Archive for December, 2012
Posted by terrepruitt on December 31, 2012
WOW! The last day. The last day of 2012. The last day of the 2012 December 30 Minute Movement Challenge! So much excitement, who can handle it?
How do you feel? Do you feel good having done a month worth of moving for at least 30 minutes? Do you think you can continue? Do you need to check in? Talk to me.
I am teaching Nia this morning. We will see if I get an additional 30 minutes in! I don’t know that I will, but I do know that I will make certain to get in at least 30 minutes on New Year’s Day. There is a Nia class . . . . maybe I will go to that?
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I wish you a spectacular 2013. I look forward to seeing you back here next year!
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, Happy New Year, last day of 2012, Nia, Nia class, teaching Nia | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 30, 2012
So it is almost the new year. 2013. Wow, huh? Only today and tomorrow left of both 2012 and the December 30 Minute Movement Challenge. How did you do? Do you feel it is nice to have a challenge to encourage you? I do. As I commented about Christmas Day, I wouldn’t have moved off the couch if it weren’t for my challenge. I guess I would be entitled to one day, but still . . . .
I think moving is really important and I liked our little deal to help us move!
I’ll be back to let you know I did at least 30 minutes on this Sunday!
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Christmas, Christmas Day, Day #30, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, New Year 2013 | 3 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 29, 2012
I always forget about the last post of the year. I mean, I know that I am writing one because it is eventually going to happen, but I don’t think of it as being special. I know a couple of years my hubby has suggested a “blog review” or something and I know I have done that before. But to do that every year is tiring I think. I do love the Holidays and the decorations and I am sad when they have to come down. A lot of people have certain dates and/or days on which they take theirs down. I like to wait until after the first of January and then the exact day usually just depends on timing. When is my hubby going to be around to help me with all of the boxes? When we will have the most time? When do we really want it all to go away? If he is not going to be around when I want it done, then I just do it myself. So I am not stuck on any particular day. Sometimes it depends on the tree. In 2011 our tree had to come down because it was the worst tree we had ever had in terms of dry. We only turned the lights on it on two days and then I was too afraid to have that heat on it. I remember trying to shut the curtain so the sun wouldn’t shine on it and dry it out any more. I didn’t want the house heat on – afraid that would speed the decay. 
The day after Christmas I was “undecorating” it and I put it outside. That tree scared me. This year the tree is better. Much better. It will make it until New Year’s Day at least. It is also smaller than our trees we have had in the past so the disruption of furniture and traffic has not been so great so it is not that much of a bother. There is one decoration that I remember I left up for a long time after Christmas last year and that was our Christmas cards. When we receive a card I usually leave it on the counter for my husband to read, then it gets taped on the wall. By the end of the season we usually have a wall decorated with cards. I remember last year I didn’t take them down for weeks.
I also save some from year to year. Some of the cards we receive are so beautiful or so cute I just don’t want to throw them away. I consider them a Christmas decoration. I have one that has plastic jewels on it. Glitter ones almost always get saved. I have some that are actually pictures. Now I am not talking about the picture postcard cards. Those always get saved. I keep those and when the Christmas boxes come down I look through them. It is fun to see how families grow and age. But I some friends who are professional photographers, they take pictures for their Christmas cards, I save those. 
Frilly ones and puffy ones, usually get saved, as do blue ones and ones with sparkles. Homemade ones also get put on the wall year after year. I keep the ones from years past on a separate wall because for some reason people used to walk in and say, “You got all those cards!?!?” And I would explain that this wall — pointing to the current card wall — was different from that wall — pointing to the years past wall.
I write the date on the card and put it in the box with the decorations and voila I have a jeweled or glittery or sparkly or fuzzy or puffy or frilly or homemade decoration for next year. (Sometimes the card might be glittery AND sparkly AND fuzzy AND frilly and homemade . . . ahhhhh!) I am sure that eventually I will have to throw some of them away. A few are looking a little worn and might be on their last year of decorating, but at least I have enjoyed it for more than just one season. And you might be familiar with my Christmas decoration scheme/theme and that is to SEE “Christmas” wherever you look so this gives me a few extra “decorations” that don’t take up a lot of room to store. They are very pretty.
Plus it is fun to read some of the notes and comments from years past. I have already picked out at least 5 that we received this year that are going to go on the wall next year.
What do you think? You have to admit that you receive at least one card a season that is too pretty to just throw away? Right?
Well, Happy New Year. Make it a great one!
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Christmas, Christmas cards, Christmas decorations, Happy New Year, Holidays decorations, re-using Christmas cards, recycle | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 29, 2012
THREE DAYS LEFT! Then 2012 will be over! And so will our 31 day challenge. What should we do in January 2013? Do you have an idea for another challenge? I like the idea of dancing everyday . . . . . . what do you think?
I’ll be back to check in.
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: dance challenge, Day #29, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge | 3 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 28, 2012
So glad you are back. We are almost through the entire year of 2012. Can you believe it? Amazing. Every year’s passing is amazing. I hope that you are finishing it out feeling good about doing 30 minutes of exercise/movement for 31 days! Yes?
This is what my calendar looks like. What about yours?
I’ll be back to check in myself!
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Day #28, December 2012, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 27, 2012
Principle #7 of the Nia Blue Belt is “Nia Class Format” with the tagline of “Delivering the Promise”. Before starting to write this post I opened my Blue Belt Manual and started reading what it said about principle #7 and for a moment I couldn’t remember learning anything about the principle in the training. In the manual there is six and a half page table comparing a “Body/Mind/Spirit Teaching Style” to a “Traditional Teaching Style”. I found myself thinking, “well, not any longer”. As in the traditional style is really “old school”. A lot of classes now adopt the formula that has ALWAYS been a part of a Nia class. Nia is different from many other workouts. I believe in the almost 30 years that Nia has been around fitness classes have changed a lot and Nia is not the only one that incorporates a more mind-body approach. Although I say that Nia is more a body-mind approach because Nia actually STARTS in the body. So . . . hmmmm? If other classes are now doing what Nia has always done it goes a long way in showing that it is the better way.
Here is an example of the table, this is copied directly from The Nia Technique – Blue Belt Manual, August 2006, V4.0, page 132:
| Class Element: |
Body/Mind/Spirit Teaching Style: |
Traditional Teaching Style: |
| Use of Language |
Uses healing phrases, words, and
visualizations that foster a positive self image. |
Often times makes negative comments in humorous ways
that devalue the human spirit and lessen a positive
self-image of the human being. |
| Individuality |
Stresses the importance of individuality. |
Stresses conformity. |
These are just two examples, as I said there are six and a half pages. And, this table is not saying that every class that is not Nia does the things listed under Traditional Teaching Style. It is just a sample of what some styles are like.
I like the table in the manual. I feel it is a great tool. I can see that sometimes I am using the Traditional Teaching Style (neither of the ones previously mentioned) and that is exactly why I wanted to participate in the Nia Blue Belt Intensive. I wanted to work more on “delivering the (Nia) promise”. I had been taught to exercise via the traditional way so that is what I know or knew. I like the reminder of the Body/Mind/Spirit Teaching Style. I also need the reminder because other people have been taught the other way too so that is what they respond best too. It really is up to me to show them the alternative. It is up to me to deliver Nia with the Nia class formula so that they can see that there is another way to workout.
This principle is about Body, Mind and Emotion, and Spirit. Nia Blue Belt Principle #3 will assist me with this principle. They are all connected.
Two things I want to mention to help clarify, when Nia talks about spirit, it is not in the religious sense, it is comparable to spirit as in “class spirit” or “spirit week”. Ya know, like they do in high schools? It is about the inner “you”, your enthusiasm, what drives you, your “spirit”, not something related to religion.
And the other thing, I believe that Nia is working on re-writing, adjusting, and updating the training material. Nia is always working to remain up-to-date. The trainers were working off of slides that were not even final.
Are you curious enough yet about Nia to find a Nia class in your area? Do you prefer a Body/Mind/Spirit Teaching Style or a Traditional Teaching Style when you take a class?
Posted in Blue Belt, Nia | Tagged: and Spirit", Blue Belt Manual, body, Body/Mind/Spirit Teaching Style, Delivering the Promise, fitness classes, Mind and Emotion, Nia, Nia Blue Belt Intensive, Nia Blue Belt Principle #3, Nia class, Nia Class Format, Nia trainers, old school workout class, Principle #7 of the Nia Blue Belt, Traditional Teaching Style | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 27, 2012
WOW FIVE DAYS LEFT! I am not teaching a Nia class tonight since the community center is closed, so I will get my 30 minutes in early and maybe even more, right? Yeah.
How about you? How are you doing? Five days left . . . . you can do it!
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Day 27, December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, Nia, Nia class | 3 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 26, 2012
Oddly enough, most of my Nia Students don’t even celebrate Christmas. Most of them belong to a different religion that does not participate. So why not get together and celebrate the end of the year, the holiday they celebrate, the holiday I celebrate, and just ourselves as a Nia Community! Since today, Wednesday, is a day I have a Nia class regularly we are dancing, just as we did on Christmas Eve . . . . . Joy as Usual (a take off of “Business as usual).
And you? You are here to check in for the 26th day of the December 30 Minute Movement Challenge! Yay you!
I’ll be back with my check in!
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Business as usual, celebrate Christmas, Christmas Eve, Day 26, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, end of the year, Joy as Usual, Nia, Nia class, Nia community, Nia students, religion | 3 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 25, 2012
It is Christmas, and while I did not have to “work” — as in teach a Nia class, I still have to “work” — as in post a blog post. Had I been a little more organized I would have had it written and had it post on a timer, but I was not that prepared. I had been thinking about what to write when last Monday after Nia one of my students was talking about one of her family’s traditions. I had asked her to give me more info or to write about it. But as I had been interrupting her story, I stopped my line of questioning/instruction and she finished her story and then I never got back to asking her more information. Then on Wednesday I forgot. I was thinking I would see her on Christmas Eve, but I did not. So I am going to share her tradition without a lot details as to how it works for her family because I don’t know them. I think the idea is so cute I wanted to share. THEN, I got one of the greatest Christmas gifts ever last night and I wanted to share a bit of it too. So Merry Christmas. This is me sharing a tradition of one of my students that maybe you would like to do yourself and a beautiful gift I received.
First the cool tradition. I haven’t heard a lot of the details but it sounds as if my student’s kids are going to moving out soon. I believe that is one of the reasons she shared with us the tradition she started when they were young. She has had her kids gift each other a Christmas ornament every year. She was saying, when I came into the conversation, that this way they will have a start on having ornaments for their tree when they move out AND they will sentimental value. Each ornament will be a memory. She had said that one year her son crafted a little birdcage and put a picture of a bird in it to represent their family pet. I thought that was so cute. Not only did her son have an ornament for his sister, but he had made it. You may know from reading some of my previous posts that I LOVE Christmas Ornaments. I love the entire process of unwrapping each one to hang on the tree. It is as if I am receiving little mini Christmas gifts with each ornament I unwrap and place on the tree. And many have memories attached, so to me decorating the tree is a lovely process and tradition. So I really, really, really, really, really LOVED this idea. As I mentioned, I loved it so much I wanted to share it. I think it is great to have kids receive “their own” ornaments that they can take with them when they move out and that will have meaning for them.
Now one of the greatest gifts I received was a book. Apparently my nephew-in-law has a brilliant girlfriend. She had a book made for his sisters that contains their grandma’s favorite recipes and a party tip. His girlfriend designed it to have the actual copy of the recipe placed on the page along with family pictures. You might have read some post on my blog that shared the fact that their grandmother (my mother-in-law) died last year in November. My sister-in-law (John’s sister) is a smart cookie too and she knows a great idea when she sees it and she asked if she could use the book template for gifts also. So SHE swapped out some of the pictures to include more of the recipient’s family. So the ones made for the girls have more pictures pertaining to them. The one made for my husband and I has more pictures pertaining to us and so on. FANTABULOUS! It is awesome!
I am in awe of BOTH of these things . . . . the ornament tradition AND this wonderful recipe book. I hope you had a Merry Christmas and the rest of this season is grand for you.
Do you have any holiday traditions to share? Maybe you have had a custom for a long time? Maybe you just started one? Did you get a gift that you are excited about that you want to share? Tell us!
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Christmas, Christmas Eve, Christmas gifts, Christmas memory, Christmas ornament, Christmas tradition, Christmas Tree, family traditions, Merry Christmas, Nia, Nia class, Nia students, recipe book, work on Christmas | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on December 25, 2012
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!
No time off, though . . . . you can do it! It’s 30 minutes, actually you are here to check in and say you did it, right? You are awesome. I will be back to check in!
Thank you so much for being here!
Posted in December 2012 30 Minute Movement Challenge | Tagged: Christmas, Day #25, December 30 Minute Movement Challenge, Merry Christmas | 1 Comment »
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