Enjoy When You Can

“Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This quote captivates a positive attitude of clients I’ve heard lately. They were not quite as poetic when they breathed a deep sigh while exclaiming, “I had to talk myself into coming to class today”.

At Get Fit NH Bootcamps our goal is to make you work hard and give you a great time while doing it. But we are also realistic.

After last week’s weather and many clients going without power for several days, it can be hard to drag yourself out of bed to get to the early morning class time. It is also difficult to push beyond the workday and hit your 4 or 6 PM class.

But as many did, you just need to suck it up! Do what you know needs to be done.

What will you get with this attitude?

• You’ll be one step closer to the goals you’ve set for yourself
• The natural good feelings that occur from a hormone in your body that rise after exercise.
• A sense of accomplishment and success
• The applause of the group as we close the training session
• An instructor who knows you’ve ‘Made it Happen’.

What will you avoid?

• Being caught in the downward spiral of missing one workout which easily leads to a second and then a third and so on and so on.
• The Emotional beating given by yourself because you missed your regular scheduled training.
• Because you are already emotionally down you start to eat and we are not talking a spinach salad with grilled chicken.
• Risking losing progress on your goals especially if you allow the other three to begin.
• Stress which releases hormones that aggravate weight loss and keep muscles tight.

So the next time you want to head back to bed or drive directly home, think about how far you’ve come, and where you still want to reach.

Remember that you deserve to reach your goals, and don’t let anything or anyone get in your way.

Remember only you can Make It Happen!

Coach Nancy

Maybe you don’t know!

“Cognitive Dissonance” is the term psychologists use to describe the discomfort or even agitation in our minds when are beliefs are challenged. When some new evidence comes our way that seeks to unseat a deeply held belief, we tend to shut our mind off and defend what we “know”.

This dissonance can be resolved in one of these ways:

• We can ignore the new evidence and hold on to our present belief
• Cast aside our old belief and embrace the new one
• Evaluate the new information and integrate it into what is known to be true

We all have an emotional attachment to our present beliefs, like it or not. When Copernicus put forth his proofs that the earth revolves around the sun, rather than the other way around, he was persecuted and thought mad. But he was  right! Most people are content to follow the crowd, often to their detriment.

Sometimes we challenge deeply held beliefs around here.

Beliefs that we know to be false:

• Slow steady state cardio (hamster on a wheel) is the best way to lose fat
• Women get bulky lifting heavy weights
• A healthy diet is based on grains
• I can’t do it
• Dunkin Donuts is better than Starbucks  (had to throw that one in)

Often times it doesn’t matter what scientific or empirical evidence that we present, some people are just going to dig their heels in and resist change.

I don’t believe in change for changes sake.

But ask yourself if some of your beliefs are holding you back.

Is there something that you are holding onto that’s keeping you from what you want?

Are you willing at the very least to evaluate new evidence, or are you going to stick with what you know?

Consider this…

Maybe you don’t know…

…and maybe that’s what’s holding you back.

Think about it for a little while.

Then Make It Happen!

Dean

Everything Goes Like A Yard Sale!

The last two hours of a yard sale are boring. All the good stuff is gone and you are dreading what to do with all the things left on your lawn. I sort of feel like that right now. I’m over forty, I’ve had six children, and the body is not quite the same as in my twenties. It all goes like a yard sale. The good stuff is gone and what is left is not quite what I was hoping to see.

Woe is me. Now is the time to make some drastic resolutions, right? I don’t think so!

Resolutions based on emotions will change like the wind. Here today and gone tomorrow, up one day and the next, down in the dumps.

The New Years will find most people making some sort of resolutions. Most of these people will fail. They are thinking on a whim. So take some action but sit down to do it.

Write out your goals for the year. Take the next step and break apart your goals into what you are going to do monthly, weekly, and daily to help you reach them. Mark your calendar with dates you wish to reach your goals. Finally post your goals. Keep them in a prominent place. Who cares if others see your goals? In fact invite people to read them. This will be a huge factor in reaching your goals.

So don’t feel like everything is going like a yard sale. Take charge of your life. So the yard sale has happened. Now you have a clean slate.

Go to work and make it happen.

Coach Nancy

Why Are You Doing This?

I want you to put your “thinking cap” on and answer an important question.

Clarifying your thoughts can make all the difference in the world when it comes to reaching your goals, fitness or otherwise.

In working with hundreds of clients, we know that those who have this question settled in their mind succeed more rapidly and more often than those who do not.

Why Are You Doing This?

What is the deep down in your gut reason you want to lose weight and get in shape?

Do you know?

It is important to have a great big WHY…

It has to be big because there are going to be times when you don’t FEEL like getting out of bed to train. There are going to be times when you don’t FEEL like doing your meal preparation ahead of time. There are going to be times when you are going to FEEL like eating a dozen donuts and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream. There are going to be times when you haven’t lost any weight in 2 weeks and you are going to FEEL like throwing in the towel.

I know, because I have been there, and truth be told still go there at times.

And then I think of WHY I started the life-long journey of better health and fitness I am on.

My great big WHY happened when my 3rd child, Derek, died of SIDS.

I know many of you have heard the story before, so please bear with me, because the thought is as valid today as it was 7+ years ago.

For me that was an enormous wake up call. Life is short, and I was wasting it as “Fat Dad”. I think back to the days when I was 270+ pounds, pre-diabetic, and miserable. Part of my misery was because I felt like garbage, but another part of it was because I realized I had settled for far less than I needed to. I wasn’t who I wanted to be on many different levels.

That in a nutshell is my “Why”…

So what is yours?

I want you to take action right now on getting that question settled. Take out a piece of paper and write down all the reason WHY you want to lose weight, or look better, or get stronger and faster.

It might look something like this:

“I want to lose 50 pounds because….”

and then list as many reasons as you can think of…don’t skip anything that pops into your head, it is ALL valid.

Now I want you to narrow the list down to the top 3 reasons that will make you get your butt out of bed in the morning, and write them on a 3×5 card.

Put that card somewhere where you will see it EVERY day.

Resist the urge to tuck it away somewhere when you are having an ugly day.

Resist the urge to ignore this advice.

Will you do it?

WHY?

Make It Happen!

Dean

***

Beef and Veggie Fettucini

From Precision Nutrition Volume 2

Servings: 1 large or 2 small

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Prelude: Once again, if you love pasta but don’t eat it often due to its high carb content, you can simulate your favorite fettuccini dishwith vegetable fettuccini.  In this recipe, we use veggies to do so and cover it with a delicious meat sauce.

Ingredients:
“Fettuccini”
½ cup carrot
¾ cup zucchini
¾ cup broccoli stalk (imperfections trimmed)

Meat
Olive oil cooking spray
6 oz (170g) sliced sirloin or stirfry beef

Sauce
Olive oil cooking spray
¼ cup onion (finely diced)
¼ cup coconut milk
¼ cup yogurt
1 tablespoon miso paste
1 pinch of nutmeg
1 pinch of pepper
2 tbsp water or vegetable stock

Instructions: Peel the outside layer of the carrots and discard.  Now use the peeler and peel the carrots, zucchini and broccoli into strips and then set aside.  This is the “fettuccini.”  With the zucchini peel down until you reach the seeded soft center and then either mash up and add to the sauce or discard.

Sauté beef until brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Preheat a small pot on medium heat and lightly coat with spray. Add the onion and sauté. Mix in coconut milk, yogurt, miso, nutmeg and pepper, bring to a simmer and stir until miso is completely dissolved. Remove from heat..

Clean pan if necessary, pre-heat and re-spray.  Add the carrot and broccoli “fettuccini” to the pan and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add 2 tablespoons of stock or water and then add the zucchini and sauté for 2 minutes more.

Add the sauce and toss until warm.

Transfer to the fettuccini to the centre of a plate, top with the sautéed beef.

Old Man “If” Is Still With Us…

I read a blog post this morning that I just had to share with you…NOW!

It reminded me how often we are all prone to making excuses for what we do or do not have.

The blog highlighted a passage from the Napoleon Hill class “Think and Grow Rich”, and no matter what you think about the book or it’s premise, this is still VERY relevant for the mindset that many of us can dwell on and wallow in.

Thanks to Bedros for the great reminder!

“FIFTY-FIVE” FAMOUS ALIBIS FROM OLD MAN “IF.”

–  Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich.

“People who do not succeed have one distinguishing trait in common. They know all the reasons for failure, and have what they believe to be air-tight alibis to explain away their own lack of achievement.

A character analyst compiled a list of the most commonly used alibis. As you read the list, examine yourself carefully, and determine how many of these alibis, if any, are your own property. Remember, too, the philosophy presented in this book makes every one of these alibis obsolete.

IF I didn’t have a wife and family . . .

IF I had enough “pull” . . .

IF I had money . . .

IF I had a good education . . .

IF I could get a job . . .

IF I had good health . . .

IF I only had time . . .

IF times were better . . .

IF other people understood me . . .

IF conditions around me were only different . . .

IF I could live my life over again . . .

IF I did not fear what “THEY” would say . . .

IF I had been given a chance . . .

IF I now had a chance . . .

IF other people didn’t “have it in for me” . . .

IF nothing happens to stop me . . .

IF I were only younger . . .

IF I could only do what I want . . .

IF I had been born rich . . .

IF I could meet “the right people” . . .

IF I had the talent that some people have . . .

IF I dared assert myself . . .

IF I only had embraced past opportunities . . .

IF people didn’t get on my nerves . . .

IF I didn’t have to keep house and look after the children. . .

IF I could save some money . . .

IF the boss only appreciated me . . .

IF I only had somebody to help me . . .

IF my family understood me . . .

IF I lived in a big city . . .

IF I could just get started . . .

IF I were only FREE . . .

IF I had the personality of some people . . .

IF I were not so fat . . .

IF my talents were known . . .

IF I could just get a “break” . . .

IF I could only get out of debt . . .

IF I hadn’t failed  . . .

IF I only knew how . . .

IF everybody didn’t oppose me . . .

IF I didn’t have so many worries . . .

IF I could marry the right person . . .

IF people weren’t so dumb . . .

IF my family were not so extravagant . . .

IF I were sure of myself . . .

IF luck were not against me . . .

IF I had not been born under the wrong star . . .

IF it were not true that “what is to be will be” . . .

IF I did not have to work so hard . . .

IF I hadn’t lost my money . . .

IF I lived in a different neighborhood . . .

IF I didn’t have a “past” . . .

IF I only had a business of my own . . .

IF other people would only listen to me . . .

IF (PAY ATTENTION) I had the courage to see myself as I really am, I would find out what is wrong with me, and correct it, then I might have a chance to profit by my mistakes and learn something from the experience of others, for I know that there is something WRONG with me, or I would now be where I WOULD HAVE BEEN IF I had spent more time analyzing my weaknesses, and less time building alibis to cover them.”

 

It’s time to change the way you think about exercise

Would you like to get inside my brain and see what I think and how I go about training my clients? Here it is in a nutshell – I have and always will treat every potential client as an athlete.

You’re an athlete in my eyes and you’re going to train like one.

Nearly everyone who has trained with me has found they are playing more than they had in years outside of they gym. Some join softball leagues and others just get involved in games of basketball that they usually would have sat out. My goal is to be able to play with my grandkids and not have to sit watching them play. In short, they all become athletes again.  And more importantly, they feel better than they have had in years, both physically and emotionally.

Training like an athlete has nothing in common with training like a typical gym rat. Training like an athlete involves improving your flexibility, mobility, agility and speed. Athletes also need to focus on building muscle, losing fat and gaining strength.

Even if you do not desire to participate in a sport of any kind and just want to look and feel better, it still makes perfect sense to train like an athlete. When people think of their ideal physiques, who do they want to look like? More people would choose to look like a Pro Bowl wide receiver than a Mr. Olympia competitor. Everyone wants to look like an athlete, therefore the smartest thing to do would be to train like one.

It’s time to put an end to the days of boring, monotonous workout routines. Skip the stationary bike and do a few intervals of fast paced tabatas. Ditch the leg extension for some bearcrawls up a hill. Trash the ab roller machines and start swinging a heavy kettlebell or throwing a medicine ball. Forget aerobics and tricep kickbacks and start doing heavy deadlifts.

When you go to the gym with a greater purpose than simply to look better, you separate yourself from the pack. You will be much more than all show and no go.
With the family and work related responsibilities we all have, it’s often difficult to find the time to play or train, yet somehow everyone seems to be able to sit down and watch TV or go out and get pizza and ice cream.

Skipping a few hours a week of TV to work out is probably a very real possibility for most of us. Instead of spending Saturday afternoons sipping soda and shopping, how about getting out for a hike or actually playing with the kids instead of being irritated by them? If you look, you can always find the time. And when you find time, if you look even harder, you can usually find even more time.

When you analyze what’s important in life, hopefully your healthc-cphysical, mental and emotional – are near the top of your list. There is no better way to simultaneously improve all three than training like and becoming an athlete.

Contrary to what most people think, you don’t have to be young to be an athlete. But if you become an athlete, chances are you just might feel young again.

Make It Happen, Every Day!

Nancy

Get Your Head In The Game

Another gem about Nancy!

Lose Weight Fast This Fall With Three Mindset Tips

Local women’s fitness coach says stop chasing the quick fix and focus on the basics to lose pounds and inches.

To lose weight fast we need to be in the right frame of mind. That’s according to body transformation and fat loss specialist Nancy Carlson. She believes too many people enter into a fitness plan without mentally preparing for it first.

She explained, “Quick weight loss is possible. Everybody knows that. But the challenge is keeping the pounds and inches off. And that takes the right mental attitude and social support.” Carlson went on to say, “I’ve worked with scores of men and women who want to lose weight fast, but the most successful ones – the ones who keep the weight off – are the ones who have the right mental disposition before starting.”

The fitness coach recommends the following three mindset tips for permanent weight loss:

Surround yourself with the right people

People need to understand they will need to make some different lifestyle choices to keep the weight off. And that may very well mean not being able to socialize with others who are a negative influence.

Don’t expect it to be easy

While losing weight doesn’t have to be an all-consuming chore, those seeking quick weight loss need to come to grips with the fact that it is going to take effort. Anything worth doing is going to take work. Accept the fact that there are obstacles to overcome. Another great reason to surround yourself with positive people, as they will help you get over the inevitable hurdles.

Don’t expect rapid progress to continue forever

When stating a fitness plan for fat loss many people see dramatic results right away. But as Carlson preaches in her program, people need to shift their focus from short-term losses to long-term results. Permanent lifestyle changes need to be made in order to prevent unwanted fat from coming back.

Nancy Carlson is the co-owner of Get Fit NH Bootcamp, which helps frustrated dieters achieve permanent fat-loss in a safe, fun and effective manner. Carlson is available for interview or to discuss other story ideas related to weight loss and fitness. She can be reached at 603 344-2651 or via email at nancycarlson@cr8health.com. For even more information please visit http://GetFitNHwomen.com

Re: My Favorite Fad Diet

Q. What is my favorite fad diet?

A. The one you are NOT on!

I believe it is critical to wrap our heads around the fact that there IS NO EASY FIX!

And as long as we keep searching for it we are taking our focus off the tried and true principles that will lead to a leaner and healthier body.

(Excerpt from our “Master Your Metabolism” e-course. Subscribe by entering your email into the box to your right…)

“Nutrition has by far the greatest impact on fat loss. Eating supportively will not only allow you to improve your health and energy, and it also provides the ideal environment for your transformation – maintain lean muscle while reducing unwanted fat.

If your goal is to lose body fat, you must eat slightly fewer calories than you burn.  This may seem simple, but when calories are reduced, the body becomes imbalanced.  It is the body’s job to restore balance, and it inevitably does so by either reducing the amount of calories it burns for energy ( by using muscle instead of fat) or by forcing you to eat more through hunger and cravings.  This is one of the main reasons why fad diets do not produce long term results.  The goal of our program is to ensure that you lose fat, not muscle.

Most fad diets are simply low-calorie diets disguised by great advertising or a clever marketing gimmick.  There are currently thousands of diets listed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  This number alone proves that no one diet works long term.  If a magic diet or formula for fat loss existed, everyone would be on it and no one would be overweight.

But why is it that some people do lose weight on diets?  The immediate success most people experience from fad diets is due to water loss, eating fewer calories or a combination of the two.  However, less than five percent of these dieters are able to keep the weight off.  Diets simply don’t work long term because of improper nutrition and the failure to change exercise and eating habits for life.

America is fatter as a society today because we consume approximately 300 to 500 more calories per day than we did 10 years ago, yet we move less because of advances in technology such as computers, escalators and other labor-saving devices.

Supportive nutrition can be mastered by understanding that everything you eat and drink can either positively or negatively affect your fat loss goals.”

Read that again, because you need to understand and embrace that concept. Your weight, your health, and how you look and feel is affected by every decision you make regarding nutrition. You are the sum total of the choices you have made in the past and are making right now.

Choose Wisely!

Dean

YOU Make It Happen

It’s your choice…

Every day you get to choose…

Not what happens to you…

But how you respond…

Attitude makes all the difference…

You aren’t always going to succeed to the level of your expectations…

So what?

That’s Life.

Get off the mat and keep working at it…

There is no such thing as “failure” when you learn from your mistakes…

Now I am not a “pie in the sky dreamer”…

I don’t believe “thinking happy thoughts” is going to solve all your problems, real or perceived…

But I also know that wallowing around in self-pity is counterproductive…

You have a lot more control than you may think…

Don’t accept being less than your best…

And strive to be better every day…

Don’t wait for “it” to come to you…

Get out there and…

Make It Happen!

What’s YOUR Excuse?

If you are not going to listen to me, how about listening to HIM – What say you??