Shining in the Athlete Academy Spotlight

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

Denis is Shining in the Spotlight

Denis is one of those people that once you meet him, you build an instant friendship. Denis has trained in so many of the different training times in Epsom that many Get Fit'ers know him. In fact, he jumps into our holiday trainings and loves to battle it out in Concord for those big events. But Denis has a work ethic that is top notch. No wonder he is a 5 Year Super Star. (He didn't bribe me to say any of this either. You'll have to read his whole story as to why I say that.) 

"I’ve always tried to remain fit. When I was in the military, there was time allowed to exercise so it was easy to partner up with someone and go for a run or hit the gym. After retirement, I continued to exercise for a while but it slowly trickled away. Then what trickled back my way was slow weight gain and feeling sluggish or simply, I felt my age. I was getting close to the big “five 0” and that number woke me up. It was time to start thinking about getting back in shape as I knew it would only get harder to do so if I procrastinated. I began looking for options, looking online for what was available. I heard of a person that worked for my company that lost a considerable amount of weight by attending Boot Camp. I never really heard of boot camp so I investigated the facility that he attended which was “Getfit". I was impressed with what was offered, so I decided to jump in as I had nothing to lose but weight.

The first two weeks were overwhelming. I was somewhat able keep up with the exercises. What I found difficult was trying to figure out the board, meaning the acronyms and the exercises themselves. The timing was different everyday so for me, it was more a mental than physical exercise. I also learned I was in worse shape than I thought.

 I am approaching the 5 years at the Epsom facility. I feel better than ever. I attend 4 days a week. There are many days when I wake up at 3:50am and just do not feel like training. I drag myself in, not because I don’t want to train but, because I know that if I skip a day, then I’ll skip another and another to the point when I won’t show up any longer.

My experience at Get Fit has been positive. I feel great. I've had the opportunity to meet and work out with fun and energetic people. For me, it's my second family. I make it happen at either 5 or 615 am as I like to start my day on a positive note. Yes, its early but there are no excuses at that time. The coaches are all wonderful. Nancy is the best though, just sayin'."

Great job making it happen, Denis! Keep it up!
-Coach Nancy

Keep em’ Shining!

Eileen McCarthy is representing the spotlight today! You know what is too cool about being a coach? I get to see people make incredible changes both physically and mentally. I was looking at Eileen the other day and I was like WOW! Look at her arms! They are beautifully toned and I distincally remember her sharing with me that she wanted her arms to have more definition and boy, did she make it happen! Eileen recently did our annual Sizzling Summer Slimdown transformation contest and it was during that challenge where I saw her tone right up. I am proud of Eileen, because she makes it happen at 5AM and she does it with a smile on her face!

What drove you to check out Get Fit NH?
My work is very sedentary; sitting at a computer from 7am to 5pm and often times even later. I realized I needed more exercise than just a half hour on the elliptical trainer at Planet Fitness every Saturday and Sunday when at the end of the work day I was so sore just from sitting! I could feel myself just getting more and more out of shape and my energy level was so low.

I knew I needed a formal “class” to go to and first looked into Pilates, but found the class times weren’t convenient and I wanted a more active, cardio and strength training type of exercise program. I found Get Fit NH by doing research online and signed up for the two week trial.

What did you learn after your first two weeks?
I knew immediately I’d found the right place! Everybody was so friendly. The workouts were fun and challenging and the coaches were very helpful. All I had to do was show up and follow directions; exactly what I needed at 5 o’clock in the morning. I started to feel better and more energetic within a few days of starting. I was sore; but it was a good sore!

What made you choose to stay after your two week trial?
I chose to stay after the two week trial because the increase in energy I felt was significant and I wanted to continue working towards developing increased strength, stamina, cardiovascular ability, flexibility, & balance. I was hooked on feeling good!

What results have you seen since training with us?
The most significant changes I’ve seen since I joined in February are the loss of fat, increase in lean muscle and improved levels of energy. For example, last summer I wouldn’t wear a short sleeved shirt because of my “bat wings”. This year I think my arms are more toned and I feel okay in short sleeves!

I’m really glad I found Get Fit NH and the Get Fit community. I’m not typically an early morning person, but I actually look forward to setting my alarm for 4:37AM and getting to the 5AM class four days a week. By 6AM I’ve usually had a few good laughs, a great workout and am energized and ready for my day. You can’t beat that!

Thank you for always making it happen, Eileen. You are an inspiration to more than you know!
-Coach Meagan

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The Spotlight is Shining Bright

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

The Athlete Academy Spotlight is Shining

The Athlete Academy student spotlight keeps shining!

This time it is beating down on Sam Orzechowski!

Sam is going into his junior year at Concord High where he was a part of the state champion track team! He works hard and always has a positive attitude every time he comes through the door. He is always looking to have fun and enjoys training, getting stronger and getting faster. It truly wouldn’t be a day at Athlete Academy without him trying to throw a dab randomly into a core or agility exercise. He is a kid with amazing character who I know will go far. Keep up the good work Sam!

-Coach Adam

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Spotlight Couples Edition Ray and Anne

The spotlight is shining bright on a very special Get Fit NH couple. Ray Orzechowski and Anne LaForce. These two train so hard every day and they bring smiles and encouragement to everyone they encounter. I am so glad that these two choose to train with us. I am reminded every year that it is because of Anne that Concord came to be! It is very much because of Anne that I get to have the best job in the world and it is very much because of Anne that YOU are here too! So whenever you are sore, thank Anne ;-)! In all seriousness, these two are so influential and I am excited to share a little bit of their story today.

“Anne started training at GFNH 7 years ago, after seeing an ad for a “bootcamp” that looked very intriguing. Even though we lived in Concord, she traveled to Epsom 4 days a week for the 9am ladies class. It was March of 2009, and it was a recovery week the third week she was there. She was bummed, as she was just getting into her routine, and even asked Nancy for some exercises to do on her own. Anne now looks forward to those weeks off!

She kept bugging Nancy and Dean about when they would have a class in Concord, and a few months later they started at Concord Dance Academy. She was nervous to train under Dean, as he was pretty intimidating, but we’ve now come to realize that Nancy is really in charge!

It was Anne’s continued enthusiasm and excitement about the training that got Ray interested. Ray started training in January of 2010. He has been a faithful “ 5 AM’er” for the past 6 years, and truly enjoys the special bond that has formed with his fellow early birds! We both have definitely gained strength and muscles and are truly enjoying the daily challenge and variety. As we’ve continued to train, we have seen such great improvements in our outside pursuits. We have become better mountain bikers and skiers, and feel so much stronger and more fit. For Anne, the nutrition coaching has been very beneficial and she has made positive changes in her eating habits. Although Ray has not participated in the nutritional benefits available through Get Fit NH, Anne’s healthier habits have certainly made him more aware of the benefits that eating a healthier diet can make.

Training together at Get Fit has been a blast. We are able to commiserate about sore muscles, compare our workouts, and stay fit together. We bike and ski often and it is such a great way to stay in shape. Working out at Get Fit NH has provided tremendous balance to our lives as we try to manage the everyday elements of work, family, community involvement, and all the other aspects that we all try to master. I’m certain that the level of stress in our lives would be far greater were it not for the “release valve” that training provides!

Even after all these years, we love the variety of training. No two days are ever the same. With the MyZone we can monitor our workouts in real time to track changes. Anne uses the HRV to assess her daily readiness for training. We try to take advantage of everything Dean and Nancy have to offer. With their desire to constantly change and improve, we are all the beneficiaries, and we both anticipate being with them for many more years!”

So there you have it. It is amazing how someone else’s influence can change your life and because of that touch hundreds of others. Who are you influencing to be better?

Thank you Ray and Anne for being such a bright part of my day. Your hard work is more appreciated than you know.

Keep making it happen,
Coach Meagan

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The Sawyers Earned a Spotlight

I love hearing ‘ah ha’ moments. You know, those special points in time that transformed a life for the better? There are so many different and amazing moments that change a person for a lifetime. I think I like to hear them so much because I don’t have one. I grew into healthier eating. I slowly gravitated towards being more fit. It was a process for me. Now I am being encouraged by others with similar stories to my own. Hearing that our 2016 Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown winners had a similar story thrilled me. Kellen and Carolyn Sawyer motivated each other through the six weeks of S3, but they are tackling S3 2.0 with that same determination. I’ll let Kellen tell you how it all got started.

“We first came to Get Fit NH (GFNH) a few years ago, with Carolyn starting almost 5 years ago and Kellen starting 3 years ago.  Carolyn first started when she was invited by another member, and she finally got Kellen there a little over a year later, after lots of asking.

Our initial experiences were similar, we were both a little intimidated by all the new things to learn and by the pace of the trainings.  Carolyn did quite a bit better, as she has been athletic her whole life and active, and was able to adapt to the changes rapidly.  That’s not to say she didn’t have her sore days, and the days when her legs were so tired it was an effort to walk up the stairs, but she stuck with it.  Kellen saw all of this and wondered why on Earth she was going through all of this as he watched from the comfort of the couch.  That made it a harder sell to get him to go the first few times.  He had it rough as well, as he had not been regularly active for too long.  The first few weeks were really difficult and tough, but he stayed with the encouragement of Carolyn, and especially Coach Nancy.  The biggest things we learned after the initial 2 weeks was it was important to try, no matter your limitations; we actually felt really good after training; and to beware of Fun Fridays.

Now, all these years into it, we are both feeling better than we have in some time.  We’ve both lost weight and kept it off and increased our strength and flexibility.  We have a better understanding of what to expect, and are more willing to push ourselves a little harder every time we go.  The challenges in training are always evolving, so we don’t tend to get bored with repetitious exercises.  We both push each other and encourage each other on the harder days, and keep each other accountable to go.  At this stage, we really look forward to going and occasionally have to compromise on how many times a week we each get to go.

Overall, our combined experience has been wonderful.  Everyone at all of the training times have been really awesome, especially the 6:00 PM Epsom session.  We were welcomed into the Get Fit family by all of the people who train there and by all of the coaches.  Getting to be a part of GFNH has changed our lives for the better, and we look forward to being part of the family well into the future.”

Taking steps, moving forward, one change at a time, has proven to reap abundant results over the long haul. To the Sawyers and to everyone that is progressing slowly or having those ‘ah ha’ moments- Keep Making It Happen.

Coach Nancy

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Another Couples Edition Spotlight

Our next Spotlight Couples Edition is Dan and Kelly Gauthier. Dan recently started with us at 5 AM and it has been super fun to have him join the family. Kelly has always been a joy to coach and seeing them together now is so special. There is really something special about couples who train together. It definitely makes for a fun training hour! Here is what they have to say about their experience.

Who started training here first?
I (Kelly) started training here first, it was 5 years in June!

How long did it take you to get your spouse on board?
Dan mentioned “maybe” wanting to try it out a couple summers ago. At that time my
thoughts were, “well…you see honey, that’s kind of MY time”. That was the end of
that (very brief) interest. He jumped board with me back in November 2014 for a 21
Day Detox, lost (a lot) of weight, and then decided it was time to tone up! He
joined “another” local gym when they opened last May, he soon lost interest and
phased out of that. So, I guess it’s taken me/us almost 5 years to get him on board!

What was the break through moment that made him join?
Having successfully lost weight, and turning the big 5-0 in February, he decided
it’s time to get in the best shape of his life! He also figured that if I’ve stuck
with Get Fit for this long, it must be good! 🙂 #becauseitoldhimto

How has training together affected your home life?
I think I’ve told him every day since he started, how much I love that we get up and train together. It makes such a difference getting out of bed at 4:15am, and being able to turn the light on to get dressed! It’s always fun to re-cap the training together and give each other a hard time about who lifted more weight.
#sofarthatisme

What do you love most about training together?
Training together makes it easier to have similar goals. We support each other 24/7,
now both inside the gym, and out!

I love this little interview! It is so special to see these two supporting each inside and outside of the gym. I am so proud of Kelly for finally letting Dan rain on her hour a little bit and I am so proud of Dan for making this move and getting here to train with us. 5 AM is even more special with these two
Keep making it happen,
Coach Meagan

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Who Has the Spotlight Today?

The spotlights are pouring in! Today I am proud to put the spotlight on Kara Hinck. Can I just say what a pleasure it has been to meet this woman? Her story is so cool. This was the first year that we accepted “outsiders” into the Get Fit NH family for our annual Sizzling Summer Slimdown Contest and let me tell you I am SO thankful we did, because that is why we got to meet Kara. She works so hard every day, never misses training and was incredibly successful on S3. It made my month when she shared that she would continue training with us after S3. This is what Kara had to say about her experience so far:

Kara has the yellow shirt and headband!

“My name is Kara Hinck and I am one of the people who signed up for the S3 program and training as a non-member. I had been thinking about going to Get Fit NH for quite a while now as many of my colleagues at Bow Memorial School are members and speak very highly of you all. I had even been following/stalking (I guess? ha ha) you on Facebook, trying to get up the nerve to join or at least do the two week trial. In fact, that’s how I heard about S3 and your willingness to open it up to non-members and was considering it even before I spoke to Muriel Hall about it. I had just had a health screening through work and my numbers were pretty lousy; the nurse made me feel like I wouldn’t even survive until June and suggested I call my doctor. Suddenly, there you were with S3! I figured I had to do something and the idea of medication/more  medication was not appealing. Therefore, you won.

So, here we are almost six weeks later. I’m down at least 14 lbs since I started and I feel so much better! I was probably a week into the program when I started to think/worry/obsess about what it would be like when it all ended. I love Meagan and Adam and have found them to be very helpful, knowledgeable, encouraging and kind people. I have not missed a class since I began and even attended the Memorial Day class which I also enjoyed. This is the first thing that I’ve done on a consistent basis, for myself, that is good for me since I had my kids. My oldest is turning 9 on Saturday! I guess it’s about time, huh?”

I am glad your time was now, Kara! I am SO proud of Kara. She has only been training 6 weeks and she has made THAT much progress. Just goes to show how much focus, hardwork, and consistency create fabulous results. Keep up the great work, Kara. I am PSYCHED to have you on board moving forward and I know the rest of your Get Fit Family and your fellow Bow Memorial School teachers are proud of you too!

Be like Kara and make it happen today!
Coach Meagan

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Shining the Spotlight on Shannon!

Shining the Spotlight on Shannon is not hard. She has made her way into the hearts of so many at all the different training times in Epsom. If you’ve trained with her once, you know her. Her smile is contagious and her work ethic is supreme. She has that “Make It Happen” attitude. She has had struggles; the kind that many would let derail them totally. Shannon just kept on smiling and trekking on. Shannon is getting married soon. Her soon-to-be husband is serving our country in the military. Shannon will be moving to be with him. I am going to miss her more than she realizes. She has not only inspired those she trains with,  she has also inspired her coach. Thank you, Shannon!

“Throughout my whole life, I’ve always suffered with weight and the ability to eat healthy. One day, I decided to take charge of my life, however, not in the healthiest of ways. I chose to not eat, seeing that was the reason of my weight problems/esteem issues. In my twisted mind, I thought I was doing an amazing job along with losing about 55 pounds in about four months. I should’ve been happy, but I was striving to always lose more or wasn’t happy how different areas of my body looked. As life got in the way, and as most people told me, you’ll gain it all back and I did. That brought on new discouragement. In the next few years, I battled with eating habits and becoming obsessed with everything I did/didn’t eat and doing 2-3 hour work outs at the gym. It would get so bad, no one wanted to eat around me due to my criticizing every ounce of food that I’d ingest and couldn’t keep up with my crazy gym obsession. I was going down a scary path and didn’t know how to pull myself out of this turmoil.

That’s when my now-fiancé came into play. He pulled me out of this vicious cycle I’ve put myself through for years and put me back on focus, to the point, I weighed almost 200 pounds. I started falling into the same patterns. This time though, I wanted to change, this is when I decided to speak with my doctor, and to my surprise  I’d been suffering from depression and anxiety. It explained all the negativity about weight, my micromanaging  myself, and my food intake. After some hard work, I started to feel like myself and found that I enjoyed working out. However, I wasn’t looking to spend 3 hours at the gym, where you see girls wearing makeup and doing their hair BEFORE working out. I sat down determined to find a different way to get myself healthy and back into shape. That’s when I found Get Fit NH. 

As I filled out the forms, I was half excited and half anxious, as probably any new comer feels. I walked into my first class scared out of my mind. Everyone was so welcoming and I felt like I actually got support from others along with my coach (Thank you Nancy). I can tell you the first two weeks, I couldn’t wait to go home and call my fiancé, who was on deployment, about how amazing this place truly is. I was sore everyday, and shy, at first (I know some of you have a hard time believing that now). I was a sponge, absorbing everything insight, including how to eat properly. I also found out that a lot of my own workouts were either done incorrectly, or harming myself.

I now proudly announce I’ve been with Get Fit NH for two and half years. I was taught how to get proper nutrition and how to safely work out without causing more harm to myself. I don’t get proud of myself very often, however, I am proud of myself for pushing through the mental and physical struggles and eventually overcoming them. Even when I fell on my knee while at home at the beginning of this year, I didn’t let my injury keep me from the gym. I hobbled my way through the gym with crutches and refused to let people help me as I dragged weights on the floor, until Nancy gave me the stare down. I may struggle with a little weight gain here or there, however I proudly can say, that I am okay with it. As a kid, my father always said to me, “Can’t means won’t”, and I never truly understood that meaning until I’m staring at the pull up bar, or starting a 5K.

I can’t thank all the coaches enough, ones in Concord and in Epsom for helping me to push myself and especially Nancy, who has always held me accountable on showing up and making sure I push myself each work out. Also, thank you to all my fellow boot campers. You all are true inspirations and I have been so blessed and honored to have met all of you. I sadly won’t be able to get my three-year shirt, because I will be moving in the middle of August to finally be with my husband after five years of a long distance relationship. Leaving Get Fit NH will be very difficult but I will definitely take the lessons that I’ve learned at Get Fit NH and keep applying them to my life. Thank you Get Fit NH for all you’ve done for me, you will never understand how much it truly means to me.”

Good luck, Shannon, and congratulations to you and Mike!

-Coach Nancy

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