Your Thoughts About 10 Years Of Get Fit NH

Last month we celebrated 10 years of Get Fit NH! 

This is a huge accomplishment and we owe so much of it to our amazing members. It is because of all of you we get the chance to wake up everyday and do what we love, which is helping people become the version of themselves they want to be.

Coach Meagan had the great idea to hear from all of our clients about what the 10 year anniversary meant to them and we wanted to share that with the world. This is what you all told us:

Thank you all so much for your continued support of us! It is because of all of you we get to make it happen every single day!

Now it is time to look forward to another 10 years of Get Fit NH!

-Coach Brian

Updated Concord Morning Training Schedule

Starting next Monday 5/14/2018 we will be changing the morning schedule just a little bit. We are hoping that this small change will help smooth out transition time between classes and make it easier for everyone getting to and leaving class. 

Our new morning schedule will be:

  • 5 AM
  • 6:10 AM
  • 7:20 AM
  • 8:30 AM

It is a small change but should help the flow move better in the morning!

We hope everyone has a fantastic weekend and we look forward to seeing everyone at the new class times on monday.

-Coach Brian 

A Spotlight for Sarah Smith!

This spotlight is an important one, especially for those of you who, like myself, struggle with back pain and are frustrated at not making progress or constant pain.  It is a longer spotlight but it is 100% worth the read, find the time to sit down.  I’m extremely proud of Sarah and how far she has come, read her story here:

“Pain sucks.  No one wants to physically be in pain and that’s been me for the past three years.  I am not a person who wants modifications or to bother someone to ask what I should be doing since the workout provided causes me pain.  I want to be that person who walks into the gym for the first time and just grabs 75 lbs. to do a goblet squat without a second thought because why not but unfortunately that is not where I am at these days.  I started working out at Get Fit NH two months before I got pregnant in 2014.  I was overweight and willing and ready to make a life style change to fix that and get healthy.  I worked out all throughout my pregnancy which threw the healthy journey I started on a little curve ball when all the normal pregnancy quirks set in like food aversions, nausea for days, back pain, etc.  But I continued to show up every morning at 6:15am and chalked up the severe discomfort and pain I started to feel in my back in my second trimester from moving a certain way, sitting, riding in a car or really anything to what I thought was normal back pain that would go away once I gave birth.  Birth.  Well that’s a story for a different day but it was not good.  48 hours of labor that ended in a not great C-section.  So…there I was, baby out and in way more pain than when I was pregnant. 

I found new challenges in life I had never thought about after birth; walking in general but also while carrying anything in my hands, sitting or getting up out of chairs, stairs, lying down in bed or getting myself up from bed.  All these things I had always taken for granted I now needed help to do and caused me considerable pain.  Maybe it would have consumed me if I didn’t have a sweet little baby girl to show for it or maybe that made it even harder because I really didn’t feel like I should care for myself and try and recover.  I went back to working out eventually, though it was not 6 weeks out as planned as I was not recovered enough then.  It took at least a few months to even feel like I could move semi-comfortably. Once I did go back I remember my husband telling me to “cool it” and me thinking what did he know -  I wasn’t pregnant anymore I could do anything!  I was SO excited to be able to do a squat thrust again after not having that huge belly that I tried and fell flat on my face – I had a C-section, I had no abs, what was I thinking?  Idiot.  However, things that I should have been able to do without pain still gave me pain.  For instance, just being able to get up off the floor didn’t happen without back pain.  I finally came to the realization that something was not right and sought out a physical therapist that specializes in woman’s post-partum back, neck and pelvis pain and was given the answers to my questions.  My hip and pelvis on my right side were considerably out of alignment and rotated as compared to my hip/pelvis on my left side.  There were some definite complications during my C-section on my right side so it made sense they were not in alignment – quick fix I thought.  After quite some time of physical therapy, and these parts not staying in place as they should, it was determined that this had been an underlying issue that was just exasperated by pregnancy weight gain and the eventful birth of my daughter but it was not caused alone by childbirth.  It now made sense why I was in pain so early on in my pregnancy.  This was not going to be a quick fix.  I was not going to be able to go into the gym and just do all the trainings without modifications.  Modifications where going to be my life for a while.  

The last two years I’ve spent seeing my PT weekly but I am in communication with her multiple times a week; we’re best friends at this point!  I was waking each morning doing my PT exercises and ending each night before bed with exercises. You might have heard me and my friend Stacey, who has similar struggles, joking about making sure to “tuck” our hips/pelvis to hold ourselves in the right position to protect our lower backs and sharing stories of all of our PT exercises and how to hold our positioning. It wasn’t until recently that I didn’t need to do those PT exercises anymore to stay in relative alignment.  This spring I was starting to feel better, my abs where strengthening and I was doing a better job about keeping myself in alignment.  It made sense to start working towards doing the exercises I had been staying away from for years so that I could progress.  Wouldn’t it be lovely if that’s where the pain story ended?  It was at this time that I digressed and anything I tried to do at the gym caused me pain.  Adding in even the smallest unilateral movement blew up my back and made even the exercises that I used to do without pain, very painful.  My PT and I talked about me taking a short break from working out as I was losing my mind.  The pain just kept getting worse, especially after experiencing a time when I had started to get better to go backwards was just heartbreaking.  In a mere month, I went from downgrading my PT visits to twice a month to upping them to twice a week just to correct my alignment so I could try and function properly with some relief.  I was getting so frustrated that I wasn’t getting better and it just seemed like I was getting worse every time I tried to do something to progress back to the point where I used to be.  Coach Adam noticed this and pulled me aside to ask if I could have my physical therapist write him an email explaining to him, from the beginning what was going on with me.  He wanted more than what I could give him which was “I can’t do anything unilateral” or “I know I’m out of alignment and that hurts my back; I need a modification”.  He wanted to know in more technical terms what was going on so he could try and help me progress without pain. I think he thought if I could progress it would help to keep me more positive about continue to recover and in turn more accountable about coming to class.

So, for the last four months, my PT and the Coaches at Get Fit have been in communication about my progress, what has set me back and what I need to avoid for now or what I can slowly add in again to build up my tolerance.  Coach Adam has been drafting up training modifications for me (if you all have seen me with a white piece of paper in hand!) and has also had me do exercises at the gym to keep my positioning in check, using a DS band to get my glutes to fire as they should and taught me breathing exercises to additionally learn to tuck my ribcage.  I remember the day not long ago that I felt my abs fire while doing a regular body weight squat and I got so excited.  That meant I had finally found the right positon to be in and my abs had finally come far enough along to support and hold me in that correct position so that my back wasn’t in pain.  I totally downplayed my excitement but I made sure to tell Coach Adam because I wouldn’t have got to that point had he not worked on the breathing exercises with me that enforced tucking my ribcage to engage my abs.  Breathing, we all do it - seems silly to teach or talk about, right?  Well it taught me how to hold myself properly and move without pain.  Not silly to me now.  

Now to the point.  My pain journey has been all about stepping stones.  I progress, push myself a little too much and I digress and re-asses with a lot of help.  I think the hardest part about all of this for me, besides the pain, is that I couldn’t be doing what everyone else was doing and I have learned I have to be ok with that.  I needed to hone in on certain parts of my body and build them up so that I could support myself properly and I just needed to show up to training because people were there to support me.  I needed to essentially re-train my body and the coaches have been so great at making it happen (had to throw that one in – right?).

These days you can find me at 6:15am (or sometimes 8:30am class) happily ‘trying’ to do all the things I could once try without a second thought.  I won’t be “making poor life decisions” (like that Coach Meagan?) by pushing my body too much but I will be trying to progress to get back to a new normal.   I still will have pain some days as I retrain my body how to do certain exercises that will allow me to progress and get healthier.  I have to be ok with that fact and keep at it to work through it the best I can. Through the help of several amazing Coaches and an amazing PT (my very own dream team!) I’m progressing and starting to feel better.  It’s seemed like such a long road for this perpetually impatient person but I’m showing up and I’m feeling better than I have been in several years.”

-Coach Adam

Rock N Race Pick Up and Meeting Area

This Thursday is the Rock N’ Race – where did THAT come from?

The shirts and bibs have been retrieved! They will be ready for pick up WEDNESDAY between 2pm and 8pm in Concord for those who train in Concord and between 12pm and 8pm for Epsom friends

DON'T FORGET: We are open Wednesday afternoon and evening this week and closed Thursday afternoon so we can all participate! Morning training hours will remain the same Thursday!

Meeting Place and Time: We will meet up to pass out remaining shirts/bibs and get a team photo at the Eagle Square Clock at 5:30pm. We will be the team with the white Rock N Race shirts ;-)! 

If you have any further questions please let me know!

Coach Meagan

Concord Cappies Voting is Here!

Voting season is here! Thank you for helping us win for our 8th year in the Hippo "Best of" awards. There is no doubt we have the best students in the whole world- thank you!

We are moving on to the Concord Cappies 2017! Last year we finally took first place for "Best Fitness Center or Health Club." In previous years we have been taken down by PF! 

In order to get this win we need YOUR help!

Please head back to VoteGetFitNH.com to vote for Get Fit NH!

This survey is easy breezy- no need to vote for 15 categories to qualify.

Question 31: Best Fitness Center: Get Fit NH Concord and Epsom

And please...Vote for your other favorite local, family owned businesses! 

We appreciate your help so much!

Make it Happen!

THE Get Fit NH Team

Thank You for Voting!

You voted and it counted! Thank you so much for taking the time to vote. The results are in and you did not disappoint yet again! We are now 8 years strong in the "Best of" awards all because of YOU! Check it out...

Best of the Best Gym: Get Fit NH, 287 S. Main St., Concord, 344-2651, getfitnh.com (In addition to its coached workouts, the gym offers nutrition coaching, sport-specific training and

Best of the Best Workout Class: “Smart Group Training” at Get Fit NH, 287 S. Main St., Concord, 344-2651, getfitnh.com 

Best of the Best Fitness Instructor: Nancy Carlson Get Fit New Hampshire, 287 S. Main St., Concord, and 167 New Orchard Road, Epsom, 344-2651, getfitnh.com

Thank you, thank you, thank you! None of this is possible without you! Make it happen!

Get Fit NH Team​

The All New “Essentials – LIVE”!

You Asked For It - You Got IT!

Our "Essentials Nutrition Course" has been an active online nutrition coaching source for several years. Focusing on creating a food plan that leads to health for busy moms, career workaholics, professional dieters, and self proclaimed fitness enthusiasts.

Now, I am thrilled to announce we are going LIVE.  ​

In person, "hands" on nutrition coaching from our expert nutrition coaches, in a small group coaching format. Winning!


During the 10 weeks, you will begin to see and feel dramatic changes with your body, and not just the obvious physical changes, you will also notice the psychological and physiological changes as well. Expect a decreased body fat percentage, increased lean muscle mass, increased metabolism, increased sense of well-being, an abundance of energy, and the most important change of all… increased self-confidence.

All of this is included with your Essentials Nutrition LIVE ​

  • 10 Weeks of In Person Coaching with our Nutrition Experts
  • Bi-Weekly Progress Check-Ins using our state-of-the-art Fit3D Scanner
  • Beautiful Full-Color Printed Lesson Manual
  • Goal Setting and Tracking
  • Discover and Practive Your "5 Why's"
  • 10-Weeks in our Private Facebook Group to ask questions, share ideas, and help each other out - this is ALWAYS a favorite part of the challenge.
  • Strategies to stop dieting and start to learn and practice the habits that will help you get and live lean - for life!

In a nutshell you get Accountability, Access To Expertise, and Association with a group of Like-Minded Rockstars committed to success - EVERY WEEK!

Essentials Live Meets at 9:00am Saturday Mornings starting on March 11th at Concord Get Fit NH (unless otherwise announced)

Nancy Carlson

 As the creator of the Nutrition Essentials online course, I am thrilled to bring this life changing teaching live and up close. With the help of those on my team we've helped hundreds of clients lose thousands of pounds. Essentials Live helps create the habits you need to live lean for life!

Shining on Chuck

​It seems all of us are in some way impacted by cancer. Family member, close friend, a co- worker, or you have or are dealing with cancer. The road that cancer takes us down is never an easy one. Chuck is going down this road. He is helping me as I travel this road next to my sister. 

"All my life I have been athletic, in high school I was on the wrestling team, in my adult years I played softball, worked out with the bow flex, did a lot of hiking, went on hiking trips with friends. I am the one that always loved the outdoors, (fishing, hunting etc.). I was in great shape, but over a year ago I was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer. The radiation and chemo took everything out of me; I lost 50+ pounds, my stamina, my confidence and my muscles were gone. I hated the way I looked and felt. It made it difficult to keep up with the Debris and cleaning company. But I pushed through and was able to get back on track, once I was cleared and now cancer free I was looking to get back into shape. I needed my confidence back.

My wife and I moved to Epsom the first of the year 2016; we didn’t know anyone and we pretty much stayed to ourselves.

She didn’t like how she felt so she decided try out Get Fit, she would come home every night and tell me about the class, she would say “you should go”. I was apprehensive because I didn’t think it was what I was looking for. After about a month of her going and coming home all excited about the class, she finally convinced me to go. I’ve been going now for about 5 months and even though I’m still a work in progress I can honestly say I feel so much better about myself. I can’t wait to see what the next 5 months holds in store for me. So glad I joined. Love the Get Fit Family." - Chuck

Chuck and Marquita are lighting up the 6pm training in Epsom. They cheer on, push, and help out those in their crew. I'm proud of Chuck and Marquita. Watch out for them.  

Coach Nancy

Marquita Shines in the Spotlight

The best way to end my work day is to coach the 6pm Epsom training crew. They are an amazing blend of people. All of them are a team that works together to get 'better' each day. That 'better' looks a bit different for each of them. Being 'better' has blended together many different personalities, ages, strengths, and abilities. Marquita is one who consistently trains each night with us. As you read, you'll see Marquita's reasons to be 'better'. 

​I’m not big on talking about myself but I was asked to so here it goes.

My son joined the Air Force and watching him go through his basic training, feeling bad for him yet being very proud. I decided that if my son can do this training stuff, so can I. I want to be someone he can be proud of; I want to be proud of myself.

I have been with Get Fit for about 6 months. It took me almost 3 months after I heard about this place to actually call, and looking back I’m glad I did. I had just moved to the area the first of the year and I found myself in a rut, not knowing anyone, but knowing I wanted a change. I needed a change. I did Zumba and loved it but it was only 2 days a week, I wanted to do more. My self-esteem was low, I had gained a lot of weight (I weighed what I did when I gave birth each time). I didn’t like who I had become, I was tired all the time, my body hurt all the time, I needed something, but I hated the gym. All the equipment and all the people, everything was always so over whelming. I had no ambition.

I went for my 2 weeks free trial but I knew after the first night that Get Fit was for me. I would come home after class and tell my husband all about it. I enjoyed how Nancy made me feel comfortable, how if I didn’t know how to do something she would show me, or if I couldn’t do it she would modify it so I could. I love how it’s different every night. I actually look forward to going. I love all the different challenges, and how they make you push yourself and make you hold yourself accountable.

During the 21 Day Detox challenge I learned a lot about FOOD. It made me look at food differently; I pay attention to the labels and what’s in the food and what’s not. Since I’ve joined I have lost about 15 lbs. Even though the 21 day challenge is done I continue to eat healthy and try to make healthier choices. People say you’re on a diet and I say it’s not a diet it’s a way of eating.

I love how my confidence has gone through the roof. I love when someone asks me what have I been doing and I tell them it’s Get Fit. I love the Get Fit Family and I’m so happy I joined.

At Get Fit NH's Annual Christmas Party, Marquita won "The Most Likely To Break Out in Song During Training" Award. All that wonderfulness inside Marquita just bubbles out, you can't help but join her singing.

-Coach Nancy

Shining Brightly on Kathy

Proud just doesn't cut it. I don't know of a word that is perfect. It would probably have to be something like- Ican'tbelievejustwhathappenedbutofcourseIknewitwasgoingtoo. (I made that word up. It is very much like the statement: "I can't believe just what happened but of course I knew it was going too.")

Its been very rare that I am part of something that shakes the room I stand in.

On November 11, 2016 I was in a room that shook. It shook with excitement. It shook with sound. It shook with voices. It shook with cheers. It shook as a ski erg was pushed, and pushed hard. And we all were moved by seeing Kathy ski her heart out. After she finished skiing a 1000 meters in 3:52.0, she had spent all her energy. It was thrilling to witness such drive, such power, such accomplishment. 

Kathy's journey to her third place ranking in the Concept 2 Ski Erg Sprints World Cup didn't surprise me. I had seen it coming for months. Kathy had been here before. She knew the challenge. She also paid her dues. She started training for her race in the summer. We came up with a training plan and she stuck with it. Every day, she knew her plan. Every day, she executed it. There are not many I know that would stick out a difficult training regime for months just to prove to herself she could. Kathy is that type of person.

"Ican'tbelievejustwhathappenedbutofcourseIknewitwasgoingtoo!"

Kathy's time amazed me. She is quick, she is powerful, she is determined. I didn't even know Kathy had more than that on her mind. I'll let Kathy tell her story. 

Kathy  Get Fit NH

"This is the hat I received this morning for coming in 3rd place in my age group in the Ski Erg Wold Sprints a couple weeks ago. To the outsider this hat represents the position I finished.

To me, this hat represents much more. First, I was recently challenged to always "be better today than I was yesterday" (I set a new personal record). Thanks Coach Dean for the challenge. Second, this competition reminded me that there is a difference between "winning" and "accomplishing".....a concept I have been focused on lately (for myself and my children). Third, this race came with some personal challenges, and I was able to face, and overcome, some of them. Forth, but most importantly, I was reminded that I have a GREAT bunch of people who are always willing to support me in my goals. A huge shout out to my 9am Get Fit ladies for supporting me before and during the race. I had that support from everyone in my Get Fit NH family! THANK YOU for helping to Make It Happen!!!!"

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