We received this note and pictures from 5:00am Concord Bootcamp team member Deb Saks. Way to go Deb!

“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

What a great group we had at our nutrition seminar and Q&A this morning! I appreciate you all coming out and investing some time in educating yourselves on nutrition. As we heard this morning, eating should be as enjoyable and stress-free as possible, after all you have to do it! The more you know about how to fuel your body for your goals the more enjoyable it becomes.

If I had to choose the top 3 take home points from today they would be:

• Do – Plan Ahead
• Do – Measure
• Don’t -  Have Perfection As Your Standard

We also let our attendees this morning know that we are rolling out our “Eat To Live” Nutrition Coaching Program (name subject to change :) in the very near future. For more info click here…

SEGHDGRUMK7D

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

Don’t miss Amy’s chinup technique, it could help you at your next chinup contest!

Ask her about Get Fit NH Bootcamp “Referral Rewards”!

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.

Hey guys, looks like it’s going to be a pretty crazy storm overnight and into the morning, so we are canceling both Concord and Epsom morning classes. We WILL be open at 4:00pm and 6:00pm in Epsom. If you are in a morning class and can make it later, I would encourage you to come at 4:00pm if you are able, as 6:00pm is… very full. If you have any questions, shoot us an email or call the office.