I have heard a lot of people referring to “balance” in the last few months.

Finding a way to be balanced… finding the right amount of starchy carbs to eat… balancing eating good stuff with eating junk they like to eat… or balancing what we say in terms of nutrition to what they have always been told about nutrition. Some believe they deserve to eat something because they see others eating it and it’s something they love the taste of, that they need to be able to balance what they should be eating with what they should not.

Here lies the problem: we all are different. We all have different bodies where some systems run better than others. Balance is a very relative term and until many of us realize that, we will most likely not achieve the goals we strive for.

When it comes down to it, what the body wants, what everything in life and nature wants, is homeostasis. This is the science-y word for balance. It’s the reason we sweat when our body is too hot, and we shiver when our body is too cold. Our body wants to maintain a certain temperature, too high and systems start to deteriorate and get damaged, the same if temperature gets too low. When body temperature gets too elevated, we sweat so that, essentially, the water can evaporate and carry the heat out with it. On the other end, when body temperature is too low, we shiver because muscular contraction creates heat. There are a million other examples, but you get the point.

The same types of principles come into play when we talk about nutrition. Like I said earlier, balance is a very relative term. If a person is considered balanced, it basically means that their system can effectively use and manage what they are putting into it.

This is where the differences arise. For example, my system may only be able to process 50 grams of carbohydrates before starting to store it as fat. Whereas a friend of mine, same age, may be able to process 100 grams before it starts to store any as fat (numbers are just for examples sake, there is no reasoning behind them other than that).

So does that mean that either one of us is unbalanced? Am I unbalanced because I see he can eat 100 grams but I can only eat 50? Does that mean I’m eating incorrectly? No, it does not. I know that my body can’t process carbohydrates like the same way my friend’s can, so I have to eat in a way that keeps my body in balance, not based on what other people consider balanced.

The other thing we have to realize is that many of us, myself included, treated our bodies with such imbalance for so long, that our threshold is significantly lower than it would be normally. Maybe if I hadn’t spent the better part of my early twenties downing Monster drinks and Domino’s pizza while playing Call of Duty, I might be able to eat 100 grams of carbs now. However, I put such an imbalance on my body during that time period, that I need to eat even more specifically to bring myself back to balanced.

It’s like taking a scale and putting 100 lbs on one side and having 25 lbs on the other side. That’s my starting point, which means that I have to work 75% harder on one side (add 75 more lbs, for the visual people) to get that back to neutral. Most of us (myself included) have damaged our bodies to the point that staying balanced now takes much more mindful eating than it would have had we not done that to ourselves.

I’m not trying to beat up on anyone. Many people unfortunately don’t know, or until now, haven’t been taught this. Even though they know junk food is bad, they never realized how badly things they thought were “nutritional” are actually hurting them.

So just remember when we talk about balance, it is extremely relative. Don’t get caught up in what you want to do, or what you feel you deserve you should based on someone else’s definition. Focus on what you know creates balance for you personally, and stick to it.

Make it happen!
-Coach Adam

I am excited to shine the spotlight on Betsy McNamara today. Betsy is so inspiring to watch. She is consistently on the perfect attendance shout out, she works her tail off when she is in the gym, and she absolutely killed it on this year’s Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown Challenge. As a coach, it is so cool to see students come in here and grow so drastically often in such a short period of time. Betsy is getting results because she is consistent and engaged. I am so grateful that she joined our family. Here is what she had to say…

I looked into Get Fit NH because I always assumed I would be fit and active when I’m older. But I turned 50 this year, so “older” is getting awfully close (my kids say I’m there), and I realized I can’t assume I will be fit. I have to make it happen. So I started looking around at options. I found that I know some people who are members and they rave about the gym.

Then, my friend Karen joined and was hooked and encouraged me to try it out. At first, the hardest part for me was getting into the routine. I had to figure out how to build that time into my mornings, what I had to do be sure I got to the gym on time, and then got to work on time. That took about a week. It’s also always intimidating to join a new gym. But here I felt welcomed and supported. Coaches learned my name really quickly. Other members were really nice. And the coaches were constantly providing support and corrections. I loved it. I could tell that it was working because I was sore after the workouts. That’s a good thing!

After the 2 week trial I learned that Get Fit NH is committed to getting their member fit without getting injured. Coaches are so good about offering suggestions on how to do specific exercises so that a) you don’t get hurt, and b) it’s having the best result. They adapt exercises for all kinds of fitness levels. I came to understand that if I just show up and give it my all during class, I’ll see positive results. The coaches do the rest of the work. I feel stronger. I have more energy. My sleep is better. My clothes fit better. And I’ve reversed the trend of slow weight gain I was experiencing in my 40’s.

Less obvious is the sense of accomplishment I feel from setting out to do something and doing it. I feel challenged at the gym and there are always new challenges to work on. How hard I work in class is within my control. I feel like I’ve joined a health community. Coaches talk about nutrition and sleep and rest and exercise — a great reinforcement for healthy habits. The Myzone technology is really fun to use both in and outside the gym. Also, it’s been a hoot to have joined at about the same time as my friend Karen. Even though we are not in the same class, we have a great time comparing notes and encouraging each other. I’m really proud of her and she’s proud of me."

-Betsy M.

Betsy and Karen have both done AMAZING since starting their journey. I am proud of both of them. What friends can you encourage today to get the ball rolling?

-Coach Meagan

Raise your hand if you train to age more gracefully.

That should be all of us.

To some of us, maturing may be a touchy subject or it may seem lightyears away. We cannot control getting older, but we can control how well we move and take care of the body we have.

Mobility work is important. This is the 10-15 minutes we spend moving through and breathing through a range of motion. This right here is what saves you from getting hurt and keeps you in the game. If you think foam rolling is a waste of time, then you are terribly mistaken. It is important to get the blood flowing in our muscles before we start tearing into them. Don’t come in late and miss this stuff. It is just as crucial to your life goals as training is

Flexibility work is important. This is the time we spend after training when our muscles are warm. Now we want to lengthen our muscles back out. What is the benefit of flexibility work? Well, for starters it can definitely alleviate sore muscles and it keeps us moving free and avoiding tight muscles. Do you know what tight muscles lead to? A recipe for disaster, that’s what! Back pain, knee pain, hip pain, shoulder pain….so don’t scoot out early! Take the extra few minutes to stretch your muscles back out. This too is just as important to life goals as training and mobility work.

What are your life goals? What do YOU want to be doing when you are 85?

Me? Here are a few things on my list:

• Getting up and down off the floor without a real challenge
• Stairs
• Lift boxes on my own
• Drive (but probably actually wear my glasses!)
  

These are everyday activities that we take advantage of. Those of you with aging parents know these are real struggles. You have control. Are you willing to put the time in now to have your independence later?

Coach Meagan

Continuing along with Athlete Academy, I am bringing a second one of my Athletes into the spotlight. Today’s spotlight is on Zach Dutton. Zach competes widely for archery, and just recently was selected to a regional team made up of some of the best archers in the region. I got some additional information about his accomplishment and what it means for him moving forward:

"The Regional Dream Team is a prerequisite program for the Junior Dream Team. There are two teams: RDT-East and RDT-West, comprised of 30 dedicated and promising archers from each region of the country. This self-funded program is for recurve archers looking to improve their skills and gain access to the best-quality training in some of the most excellent archery training facilities in the world with a dedicated set of USA Archery certified coaches."

What exactly he qualified for: Regional Dream Team as a probationary member. Age group: he is a "cadet", which is ages 14-17. This is a pretty wide range for boys when you think about their muscle development. There can be cadets shooting next to him that I swear have arms bigger than both of Zach's put together! As a Cub, the age group he just finished in 2015, he placed first at Northeast indoor nationals, and was 16th and 24th in the country. Now as a cadet, he'd starting over again.

What he is going to be doing: He gets the lead RDT coach, Linda Beck, who said: "I will be your RDT coach and work with you and your personal coach to improve your National Training System Technique." The selection camp that he went to was at the Easton Center in Newberry, FL (we arrived the day the Olympic Trials were finishing!). There are other locations for future camps. His local club is Pioneer JOAD (Junior Olympic Archery Development), run by Frank and Christy Schackart in Dunbarton.

What it means for him going forward: He'll have access to some of the best coaches in the country. He has asked for more coaching for a long time, and a year ago he went to a camp in Arizona. He sends his RDT coach videos of him shooting (from 4 vantage points) for feedback.

A little background on Zach's story: He started archery when a friend invited him to an "invite your friend" night at a YMCA archery program. That was in October/November 2013. He joined a JOAD club in December 2013, shot in his first tournament in February 2014 (where, as he likes to joke, he placed "dead last"). That was the Northeast Indoor Nationals 2014. A year later, in 2015, is when he placed first. Pretty nice progression! Now, as I said above, the new age bracket with boys up to age 17, is a whole new ball game. Zach is 14.”

Zach has worked hard and taken well to the Athlete Academy Program. The plan now is to get him on the same level as those other archers. Even those older than him. With his hard work and dedication to his craft I have no doubts he can do it!

-Coach Adam

This isn't a statement to everyone, but for those of you that are self-conscious about this problem, I suggest you continue reading. Not all of us are in top physical condition, myself included. I'm working on it, but I'm certainly not there. So that means that we probably have a little extra jiggle in some places or others. You know it, I know it, so let's not beat around the bush.

I went through a lot of my life with more jiggle than I'd like to admit, and it's still the case to this day. I remember trying to play soccer and hockey in uniforms that were made for someone in better shape. I remember not wanting to run full out, and trying to run with my gut sucked in because I was embarrassed and didn't want people to see that jiggle. I felt like if I feel it, then they must see it and I'm embarrassed.

I have a feeling this is something that some of you may struggle with. I see a lot of people that I know can do high knees or jumping jacks marching them out in warm-ups and I have a feeling this may be part of the reason why. I’m not calling you out, and this is not addressed to anyone specifically, just a general statement for those of you that might be feeling the same way I did. I still feel it from time to time. As much as I’d like to tell you that it doesn’t still bother me, sometimes demo-ing band attached sprints when my shirt isn’t baggy and you can tell (or at least I still feel that way), I do feel self-conscious about it . So I can imagine why that would be the case for you as well.

I tell you this to also let you know: NO ONE IS JUDGING, MAKING FUN, THINKING ANYTHING BAD, OR EVEN ACTIVELY NOTICING IT. If you are here, you are surrounded by people that fully support you and your efforts. There is not one person who is looking to judge you because of a jiggle. You are here because you want to get rid of it. Not working your absolute hardest because you are worried about some jiggle is just going to impede you from getting rid of it. So don’t think bad about yourself, don’t think people are watching, judging, or haven’t been there at some point or another themselves. Do the hardest exercise you are able to do and don't be self-conscious about any of that junk because the only person judging you is you.

Make it Happen!
-Coach Adam

On Cara Leuchtenberger, of course! I asked Cara to share her story with us, because I have seen an INCREDIBLE change in her over the past 4 months she has been training with us. It didn't take long for Cara to dive in and start getting results. When I first met Cara she was so shy and very nervous about training. Now when I look at her train you would think she has been here for years. She has totally come out of her shell and it is clear that her confidence level has improved drastically. Cara's story is awesome- keep making it happen, Cara!

What drove you to check out Get Fit NH?

I am someone who has always exercised alone. I love to swim, walk and have also done couch-to-5K training to the point where I dragged myself through a half marathon in 2009. 🙂 But in the last few years I have really floundered - saying I would start something and then feeling good for a while and then life would get in the way, and since I was only accountable to myself, I would stop. Recently, I have gained more weight, and was having back and knee pain. I am a hospice and palliative care nurse, so I see people all of the time during health crises, and decided that, at the rate I was going, I was going to be an 88 year old woman who could not walk without pain. Coming to Get Fit, where the name of the game is showing up day after day and working out with a group of people, was WAY outside of my comfort zone, but I am so grateful I made myself fill out that form on Facebook so Nancy would call me. I also had the positive feedback from my friend Jayne, who has been coming for years and gently encouraged me to try it.

What did you learn after your first 2 weeks?

I learned that I could do it! And I learned that I actually LIKED it! I was so pumped after those first two weeks. I felt welcomed (it helps that some of my kids' teachers are in the 6:15 class!), and even though I felt a bit like a deer in headlights (I had never seen a ski erg, never picked up a kettle bell and what the heck is a TRX??), everyone was helpful and nice.

Why did you choose to stay after your 2 weeks?

I was already feeling better. Even though my muscles were sore, I was sleeping better and my back pain was gone. I was also feeling better emotionally - just generally happier and more energetic. And after meeting with Meagan and seeing all of the cold, hard facts (the fat/muscle ratio! the full body scan! the weight on the scale! eek!!), I decided that it was important for me as a person, a mom, and a caregiver to make the time for myself each week, especially as I was feeling better already. The other great thing was getting involved in a challenge right away. Meagan suggested that I talk with Stacey about the S3 challenge, and it was a great way to get to know some new people and to have a concrete goal.

What results have you seen?

I am stronger than I was. I can flex my arm and see a baby muscle under my layer of subcutaneous fat. 🙂 I can to things in class today that I could not do when I started in April. I feel better emotionally and now my aches and pains are boot camp-related, rather than from weakness and under-use of my body. I have lost some weight and some inches, of course, but more exciting to me is the boost in my mood, the comments people make when they see me ("You look great! So happy!"), and being able to do things that I could not have dreamed of doing a few months ago.

Overall, I am so, so happy that I took a big step out of my comfort zone. I am so excited about Get Fit - the training, the people, the supportive coaching - and I tell everyone who asks me! I know that going forward I am going to continue to set realistic goals, as I would like to build more muscle, lose fat and be stronger. One day I WILL be able to do a real squat thrust! I am grateful to be able to imagine these goals and to actually (finally!) believe they are attainable. Yay!

I asked Cara to share here story in hopes that she can encourage YOU to make it happen, too!
-Coach Meagan

Yours truly used to be addicted to cigarettes. Back in my Marine Corps days the smoke pit is where I met a lot of my friends – it was a social thing and it soon became a daily habit. I set myself a “done date.” I always said I would quit the day I got out of the service. On May 12, 2012 I got out and haven’t touched a cigarette since. I didn’t even think twice when it came time to quit. I just did it. I was mentally prepared and ready. I still have days when I crave a cigarette unfortunately. Even though I kicked the habit 4 years ago the addiction still haunts me. There are a lot of reasons I don’t turn back, but a big one (and relevant to where I am going with this) is that I have come so far and my lungs are happier! I don’t get sick as often and I smell much better!

Addiction is addiction. Whether you are addicted to cigarettes or sugar, it’s an unhealthy daily habit that is haunting you. You KNOW that if you stop you will feel better, but you just haven’t been able to do it. Why is that? Let’s set you up with a “done date.” The next 21 Day Jumpstart is your answer! Are you going to have bad days- YES! The first few days will be extra, extra hard, but you have to push forward. Then you may have sporadic cravings, but you will be able to look at how far you have come and feel victorious!

You are not alone. We have 300 and some odd sugar addicts who train under our roof- you are not in this alone. We will fight this together. We will feel better together. We will have good days and bad days together and together we will keep moving forward. And when we relapse? We forgive and we pick ourselves up and keep pushing on. Addiction ain’t pretty, but you have come to the right place to regain control!

Are you ready to make it happen?
-Coach Meagan

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

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

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

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

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

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

The challenge is ON! Let's go teams!

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

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

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

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

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

5. You're ready to go!