Don’t Fix What Ain’t Broke

Last week I had a very excited client come up to me and share how well she had been doing since the 21-Day Detox.

It went something like this.

“I am still eating the detox plan and I feel great. I have lost 19 pounds and it has never been easier. I have loads of energy. I am running my best 5k times ever. I am going to get to 25 pounds lost and then start adding some of the foods back in.”

Now all those things are fabulous. What more could you ask for? In fact those results are so fabulous that the next word I uttered was…

“Why?”

As in “Why would you change anything if you are getting the results you want?”

And she didn’t really have a good answer. “Well, I guess just to see what happens.”

Well my educated guess is that if you start adding things back in – sugar, dairy, and wheat for instance- that you are going to go back to feeling like you were. The fact of the matter is that none of those things are necessary for good health. At the least you want to be very careful when you re-introduce them and make sure you aren’t getting any adverse reactions. We discussed those things (and I congratulated her on her achievements- I am not heartless) 🙂

Think about it though.

The old maxim is “If it Ain’t Broke Don’t Fix It.”

Same thing goes for your training.

Spring is here. Summer is coming. The weather is nice. You are headed outside.

I get it.

But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to train. You still need the soft tissue work, the mobility and flexibility work, the structured metabolic work and the balanced strength work.

THOSE are the thing that help you hit the golf ball further, stay on the bike longer, and tackle the taller mountains. Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking that walking, hiking, biking and golfing is training.

It’s Not.

You are able to do all those things because you have taken the time in training to get better.

And that quest never takes a break, never slacks off, and never ends.

Stay the Course.

Hold The Line.

Make It Happen.

Dean

Do you want to lose body fat?

……is that a silly question?

I am pretty sure most of us are here to lose body fat, build muscle and feel good! Have you set yourself a body composition goal?

If yes, ask yourself these questions:

• How often do I get my body composition tested with one of my coaches? If the answer is not every 4-6 weeks then your behavior goals are not supporting your outcome goal.
• Do I create a weekly meal plan and follow it? If your answer is no- why? Failing to plan is planning to fail. That is so true. It may take time to sit down and make a plan, but it SAVES time when it is time to go grocery shopping, think about what’s for dinner, and certainly saves time meeting your goal!
• Do I recover from training efficiently and effectively? If you’re not getting some protein, produce and water in your body as soon as possible after training you’re not maximizing your potential results.

If you have not set yourself a body composition goal, let me ask you these questions:

• Have you had your body composition taken with one of your coaches? Using the Intelametrix Ultrasound System is easy, discreet and accurate. It is hard to set a goal if you do not know where you are at!
• Did you walk through our doors to become the best version of yourself you could possibly be? Whether that means stronger, leaner, faster, happier, healthier….how do you know you are achieving the best version of yourself if you do not know where you stand?
• Do you fear being held accountable? The body composition test doesn’t lie. If your nutrition “slips up” your body composition goes up. If your nutrition is on point, your body composition is on point.

These are only a few things I challenge you to take in to consideration when setting goals. If your actions don’t support your goals then you’re going to be walking in circles with no results. We are here to help you meet your goals.

As always- be accountable. Take advantage of all that we offer you to succeed.  Schedule a body composition test with your coach today.

Make it Happen,

Coach Meagan

Kingdoms, Choices, and Being The Wierdo

Remember our mantra from a few months back, Be The Weirdo? In other words it’s OK if people look at you a little sideways when you make choices that are helping you lose weight, get lean, and look and feel great. They aren’t ready yet, that’s all.

I received this email from my friend and mentor Martin Rooney today that reminded me of this, and since sharing is caring, here you go!

Coach Dean

Which Side Are You On?

There was once a king who was put in a terrible situation.  All of the citizens in his kingdom got their water from a different well than the one from which he drank.  The well of his subjects became tainted and as a result of them drinking from that well, all of his once-loyal followers went mad. Because everyone in the kingdom had gone crazy, they all looked at each other as if they were still normal and that the King was actually the one that had gone crazy.

Even though he tried everything in his power to help his people, his subjects would spend every day attempting to convince the King he was crazy and try different “remedies” to cure his madness.  When the King could not longer face the treatments and couldn’t bear to be so different from everyone else, he decided to give in and drink from their tainted well.  When he did, he became just like them and the country, although all crazy, was happy again.

I saw this story play out again last week.  With the parents unprepared to feed and exercise their children correctly, I felt like the King from the story.  Due to so many others having different beliefs of fitness, I almost had to ask myself who really was the “madman” here? Then I remembered which “kingdom” to which I am proud to belong.

A Tale Of Two Kingdoms

One kingdom of the world has grown overweight, overmedicated and undertrained from the tainted well from which they drink.  They drink not tainted water, but tainted information from slick marketers, spokespeople and governments usually bent on making money or protecting market position.  In just two generations of drinking from this well, once important essential human needs such as regular exercise, healthy diet and adequate sleep have become expendable in relation to busy schedules, a pocket full of excuses and easy-to-make chicken nuggets. In this Kingdom anything is acceptable to eat as long as that something is packaged in 100 calorie sizes, screams the words Light, Diet or Fat-Free from its packaging or is deemed of great value since it has been Super-Sized.   Health care is to take medicines freely and daily even when its advertisement proudly lists known side affects as chronic diarrhea, headaches, dizziness, stroke, loss of hearing, partial blindness, and DEATH.  The pharmacy is the local donut shop or coffee house to buy synthetic energy to get through another day.  Child abuse is not buying the 150 dollar pair of shoes that won’t be used due to hours spent playing video games.

In the other kingdom, 5 hours of exercise a week, a diet full of fruits and vegetables and 8 hours of sleep are taken daily as medicines to inoculate against disease.  Delayed gratification and patience are the energy on which the subjects run and self-discipline is the strength used to make difficult decisions.  As a result of drinking from this well, a proud member from this kingdom may look like the crazy king to the subjects of the first kingdom if he or she chooses to pass on the community “chocolate volcano” dessert or use the word “organic” when referring to food preference.  A member might be viewed by the other kingdom as obsessed if he or she wonders to make his or her children’s food is gluten-free, dye free and grass-fed.  They would probably look insane to skip a barbeque buffet for some almonds, celery sticks and a solid workout.  Child abuse here would be letting the kids play the same video games with a bag full of chips. As a result of these actions, they would become spoken of in the opposite kingdom with a roll of the eyes as “one of those” people.

As you saw from the story, it’s not easy to be King.  When you are outnumbered and long for affiliation, it’s not easy to meet with such Resistance.  Perhaps it would be easier just to drink from their well.  At TFW we remind our students, life is not supposed to be easy.  You will not be measured by the easy decisions you make, but instead by the most challenging ones.  If you are reading this, I know to which Kingdom you belong. We may look and act different, but regardless of the pressure, I implore you to never back down.   Do not forget you are the stronger one.  Fight the good fight and do not drink from the tainted well.

Yours in Strength,

Martin

CHaD Fundraiser – You Guys Are The Best!

Just a reminder that we are holding our “Kids for Kids” fundraiser training this Saturday at Get Fit NH Concord.

You can get all the details here

It has come to my attention (Thank Jeff) that while not everyone will be able to clear their schedule and attend, they would still like to donate to this worthy cause. Leave it to you all to figure out more ways to be generous.

We have sent up a donation link, and 100% of the donations will go to CHaD – we will gladly cover the expense of processing the payments.

Please Click Here To Donate Any Amount

Thanks Again for all you do to support our community!

Dean

Investment Advice for 2nd Quarter 2014

Nope. Not going to give you the latest stock tip or mutual fund advice.

This is far more important than that.

Ask yourself.

Which is more valuable to you, your money or your time?

I mentioned a couple weeks ago I was reading “The One Thing” by Gary Keller. The chapter I am on now is called “A Balanced Life”, which the author convincingly breaks down is a myth. But it was a couple paragraphs I read last night that really struck me hard. Keller writes:

“I once knew a highly successful businessman who had worked long days and weekends for most of his life, sincere in his belief that he was doing it all for his family. Someday when he was done, they would all enjoy the fruits of his labor, spend time together, travel, and do all the things they’d never done. After giving many years to building his company he had recently sold it and was open to discussing what he might do next. I asked him how he was doing and he proudly proclaimed he was fine. “When I was building the business, I was never home and rarely saw my family. So now I’m with them on vacation making up for lost time. You know how it is, right? Now that I have the money and time, I’m getting all those years back.”

Some highly dubious rationalization, I thought to myself, but still I could see where he could be coming from. But then the next phrase erased any smugness and dug the knife in.

“Do you really think you can ever get back a child’s bedtime story or birthday? Is a party for a five-year-old with imaginary pals the same as dinner with a teenager with high-school friend? Is an adult attending a young child’s soccer game on par with attending a soccer game with an adult child? Do you think you can cut a deal with God that time stands still for you, holding off on anything important until you’re ready to participate again?”

I should know this better than anyone. I have 6 children, the youngest being 7 and the eldest 27, and I can’t believe how fast time has flown by. On Saturday I took the girls out to breakfast and then the afternoon was dedicated to Andrew. It was a great day. I need to do that more often.

And it’s not just family where we can’t make up for lost time. There is no deal to be made with the Creator to get time to stand still because I am “too busy doing other things.”

Every day we choose not to train when we should can never be reclaimed.

Every set we work to only 80% when the goal is 100% is lost.

Every time we pick up 30 pounds when we could have done 40 is time wasted on being less than our best.

Every night we go to bed at midnight when we could have turned the TV off at 10:00 is an opportunity to get better that we missed.

Every bite of junk food that passes between our lips causes us to be less healthy when we could have chosen better.

Harsh? Unrealistic?

Consider this. When you invest your money you expect a return. You want a hard working fund that will grow your wealth.

Is it any less important to put max effort into your time investment?

When you invest your time into getting proper sleep, exercise and nutrition  you will actually GAIN time – you will be more energetic, more productive, and enjoy life more.

That’s growing your health.

And wealth without health is a zero sum game.

Invest Wisely.

Make It Happen!

Coach Dean

Grateful But Not Settling – Please Vote!

Can I please ask for another favor, Get Fit NH family and friends?

The Concord Monitor has just opened voting for the “Concord Cappies”, and we have been honored to be voted 2nd place for the last 3 years in a row behind that little mom and pop shop “PF” in the category of “Best Fitness Center or Health Club”.

And while we are extremely grateful for your support, we would love to grab that top spot this year. This survey is much less demanding than the last one, as there is no minimum number of categories, so please take just a few minutes of your valuable time and let’s see what we can do.

Make It Happen!

Dean, Nancy, Erin, Meagan, Sarah and Tiffany

Please VOTE for “Get Fit NH” Here

Better Body Workshop: Running Mechanics and Staying Injury Free

The first experience I had with how passionate Coach Sarah is about running and endurance athletics was at last years Jingle Bell Run. She runs in (literally, she ran from home, a little over a mile) about 10 minutes before the race, pulls some cash out of her pocket at the registration table (I think the registrars were a little bemused by the whole thing) dashes over to the start line, and promptly wins the overall women’s division! We are looking forward to having her share her passion and expertise at this workshop. As we head into the warmer weather and some of you tackle 5k’s and beyond for the first time, this workshop is sure to be a huge help in making sure you stay healthy and get better. Don’t Miss It! – Coach Dean

As spring is finally getting the upper hand, it’s likely there are many people who have been reaching for their running shoes.  The shining sun, the melting snow, the feeling that this big winter has come to an end, the races ahead…those are probably the motivating factors leading most people to start their running regimen.

“Just start running!” might be the training plan.  Sure, this is a great way to get yourself up and out into the wild, but it’s also a great way to injure yourself and set you back from reaching those goals for this season.

“You mean I can’t pick up where I left off in the fall?”  Nope.  Some of you parents might be familiar with the term “terrible twos.”  Well in running, we have the term “terrible toos.”

Too much, too soon, too fast.

Without an adequate knowledge of proper form, correct shoes, and training philosophy, you’re likely to get injured by your own motivation!

Do you want to start running?  Are you a runner?  Is your child a runner?  Are you interested in getting stronger, faster, and healthier so you can close the gap between you and your running goals?

If so (and you know you are), join Get Fit NH for our seminar “Better Body Workshop – Running Mechanics and Staying Injury Free”. We will talk about footwear, proper gait, common injuries and how to avoid them, training strategies and much, much more.

“A 12 minute mile is just as far as a 6 minute mile.”

Don’t be scared, don’t jump in too fast, don’t underestimate your potential…be a smart runner.

I look forward to seeing  you there- Make It Happen!

Coach Sarah

Mechanics of Running and How to Stay Injury Free
Place: Get Fit NH Concord
Date: Saturday, April 19, 2014
Time: 9:30–11:00am
Investment: $25  ($35 after April 12)
Please Bring: Paper and pen, clothes and shoes for light (indoor) running

This Workshop Is Open To The Public.

Success Stories – Ronald Weilnau

Coaching a student like Ronald is a joy. I use the word “student” purposely, because Ronald’s results are directly tied into the fact he pays attention, makes sure he understands, and asks questions about both his training and nutrition. The results speak for themselves! – Coach Dean

‘Thank You, Get Fit NH’

I have fought being overweight since the summer of 1967. It was that summer, when I was 10 years old, that I went from being an underweight child to an overweight child in less than three months. Until my first “Get Fit NH” training session on September 23, 2013, I never stepped into any gym to get help with losing weight or to get a leaner body. Due to my own past failures at controlling my weight and meeting my fitness goals, I had my doubts if I would last the first week let alone join. However, thanks to what I found that during that first week I knew I could continue. Therefore, I owe thanks to many people for my successful start towards a healthier lifestyle.

‘Thank you’, Coach Dean and Coach Nancy for starting ‘Get Fit NH’. Also thank you for developing each training session plus the challenges and workshops that you put together to teach us about developing a healthy lifestyle.

‘Thank you’, Coach Erin, Coach Megan and Coach Sarah for choosing to coach at ‘Get Fit NH’ and for the time you give to answer my questions and to training me. I look forward to many more training sessions.

‘Thank you’ to the fellow clients for you are a big part of ‘Get Fit NH’ and you showed me that I can do this. Thank you for the encouragement and praise that you have provided whether it was knowingly or unknowingly given.

‘Thank you’ to my wife for joining ‘Get Fit NH’ three years ago and never pressuring me to join. ‘Thank you’ for waiting until I was ‘Ready to Do It’. Also thank you for helping me to start eating the ‘PPW’ way.

The picture below shows the results of my first 6 months at ‘Get Fit NH’. The results truly surprised me, as I did not expect to meet my first targeted weight loss goal until the end of June 2014. I past that goal and got to a weight that I have not seen in 35 years. With the next training session, I will be working on a new goal of some additional weight loss and more muscle gain.

When I am asked how I did it, I reply that it is a lifestyle change that I have embraced that included a major change in my diet and more exercise than I have ever done before. However, I like what someone else said one night after training when I was asked, he stated it simply as: ‘He was ready.’

I am ready to continue….

Thank you again,

Ronald Weilnau

Best of the Best – We Are Because You Are!

On behalf of the entire team at Get Fit NH, I would like thank our GFNH family for once again helping us be recognized as the “Best of the Best” gym and Coach Nancy “Best of the Best” fitness instructor in NH.

This is the 5th year in a row we have won a “Best of” award in those two categories, and believe me when I say these are “Family” awards, because we could not do it without you, and we continue to strive to get better because of you.

We are excited about what the future holds, and we look forward to having both our training clients and loyal readers along for the ride.

Let’s Keep Making It Happen!

Coach Dean

Embrace the Burn

Today I am going to dish out a little tough love, but you know what mom says, “Honesty is the best policy.”

Let’s talk about how you feel when you leave the gym…

Here are some of the words we want to come to mind and probably do come to mind often:

• Sweaty
• Accomplished
• Tired
• Energized

(Yes, all those things can happen at once!) 🙂

Here is what we don’t want you thinking when you leave us:

• “I could have gone all 30 seconds, but I stopped”
• “I could have deadlifted that 44k kettlebell, but it was heavy”
• “I could gone faster on the ski erg”
• “I could have snuck in that last rep”
• “I could have done more…but I didn’t”

Now be honest with yourself…have you ever thought that to yourself after training?

Or…now that I mention it would you say you may be guilty of any of those thoughts?

Don’t be ashamed. I’m guilty too sometimes.

Here a great motto to remember when you know you can do more:

Get comfortable being uncomfortable.

Guess what? 40 seconds of band split squats on the same side burns and you know what else? THAT’S OKAY!  I promise if your quads start smoking we will stop you! So here is my encouragement – embrace the burn!

You know what that burning is?

• That is you getting better
• That is you another second closer to reaching your goals
• That is your body THANKING you and telling you “YEAH BABY I’M ALIVE!”

Here are some suggestions to focus on this week (and every week!)

• Leave a little less gas in the tank (Your human tank that is!)
• Stop focusing so much on how many rounds we are doing or how many stations there are
• Focus on giving EVERYTHING you’ve got at every station for every second
• Celebrate the small victories that lead to huge accomplishments

Make It Happen!

Coach Meagan