CAUTION: ALERT: WARNING - Coach Dean rant ahead.

One of the question we are getting regarding the January Jumpstart (and really almost any challenge we do) is: "Is it the same as last year?"

And Coach Dean's blood pressure goes up 50 points.

The answer to your question is twofold.

1) No. It is different in the fact there is a new set of recipes included and for the first 100 to enroll receive a hardcopy of the manual, which was one of the biggest requests from last year.

2) YES YES YES. It is the same. Boring you say? I already know that stuff you say? I already have that manual you say?

Then why the heck are you even thinking about doing it at all? If you already know everything, you must be at your goal weight, off all your meds, sleeping like a baby, no digestion or skin problems - perfectly healthy, right?

The bottom line is that the nutrition principles we teach are not going to change. What does need to change is US. We have to stop chasing after the latest and greatest, thinking that there is an easy way out. If you actually DO what we teach, ALL THE TIME, you wouldn't ever need to do another challenge. But you don't. So two or three times a year we provide 4 to 6 weeks of focus to get you (and me) back on track. It's not what's in the manual that counts, as beautiful as it is. It's not about the recipes. It really isn't.

It all comes back to the extra level of ACCOUNTABILITY and COACHING that the January Jumpstart is going to give you.

Look at it this way. When you come to train with us, we focus on basic human movements. Push, Pull, Hinge, Squat, Loaded Carries, and "Floor" Work (thank you Coach Dan John).

Sure we can change some variables, such as load, reps, sets, etc., but a squat is a squat, a hinge is a hinge. They are not going to change. Yet you keep walking back into the gym to squat and hinge. Why? Because you are being held accountable to be there and you are being coached so you perform the movements correctly, safely, and appropriately. Not to mention you get to hang out with me sometimes! 

Nutrition principles are not going to change either. Eat your veggies, get enough protein, healthy fats, appropriate carbs. Limit the sugar and booze, you know the drill.

But KNOWING isn't enough. You actually need to DO. And the January Jumpstart is one way we provide the swift kick in the pants you just might need to DO what you already KNOW. The most important knowledge you just might gain is to get to know yourself better - some of the most valuable knowledge of all.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - consistently doing the same right things over and over and over and over again is going to get you the results you want. There is absolutely NO POINT in producing a completely new manual every time we come into a season of focus. DO what's in this one, stay engaged with the community and the coaches, track your progress, and you WILL find success. 

- DC

Don't waste any more time. You need to be ready. In January, its easy to not do anything, not change anything, not make any resolutions. But if you train at Get Fit NH, you are not known for taking the easy way out. 

On January 13th at 9am in Concord, your team of coaches is going to get you ready for change. The January Jumpstart Nutrition workshop will be an hour of getting you ready, helping you be set and then letting you go!

We'll take the 21+ Jumpstart Nutrition Challenge guide and break it down so you have your goals laid out before the challenge begins. We want to make this challenge easier for you. We'll teach you how to listen to the signals your body has been telling you for years. Plus I want to show you how to access the accountability and support you need. 

                                            Be ready mentally

Get set physically

                                                          All so you can go!

What if you're not sure you're going to do the 21+ Day Jumpstart Nutrition Challenge? Come on in. We'll be focusing on setting the goals you need to be the best you. If you're undecided now, check out the information because there is a bonus for signing up early. Shhhhh...... its the nutrition guide printed out for you. 

I'm not going to sell you on the 21+ Jumpstart Nutrition Challenge here, I want to help those who have decided to set some goals make those goals ones that inspire them to succeed.

Let me help you be Ready, Be Set, and then you can, Go!

Mark the date:

Jumpstart Nutrition Workshop

                                                 January 13th at 9:00am 

                                               Location:  Get Fit NH Concord

At Get Fit NH we have many different training times during the day. They range from bright and early to hit training on the way home from work.  The people you see at Get Fit NH are as different as different can be as well. From almost 20 and just starting college to Grandpas and Grandmas who retired after a full career.

But there is a group at Get Fit NH that is often referred to others as “one of those people”.

‘Those People’ are the ones that wake up bright and early and get into Get Fit NH for a 5am training. Petra is one of ‘those people’. Petra is one of ‘those people’ 4 days a week.

Yet, I know we would have a consensus that Petra makes it just a bit easier to roll out of bed on a cold day to get to Get Fit NH. She is cheerful, chipper, and sometimes just giddy at that hour. She reminds me of the energizer bunny.

In November Petra competed in the Ski Erg World Sprints. She was thrilled she finished the challenge. It is now a spark inside of her to compete next year. In fact she is training now for it. She has a goal in mind. Here is her plan, she comes in a bit earlier- imagine that- to ski 1000 meters.

I asked Petra to give us some background into what drives her to be one of ‘those people’.

Hey Petra, why did you start coming to Get Fit NH?

“My doctor instructed me to lose 20 pounds and I knew I could not do this on my own and would need all the help I could get.”

 After your first 2 weeks, how did you feel?

“That I am totally out of shape and that the only way to change it is to stick with it and thanks to the support I am.”

How do you feel now?

“Due to all the travel for work during the first half of the year I was not as successful in coming every day; BUT--since July I am. Now it's December and my body feels great. I can feel and see the subtle changes and I can feel the strength in my arms and legs when doing yard work. Feeling great has taken away the emphasis on losing the weight. Watching not only what I eat but more so how much I eat and continuing training at Get Fit NH will help me achieve the goal of losing the weight.”

Overall how would you describe your experience at Get Fit NH?

“Get Fit NH and the 5am group makes exercising fun and I look forward to going. I thoroughly enjoy the group and the dynamics. Some days I do better with the exercises; some days I do not. What is important is: going and being there. To think how happy we can be at 5 in the morning! (Granted, it takes a cup of coffee and about an hour before for me to wake up … but, after the 5 am class and after catching my breath … I have energy like the energizer bunny!”

Honest and true ‘those people’ love Petra at 5am and so do I. Thank you Petra for being part of the Get Fit NH family.

Coach Nancy

The new year is right around the corner, and with it comes with some pretty heavy expectations we can put on ourselves.

"This is my year to...lose weight, get healthier, get a new job, make more money, spend more time with the family, fill in the blank."

And that's a GOOD thing. I think it is a very valuable thing to take time to reflect, recenter, and reprioritize as we start a new year. 

But as you know, goals (resolutions) without both an action plan and a deadline are really nothing more than wishes. I am first in line to admit that despite my best intentions my goals don't happen because I have no plan to actually reach them. 

Hope is not a strategy for success.

And I don't think it's far-fetched to say when we feel our best, when we feel good about ourselves, our other goals become easier. Resiliency and mental toughness are a lot easier when we aren't dragging all the time.

So while I may not be able to help you get that raise directly, I can help you achieve the health and vibrancy that creates passion in your life.

And that's where the January Jumpstart comes in.

We purposely don't start our January nutrition programs right at the beginning of the year, but wait a couple weeks to let things settle and give you a chance to focus.

This year we are starting our January Jumpstart on January 22, 2018, and we have a very special bonus for the action takers who get in early.

Make It Happen!

Coach Dean

There once was a lady

We will call her Katie

She thought she could be fit and eat cookies daily

Katie did Zumba, she ran and she trained

So why couldn’t she work off all that she gained?

The answer is simple though you might not believe me

Exercise is crucial, but it takes more to be lean

It’s called broccoli and spinach and even collard greens

You need protein, healthy fats, water and more broccoli

It’s all about the food, it’s called adulting

Your shape is your choice

You must ignore the voice

The one that shouts chips, soda and wine

You are in control of how you dine

So if you want to be lean

Train hard and eat clean!

By Coach Meagan

*Rhyming sequence inspired by Coach Adam*

Nancy and I received this in an email last Friday, and it truly is a gift. On this Christmas Day, we want to share this gift with you. Thank-you Cara.

Growing up, I was not familiar with the story of "The Polar Express". Some stories make it in to our childhood experiences, and some don't . I had all the other classics. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" , "Santa Mouse", and "T'was the Night Before Christmas". I still have those books, tucked in to my hope chest for future use. We read them to our 3 children when they were younger. The stories always found a way to become new again, each time we read them.

It was in 1994, when our oldest child Luke was 2 when we were first introduced to the Polar Express. My father had bought us all tickets to the Polar Express train/dinner ride out of North Conway, NH. What a treat! By the end of it, we were all "believing" ! The elves whisked us off the train to the North Pole, where the story was read to us. We could see wolves eyes in the trees as we traveled to and from the North Pole. My husband Keith and I were like "was that real?" at the end of the night. Luke's eyes were wide and I think he was awake most of the night after. We had an amazing time.

Since then, when the movie came out I had to have that for the kids. It is still one of our favorites. The themes of "Believe" and "Lead" run through the movie. Each child in the main story line have challenges to overcome, as well as strengths. Together they are stronger. They form friendships as they go through the adventure together. One of my favorite parts is when Santa presents the "first gift" of Christmas to Chris, the main character in the movie. The gift is a small sleigh bell, that rings pure and true.

This past October my family and I ( as well as an entire community) said good-bye to a dear friend of ours. He was literally here one minute and taken the next. No explanation and still none today. Baffling. Leveling. The lessons that Mike taught us are many. He had the gift of helping everyone he met to rise up a bit further, try a bit harder be better people, do more, and reach higher. His lessons live on through the hundreds of people he reached in his life. Within the same 12 hours we learned we will become grandparents in May. Our minds and hearts were confused as we were in a fog of helping the our family friends cope with their loss, and make arrangements to say goodbye. The days that followed were a haze. When the fog lifted we began to process the gift of new life that will soon be coming our way. And our focus went on to the future, and in helping our daughter begin the next chapter in her life as well.

As we approach Christmas, I am reminded of the "first gift". I am thankful for the gift of health as a result of being in the Get Fit NH family. I think of the multiple roles I carry daily: wife, mother, daughter, friend, "glamma" to be, co-worker, employee, Leadership Coach, dance Mom.....the list goes on. I can't be my best self without the "first gift", which is the gift of health. Even when the world goes upside down and sideways( which it will) I have learned to put myself first, so I can help others.

I am thankful to all the coaches at Get Fit NH and for all you do. You are changing lives daily.
Wishing you and your families a healthy, happy holiday! Here is to the "first gift" ....and may that bell never lose it's beautiful sound. Believe , and you will always hear it.

Cara Wiley

This post is dedicated to Mike B. and to grand-baby A or J with love to you both .

I am posing this challenge to all of you!  Spend some time this recovery week working on strengthening your joints.   We are taking some time for a recovery week from training, but if you can give me 10 minutes a day over recovery week I promise you will come back looser and stronger!  

Below is a video with some recovery week homework.  Now I know what you’re thinking “homework? Seriously dude?” this is obviously optional but it could make a huge difference when you come back to training the Monday following recovery week.  

This 10 minute or so sequence involves 4 exercises that are meant to strengthen the smaller stabilizer muscles in your joints.  What does that mean?  It means that you will be able to squat more, lift more, press more.  It is a little more complex of what exactly is going on but I wont get into that here, however if you are interested in learning please feel free to ask me.  It also means that you will be at a lower risk for injury overall! Can’t beat that right?  

For those of you that have some pain doing certain movements, like pushing movements, these can help you strengthen the shoulder so that you don’t get that pain.  For those of you that were here this past Tuesday and went through those 4 exercises in class, you can fast forward in the video to the 9:50 mark and I will walk you through the exercises in real time.  For those of you who were not able to join us, the ten minutes or so before that will explain the set-up and the movement which you should only need to watch the first time but you can refer back to if you need to.  10 minutes a day over the week of recovery that’s all I ask! Bet money that if you stick to it you notice a difference! 

-Coach Adam

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is thick hair and a thin body.

Please don't mix them up, like you did last year.

***

Why does Santa have 3 gardens?

So he can ho-ho-ho.

***

What do you get when you cross an archer with a gift-wrapper?

Ribbon hood.

***

What do you call people who are afraid of Santa Claus?

Claustrophobic.

***

Why is Christmas just like a day at the office?

You do all the work and the fat guy with the suit gets all the credit.

***

Now that I have given you a reason to laugh, Enjoy a Christmas filled with many smiles.

Coach Nancy

​

The spotlight is shining bright on 6:15 one and only Kerrie Diers! I asked Kerrie to be in the spotlight, because over the past year I have watched this woman transform. Not only has she lost 20 pounds, but she has also gained so much strength and confidence! I am so proud of Kerrie. Her consistency has truly paid off. I remember calling Kerrie when she was still in her 2 week trial. She was so flustered about not being able to make it she was ready to say this was not going to work for her. I was proud of her for walking back through the door and I am just as proud of her now for keeping at it! Here is what she has to say…

What made you decide to join Get Fit NH?

I was no longer successful in working out on my own.   My trusted recipe of working out on my elliptical machine in my basement had lost its appeal.  I had been doing the same workout and same routine for about 10 years.  At the beginning, I had made a lot progress in losing the "baby weight" I gained when I had my children. Over time, I became less engaged. I tried motivating myself by only watching Netflix while working out, but I became less and less consistent to the point where I really was not working out and gained the baby weight back.  I had heard about Get Fit from my friends in the neighborhood and saw how successful they have been.  I decided to give it a try because I needed to do something different and needed to get myself moving. 

What did you learn after your first 2 weeks?

That I needed to give it more time.  My first two weeks were kind of a disaster because my husband was called out of town unexpectedly for a few months, making me a single parent overnight. I wasn’t sure I could continue, but Meagan encouraged me to give it a few more weeks. It was a struggle but I found that creating a routine helped me to feel better and relieve some of my anxiety.

What keeps you coming back?

There are a lot of reasons I keep coming back. First, all of the coaches know me by name (even Brian – I think ) and I work out with a great group of people at 6:15 am.  Second, I am held accountable. I know that the coaches know when I miss my workout, and if I don’t let Meagan know, she will send me an email asking where I was! Third, it is part of my morning routine. Even if I am tired, my class helps me to wake up and I know that I will feel better afterward. It also helps that I can roll out of bed and drive down the street to get to class, so I have very few excuses not to be there. Fourth, I am definitely not bored. I love that each class is engaging and designed to have us make progress. I feel like I am a work in progress, and the coaches and program at Get Fit challenge me to be stronger and better.

What results can you share so far?

I have lost almost 20 pounds and am down several inches. Most importantly, I recently had some routine bloodwork done and the results were normal, which was a huge relief.  I had previously tested in the pre-diabetic range which was a red flag for me since diabetes runs in my family.  I knew that I could avoid type-2 diabetes by changing my diet, and I thought that my family ate fairly healthy.  However, this past March I participated in the 21 Day Ticket to Health Challenge, and I gave up added sugar, dairy and grains.  After the sugar withdrawal subsided, I found that I felt so much better and made significant progress with weight loss. I am still adhering to that plan, and although I will occasionally have sugar, grains and dairy, it is not the norm. An added benefit is that my family is eating better too.

What encouragement would you like to share with someone who may be on the fence about starting?

Get Fit NH is a place where all are welcome, you are encouraged and challenged to be stronger and healthier, and you will never be bored!

Thank you for sharing you story with us, Kerrie! Keep making it happen.

Coach Meagan