No, that is not a typo! We have a FREE challenge to anyone willing to step up to the plate and as you may have guessed it is all about VEGETABLES! 

You may be thinking, "I already eat my veggies" or "Yuck, I am passing on this one." This is a GIANT accountability opportunity as well as an opportunity to add 28 more recipes to your toolbox! That's right- 28 new recipes. This 28 day challenge will highlight 28 veggies. Each day you will receive the veggie, the health benefit, what is looks like and how to prepare it. Each day is a brand new veggie with a brand new recipes - sweet! 

At the end of the challenge all 28 new recipes will conveniently be compiled and available to download and print for your very own cook book!

Oh and let us not forget...a challenge is not a true challenge without accountability, right? Since all of this is conveniently done with Coach Catalyst (formally known as Habit Catalyst) with your daily veggie education you will also get the accountability question, "Did you eat servings (fists) of veggies yesterday?"  This daily accountability will encourage you to pile on the veggies which will help you to look and feel better - win! 

This challenge does not cost you a dime. All we ask is that you take the time to explore the vegetable world and step out of your comfort zone. Try something new and share your new vegetable tales with us on the Get Fit NH Family Page!

If you accept the challenge and wish to make a positive change then here are the key dates you need to know!

Sign up: Today. The cut off is Friday July 21st...DON'T DELAY!

Start date: Monday July 31, 2017

End date:  Sunday August 27, 2017

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I felt the need to write this blog after a conversation that I had with a couple parents recently. As a kid that was overweight much of my childhood life and into my adolescent and college years, I know how it feels to have those “scared straight” doctors’ appointments. I’m here to tell you that its not what the frightened kid needs to hear to help them out. I am not here to put down doctors or medical professionals, I am just here to say that as a young kid all that talk did was bury me further in the hole.

As adults, we understand that something needs to change. We understand that we have the power to make a change and that the only thing stopping us is us. We understand what effects being obese have on an aging body. We understand that having Type 2 Diabetes is going to make life very challenging. Also, as educated individuals many of you have come to learn that through a healthy lifestyle Type 2 Diabetes can be mitigated if not negated almost entirely.

A child coming in to a doctor’s office hearing that they are obese, at serious risk for diabetes, or if they continue along a current trend will end up at weight “x” is debilitating. Most kids at that age cannot separate that, and they feel it is a judgment on them as a person and are more likely to be depressed and run into even more trouble down the road. Or in certain cases (mine in particular) they might get even bigger because they don’t understand that there is a way out.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not understating the seriousness here - childhood obesity is an epidemic in this country as is Type 2 Diabetes. Both of which are extremely serious and steps need to be taken to correct it. The problem I see is the scared straight tactic I see being used on kids, and was used on me. To this day, I am slightly phobic of the doctor’s office because of it. So the message is this, your kid is not a bad kid because he/she is overweight. Yes, they may be in danger, but a 7 to 16 year old child is not going change out of fear, they are going to change out of understanding, patience, and guidance. Trust me, this is coming from a kid who lived it.

-Coach Adam

Have you ever seen 3 emus and a penguin all stacked on top of each other? That is the distance of inches lost if you combine each participant’s loss in their waist measurement at Get Fit NH’s Sizzlin’ Summer Slimdown Challenge.

Have you measured a Beluga whale? If you could (or when you did) you’d find it was the same distance if we added up each S3 peep’s hip measurement that was lost when combined.

How cool is that?

I haven’t even mentioned that as a group we lost one thousand three hundred and sixty two pounds. That’s 5,448 sticks of butter!

Take a sneak peek into the Top 10 Winning Team’s minds. It will inspire you to achieve more than you believe you can.

What one thing did you do well over the six weeks of Sizzlin' Summer Slimdown?

AnnMarie from Team Vacation Money wrote: “Meal planning was key. Sticking to the meal plan, and avoiding the candy and ice cream at work.”

Andria from Team Chafing the Dream filled us in on her daily wins: “ I drank a lots of water. I was able to stay on track when I unexpectedly had to stay with my Mom as she recovered from surgery. Stuck to eating real foods. When I eat healthy I find I am satisfied and have no cravings!”

Lauren from Team Rose and Ginger said one day: “I said no to cake! Lol- it wasn't easy! But...it was worth it and rewarding. And I was also surprised with how it wasn't even on my radar after I had an apple.”

Millie said that she: “Found great ways to serve veggies, including fiddlehead ferns and daikon radishes.”

When we asked the top 20 people what we could do to help them one week, here are some of the things that were mentioned.

"I feel things are going well so far and can't think of anything right now. I just need to stay focus and on track.” -Wayne

"Honestly, a cheat meal. I haven't had one since April 6th. Probably Mexican food, lol”
-Katie

"Just by being here for us. I love that coach Adam pushes me to challenge and push myself! Give me more!!” -Evelyn

"Having lots of protein and veggies cooked at all times. Bulk is key to sanity!! Trays of meatloaf and sausage from previous Get Fit recipes are my savior as well as frozen bags of cauliflower in bulk to mash in” -Kim

"I realize that I don't need to eat as much as I was eating before. I went 6 weeks without it.” -Lori

"Eating! Keeping things super simple” -Melissa

Your favorite go-to meal during S3?

"Ground turkey sausage/baked egg/green beans w/mushrooms/riced cauliflower and of course hot sauce!!" -Scott

Where would they hide a giraffe?

"In the 54 acres behind my house! Lol! And I would visit her all day long! Her name will be Princess!"

"Why hide it, I’d show it off!"

And when they play Rock/Paper/Scissors, none of them will pick paper!

Seriously, all S3 peeps worked hard to change themselves. It was through consistently eating just real food over and over that led them to great change. The Grateful Plate can be accessed 24/7/365 to help you achieve your own success without having to wait for next year’s Sizzlin' Summer Slimdown Challenge.

The deep squat is a functional movement and requires many different patterns to be working efficiently in order to maintain position. During this particular test we are analyzing the functionality of many of the components we tested previously, but now we are asking you to utilize them all together. The deep squat took place with your heels elevated on the board or on the floor and with a dowel rod pressed overhead.

What is this band for?

During this movement assessment we are looking to see if there is adequate hip, ankle, and thoracic spine mobility, and also proper core stability to complete the pattern. Leaning forward, inability to get the hips below parallel, and pain are the 3 major things we are looking for that will raise a red flag and therefore add in that purple wristband!

What does this mean when it comes to exercise?

If there is pain associated with this movement (often times felt in the knees), a large lean forward, or not quite enough mobility to get the hips to the desired depth, we want to improve all of these areas before adding an external load or stressing our extremities past what they can currently tolerate. Working through range of motion exercises will be beneficial at the current moment.

Examples of exercises not performed with a purple band:

• Loaded squats (kettlebells, dumbbells, resistance bands)
• Jumping

How can I work to get out of my band? I want to do some of those exercises!!

As stated previously, making sure we have proper mobility of the ankles and hips and stability of the trunk will be important for performing the deep squat. Therefore, you will want to incorporate the exercises listed below into your daily routine!

1. Adductor Mobes

How to perform:

• Start by kneeling down on your left knee and placing your right leg extended straight out to the side.
• Make sure to keep your right foot flat on the floor and your toes pointing forward.
• Place your hands on the ground in front of you, with your hands just underneath your shoulders.
• Rock your body forward and then sit back as far as you can.

Repeat: 5x on each side

1. 1/2 Kneeling Ankle Mobes

Purpose: Improve ankle mobility- dorsiflexion

How to perform:

• Set yourself up in a half-kneeling position with your L foot forward. Set the dowel rod up outside of the pinky on the L foot.
• While holding onto the dowel rod, drive your L knee to the outside of the dowel rod, away from your midline.
• Pause for a few seconds, reset to starting position, then drive knee forward again. Keep repeating these steps.
• *Focus on keeping the heel L heel on the floor the entire time.

Repeat: 1 minute on each side

Let's conquer this band!

I want to make eating unhealthy HARDER than eating healthy. Wouldn’t it be nice if you had to struggle to eat foods that were not good choices? Wouldn’t it be helpful if you had access to all the goodness of nutrition without sifting through all the other?

Begin Your Jumpstart

Date: Wednesday, July 12th

Time: 6pm to 7pm

Place: Get Fit NH Concord

Peter Hallock is shining bright in the spotlight today! Peter joined our 6:45 training hour in April. Since then I have had the opportunity to witness an incredible change in him. His form, mobility, strength and weight have all improved in a short time. Peter is a prime example of when the work is put in, the results follow! I am really proud of Peter for working so hard these past couple of months. His results have been earned and I cannot even imagine the Peter we will know this time next year!

"I came to Get Fit NH, because I had been going to different gyms for a long time and never found a routine I could stick with because I really didn't know what to do. I decided to stay because after two weeks I was already feeling better. I also really enjoyed the classes and how varied the classes were. I was excited to go to every class which was not something I had experienced before. It didn't feel like a chore going to class. It was something I wanted to do instead of something I felt I needed to do.

In the couple of months that I have been training with Get Fit NH, I have lost 20lbs which was a complete surprise to me. I have been working hard on both my nutrition and exercise and was really excited for these results. It is really motivating. I am feeling good and the classes are interesting and the people are great. The coaches and the other people in class are really motivating and friendly. For someone on the fence about getting started I would say to them to give it a shot. I was apprehensive at first, but the people and coaches make you feel welcome from day one and the workouts are always different and fun. Thanks Meagan for letting me do this. I am really enjoy the classes and I appreciate the hard work that you Cari and Adam put into the classes.​"

And thank you, Peter, for your hard work and your consistency! Keep making it happen!

Coach Meagan

Today I want to share with you my Pro Coach experience. Pro Coach is our nutrition coaching portal which is coached by the one and only Coach Nancy. Today I want to share with you how Pro Coach has completely changed my way of eating and helped me achieve some consistent results.

Focusing on one habit at a time. This has been HUGE! You don’t have to do any of the thinking with the habits. Pro Coach sets you a new habit to focus on every 3 weeks. This has been a game changer for me. I have never been more tuned in when I am eating than I am now. Habits like eating until your 80% full/leaving food on your plate. Slowing down when I eat. These are small habits that have changed the way I eat.

Another HUGE benefit to Pro Coach is how engaging it is. You write your own “Owner’s Manual.” You discover where your weaknesses are and help yourself overcome those obstacles. The best part is that your coach (Nancy) is reading your responses and helping you dig even deeper and take another step toward success. The feedback alone from my coach has been so valuable and life changing. It is okay to have a bad day and it is a place to check in and measure your progress.

This is a lifelong version of the Sizzling Summer Slimdown (S3.) It puts nutrition in front of you every single day. It provides a short lesson about where your focused habit is and has you check yes or no daily on your habit. On top of all of that, bi-weekly you share your results and it measures your progress over time. I have been doing Pro Coach since April and as of two weeks ago these were my results (be transparent, right?).

This program is worth it. I am talking to you not only as coach, but also as a human being who struggles with nutrition and needs accountability to stay on track.

-Coach Meagan

Funny story…some of you might know this story…

The other day we got to have a Fun Friday on a Thursday. Coach Cari and I arrived at the gym Thursday morning at 4:20AM to find the parking lot pitch black. Every single light was out as we pulled in. At 4:20 AM that is kind of creepy, by the way! We went in together and learned that we had NO power. The iPod was dying, we couldn’t see the board, or two feet in front of us…crud!

At the drop of a dime, our plan went COMPLETELY south and we had to quickly come up with a new plan. The planning process wasn’t totally smooth either. I came up with a training we could do outside that would have worked well, BUT it wouldn’t have worked well for our poor bands. When Coach Dean came in, he came up with a much better plan that was safe for our students AND our equipment! The training was a total blast. The outcome was positive and everyone left feeling happy and accomplished.

Success!

Now let’s apply this to any other real life situation, right? We have a plan and sometimes stuff happens! Stuff that is TOTALLY outside of our control, but has a direct effect on THE plan, such as getting stuck at work and missing training or forgetting your lunch in the fridge at home. That was not in the plan, so what do you do?

Learning to plan is a skill, and you know what else is a skill? Coming up with a plan B! I did not have a plan B the other morning at 4:20AM, but you know what? I will now! Situations come up all the time where we have to make a choice that wasn’t on our radar. It is a skill to make a choice that you will be proud of and happy with. For example, coming to the next later training hour or making a nutritious choice at lunch at a restaurant. Just because the plan fails sometimes doesn’t mean our world needs to come crashing down. Be ready to adapt and overcome. Be flexible and make choices you will look back and be happy with. Every failed plan is an opportunity to learn.

-Coach Meagan

You may have noticed a theme with these posts, they all center on kids not being able to get out and play the way they used to. The next step in our Athlete Academy program for ages 9-12 over the summer will be to work on some proactive flexibility.

You may be wondering why I am prefacing that with the word “proactive”. Here is why - as kids get older, their time sitting in class and sitting on the couch increases. Ever notice that a toddler walks around endlessly, can squat down perfectly to pick something up, but a 15 or 16 year old has to kneel down or bend over at the waist to do so? Its because of two things: growth and lack of movement in functional patterns.

That’s why in this 6-week summer program we are looking to offset that. Kids sit at desks all day which shortens their hip flexors and stiffens up their upper backs. Combine that with growth spurts that make connective tissue suddenly inflexible and you have a recipe for a child lacking in mobility. Those who are in athletics will notice declines in performance, and those who are not will notice compounding problems that will make any active activity much more difficult.

That’s why our goal is to correct the problem this summer before it even becomes a problem. We have kids in our high school program now that are seeing just how major the benefits are of increased flexibility and mobility. Imagine if they didn’t have those restraints in the first place?

-Coach Adam

The hurdle step, which is demonstrated on the left, corresponds to our green wristbands. This movement allows us coaches to analyze functional symmetry. While performing this stepping/stride like motion, we are looking for maximal hip flexion of the stepping leg all while maintaining hip extension of the supporting leg. This exact movement was performed during the active straight leg raise as well but we are now adding core and pelvic stability into the mix!

What is this band for?

As a coach, we are looking to see if you are able to properly dorsiflex your ankle to clear the string (having adequate ankle mobility), proper hip and knee flexion/extension, control your pelvis, maintain extension of stance leg, and to maintain upright and minimizing upper body movement as much as possible while completing the movement.

If anything stood out and/or you needed to compensate, we want to work towards fixing that problem before potentially causing a greater one!

What does this mean when it comes to exercise?

We want to stay away from exercises that require jumping! Adding in that impactful activity may not be appropriate at the moment. First, we want to work on improving hip mobility. Jumping/landing without the proper postural control and movement mechanics could result in injury.

How can I work my way out of this band?

1. 1/2 Kneeling Hip Flexor Mobes

Purpose: Improve length of hip flexors and teach your body about hip extension rather than lumbar extension

How to perform it:

• ​Set yourself up in a half-kneeling position, with the R leg forward and L leg down on the floor. Ensure that both knees are at 90 degrees.
• Place your hands on your R knee and keep arms extended straight to keep your chest tall.
• Press your R knee away from your body, while tensing the L glute.
• Push forward until you feel a mild stretch in your L hip flexor.
• Hold for 1 minute.

Repeat: 1 minute on each side

2. Figure 4 Stretch

Purpose: Stretch out hips, glutes and lower back

How to perform it:

• Lay on your back and bring your right foot to your left knee.
• Reach through your legs and lace your fingers around your left knee and pull it gently towards you.
• If you are unable to keep your head on the ground – place your hands around your thigh or support your head.

Repeat: Hold for 30 seconds and then switch sides, repeat 2 to 3 times

Let’s conquer this band together,
Coach Cari