Terre Pruitt's Blog

September 2016
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I Finally Cooked Spaghetti Squash

Posted by terrepruitt on September 28, 2016

I often see people on my Facebook feed comment about how difficult it is to cut butternut squash. I just figured they didn’t have very sharp knives. I mean, it doesn’t slice easily, but it is not really difficult. It is not as hard as some other fruits and vegetables. I also always see a bunch of recipes for spaghetti squash. It could be that the fervor of it has calmed down a bit, but for a while there was a spaghetti squash recipe on my feed at least once a day. But not once did I see anything about cutting spaghetti squash being difficult. Not once did I see that as one of the main things about spaghetti squash, as I often heard in regards to butternut squash. Whew! What the heck is up with spaghetti squash? I thought I was going to break my knife. I love my knife and I would have been very upset, so I was trying to be a bit careful . . . but what is up with that??? I had to cook it for four minutes before I could BARELY break the skin. Then I had to cook it for two more to get to the middle. That stuff is TOUGH!!!

So . . . anyway . . . after all this time I finally got around to trying spaghetti squash. We liked it. It was good. I am curious if we liked it because it had ground beef on it. When I planned the dinner, I thought I had a jar of red sauce, but I didn’t. So my red sauce with meat faux spaghetti dinner did not materialize. Instead we had ground beef with garlic butter on spaghetti squash. It was good. It was really good especially the second night when I cooked it more. The first night I was — as usual – starting late and I had no idea it would take so long to cut and cook. I would have preferred to roast it in the oven, but it happened to be over 90° F that day and I didn’t want to turn on the oven. So I used the microwave.

Another thing I had not heard anyone say when making this for dinner was the challenge in shredding the squash out. I mean, it wasn’t HARD per se, but it was a challenge because the dang squash is so hot. It is tricky to hold and scrape at the same time.

Anyway, here is what I did. But, keep in mind, anything with ground beef on it, is so yummy.

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Spaghetti Squash With Ground Beef and Garlic Butter

Water
shallow casserole dish
1 spaghetti squash
salt
lid (to the dish) or plastic wrap, wax paper
half of a medium onion, chopped
half of a pound of ground beef
Italian Seasoning
garlic salt
two tablespoons of butter
three cloves of minced garlic

Put water in a shallow casserole dish, about halfway up the side of the dish. Then try to poke a whole or two in the squash and cook it on high (in the microwave) for six minutes. If your microwave does not have a rotating turntable, turn the dish every two minutes.

Once you can, cut the squash cut it in half – lengthwise. Take out all the squash “guts” and seeds. Place each half in the dish – cut side up. Cook in the microwave on high for six minutes with the cover on the dish, or use the plastic wrap, or wax paper.

Take the dish out and salt the cut sides of the spaghetti squash. Then cook for ten minutes with the cover on the dish, or use the plastic wrap, or wax paper. (Again, remember to turn the dish every two or three minutes if your microwave does not do that for you).

While the squash is cooking prepare your topping/sauce.

Heat up a pan with olive oil or coconut oil. Then cook the onions. Then add the half of a pound of ground beef. Add some Italian Seasoning and salt. Cook until beef is done.

In another pan, heat up two tablespoons of butter. Once melted add a few cloves of minced garlic. Cook for a few minutes.

Check the squash. It should be really soft. A fork should insert easily with no pressure required. If you think it is ready (mine was not) then take it out of the microwave. If you think it needs to cook more, sprinkle on more salt, then cook it for six to ten more minutes. Then take it out and let it cool a little.

Then use one fork to hold the squash as you use another fork to shred and scrape the flesh of the squash out.

Put the shredded squash in a dish, toss with the garlic butter. Then put the beef in the dish and toss. Serve with Parmesan cheese on top.

(Total squash cooking time: 32 minutes)

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I don’t think the squash will hold up to a red sauce but my husband does, so I might try that, as that was the original plan. But, even if not, I will definitely cook it again. It was good, but it was NOTHING like spaghetti. It was sweet. It was stringy. It was good. I am thinking chicken and mushrooms . . . that sounds good to me. Also, roasted. I can’t wait to roast it!

So what are your tips on how to cook spaghetti squash? How do you shred it? What do you mix with it?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: Butternut squash, Facebook feed, ground beef with garlic butter, microwaved spaghetti squash, roasted spaghetti squash, spaghetti squash recipe | Leave a Comment »

Can You Spot The Marketing Mistakes?

Posted by terrepruitt on September 26, 2016

Marketing Gurus and People, can you see anything wrong with this e-mail? Can you perhaps give Dan some advice?

I really don’t care for people telling me they can do things, such as this e-mail in which Dan claims his company has helped YYoga generate 1,000 new registrations in 48 hours. Most of the time, just like with this e-mail, it is clear the person trying to get my business has not even taken the time to look at or read my website. If Dan would have taken 60 seconds to read my website, he might have come to the correct conclusion that I am not a fitness center. I do not own a fitness center. He might have noticed that I am a Nia and yoga teacher that primarily works for the City of San Jose and the YMCA. He might have concluded that I do teach at other places when I am hired to do so . . . and I can even do types of personal training be it Nia, Yoga, or something related to working out and exercise. But I am not a fitness center.

I have people call me all the time to tell me they can “get me on page one of a Google search.” I, of course, get excited 😉 and then I ask them, “For what?” and they can never answer me. So, how can I put my faith in them to “get me on page one of a Google search” when they don’t even know what I do? What search would that be the front page for? And would I be at the TOP, the first one, on that front page or down at the bottom? But they can’t even tell me what I do so they have no idea. I know that unless you are Google calling me and I pay top dollar, I am not going to get on the front page for many searches. But I also know that I AM on the first page when you “Google” certain things. I just get very confused and frustrated by these people who waste my time.

If you are not going to do a little bit of research and actually try to sell something the person actually might need and something you can actually provide, then don’t bother. You waste everyone’s time when you don’t know what you are talking about.

In the first e-mail Dan says that he helped a company generate 1,000 new registrations in 48 hours. In the second one he says the company “acquired 1,000 new members in less than 48 hours”. That really doesn’t mean anything either. So what? 1000 new registrants. Did they PAY something? Or was this just a free registry? How many actually signed up and paid for a service that the company offers? Oh yes, out of 1000 people you would think something became of it, but what? What does this e-mail even mean?

Also, he would “love to tell me more”? Well, I would hope so because as I have already begun to say, he hasn’t really told me anything. I mean, in addition to the useless information he provided, he didn’t provide me with a company name, a title, a phone number or anything. Again, in my opinion, not a very good marketing person . . . I guess he feels since HE doesn’t do any research into his prospects they must not do any research into the companies they might consider talking to and working with.

I get this type of sub-par solicitation all the time. It just blows my mind. So, no, I don’t have 15 minutes for a call this week, when clearly you didn’t take 15 minutes to do some research. But you know, perhaps Debbie does. 🙂

What do you Marketing People think?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: City of San Jose Exercise Instructor, marketing gurus, marketing people, Nia Teacher, SJCity Fit Exercise Instructor, sub-par solicitation, YMCA Group Exercise Instructor, yoga teacher, Yyoga | Leave a Comment »

Sample Stretch Class

Posted by terrepruitt on September 23, 2016

Some people might wonder what a stretch class is like Not the difference between yoga and stretch, but what a stretch class is like, what we do in class. I am sure all stretch classes are a bit different. My feeling is that basically you want to stretch the entire body. Different bodies are going to have different needs. Someone might have really tight hamstrings and perhaps need a lot of stretches that stretch the hamstrings. Some people might have tight calves and need a lot of stretches that stretch the calves. Someone might not have chronically tight triceps, but might need a good stretch for them because they used them a lot the day before. So there might be some people with specific needs, but everyone can usually use a full body stretch. So I thought I would share a stretch workout we have done so you can see what a class might be like. As with a Nia class that has a “map” of seven cycles consisting of setting your focus and intent, stepping In, warm up, get moving, cool down, and floorplay, in our stretch classes I use the body. I basically go from head to toe. We just start at the top and work our way down. Sometimes we do some middle work in between because I want us to be standing and it is what we can do standing. Or we might do some foot stretches while we are seated in the beginning, but generally I like to work from head to toe.

The “13 joint” in this sample the Nia Thirteen Joints Exercise. That is just one way to get the 13 major joints moving. “Posture” is just us setting up with a long spine for the movements to come. The “bend” is where we are standing and we keep our weight evenly distributed over each foot and bend left then right, closing one side and opening the other. Then the lean is where we shift our weight to get a stretch. “Peacock” is what I learned the movement as, where you clasp your hands behind your back then fold over and let your hands fall over your head to the earth. I cannot remember where I learned it as that, but that is what I call it.

The “on all four hip circles” is being on all fours and moving your hips to the left, back, right, then forward, then reversing and going the other direction. Hug (alt.) is literally hugging yourself with one arm on top then switching so the other arm is on top. Great way to open the shoulder area in the back. “Wind releases” are hugging one leg to the chest then the other.

We hold each stretch about 30 seconds. Sometimes it might take us longer than anticipated to get into a stretch or I might see some really uncomfortable people, so I adjust. If someone walks in with an obvious issue or states something or has a request we can switch things up. It is very flexible. Ha, ha, ha. That is what we are working towards.

Any questions? Care to join us? Care to try this at home?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: Nia class, Nia Thirteen Joints Exercise, stretch calves, stretch class, stretch hamstrings, stretch triceps, wind releases | Leave a Comment »

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Is Saying, “Too Much!”

Posted by terrepruitt on September 19, 2016

Have you heard that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has banned antibacterial soap? Well, it doesn’t sound as if they are actually banning antibacterial soap and products, they are just banning most of the chemicals found in over-the-counter “consumer antiseptic wash products (including liquid, foam, gel hand soaps, bar soaps, and body washes).” The FDA is stating that “there isn’t enough science to show that over-the-counter (OTC) antibacterial soaps are better at preventing illness than washing with plain soap and water.” There is nothing proving that there is any benefit to using them. You may have heard the debate about antibacterial soap and products actually doing the opposite of helping us stay healthy. Some say that they actually could be making us more sick because they could possibly lead to bacteria that is resistant to antibiotics. Bacteria seems smart in that it gets strong when it comes up against something that is fighting it. In addition to the conclusion that antibacterial soap is not better than washing with regular soap and water, the FDA is saying that the manufacturers of said products have not proven that the products are safe to use over the long term. So, they have ruled that the chemicals used to create such products will be banned.

Many medical professionals and scientists believe that just washing your hands with soap and water will help prevent the spread of germs. Theresa M. Michele, MD, of the FDA’s Division of Nonprescription Drug Products is quoted on the website as saying:

“Following simple handwashing practices is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of many types of infection and illness at home, at school and elsewhere. We can’t advise this enough. It’s simple, and it works.”

Hand sanitizers and hand wipes, are not affected by this ban. Neither is antibacterial soaps used in hospitals.

According to Wiki:

“Antibacterial soap is a type of cleaning product which contain chemical ingredients that purportedly assist in killing bacteria. Such chemicals frequently include triclosan, triclocarban, and chloroxylenol.”

It looks as if one of the main concerns is a chemical called Triclosan. This is the one that has been shown to affect hormones in animals. Also, this is the one thought to help the bacteria get strong and become resistant to antibiotics. This chemical is used in pesticides along with a host of consumer products. So it seems as if we are being exposed to a lot of it — all the time. So the FDA has decided to have it taken out of the soap.

In addition to Triclosan, there are eighteen other chemicals used in antibacterial soap that are being banned. The documents states:

“SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, we, or the Agency) is issuing this final rule establishing that certain active ingredients used in over-the-counter (OTC) consumer antiseptic products intended for use with water (referred to throughout this document as consumer antiseptic washes) are not generally recognized as safe and effective (GRAS/GRAE) and are misbranded.”

It appears as if the manufacturers of such products have about a year to comply. But according to many things I have read on the internet many manufacturers are beginning to make the changes now. Could be they are just changing the labels, I mean who really knows with this stuff, right? Not every product is tested. I imagine if making the product without these chemicals is less expensive then with, then yeah, they will change their recipes eventually, since consumers are now being told they are on the non-GRAS list.

So what do you think about this? What do you think about antibacterial soap?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: banned antibacterial soap, chloroxylenol, FDA, FDA's Division of Nonprescription Drug Products, non-GRAE, non-GRAS, over-the-counter consumer antiseptic wash products, resistant to antibiotics, triclocarban, triclosan, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Wiki | 6 Comments »

Sweet And Spicy Mixed Nuts

Posted by terrepruitt on September 14, 2016

So, this is kind of a “cheat” because it is so close to the Sweet and Savory Mixed Nuts, ha, in fact it is, but with minor changes. But there were enough for me to have to make note of it and I thought I might as well put it online since having recipes online helps me a lot. Plus I thought someone else might want to make the sweet and savory nuts sweet and spicy nuts. I actually did not try them because I knew they would be too hot for me. The last time I made them I put one packet of crushed red peppers in them and my hubby said that it was not really that hot. So this time I upped a few things.

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Sweet and Spicy Mixed Nuts

–1 cup raw unsalted almonds
–1 cup walnuts
–1 cup raw unsalted pepitas
–1 cup raw unsalted pecans
–2 tablespoons olive oil
–1 tablespoon and 2.5 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
–1 teaspoon thyme
–1 teaspoon crushed rosemary leaves
–1 HEAPING teaspoon rosemary leaves
–1 teaspoon cumin
–1 teaspoon salt
–1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
–1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
–3 packets of crushed red peppers / flakes
–sea salt
–brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Mix the nuts together. Mix the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, rosemary, cumin, salt, syrup cayenne pepper, and ONE packet of crushed red peppers together. Then mix in the nuts. Stir to make sure nuts are well coated. Then spread the nuts out on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Spread the nuts out, you want them somewhat in just one layer. Then, sprinkle with one packet of crushed red peppers / flakes, bake at 350° F for 10 minutes.

Then stir the nuts and spread them out again, making at thin layer. Sprinkle with another packet of crushed red peppers / flakes, some sea salt, AND brown sugar (not a lot, just a sprinkle over all of the nuts) bake for 10 more minutes.

Then stir the nuts one more time and let bake for 10 more minutes.

Then take them out of the oven to cool. You have a choice while cooling, you can stir them to break them up or you can let them cool in one big chunk or chunks. It depends on how you like to eat your nuts.

______________________________________________

Basically, let nuts and more of everything else, and the addition of the crushed red peppers / flakes. That is what the original recipe, the one my friend made for us for Christmas, had in it. But I don’t like spicy hot so I adjusted the recipe. I was originally making the nuts for me, since my hubby doesn’t normally like nuts. But when I make them he liked them so I make more – as I said with one packet of crushed red peppers / flakes, but that wasn’t enough, so I added more. I think it might be enough.

I mean I could just continue adding more until they are just hot nuts, but the sweet needs to come through, too. I wish I could taste them. I just can’t/won’t because a burning mouth is just not comfortable for me.

I think next time I will experiment with adding another flavor, like GARLIC!

So, do you like spicy food? Would these work for you, ya think?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: Christmas, maple syrup, spicy hot food, Sweet and Savory Mixed Nuts, Sweet-and-Spicy Mixed Nuts, Worcestershire Sauce | 8 Comments »

Yoga At Home

Posted by terrepruitt on September 12, 2016

I like to go to yoga classes because when I do yoga at home by myself, I tend to turn it into creating a yoga class. I will start thinking about poses I can do with my students and I will start thinking about how to cue them. Basically, I get distracted away from practice and it becomes a “choreography” session. Or I see something that needs to be done/cleaned/fixed and I know that if I don’t do it right then I will forget. Or the cats come in and BE right where I am trying to practice. My focus just is not there. Sometimes it is, but rarely. So, that is one reason I like to go to yoga classes. But sometimes I want to stay home. It helps to have a yoga application, something telling me what to do. I have one application that allows me to make up routines. I have made up some routines. I have them saved and I like that. I use the application. It is time consuming making up routines with that application, though. So I use the ones I have but sometimes I want something different. Sadly that application is no longer available, at least I can’t find it, so I can’t recommend it. I would like to because it is really cool. But I did find another one that I like. I actually paid for the one that I mentioned, but this one, the new one, I am just using the free version and it is pretty cool. It is called Down Dog.

With the free version there are few things you don’t have a choice about, but I’m ok with that.. I have only used it about five or six times, so it could be that if I use it more it will start repeating itself or I might want more choice s but for now it is great.

You have a choice of Sequence Type, Pace, Playlist Type, and Length.

Looks like you have to become a member to have access to the “Advanced” Sequence Type. But in the free version in there is Beginner 1, Beginner 2, Intermediate, Beginner Restorative, and Intermediate Restorative. That is pretty nice. I think.

In the free version you are limited in your choice of pace. You can only choose “normal”. As a member you can choose: Slowest, Slower, Faster, and Fastest. I feel that “Normal” is perfect. I can’t imagine Faster or Fastest. Wow. I guess if you don’t want to stay in a pose at all. I mean, I don’t feel like “normal” keeps me I a pose very long. It is a nice paced vinyasa class. Oh, and speaking of the length of time in a pose. I am usually just listening to her and not looking so much. I might look to make sure I am in the right pose, but WHILE I am in the pose, I don’t look at my iPad. So it took me until the fifth time to notice that when she keeps us in a pose there is a little timer in the corner. That is cool. Sometimes knowing when it is going to end helps you stay in the pose. At least for me. Do you ever find that to be true?

Then there is the Playlist. I tried the Alt. Beats, but it was not for me and my practice. I actually have a lot of music that I like to play while practicing yoga. I like to have a separate device playing the music. I have found that in apps in order to hear the instruction I have to have it turned up really loud and they don’t always have separate volume for music so then the music ends up being too loud. I cannot speak to how this music is in regards to that because I don’t use it. But as a member you have more choices.

Then there is the Length of practice, the choices are: 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 30 minutes, 35 minutes, 40 minutes, 45 minutes, 50 minutes, 60 minutes, 70 minutes, 80 minutes, and 90 minutes. How cool is that? She gives you the option to do a 15 minutes yoga practice. Then you can go all the way up to 90 minutes. Nice.

One of the best parts of this application is the voice of the person giving the instruction. It is Adrienne Kimberley, the creator of the app, to me she has the perfect yoga voice. Not too loud, not too harsh, just right. I also really like her cues.

After you choose between your options you touch “Start Practice” and the application lets you know it is putting your routine together. Then she begins to speak and you are on your way. When I first tried it I did the beginner routine and while I would say, “Ok, they are beginner routines.” I would not say it is for someone new to yoga. It is not “an introduction to yoga”. It helps if you know some of the asana. But, if you need assistance with learning the poses, there is a “Pose Breakdown” in the about section of the application. That links to Youtube where it looks like Adrienne has recorded breakdowns of the poses. So she has got you covered.

Another great thing about this application is, you can pause it. That is so awesome. I have done other ones where you can’t pause it. And while I don’t want to make it a habit of pausing because that interrupts the flow, sometimes you HAVE to pause. I don’t like to miss a second so it is nice to be able to pause it when I have to put my hair up, or adjust the volume of the music on my other device. Or just give up (having the cats in the room) and kick the cats out of the room. You can also repeat a pose or skip a pose.

So, of you are looking for a great free yoga application you might want to give Down Dog try. I wouldn’t be surprised if you liked it so much you became a member.

How do you practice yoga at home?

Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: Adrienne Kimberley, Down Dog yoga application, free application, home yoga practice, perfect yoga pace, Vinyasa Yoga, yoga applications, yoga classes, Yoga focus, yoga routines, yoga teacher, yoga voice | 4 Comments »

The Difference Between Yoga And Stretch

Posted by terrepruitt on September 9, 2016

Currently I am lucky enough to teach yoga classes and a stretch class. And I say “lucky” because I was asked to do these classes but they can be cancelled at any time. Class attendance needs to stay up or the classes can get cancelled. This is the case with pretty much any type of exercise class at any type of place . . . a gym, a club, a parks and recs department, etc. Ok, but where I am actually going with this post is: people ask me all the time what the difference is between yoga and stretch. Well, my first thought is my post “More To Yoga Than Just Asana,” but that would only help to explain what yoga is and not what we do in a stretch class. Because I teach gentle yoga classes people are curious about the difference. It makes sense since they seem the same, but there are differences. In addition to breathing yoga is different from stretch by a few points.

In regards to the way I do my gentle yoga and my stretch classes here are some of the differences:

—In yoga we work on more than just flexibility, we also work on balance and strength. In stretch we focus mainly on STRETCHING muscles and, to a lesser extent, connective tissue. We are not working either in a stabilizing or strengthening capacity.

—The poses in yoga have names, at least two, the English name and a Sanskrit name. In stretch my instruction is usually something like, “move your arm here or there” as I show them how to get into the stretch. Sometimes I do refer to an asana by name that is similar because many of the students do take yoga also, so they know what to do when I say the name of a pose.

—Some people “can’t do” yoga, but they CAN stretch. :-) Seriously, invite someone to a yoga class and they will say, “I can’t do yoga, I’m not flexible enough.” Invite them to a stretch class and they say, “Oh! I need to stretch.”

—With yoga, people seem to want to “get” somewhere. They want to be able to “do” a specific pose. With stretching, even though they might be able to bend deeper or more fully as time goes on, there doesn’t seem to be the urge or need to “get there”. With stretch the journey seems more important than the destination. Although it really is supposed to be the same way for yoga.

Another question I am always asked is, “Are you on the floor the whole hour?” No, but we don’t go up and down as much as in my gentle yoga classes. In both my gentle yoga classes and my stretch classes we do poses/stretches standing up and on the floor.

Stretching is so good for you. We all should be doing it, even if we don’t weight train or run marathons, it is really good to stretch the muscles. But many of us need a class, something we are committed to doing in order to actually take the time to stretch. I am happy to help in that area and teach a class.

Do you stretch?

Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: balance, flexibility, More To Yoga Than Just Asana, muscle stretching, strength, stretch class, stretching exercises, Yoga class, yoga poses | Leave a Comment »

Cow Guy With Needle In Haunch

Posted by terrepruitt on September 5, 2016

What? “cow guy with needle in haunch.” That came up in the “top searches” on my blog. I read it over and over thinking, “What?” And even more disturbing . . . “it sounds familiar.” The more I think about it, the more I think I know something about it, but I can’t remember what. This situation is very weird and disturbing to me. Cow guy with needle in haunch . . . . . . . . hmmmmm . . . it will come to me. I bet just as I am about to press publish I will remember and then I will have to scrap this whole thing and think of another post. It is at the edge of my brain. I am sure it has to do with a TV show that my husband and I watch because I have no other connection to a “cow guy.” I might have a connection to a needle in a haunch, but more like the skin of neck. Hmmmmm . . . . don’t you hate that? When you think something is familiar but you have no idea why? It is like that thing on the tip of your tongue. Or the thing on the edge of your brain or in the corner of your mind. But what I don’t know is why that is a top search on my blog. Even if I was searching for it because it has to do with a TV show we watch, why is it on my blog?

Next top searches are: wrist blood pressure higher than arm, granola for gout, piyo satya. The search terms used to be so much more useful but then a long time ago Google changed the way they did things and so the information we get on WordPress is pretty useless. At least WordPress claims it was Google’s fault for the change. I don’t really know. I do know that at one point I used the searches to sometimes come up with post topics. I figured if people were looking for the information I could write about it.

But in this case (“cow guy with needle in haunch”). I got nothing. I am somewhat wondering. Is it the cow with the needle in its haunch or the guy who has something to do with cows? Kinda sounds like there is a guy who has something to do with cows so he is called “cow guy” and HE has a needle in his haunch. What kind of needle? This search just really raises a lot more questions then there could ever be answers, don’t you think?

I kind of wish that people would have to explain WHY they were searching for the things they do. But then I think about it more and realize that something like that could actually be pretty terrifying. Eeeeek!

The highest search that comes up on my blog is the wrist monitor for blood pressure. Always surprises me. That is always the top search. Which takes people to my post Blood Pressure Monitors – It’s All In the Wrist.

In regards to that, a few months ago, my father, my husband, and I were sitting around the table and my wrist blood pressure monitor happen to be on the table. We were talking about the accuracy of it. My husband took his blood pressure. Then I took mine. After I took mine, my father said, “Oh so it doesn’t work. It must be broke.” And I just smiled and said, “I don’t know. Ok. Take yours.” Then he took his and it came up accurate according to his normal rates (my dad takes his blood pressure enough and has it taken enough he knows what his is). And he said, “Oh.” He felt it was pretty accurate. I always take it three times when I take it. I just took it now: 91/62 ❤ 55 and 103/65 ❤ 60 and 84/65 ❤ 60 I honestly think it has a lot to do with Nia.

Everyday I see more and more post on Facebook with links to how dance is really good for you. I don’t read any of them, because I know. I don’t read them because if you don’t like to dance then it doesn’t really matter. Me telling you that they have done studies about how great it is for your health, if you don’t like to do it, you’re not just gonna start because it is good for you. And I don’t need to read it for me, because I know. I do believe Nia helps blood pressure, just like any mind-body or body-mind practice.

Anyway . . . I started off wondering about an odd search term and ended up on blood pressure which brought me to Nia because I think Nia helps with mine. How is that for sitting down and just typing/writing?

What kind of search odd search terms do you see on your blog? Do you do any type of mind-body or body-mind practice? Yoga? Pilates? Meditation? Chanting?

Posted in Misc, Nia | Tagged: body-mind practice, chanting, cow guy with needle in haunch, dancing is good for you, granola for gout, lower blood pressure, meditation, Mind-body practice, Nia, Nia Practice, Pilates, PiYo, top searches on Wordpress.com blog, wrist blodd pressure monitor, Yoga, Yoga Practice | Leave a Comment »

Quick Re-Visit Of Somethings

Posted by terrepruitt on August 31, 2016

I have some follow up information on some of the posts I have posted:

I made another batch of Sweet and Savory Mixed Nuts, actually I made two. I made one like before actually sweet and savory, and I made a sweet and spicy. I didn’t measure the cayenne pepper, I just sprinkled a lot more in the mixture. I also found a packet of crushed hot red pepper flakes in the refrigerator, ya know the kind you get when you order pizza to be delivered? I used a package of those. So I don’t know how much that is. But last I heard it was a good amount. When I first told John he said, “Is that all?” And I reminded him I am not really trying to make them HOT, just give them a little warmth. But then he ate them and said it was a perfect amount. But ya know, sometimes with things like this it seems like the spices can be all in one spot. But hopefully the batch he took to work this morning for a snack was just as good.

Our cats, formerly known as Smokey and Esmeralda, have adjusted to their new names. They are now Teagan and Nessa. My hubby and I are convinced that Teagan actually likes her name as about the same time we decided to change it she became a little bit more affectionate. I think that Nessa likes her new name too, now, but she was quick to warm up to it. Who knows if cats actually care, but it SEEMS like they do.

When I taught yoga at The Dancing Cat earlier this month, I forgot to mention that they have adopted out eight one cats! That is awesome. I am not sure if that number has gone up, but I am hoping for them to hit at least 100 when they close in November. Again, them closing in November is the last I heard, but perhaps that has changed.

Awhile back I posted about this sugar that I had purchased because it was the only kind in the store. I had posted about it because I thought that maybe since it was less processed it actually “lasted” longer in the hummingbird feeders. By “lasted” longer I meant it didn’t get grungy as fast. Well, I have to take that back as I think it didn’t get grungy because the birds were eating it so fast. We have had a very active hummingbird community this year. It is really cool. Over the many years that we have lived here we have probably had about 10 hummingbirds at a time come into the yard to feed. But there is usually one very possessive bird that thinks he rules the yard and he spends most of his time chasing all the other birds off. This year they all seem to chase each other around, but no one bird stands out as the boss. And we have had more birds than ever. It is really cool. I filled five of our six feeders on Friday, today is Wednesday and I filled three again today. I filled one yesterday. So in about five days I had to refill our feeders.

Speaking of hummingbird feeders, I still maintain that our old hummingbird feeder, the one that is really difficult to clean, is still the favorite amongst the birds. They will always empty that one first. It always has the most birds around it. I really think they can get to the nectar better because of the way it is designed. I can’t get in and clean it better because the way it is designed, but I think they like it best. The birds do eat off the other ones, but they don’t get emptied as fast as the old one. The new ones, though, as so awesome to clean. It literally takes less than five minutes each to soap ’em up, scrub ’em down, and rinse them out. I love it.

We are planning on taking down at least three of the feeders this winter. I will leave up the two large easy to clean ones and the small one that is super easy to clean. The hummingbirds LOVE that one. We take down the oriole feeder, the hard to clean feeder, and the hummingbird bar. Any birds that are still around will still have enough to eat. If as many birds that are around now, stay around, I will keep up all the feeders, but the numbers seem to dwindle in October. We will see.

Well, that is all for the updates for now. I have thought to do a post on some of these things, but then realized none of them really warrant an entire post on its own, so I am lumping it all together!

Posted in Birds, Cats, Misc, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: Cat adoption lounge, cayenne pepper, hummingbird bar, hummingbird feeders, Hummingbirds, Smokey and Esmeralda, Sweet and Savory Mixd Nuts, Sweet and Spicy Nuts, Teagan and Nessa, the dancing cat | Leave a Comment »

Negative Stuff At The Beach Is Positive

Posted by terrepruitt on August 29, 2016

My last post having something to do with the beach was in April, when my hubby and I had a little get-away. While many people go to the beach much more often, it is pretty good for me to have gotten to the beach again only four and a half months later. I was going with a friend to take a Nia class over the hill. After the class we were going to go have breakfast then go to the ocean. We always figure if we drive over the hill we might as well go to the ocean. Turns out, the Nia class wasn’t being held but we decided to go over the hill anyway. First we had breakfast at a place not too far from the ocean. Then we sat there, at the breakfast place, talking for about an hour. It was kind of overcast and we had no plans so we weren’t in a hurry. But we finally did make it to the beach. It was awesome. Just a handful of people and a nice little cloud cover. First we walked one way on the beach, then back the other way. Then we decided to sit down. The weather was perfect! The sun actually came out around noon. We just talked and enjoyed the ocean. We were immersing ourselves in the negative ions.

I had heard this a long time ago, but never looked into it until now. And I barely glanced into it. But I can tell you that what I am seeing out there in the way of information is that the air is full of invisible particles called ions. Sometimes these ions can be positively charged or negatively charged. Oddly enough, it is the negatively charged or “negative ions” that can possibly have a positive effect on us.

According to an article on WebMD:

The director of research at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences in Charlotte, N.C. is quoted as saying, “Generally speaking, negative ions increase the flow of oxygen to the brain; resulting in higher alertness, decreased drowsiness, and more mental energy.”

The article further states:

Once they reach our bloodstream, negative ions are believed to produce biochemical reactions that increase levels of the mood chemical serotonin, helping to alleviate depression, relieve stress, and boost our daytime energy.

When I heard of negative ions long ago, I had only heard of the ocean as being a place to experience them. Or if other places were mentioned I only remember the ocean. But the WebMD article mentions mountains, waterfalls, and even the shower. So there might be more to it than just feeling good when you are in these places because you are not at work. It could be because of the negative ions in the air.

Unfortunately watching the video or playing it on your computer or device will not give you the same effects. No negative ions via video, but I thought I would share it anyway. Along with some pictures.