Tip 8/30 On and Off the Wagon

Good evening San Antonio. Tip 8/30 is getting back on the wagon once we have fallen off. Whether it was because the holidays. Or because it was the weekend. Or here in San Antonio it was Fiesta Week. We have to be able to possess that discipline to get back on the wagon once we have fallen off. Once we are aware of our decisions and have created more good habits this becomes easier. I said easier not easy because most times it will never be easy. We need to be aware to the point that we can tell ourselves that " ok it's a party this weekend , but once it's over I'm back on track because my body honestly feels better when I'm living that healthier lifestyle. " Awareness and good habits are key. Follow all of the tips posted on here and it will lead to success. If we help 1 person then awesome and if we don't help anybody at least it won't be for lack of effort damnit!! Tomorrow is now...San Antonio Chris

Healthy Habits are for Everyone!

When deciding on what health habits or fitness advice to follow I sometimes feel overwhelmed. It can be tasking at times and definitely takes will and determination. Even if you feel you know completely nothing about health habits or you know so little that you should buy the "Fitness for Dummies" book(a real book... lol), you need to start somewhere!

Being a mother of two girls (3 years and 17 months) it is so hard to allocate time to get my fitness on! So here are some helpful habits to acquire that I found on one of my favorite craft blogs @ Ohmyhandmade.com. Yes, a CRAFT blog!!

...ANYONE can learn to burn the calories! :)

5 Healthy Habits and 5 Ways to Stick to ‘em!

For those of you who hate to click links here is part of the FUN!

Here are some ways to increase your health and the health of your business:

1. Eat well and regularly. If you’re someone prone to skipping meals when you get busy, pre-make some meals or have simple, nutritious snacks on hand: nuts, trail mix, fruit, crackers, veggies, cheese. You’ll feel better and get more done if you give your mind and body the good food energy it needs. Fuel yourself to do your best work- you can’t run on empty!
2. Drink enough water. When you’re dehydrated you can feel weak, head-achy and hungry. The more you satiate your need for water the more easily you’ll be able to concentrate on your work. Try drinking water first thing upon waking to jump-start your nervous system and rehydrate yourself after sleep. Keep water by your side as you work and aim to drink at least 64oz a day.
3. Exercise regularly. Yeah, we don’t much like it either, but we all know we need exercise to keep our minds and bodies strong, and to help keep us energized enough to take on the day. Not only that, exercise can make you feel happier and less stressed. It’s a practice in focus, in pushing ourselves, in conquering fear- all of which are skills you can turn around and put right back into your business!
4. Downtime. It’s easy to fill up all the hours in the day with so much work and responsibility that there’s no time left for you. Schedule in downtime. Schedule a vacation. Find 10 minutes of quiet and take a breath. Make it happen for yourself. You’ll have so much more to give to your business and to your relationships, if you give to yourself often and regularly.
5. Routinize. The more ways you can find ways to routinize self-care into your day, the more time you’ll have to focus on your work and other daily responsibilities. Begin a morning routine to start everyday off on the right foot, or schedule breaks into your day specifically to eat, take a walk, take care of yourself. Incorporating healthy habits into your daily routine will help you feel calmer, clearer and more prepared to take-on whatever the day brings.

You can start bringing healthier habits into your life and you can stick with ‘em too! Here’s how:

1. Have a strong why. Why do you want to develop this new habit? What benefits will it bring to your life? If you can connect your why to a reason you feel strongly about- if your habit will affect your health, relationships, business, life in general in a positive way- it will help keep you motivated, dedicated and give you the willpower juice you need to create some real change.
2. Tackle each habit one at a time. So, you want to start eating healthier and exercising more, drawing, meditating and going on date nights regularly- if you attempt to make all those changes all at once, you’re going to fizzle out- sho’nuf. Choose one new habit to start with and focus on that until it becomes a regular part of your day, and then tackle the next one.
3. Stick with it for 30 days. Once you stick to something for 30 days, you’ll realize, you can stick to something for 30 days! And that will help keep your motivation chugging right along. The 30-60 day range is the crucial time in which true habits are created, so stick. with. it. It can also take that much for the benefits of your new healthy ways to start sinking in, but once they do, you’ll want to stick with your new habit because you’ll want to keep feeling this darn good!
4. Share the experience. Habits like accountability- tell your family, tell your friends, shout about it on facebook, write a blog post about it- if you say you’re gonna do something for reallike that, then you kinda want to actually do it. For real. Habits also like buddies. Find a friend to exercise with, try healthy recipes with your hubby, make green smoothies for your kids- the more people you get in on it, the better!
5. Stay positive. When you fail one day, do better the next day. When your mind says “I want to quit!” tell it to hush-up and focus on the benefits this new habit will bring to you. When you get frustrated, have patience with yourself, and patience with the process. Keep track of how you’re doing in your planner or on a computer calendar- it’s motivating to watch your progress and see how far you’ve come!

Another suggesstion I would like to add is to surround yourself with others who want to do the same and/or support you with your health goals. This is so important. I know plenty of people who have the will and determination but lack the support from their family members or spouses. PLEASE, just ask for their help and support. You would be suprised how many will jump on board to achieve their own goals. They just needed someone (YOU) to be that one change or inspiration in their goals.

As my coach would say in high school "Make it Happen".

Tip 7/30 Goal Setting

Howdy San Antonio. Tip 7/30 is goal setting. One of the biggest problems people have is not knowing how to set goals correctly. Most people typically know what their long term goal is but along the way of achieving that long term goal are several small goals that are reached. And here is where problems typically start. We are such a results now society that we forget to celebrate and acknowledge these small successes. We clearly didn't get to where we are whether good or bad overnight. And wherever we are heading towards it again clearly will not happen overnight. We have to notice those small benchmarks because they indicate we are heading in the right direction and they keep us motivated. If we help 1 person then awesome and if we don't help anybody at least it won't be for lack of effort damnit!!! Tomorrow is now ......San Antonio Chris

Greek made easy!

Hey there everyone! Today I am posting my first recipe for GetFitAlamoCity and I'm super pumped because I am confident that this is a recipe that both you vegetarians and meat eaters will enjoy.  Not to mention the fact that this recipe could be a great healthy option to serve with all of those super bowl parties coming up...just a thought ; )!

Anyways, I don't know about you, but I really enjoy Greek food! My favorite choice of food when it comes to Greek has always been spanakopita...a spinach pie in a Greek savory crust...& no, you don't have to be a vegetarian to enjoy a good spanakopita.  No, I'm not here to change all of you into vegetarians, but I will point out that both nutritionists and environmentalists agree that occasionally going meat-free...say one day a week (sounds reasonable, right?)...has significant benefits for both our physical health and the health of the planet. Now that's definitely something to think about ; ). Spanakopita has a notorious reputation of being a complicated food to make...with it's layers of flaky crust and gorgeous golden brown color, one would think that you would need to be an experienced chef to make it just right; however, that's just not true! It's actually quite simple...the main thing I suggest is pre-chopping all of the veggies earlier in the day or even the night before so that the cooking process goes by more quickly and smoothly...if not then the whole process (while not difficult) can be a bit time consuming. I found this recipe not too long ago and have always wanted to make it, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I tweaked a few things in the recipe in order to make it a bit healthier...I used olive oil versus butter and chose reduced fat feta cheese versus the full fat stuff. The main fat in olive oil is monounsaturated fatty acids and may actually help lower your risk of heart disease.  (note: heat, light, and air can affect not only the taste of olive oil, but possibly it's health promoting qualities so store it in a dark, room temperature cupboard)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs fresh baby spinach (washed, chopped, and well drained) (try not to be tempted to buy frozen spinach...buying fresh spinach from the produce department and chopping yourself really makes a difference)
• 4 scallions, trimmed and chopped
• 1 large leek, trimmed, washed and coarsely chopped
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 bunch fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil (separated)
• 1 egg, slightly  beaten
• 7 ounces reduced fat feta, crumbled
• 3 tbs grated parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 package phyllo, defrosted and at room temperature (I prefer the Athens brand)
• olive oil for brushing 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and spread a piece of parchment paper over the surface of a shallow baking tray
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tbs of olive oil and saute the spinach until wilted and most of it's liquid has cooked off. Remove and set aside to cool. (If the sauteed spinach is still very wet then drain in a colander.
3. Wipe the skillet clean and heat another 2 tbs of olive oil over medium heat. Saute the scallions, leek, and onion until soft.
4. Combine this mixture with the spinach in a large bowl.  Add all of the herbs, egg, feta, parmesan, and salt and pepper.  Let cool slightly.
5. Remove one roll of the phyllo (usually there are two in a box) from the box, unwrap it, and unroll it vertically in front of you on a clean surface.  Cut the stack of phyllo twice vertically so that you are left with 3 vertical rows. I then place all of the stacks on top of each other to form one vertical column (note: be gentle with these since they are delicate and will break easily.) I then place a clean, damp cloth on the phyllo, while I work with the rest...this helps to keep them from drying out too much.
6. Take one strip of phyllo and brush the surface with olive oil. Next place a second strip on top of the first strip and also brush the surface with olive oil. Place a heaping spoonful (using the standard spoon you eat your meals with) of the spinach filling on the bottom of the phyllo strip and fold it up to form a right angle. Continue folding from corner to alternating side...the same way you would form a flag-forming right angles with each new fold.  Place seam down on the sheet pan.  Continue this process until the filling and phyllo are used up.  Brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with a little cold water.  Bake the triangles for about 10-12 minutes, until golden.  Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature...whatever your preference!

Depending on how large you fill them, you will end up with approximately 25 triangles

spinach mixture

brushing oil on a strip of phyllo

folding into triangles

before placing in the oven

final product!

Like I said earlier, this may be a bit time consuming, but if you follow my tip of pre-chopping the veggies, the rest is a breeze! I hope y'all enjoy this recipe and please feel free to let me know how it went...just leave me a comment below.  Be on the look out for another recipe very soon that would provide another option for those super bowl parties.  Hint: it will involve phyllo dough...hey we can't let the remaining phyllo go to waste ; )

Tip 6/30 Good Habits

San Antonio good morning. We are, by nature, creatures of habit. They way we dress ....the way we talk...the way eat....the way we do everything is reflection of our habits. And that fact is a good thing because That means all we have to do is develop habits that are good in nature. I say good in nature because obviously there are bad habits as well. Smoking is bad....excessive alcohol intake is bad ....over indulging in unhealthy foods is a bad habit. But habits both good or bad are developed the same way. We choose to do something and it becomes habit very easily. Simple math tells us, or at least it should anyways, that we SIMPLY need to develop more good habits than bad habits. If you start eating healthy and start a moderate exercise regimen your body will want that and crave that just as it craves anything that you allow your body to get used to. So again very simple..it's not rocket science...Just make the decision to start doing things in a healthier fashion and your body will make it habit. It's one thing if you just don't know what is healthy for you because there are a lot of people that don't. But if you do know and choose not to then that is a total disrespect to yourself. If we help 1 person then awesome and if we don't help anybody at least it won't be for lack of effort damnit !!! Tomorrow is now.....San Antonio Chris.

Welcome Christina

Thx girl appreciate all the input keep it coming.

GetFitAlamoCity welcomes new contributor!

Hey there San Antonio ( & yes...hopefully other cities too...hey we want to get the "healthy" message out to so many :) )! My name is Christina Hogue and I am stoked to say that I am the new contributor to this health awareness/fitness blog! Chris, who is actually one of my older brothers, (you're doing an awesome job by the way!) will still be the head honcho, but I will be here to offer words off encouragement, motivational quotes, and occasional recipes offering wholesome healthy food (I have been known to turn sinful recipes into food that's actually not that...well "sinful," but still tastes great!); however, before I get into all this healthy stuff ; ), I will give y'all a bit of a background on me.

I'm a 27 year old mother of two children...I have a 3 year old daughter and a 17 month old son.  We currently live in Las Vegas, Nevada since my husband (a pilot in the USAF) is stationed here, but I am a native Texan and my heart will always be in Texas.  Just like Chris, I too have a background in health and fitness.   I studied sports management in college and (while now I am a stay at home mom) before having children, I was a fitness instructor and personal trainer...I greatly miss working in this field, but right now my priority is being a mother.  Eventually, I plan on getting back to being a fitness instructor and ,God willing, to become a certified doula (a dream of mine).  Although I'm not currently "working" in the health and fitness industry, health and fitness are still a very BIG part of my life.  I strive to eat healthy and fresh foods as much as possible.  I am a vegetarian and honestly believe that eating foods that are as close to it's natural form (i.e. eating an orange versus drinking orange juice) is one of the best things you can do for your body; however, like Chris said in an early post, I also believe that treats in moderation are ok : ).  I enjoy dark chocolate and alcohol in moderation...must run in the family, I guess ; ).  I greatly enjoy working out, staying in shape, and challenging my body.  My workout of choice definitely has to be running.  I like to run...OK OK..that is a bit of an understatement...I LOVE to run! I truly enjoy distance running...it's just part of who I am...so don't be surprised to see lots of tips and inspirational quotes on running; however, while I'm a bit partial to running, I want to emphasize that finding some kind of physical activity that you truly enjoy is important because then you're most likely to stick with it...consistency is key!

So...enough of that novel! Like I said earlier, I will be here to offer encouragement, motivational quotes, and recipes.  As a woman, I hope to be a good role model for other women...I want to encourage women to take action of their health and strive to be better...physically and mentally! Chris is already doing a great job with this, but hopefully I can just add to his positive attitude and help to make a difference in the health of others.  I am going to do my best to post 1-2 recipes a week...one vegetarian and one for you carnivores ; ) out there. Sometimes, I will offer only 1 recipe, but will include options to make it  both veg and non veg.

Anyways, until I see you again...take a stand today to change yourself for the better...there's no benefit to waiting til later when it comes to your health...start now and make it a lifetime habit!

Tip 6/30 Good Habits.

Tomorrow will bring a discussion on Good habits versus bad habits. Obviously the amount of Good Habits needs to outweigh the amount of Bad Habits.

Subscribing to Blog

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Tip 5/30 Getting Started

Good morning San Antonio. The hardest part of most things is getting started. Just like learning to walk. Or learning to run. Or learning to ride a bike. Or..... You understand what I'm talking about. Just like creating a healthier lifestyle through better eating habits and exercise is hard to start. Like most things posted here the best way to get started is to just make the decision to start. That's it. Tell yourself "I'm starting now". Sometimes people find a workout partner or sometimes people find a personal trainer. Having a valuable and experienced personal trainer is always the best in my opinion but whatever it takes to get you started I am not biased against. Again all of what is being said in the recent week has been something that you have heard before. With that being said here's to hoping that this may be the one time you hear it and it hits home. Pleaseeeeeeeee San Antonio. If we help 1 person then awesome and if we don't help anybody at least it won't be for lack of effort damnit!! Tomorrow is now......San Antonio Chris

Tomorrow Tip 5/30 Get started

The hardest part to start becoming healthier is just getting started. We will talk about that tomorrow.

Feel Free to Ask Questions or Help

San Antonio Plz feel free to ask anyone here for help.

Time ---Tip 4/30

Ahhhh the elusive time. I agree with everyone that there are simply not enough hours in the day. But so what? There is still time for work. There is still time to watch TV after work. There is still time for face booking there is still time for whatever it is that you find valuable enough to make time for. The easy solution for making time to workout...ready for it....the same way you make time for what you deem "valuable ". That's it. And all you have to realistically do is 30 min 5 days a week to make a difference ( at least to start off and still possibly even after if you know what you are doing). If you don't make time for your health then realistically you won't have time to do any of the things that you find valuable because you will be dead or incapacitated to the point because of poor health that it realistically isn't worth it. Realistically....As in get real people and get a dose of reality. Get off your butts and devote 1/48th of a day to some activity. In case you missed it 1/48th is only 30 min. Wake up and lets go. If we help 1 person then awesome and if we don't help anybody at least it won't be for lack of effort damnit!! Tomorrow is now.....San Antonio Chris

Tip 4/30 Time

Tomorrow tips on time. Tune in and stop the excuses PLEASE!!

Post 3/30 Vices

San Antonio good evening. Vices....As in what bad choices can we just realistically not avoid. Such as alcohol and sweets and and and...yeah the list goes on and on. I have my vices as well and will not be a hypocrit and tell you to not drink alcohol or eat chocolate or any nonsense. I mentioned earlier that we only get one chance in life and I meant it. Life is too short to not enjoy it. I enjoy chocolate. Correction I am a chocoholic. And I enjoy quality alcohol in moderation...full disclosure. But the only two ways that I've ever been able to keep my vices in check is again to be aware. Meaning I'm aware that excessive amounts of the vices is awful. In fact excessive amounts of good/healthy stuff can be awful. So...the key is moderation that's the first one. The second one is be aware with the consumption of the vices means you have to put the work in to compensate for the vices. So keep in mind Vices in=WORK/EXERCISE OUT. If you do the deed then you have to pay the price YOU UNDERSTAND? That may not be much insight or anything new you have heard but I bet it is probably more than you ever tried. If you need help email me at koenigfitness@gmail.com. If we help 1 person then awesome and if we don't help anybody at least it won't be for lack of effort damnit!!!Tomorrow is now.........San Antonio Chris.

Vices...

This can be a vice as well as many other things such as alcohol, fast food, tobacco, etc...

Reference to Metabolism

Chris thx for the reminder on metabolism. I'm trying to remember all the things u used to constantly throw at me. Breakfast water yada yada it all makes a huge difference. I need to get back on track. Miss our workouts man and keep the posts coming.

Tip 3/30 Vices

We all have our vices. Sweets....alcohol.....chips. Tomorrow we will discuss how to handle them. San Antonio Chris

Tip 2 / 30 Metabolism

Metabolism. What is it? Metabolism is basically all of the processes in our body that help us maintain life. Why is it important for being healthy and fit. In order for any of us to lose weight we have to burn calories. Obviously working out and exercising burns calories but we can't do tha 24 hours a day 7 days a week. But the need to burn calories is still there. That is where metabolism comes into play. Metabolism burns calories. How many calories burned is the prized question. That answer varies but you can boost your metabolism to start burning more calories. That is the goal. So how do we boost metabolism? Well tip 1 was water which metabolism imperatively needs. Also exercise. Consistent exercise is a must. Then is the manner in which we eat. The better the choices we make and the more consistent we are the more our metabolism is boosted and burns calories which again is the optimum goal. And don't start to tell me that you have a slow metabolism because of your genetics. Empirical research shows that at most you can only blame your genetics for approximately 25% of how your metabolism functions so drop that BS already....seriously. For more tips on how to boost your metabolism email koenigfitness@gmail.com. If we help 1 person then awesome and if we don't help anybody at least it won't be for lack of effort damnit! Tomorrow is now........San Antonio Chris.

Tip 2 of 30 ...Metabolsim

Metabolsim is key. Look for it tomorrow.

Tip 1 of 30

Tip 1 San Antonio ...Water. Yeah you hear it all the time yet everytime you never listen. Look being healthier and fitter is not rocket science. That's right for the most part it's already been figured out. Yet we still don't listen and always ask "what could we do differently to shed a few lbs or burn some fat." In most frames of thought doing the same thing or things over and over repeatedly yet expecting a different result is literally considered crazy. Those thoughts are 100% right. Seriously.....thinking that doing the same thing over and over would could possibly yield a different result is crazy!!! Anyways back to water. Ok water obviously hydrates our bodies but for purposes in terms of burning fat and losing weight and getting fit and toning up and being healthier.......you get the point I hope. Water is one of the best weapons. Water is a severely under utilized component in boosting metabolism. We have all heard the word metabolism. Metabolism is the key. More to come on that tomorrow. So water it up San Antonio. About 1 gallon a day to precise. It seems like a lot but it will improve everything trust me. If you don't finish the gallon of water but come close that's ok. Aim small miss small. If we help 1 person then awesome and if we don't help anybody at least it won't be for lack of effort damnit! Tomorrow is nw.....San Antonio Chris.

Tip 1 coming tomorrow but first...

I'm Hispanic and German and proud to be of both those descents. San Antonio is clearly and proudly dominated by the Hispanic/Latino culture. So many of you will say its genetic or part of our culture but what does that mean. Being obese is part of our culture...being diabetic is part of our culture...come on now!! That's completely ridiculous and quite honestly a cop out. We as a city have made excuse upon excuse and continue to BS ourselves into thinking everything is fine. Admit that we need to change and make that decision damnit!!! I'm only 30 years old but it's blatantly and painfully obvious how overweight we and our children have become in 30 short years. I'll get off my soapbox but please if anybody wants to try to challenge me otherwise about this being a cultural or genetic issue please bring it!! If we help 1 person then awesome and if we don't help anybody at least it won't be for lack of effort damnit!! Tomorrow is now.....San Antonio Chris

AWARENESS

Now look in the mirror....and now look around you...San Antonio please be brutally honest with yourselves. We are bigggg. Way to big. Dangerously big. Now I'm all about being comfortable in my own or your own skin but we can't Live in utter denial. I'm not gonna tell anybody what they "should" or "should not" look like, but when San Antonio has been in the top 10 "Fattest Cities in the Nation" for the past few years it's clearly evident that we are Fat. And not just Fat but to the point where it has become a clear epidemic. We sadly are also in the top for child obesity. Come on now!!! FIRST STEP IS AWARENESS AND ADMITTANCE. We have to be AWARE of the condition that we have not only put ourselves in but also our future (I.e.our children). ADMIT that no we don't look good nor do we feel good. Ask anybody who is diabetic and ask them how they feel. Go sit in a dialysis clinic and tell me what you think. Never a good feeling to lose your vision or be forced to amputate any of your body parts due to being severely overweight/obese which leads to diabetes. So to start for the next 30 days we will give 30 healthy tips. 30 healthy tips for the next 30 days. Everybody please feel free to share input or advice. This needs to be a group awareness. If we help 1 person then awesome and if not then at least it won't be for lack of effort damnit!! Tomorrow is now........San Antonio Chris

Tomorrow is now --1/20/12

Coming tomorrow AWARENESS... STAY TUNED

GetFitAlamoCity--Greetings

Greetings Alamo City. My name is Chris Koenig. I'm a personal trainer and certified nutruitionist/nutrition enthusiast with 12 years experience in the health and wellness field. I am by no means ans expert but I do have a sincere desire to help people mprove their quality of life (QOL). I have lived in San Anotnio since 2004 and am proud to call it home. What I am not proud of the alarmingly high rate of obesity in our city. I have no intentions to offend anybody and every honest intention to help as many that our willing. We need to wake up and become proactive in improving the way we live for ourselves and for our future. If I offend anybody now or in the future I don't apologize. We only live once and there are no dress rehearsals in life. If I / we help one person then awesome And if we don't help anyone then at least it won't be for lack of effort damnit!!! Stay tuned for more to come soon...Plz!!! San Antonio Chris