29 Personal Bests at Get Fit Games

What a great morning at Get Fit NH.

We had a big crew show up and participate in the “Get Fit Games”, where we come in, have some fun, and confirm we are getting better.

By my count our athletes set 29 personal bests! Now that is what it is all about! Make sure you look out for the next time we host Get Fit Games. If you wanna get better, you gotta measure!

Here’s the highlights of this mornings games.

Proud of you all!

Doreen Mathison

Deadlift, Gold level achieved

Push-up, Personal Best

Chin-up, Personal Best, Bronze level achieved

Front Plank, Personal Best

1000m Ski Erg, Gold level achieved

Jayne Millerick

Deadlift, Personal Best

Chin-up, Personal Best, Get Fit “Fit” level achieved

Front Plank, Personal Best, Get Fit “Fit” level achieved

1000, Ski Erg, Personal Best

Susan Moseley

Deadlift, Personal Best

Front Plank, Personal Best

Heidi Coen

Deadlift, Personal Best, Gold level achieved

Push-up, Personal Best, Bronze level achieved

Long Jump, Personal Best

Front Plank, Personal Best, Get Fit “Fit” level achieved

1000m Ski Erg, Personal Best

Alice DonnaSelva

Deadlift, Personal Best

Push-up, Personal Best

Chin-up, Personal Best

Front Plank, Personal Best

10000m SKI Erg, Personal Best

Adam Rosenthal

Push-up, Personal Best

Front Plank, Personal Best, Bronze level achieved

1000m Ski Erg, Personal Best, Get Fit “Fit” level achieved

Adam Davidson

Deadlift, Personal Best, Get Fit “Fit” level achieved

Push-up, Personal Best, Bronze level achieved

Vertical Jump, Personal Best

Chin-up, Personal Best

1000m Ski Erg, Personal Best

Dick Boddie, Laura Starr-Houghton, Lori Preve, Jenn Stevens, Kim Boddie, Laurie Vallee, and Glenn Berwick were all first time participants and ROCKED IT! Can’t wait to see what you do next time around!

Encouraging you all to measure your greatness next time!

Make it Happen,

Coach Meagan

Spotlight Shines on Julia

This week’s student spotlight shines on Julia Barton, who trains at Get Fit NH Epsom. We are so excited to share Julia’s story with you! She returned to training with us last spring and has been doing better than fantastic. She works so hard and is very dedicated. Her motivation shows in all the progress she has made. We are so proud of her and hope that her story will encourage you to make it happen!

(We asked Julia a couple of questions about her experience at Get Fit NH and here is what she had to say.)

Why did you come to Get Fit NH?

“When I first came to Get Fit NH in 2012, it was because I needed to find a “gym” that I would feel comfortable at and actually want to go to. I wanted to be able to do those things that I used to do 10 years ago and I wanted to be as healthy as I could be to start trying for a baby. I started going to training 4 days a week from January to May of 2012. I felt great and could keep up with my husband when hiking or walking without being out of breath. Then, during my pregnancy, I was sick for the first 5 months and was on anti-nausea meds so that I could get to work and function. The only thing that seemed to go down and make my stomach better was Eggo Waffles – yup, waffles. I usually stay away from breads, so all the carbs made me gain weight – 60 pounds – during my pregnancy. I welcomed Caleb on May 18, 2013 and lost 40 pounds within 2 weeks of birth as a lot of it was water weight gain. Almost a year later, I had gained 20 pounds back and was not happy or comfortable with my weight. So, I signed back up in March of 2014 and made the time to come in 2 times a week. It was a bit rough to get back into it and it was difficult for me to do a lot of the exercises. I chugged on and had done well with the commitment of going twice a week, but I needed to do more about losing the weight. In August, I joined another weight loss group at work and started to eat better and lose weight. I didn’t follow their plan, but the peer support and weekly weigh-ins helped me stay on track. I started sending everything I ate to Coach Nancy as a recommendation from her since it was hard for me to log everything. I have lost at least 26 pounds since late August!!”

What did you learn after you first 2 weeks with Get Fit NH?

“I learned that Get Fit NH was the place for me. I loved how it was like having your own trainer even though you’re in a group with others. And, I loved that you didn’t have to think about what exercises you were going to do. It was very easy for me – not the workout part, but the part about going to training.”

How do you feel after training with Get Fit NH for this long?

“I feel so fortunate that I am able to do this for myself. It’s a bit more expensive than a regular “gym”, but it is totally worth it. You can’t put a dollar value on your health. I had hit a point where I was ready to make a big change; I gave it my all and didn’t give up just because it was hard. I see such a change in myself. I am able to keep up with my 20 month old, I can do more things in training that I couldn’t do when I started, and mostly, I feel good about myself! I still want to lose another 20 pounds but I feel good about where I am now because I did it the right way, I had to work really hard, and it feels really good to see the results. I have found that most good things don’t come easy; you have to work really hard for them. But in the end, after all the hard work, it makes it so much better. It gives you more respect for whatever it is that you just worked for. I have found that life is too short to be unhappy, whether it be with your weight, your job, or something else. I am the only one that can make those changes for myself, and I did.”

What has your overall experience at Get Fit NH been like?

“I have had the greatest experience at Get Fit NH. Coach Nancy is the greatest!! She pushes me when I need it and helps me when I need a little more attention, like if my back is out, which felt like most of my training in 2012. Most people would give up and think they couldn’t do it, but Nancy always gave me stretches and variations to work on so I could still come and get the most out of training. I love how there is a mix of all sorts of people who go, it’s makes it a more comfortable environment to be in. No one judges you and everyone has their own goals, which is great. I recommend Get Fit NH to everyone!!

I love coming and hope to make it a lifelong goal. I just can’t thank you enough for all of your support. I really don’t know how you are able to do that for everyone you work with and still make it feel genuine and meaningful. Thank you.”

Julia has made great strides in her health over the past year, and she’s committed to doing even more. This last week Julia and I did a Get Fit NH Kitchen Makeover. Now Julia’s kitchen supports her goal. It also goes along with her hard work in training. We are super proud of Julia’s success and we can’t wait to see it continue!

Thank you for training with us, Julia!

Coach Nancy

Holiday Hold Em’ Results are in!

Congratulations to all of our Holiday Hold Em contestants.  We are so proud of everyone who took on the challenge and held their weight through the holidays. Maintaining your weight through the holiday season is without a doubt a big challenge. We even had a bunch of you lose weight! Now that is impressive. Great job to all who participated, you are all winners!

We did hand out prizes to three of those winners. These winners won the luck of the draw. We promised that anyone who maintained or lost weight over the holidays would be entered in to win some great local prizes so congratulations to:

Kelly Gauthier: Congratulations to her and we hope she enjoys her gift card to Things are Cooking (donated by the fabulous owner and Get Fit NH’s own, Diane Beauregard)

Rebecca Baccotti: Great job and we just know she will enjoy her massage from Chichester Massage.  (Donated by Get Fit NH’s own, The Great, Amy Troy)

Jennifer Kretovic: Congratulations Jennifer! We are sure that you will enjoy your gift card to the Co-Op!

Keep up the great work! We are so proud of your accountability and dedication to yourself!

You really did make it happen!

Coach Meagan

Another Motivating Student Spotlight

The success stories are rushing in and we can’t help, but share them all with you. This week’s Student Spotlight  is going to Heidi Coen. Heidi has been training with Get Fit NH for almost 4 years! The success you are about to read was earned and well deserved. Heidi is always pushing herself, she never quits and she is always looking for ways to get better and get stronger. It is a pleasure to coach Heidi. I am so proud of her success. I want to encourage ALL of you to take advantage of the body composition we offer. We often refer to it as the truth-detector and it truly is a fantastic way to measure. If you are not having your body composition read regularly you can afford to step it up (I say that with love as always!)

Here is what Heidi has to say about her success:

“Real Results…

I have pretty much exercised in some way for the majority of my adult life (walking, body building (free weights), aerobics, kick boxing, ellipticals/treadmills, cable machines…). But, I never found a workout regime that I got the results I was looking for.

Then in May 2011 – I had heard about Get Fit NH training and signed up for the free two weeks at the Concord Get Fit, attended my first 5:00am class — and have been hooked ever since!

What I have learned is that with all my previous exercising attempts the workouts were all the same routine and none included anything about nutrition. At Get Fit this is not the case! After participating in the first detox – I discovered that I have a sensitivity to gluten. I had taken Prevacid for years because of acid reflux and Excedrin for headaches every day for years. With my changes to my diet (majority of which is now vegetables and protein), my acid reflux completely resolved and I rarely have headaches. In regards to the training, I really like the varied workouts.

But – how do I really know that what I have learned about nutrition and that the training really works? When I had my very first body composition test done in 2012 my body fat was 29.7%. Two weeks ago, I had another body composition test – and my body fat  is down to 20.5%. I have lost almost 10% in body fat! This is results! This is success!

Today – at age 51 – I am in the best shape of my life!!! I feel GREAT – inside and outside!

It’s not just the training that makes Get Fit so great – it’s also the people! The coaches are awesome and I have made the most special friendships!  I love the 5am group!!!

So Meagan and Dean to answer your questions after every class – Do I have fun? Yes! Do I challenge myself? Yes! Do I learn something? Yes! And, I plan on continuing to do so for many years to come!

Heidi”

We loving hearing about your success! The day you realize that nutrition and training go hand in hand is the day you will change your life. Heidi is a perfect example of someone who learned how to fuel her body and train to succeed. I must add that we are super proud of Heidi, who attacked the chin bar and cranked out some jumping chins for her first time this morning. We couldn’t be more proud of her!

Thank You for choosing to train with us, Heidi!

Make it happen,

Coach Meagan

Who is in the Spotlight?

This month’s student spotlight is going to Garrett Lovell. Garrett has an inspiring story and a dedicated heart to push on. I am so proud of how far he has come. Over the last three months I have had the honor to coach him and watch him change both physically and even mentally. His movement patterns have improved drastically and because of that his form has seriously improved. And because of his solid form he is now able to load a whole lot more. His results were earned, because he is dedicated to himself and committed to making a change. His wife, (almost) 5 year Get Fit veteran (Becky Lovell) keeps him on his toes and challenges him to lift something heavier each training session. This is what Garrett has to say:

“My wife, Becky, has been a member at Get Fit for over four years.  Knowing that I have struggled to find something I could stick to in order to maintain my “health” (ranging from Weight Watchers to that somewhat questionably “judgment-free zone” we all hear advertised), she had suggested and encouraged me to try Get Fit on multiple occasions.  I would regularly tell her that what I was doing was working ok for me (it wasn’t).  Sometimes I would say that I didn’t have the time or we didn’t have the extra money (I/we did).  Finally one morning I woke up and realized that I am 35 years old, I work for Under Armour, a company whose mission is to make athletes better, and here I was gaining weight, making poor eating choices, and probably in the worst shape I’ve ever been in.  By now I think Becky had given up on me ever considering trying Get Fit (which was largely validated by her reaction when I told her I wanted to try it), but I knew that she enjoyed the classes and had certainly achieved some great results and what I had been doing, or not doing, certainly wasn’t working.

It didn’t take long for me to realize how truly unhealthy I had let myself become.  My initial functional movement screening must have been somewhere between comical and soul-crushing for Coach Meagan to administer.  I quickly dubbed myself “Rainbow Bright” with the colorful collection of four limitation bands I had earned for myself.  That first week of classes was a real ego-bruiser, too.  Exercises that I had been able to do fairly easily a number of years back now seemed a lot like what I imagined were advanced CIA interrogation techniques.  When I filled out my questionnaire before starting my two week trial, I had rated my fitness level as a 2 out of 10 which in hind sight felt like I may have been giving myself a little too much credit.

Monday will mark my third month at Get Fit.  While I’m still not satisfied (and I admit that I’m one of those people that rarely is), I am pleased with the results I’ve been able to achieve with the support of my coaches, classmates, family, and friends.  I’m lifting heavier loads, have increased my flexibility, and have quite a few sweatshirts that are a lot looser fitting than I remembered them being last winter when I wore them last.

The coaching staff at Get Fit and the people in my most regularly attended 7:25am class time have been fantastic and frankly the sole reason I kept coming back at first.  They’ve been patient, supportive, and certainly not judgmental.  Now that I’ve started to see some progress and results (and friends, family, and co-workers have too), I have a whole new source of motivation.  I have a red band that I still have to test out of and I’m not fit enough to take up the mantle of Captain America yet (yes, you read that right, I’m 35 and I still want to be Captain America when I grow up), but I’m working on getting stronger and healthier and figure that I can make at least one of those two things happen in the near future.”

We look forward to the transformation. Whether that be to Get Fit NH’s very own Captain America or Garrett’s best version of himself- we’ll take either one with open arms 🙂

You too can make it happen!

Coach Meagan

Cara’s Christmas Gift

There is no greater gift we can receive from a student than a letter such as this one. Give yourself a gift and read it – the entire thing – and then ask yourself “What obstacles am I willing to overcome? This week, next week? Next year?”

Easy to do? That’s just not life, but you know that. I believe in you. I believe you can achieve anything that you want to, regardless of the obstacles in life, if you want it bad enough.

Believe!

a little something for you and Dean:

” We think of gifts and giving this time of year. You and Dean have given me the best gift of all . The gift of health, fitness, confidence, nutrition, and tools…. and finding a new me. ( I used to think of it as finding the old me again…but now that person has changed!)  You have helped me learn to manage stress, helped me work on goals that tie into my entire life…that go way beyond the walls of the gym.

I have discovered that I enjoy helping to inspire others in their fitness quest as well and I hope I can continue to do that.

Now down just shy of 100 pounds in a year and half….down 5 clothing sizes..I feel lighter, move faster, I am one thousand percent stronger and have no pain.  This is a life changing transformation..and I am so thankful for the help and that you both do what you do daily.  How did this all happen?

There is one key….determination and consistency. I stick to it and it works. If I fall off I get back on. I visualize the next goal and see that happening. I partner with like minded people who are in charge of their fitness.

And here is the real deal….I’m just like everyone else. Nancy knows…I have an extremely high stress job that has gotten nearly intolerable in this part quarter and I work up to 80 hours a week.  I had a recent surgery and we worked with that. I have 2 girls that dance in 10 dance classes a week and a child applying for college…as well as one that moved across the country this year.  I am a legal guardian for my Dad.  This is real life and fitness still can be accomplished.

You still manage to kick my butt daily in the gym…by pushing me further and challenging me. My mind no longer has the barriers that were once there about what I am capable of. I have learned the core principles of how to shop, plan, and prepare meals that help my body rather than work against it. I understand how food can heal.

My family has a new Mom, new wife, daughter, etc. At each monthly sales  meeting my coworkers call me the incredible shrinking lady.

Some of my toughest critics have turned into my loudest cheerleaders.

This spring I ran my first 5K. I climbed a few   4000 foot mountains…things I could not have done even 1 year ago. I have more  goals for 2015.

And for anyone who is struggling…or just beginning. Take it one exercise even 10 seconds at a time. One meal. Pick a better snack. Check out the nutrition classes… All of the little things add up.  Push just that little bit more. You are worth it.

Happy Holidays to you all and to your staff….To Health , Happiness and for all you do to Make it Happen.” – Cara

Student Spotlight: 5AM Laura!

It is my pleasure to announce this weeks edition of our Student Spotlight. I have had the opportunity to watch this woman transform herself over the past six months. Laura has changed her life style and for that I am so proud of her. She gets in here and she trains hard then she goes home and she takes care of “The Other 165”. She understands that nutrition plays a major role in results and she has proved that she is making it happen!

Here is what Laura has to say:

“Alienated. That is how I felt six months ago before I started coming to Get Fit. My body just did not respond. I had aches and pains here and there. My heels hurt and I wondered, is it plantar fasciitis? My back was in pain, did I hurt it?  I had constant headaches, is my cancer back, but now in my brain? That is how I felt before I started Get Fit NH. I did not know where to start. I timidly decided to try the two weeks, keeping it a secret. I did not even tell the closest people in my life. I feared their support would feel like pressure. In those first few days it felt like I couldn’t do anything! But everyone was supportive and I started feeling better right away. I started to have more energy and my mood improved, I wasn’t chasing the evil illness behind every sore muscle!

Karl In His Own Words – “Mr. 102″ Tells How He Did It

We highlighted a few weeks ago how Karl reached his goal of losing 100 pounds (or more) last year. Now we get to hear from the man himself.

Karl’s Transformation

I was too fat and not happy with the way I looked or felt. The only problem was that I didn’t know what to do or how to go about changing that. I knew I didn’t have the will power to get a gym membership and work out on my own every day. I have been down that road too many times with exercise equipment at home. The first few week’s goes great then I tend to fall into the “Tomorrow night” routine, and before I knew it three more weeks had past and I hadn’t thought about working out.

It was always easier to buy bigger clothes then do anything else.

Bootcamp experience

I was hesitant to come to bootcamp. I didn’t know what to expect, and I’m not one for new things. The first two weeks was painful, but it was a good pain. It was sore muscles that I didn’t know I had. Once I was into the swing of things it has been great. Dean and Nancy are positive and encourage us to go a little further but you aren’t pushy about it. I know when I heard it was bootcamp I was picturing a strict drill instructor. As I quickly found out that is not how it is at Get Fit NH Bootcamp. I have found everyone involved in class to be positive and encouraging. I guess it’s hard to say my experience has been anything but good, especially with the results we have seen. I like the variety of exercises, and finding new limits.

Eating Habit changes

This is probably the area that I have had to change the most in. I love to eat and drink. It wasn’t unusual for me to drink 4 or more beers a night, snack, and eat a huge dinner. I wouldn’t eat much of a breakfast, usually a bagel and a coffee. Lunch was typically a sandwich, or left over’s from the night before. I would load up on dinner till I was stuffed. I would eat lots of carbs during the day. I wasn’t concerned with what I ate or how much. Now I follow a lower carb diet, making sure I get the right amount of protein and it seems to work well. I have cut back on the beer and snacking. It was difficult at first but after a few weeks it wasn’t too bad. By not having certain things on a regular basis it makes them taste better when I do. We don’t typically buy junk food now. If it isn’t in the house it is easier to avoid. I find myself looking at food and asking if I need it or just want it. Before bootcamp everything was a need, now most things are a want. I still eat the “wants” but not as often. The more weight I lost the easier it has been to stay away from the junk food, especially as goals became close. We still go out to dinner, and eat what we want but we are a lot smarter about it. We work it into our meal plans.

Jill’s Transformation Story

Get Fit NH client Jill has often taken a backseat as her husband Karl lost an amazing 102 pounds over the last 12 months. But this women has her own amazing story to tell. Prepare to be motivated…

Jill’s Transformation

I have always been heavy, but I haven’t always been huge. And I was huge and unhappy! In middle school I was active and fit. I played softball, karate and cheerleading. In high school I was still into softball and karate, and was coaching 6-7 year old cheer, but the activity level was slowly decreasing and my weight increasing. In college I maintained my weight fairly well. Both my roommates were health conscious and fit, and it helped me maintain, but I was still a size 16.

When I graduated and moved home I tried staying active, but walking every once in a while is not staying active. I really started packing on the weight when Karl and I bought a house and moved in together. Although we shared in the responsibilities of cooking, we ate crap food. We ate what was easy. Pizza, subs, deep fried anything, and we would attempt to justify our bad eating habits with a small side salad smothered in dressing. We would eat in front of the TV and stay on the sofa until bed time, needless to say, we were anything but active.

One of my unsaid reasons for losing weight was to be healthy enough to have children, and to be there for them. In the back of my mind I was scared that I was going to be too fat to do the things I would want to be able to do with my children.

I knew we needed a change, and it had to be something that both of us could attack and stick with. I knew this wasn’t something I would be able to accomplish by myself. I was starting to buy size 20 pants and saw 240 pounds on the scale, and was becoming so uncomfortable in my own skin. I found a Get Fit NH card during a massage from Heidi at Chichester Massage, and checked out the website. It looked like something I could do, but the real test was going to be getting Karl interested. I asked Karl to check out the website, and prayed it was something he was interested in, because we needed something!

Our first class was fun and encouraging. It was a back to basic’s night, filled with lunges and squats. Even though I was paralyzed for the next week, I was having a great time and the 6pmers couldn’t have been more encouraging. It was encouraging to hear Brian and Dr. Dave were sore after that first workout too!

It wasn’t until the S3 competition that Karl and I really started getting serious about what we were eating. Dean and Nancy have been so helpful and supportive between the newsletters, seminars, pep talks before, during and after class, emails and fitgoal.com. I love the recipes that Dean and Nancy and the rest of the family provide, and I love even more that I have a willing subject to try all these new and different recipes on. If you’d had told me a year ago, that my new favorite dish was going to be Denise’s vegetable lasagna, I’d have told you you’re crazy. Our big change was following the meal plan that Dean and Nancy gave us, without that we would not be seeing the results we’ve seen.

I am so much more comfortable in my own skin now. I am liking the way I look and liking how my clothes are fitting. Not that we are ready to start having children, but I feel much more prepared now that I am on the track to reaching my goal weight and knowing how to eat to live. Not live to eat.

People are always asking what our ‘secret’ is, and I find it a little funny that people think it’s a secret.

If you ask anyone how to lose weight they will tell you “be active and eat right.” It’s actually putting that to practice that is the hard part, so I would have to say my ‘secret’ is my determination. I’m determined to meet my goals. I am determined to cook healthy for myself and Karl, and not let his diabetes get the best of him. I am determined to love the way I look!

I am writing this during a recovery week, and realize how much I miss my Get Fit NH family. It’s with their help, and Karl’s support that I’ve been as successful as I’ve been, and know that I can reach my next goal.

My next short term goal is to feel good in a bathing suit in February. Longer goals include losing another 30 pounds, becoming more adventurous with vegetables (Karl’s always been the one who will eat anything – I’ve always been the picky eater) and making sure we are eating them every day, having kids, and loving my life and myself!

Be Like Jill. Become part of the fitness revolution that is truly creating change – Mind and Body. At Get Fit NH results are not automatic, you have to work for it. But our clients are proving every day that you don’t have to settle for second best.

Click Here to Read More Amazing Stories About How Get Fit NH Clients Are Making It Happen Every Day

Success Story from Doreen M.

We love hearing about the Get Fit NH family has reached goals, living life out loud and being better. Being physically fit just makes every other facet of life just a bit easier. Notes like this one from Doreen make our world go round! 

Thank you Get Fit!

This past October, I have earned my 2 Years Strong shirt. I have been wanting to write this for a while but never knew quite what to say. The best way to start is to say thank you. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for believing in me even when I had shoulder surgery last November. I think that is when I realized I wanted to make a change with my life.  I soon started this change, but this was not easy to do. Although it was hard, I am proud to say I have made it through the year.

This was possible with the help of coach Nancy (the best coach ever) along the way. Also, my 9 a.m. ladies have made a difference and are happily now a part of my life. I had to work hard to get here, where I am now. I am also happy to say I have met my huge and personal goal of losing a total of 50 pounds.

But with losing that weight I have gained so much more. I have became a better person, mom, wife, and friend. These little, but life changing accomplishments have had a great impact on my life, as well as my entire family’s. So, as one amazing, but hard, year is passing, I am looking forward to another great year ahead of me. The only goal I am setting for myself is to make each day better. Again, I say thank you for everything you have done to make my life better.

Sincerely,
Doreen