired, or injured I cannot train.

THAT is what sets me back.

Recovery is what drives me forward. On a daily, weekly, and quarterly basis.

​You ready to get better with me?

MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Coach Dean

PS. Below is the "Science Stuff" I promised - Enjoy!

All About Recovery Weeks

Our recovery weeks are what I would call Macro-Recovery. In other words we take a planned week off every training phase in order to let the body rest up from hard training and get ready for the next phase.

But did you know you can do even better than that? We have a number of athletes in the Get Fit NH family who participate in our Bioforce HRV monitoring program, which measures your systemic stress load on a daily basis, which allows us to fine-tune the recovery process on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. You can catch up on that by clicking here

Read on why properly planned and adequate recovery is important for you!

The Recovery Curve

I saw the recovery curve for the first time during my time with Australian physical preparation coach Ian King. His principles laid the foundation for the way we program, train and especially recover here at Get Fit NH. The principles that work with professional athletes apply to us too!

The following illustrates a “good” recovery curve:

The green line represents what we are all looking for – continual, never ending progress over time. We are getting stronger, faster, thinner, better looking (ok at least that’s what I wish for).

Reality Check – ain’t gonna happen. The process of changing your body is not linear, in fact what we are looking at in an optimal training environment is more of a “One step back brings me Two steps forward”.

A closer look at the chart will help explain what I mean.

The red line represents Equilibrium. This is where your body wants to stay, no matter if your goal is losing fat, gaining lean, or both. As you have no doubt found out, forcing your body to change is hard work – really hard work. When you walk into Get Fit NH, our training is designed to elicit that change. But it’s not as simple as “working out” day after day after day. In fact as I am about to illustrate, training without proper recovery is actually hurting you, not making you better.

The blue line represents the “recovery curve”. Starting at the left hand of the chart all the lines intersect. For this illustration that point is where your first training occurred – you “worked out”.

But what’s going on?

Instead of performance going up, that line is actually heading down – this is what is called Depletion. If you think about it makes sense – you have worked hard, you are fatigued, your body is depleted of nutrients – you are spent!

Don’t worry, your body will get over it, if you treat it right! This is what we call Adaptation. Your body wants to be able to handle the increased demand that was placed on it, and starts the process of getting better.

You are in charge of if and how fast that happens. A few of the factors that influence this adaptation include recovery nutrition, stress levels, sleep habits, supportive nutrition, age, and training history.

The recovery curve continues with Supercompensation. Here is how Coach King describes this process:

“It is only when recovery is allowed that we see the super-compensation effect, the unique phenomenon where the bodies physical capacity is elevated in response to training, in anticipation of another exposure to the same stimulus.” – King, I, 1999/2000, Foundations of Physical Preparation

In other words your body has gotten better in response to your training, a new Equilibrium is established and this state is when we will ideally train again. Our programming at Get Fit NH is carefully designed to give this the best chance of occurring, but as I hope you are discovering, you have a lot to do with this with how you treat your recovery!

As you can see, when things are clicking, this process when repeated over and over means you are getting better and better, the blue line is headed up – pretty cool!

The flip side to all this is what happens when the recovery process isn’t working so well.

This chart represents recovery gone “bad”:

When we continue to train in a state of “Depletion”, regardless of the reason, the adaptation to super-compensation effect doesn’t occur, and instead of getting better, we find ourselves in a downward cycle. This can happen when we train the same muscle groups too soon, when we haven’t taken the steps described above to recover optimally (sleep and nutrition for instance) regardless of time between training, when we train too hard coming off an illness, etc. The last thing we want to happen is new equilibrium to be established in a downward pattern – not good.

The long and short of it is your body absolutely needs to recover from hard training. Consistently training in a fatigued state results in injury and illness. Your body is an amazing machine designed to put up with a lot, but it was also designed to need rest.

Which leads us to:

Recovery Weeks!

Face it – you can get beat up anywhere. Our responsibility at Get Fit NH is to help you get better!

That includes recovery weeks. We have found that somewhere between 8 and 12 weeks of training is just about right to take a full week off and let your body recover.

That doesn’t mean that you spend your training time on the couch eating bon-bons, but if you insist on going down to PF and hitting the weights or running 10 miles every morning, your body will suffer in the long run, and perhaps even in the short term.

If you find yourself fighting this concept, ask yourself this – Is your unwillingness to take a week off a well reasoned decision based on what you know to be true, or is it that your attachment to training is so strong emotionally that makes it so hard? You will not lose all you have gained by taking the week off, I assure you! Again to quote Coach King, “…if you don’t (take time off)…most of you are going to lose it anyway!”

So now that we have established you are ready, willing and able to embrace recovery week, what do you do?

Glad you asked!

Three Steps for Successful Recovery

1.) Physical Rest and Regeneration

– Our bodies must rest and recover to prevent over-training (or under-recovering) issues so that we can come back 100% healthy and energized for the next phase of the program

– Focus on maintaining and/or increasing flexibility and tissue health by stretching and foam rolling daily. 15-30 minutes is fantastic!

– Daily restorative walks are beneficial during this week. 30-60 minutes briskly walking (not jogging/running) will keep your body refreshed and active, without negating the purpose of this week. Don’t overdo it!

2.) Physiological and Psychological Rest and Regeneration

– We must normalize key anabolic hormones, refill muscle glycogen, increase caloric intake, and prevent any diet induced catabolism (losses of lean body mass) so that we can enjoy greater fat loss for the next phase of the program

– We have taken the road less traveled by being flexible eaters with a long-term approach to success and thus we will take a break from our aggressive fat loss nutrition plans. This is not a free for all, so stay away from your “trigger foods” (junk foods and sweets) that open the door to excessive calorie intake.

– Instead plan (key word) and enjoy 2 or 3 controlled free meals to reward yourself for all of your hard work, but do not overdo it!

– Caveat: If your nutrition habits have been less than optimal, more than likely none of this applies to you. Instead now is the time to plan and prepare to make the changes necessary to see the results you want. Spend some time with a coach and your Jumpstart Nutrition Guide if you need help.

3.) Celebrate the Fruits of Your Labor

– Take some time to reflect on how far you have come since you joined Get Fit NH in terms of improving your overall health, body composition, and performance

– Enjoy your results!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

We would just like to take the time to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your hard work and dedication to improving your health and fitness… keep Making It Happen!

Real food is always THE BEST choice when it comes to fueling your body, but some days are just a blur. When we are running around or we have a busy morning it is so easy to fly off track and make bad choices. Recently my mornings have been INSANELY busy. Tending to a newborn, chasing a toddler, sleep deprived and HUNGRY is a recipe for poor choices so these have been 3 shakes/smoothies have helped me make it until nap time when I can feed my mouth with real food!

Pina Colada

• 1 scoop SFH Fuel Coconut
• 5 chunks pineapple 
• 1/2 tablespoon unsweetened coconut flakes
• Water/ice

Blend and serve with an umbrella in a goblet glass and pretend you're laying on a beach in Mexico.

Iced Coffee Delight

• 1 scoop UMP Cookies n Cream
• 16 oz "left over" coffee
• Ice

Shake it up!

*Choosing this over your daily DD run will save you about $40/month, temptation and calories! A container of UMP lasts about a month and costs $38. A medium iced coffee at DD is about $2.35 (I totally don’t know from experience!). That adds up!

Gettin' the Greens

• 1 scoop UMP Vanilla
• 2 generous handfuls spinach
• 1/4 avocado
• 1/4 cup frozen berries
• 1/2 banana
• Water/ice

Blend and serve. I realize this SOUNDS kinda yucky, but it is SO delicious!

Warm weather is coming - which one do you want to try?
-Coach Meagan

Another Athlete Academy spotlight going out, this time to Crista. Crista joined our Athlete Academy program a couple months ago and I have already seen big improvements. She has come in with a great attitude, a willingness to be coached and overall just to get better. She has a goal to be doing chin-ups in the immediate future and with every week I see serious improvement so I have no doubt she will get there. Enough from me, here is some of Crista’s experience in her own words...

"Why did you choose Athlete Academy?

I chose Athlete Academy because I was really interested in becoming a stronger version of myself and strengthening parts of my body that I've never felt the need to invest time into before.

What changes did you notice in the first few weeks?

Within the first few weeks I began to feel stronger, especially in my upper body. I've never done specific upper body workouts and so I definitely noticed an improvement.

What outside of Athlete Academy has become easier since starting?

Outside of Get Fit NH I've noticed improvements in strength in soccer games and I've also noticed it when I go for runs. Personally, with working out comes the motivation to eat healthier and stay motivated in other aspects of my life and so that's also been great.

What are your goals?

A major goal that I have for these sessions is to improve my muscle strength, especially in the legs and arms and, so far, I've been able to do that! I've felt much stronger in both of those areas. I also would love to excel in the upcoming track season and I can't wait to see how I've improved from last season!

What is your favorite part of Athlete Academy?

How had Athlete Academy affected your performance?

The academy has affected my performance positively both physically and mentally. I felt stronger over the past weeks in soccer games as well as when I run to prepare for the outdoor track season. During the trainings I've also pushed myself mentally to work harder than I think I can and that's shown outside the gym.

Overall I've absolutely loved joining, I've felt the improvements in outside sports and I know I will only get stronger! :)”

Great job, Crista! I am impressed at the progress you have made in such a short period of time and the mentality you approach your training with!

-Coach Adam

If you have been with us for longer than a month, than you probably know we talk a lot about nutrition and we offer nutrition coaching as well. If it wasn’t important and 100% necessary for results, then we would not waste our breath. Keep that in mind if you are a student struggling with results, but haven’t jumped on the nutrition ship yet.

It isn’t an easy leap, but I can assure you Coach Nancy has poured her time and heart into simplifying for you. In case you are new to our blogs, allow me to remind you, you cannot out train poor eating habits. Below are 3 ways you can get in control and start making steps in the right direction. These are habits and won’t feel natural right away. Start with one and work your way up until one, two, or all three become part of your routine.

1. Meal plan. Your family should be involved in this. It can be done while watching TV. It takes almost no effort to figure out meals that everyone likes. There are plenty of recipes that can be tweaked to make smart choices. Ever tried almond flour chicken fingers? It is a favorite in this house!

2. Make your grocery list from your meal plan. When I make my grocery list based off the plan it reassures me that I won’t forget anything, because I checked to see what was in the house. To take it a step further, I always make my list based on the layout of the grocery store. This way I am not tempted to go down any additional aisle. When I go to the grocery store with a scattered list, I ALWAYS forget something which can quickly lead to a bad choice if you don’t have what you planned for.

3. Meal prep. My husband teases me, because when I get home from the store I take everything out of the bags and line it near the fridge or cabinet where it goes. I put everything that can go away in it’s spot and prep everything else that I can to make my week easier. Chop veggies, boil cauliflower, cut meat, etc. Because of my schedule I usually prep on Sundays for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. On Wednesday I have more flexibility so I prep for the rest of the week at that time. You know your schedule. Do what works best for you.

You don’t have to do all of that, but start somewhere! Jumping aboard the nutrition ship can seem like a ginormous leap, but with small steps you will find that you are ready to step up. We are here for you!

Coach Meagan

Last week, I wrote a blog about the pause button - about not letting life, work, etc. get you to the point that you put an entire part of your life on hold. Below are some strategies to help you when those hectic times arise.

1. Look at your schedule ahead of time. I fully realize that this may not be an option for everyone. Some of you have highly fluid careers and lives and this may not be completely possible. However, looking at your week ahead can really help. What day do you have a 6am meeting so you may need to come to another class? What day might you have time to sit down for an hour and food prep for the following 3 or 4 days? Sometimes just sitting down and laying it out for yourself can make all the difference, rather than trying to do it on the fly.

2. Plan your meals ahead of time. All of our nutrition challenges have included some type of template for planning out your meals. If you have yet to do one of them, it is fairly easy. They can be as simple as a piece of paper with “Breakfast", "Lunch", and "Dinner” listed under each day of the week, or as complicated as the recipe itself at each spot so you have all your information in one place. Whatever makes it more likely to happen for you.

3. M.I.S.S (Make It Stupid Simple). For those really hectic times, make it stupid simple. By that I mean make it as simple as possible to plan your meals for the week. If you can stomach it, maybe eat the same simple recipe for breakfast every day to cut down on prep time. Or keep the meals different but try to stick to simple recipes that don’t take a ton of prep work. This may not be a good strategy for the long term because you will probably burn out on those easy to prepare foods, but in an extremely hectic time, simplicity is your ally.

4. Make training an appointment. You have heard Coach Meagan say this before and it feeds into strategy number 1. If you can figure out your schedule ahead of time, decide what days and times you are going to train and make it an appointment. Plan it ahead of time, write it down and stick to it.

5. Slow down, but never stop. This one is possibly the most important one of all. If you need to slow down, that’s understandable. If you can only make two classes a week this week and next week because work is so hectic, that’s understandable. The last thing you want to do is put off training completely, because like I said in part one, you never know what tomorrow might bring. Expecting to stop, then start again when things are “less hectic” ends in major complications the large majority of the time. So just slow down, but never stop.

Make it happen,
Coach Adam

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