Terre Pruitt's Blog

In the realm of health, wellness, fitness, and the like, or whatever inspires me.

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Archive for July, 2013

« Previous Entries

Happy Nia Share

Posted by terrepruitt on July 30, 2013

I have been teaching Nia for over four and half years.  I have students that are Nia teachers.  I have students who have taken the training but are not teachers.  The Nia Intensives are open to people who do not intend to teach.  So I have people in my classes who have experienced the training, but this is the first time that I have people who are taking the Nia White Belt Training because I introduced them to Nia.  Well, one for certain, she did not know about it until she had taken my class and the other one I think didn’t know about it until she came to one of my Nia classes.  Now this is not me saying I am so great that I have inspired two individuals to take the intensive, this is me saying, “Yay!” to the power of Nia.  It is fun cardio dance exercise class . . . but if you want to take the intensive it is a lot more.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYoI am so excited.  I have not had a chance to talk to my student much.  She just returned and we have yet to meet so I can get the scoop, but she did express awe.  She is in my Tuesday morning class.  The Tuesday before she left for her training she was so kind she said that she was bringing a laptop and she would be able to send me some e-mails and we could communicate the week she was in the training.  I told her no we would not.  I told her that she is going to be so full she will not be able to e-mail.  For me, while I was in the intensive, any time that I was not actually IN the training, I was either trying to absorb it and remember and think about all that I had just heard or I was do a little bit of socializing.  The training is intense.  I have mentioned before.  It is not so physically intense that you feel as if you are at military boot camp, but it is physical.  There is a lot of moving.  I did send her an e-mail during the week and she said she was too tired to respond.  I laughed.  It is a lot.

Usually there is a Nia class at 7:00 in the morning or so.  And when I was in the training we were not required to go to them all, but why not?  So the day starts with movement at 7:00 am.  Then there is lectures and movement and all of it together.  And – something else I’ve said before – not everything you hear is a new concept or a new idea, but the way it is presented or tied into Nia and/or movement makes it seem new in the sense that your brain and your body want to examine it.  Learning can be exhausting.  Intensives are about 50 hours.  The day usually ends about 7:00 pm after an evening Nia class.  I know I said most of this just this past November when I took my blue belt.  But I am just so excited to have two students becoming Nia White Belts I wanted to share.  I want to shout it out!

The brief moments I did get to speak to my student she expressed exactly what one expects after a training.  She was happy and grateful and just full of new things.  She was amazed to see how much anatomy is part of the Nia training.  One of the co-founders wanted to be a doctor so she is very interesting in anatomy.  Plus knowing how the body is designed helps know how to create choreography that will allow the body to have a wonderful sensation while moving.  Nia is amazing.

I really just wanted to share my joy that one of my students took the next step in the amazing journey that is Nia.  She was very kind and as a thank you for introducing her to Nia, she brought me these lovely gladioli.

If you are interested in taking a class from me see my website www.HelpYouWell.com.  If you are anywhere else in the world and you want to see if there is a class near you see http://www.nianow.com/find/classes and if you want to learn about Nia trainings see  http://www.nianow.com/training

Well, what are you waiting for?

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Nia Jam Was Jammin’

Posted by terrepruitt on July 27, 2013

Today we had a Nia Jam.  I would have written about it right after and posted it, if I hadn’t of had theater tickets.  There is a little theater in San Jose that I love (Click here for City Lights Theater) and tonight they were doing the Rocky Horror Picture Show and — wow!  The singers/actors were all amazing, but wait, I digress, must be the time warp!  The Nia Jam was at Stanford, the awesome Nancy Hoebelheinrich orchestrated it all—as usual.  The focus was sound and movement.  There were seven teachers.  This was a unique Nia Jam because they decided to tie in some Kivo, which is “An Empowerment Practice that activates Voice and Body so you can do the Work you came to do.”  The creator of it is also a Nia Teacher.  You can learn more about it here.  I really go to the Nia Jams to fill my Body, Mind, Emotional Self, and my spirit with Nia.  I always have a great time.  I love that I get to both teach and be a student.  I am not a student enough so I really enjoy my time being a Nia student.  I learn a lot as a student.  I know I have shared on my blog before that I often want to just stop dancing and take notes.  Often times the pearls used are ones I would love to use in my class.  Today there were a few dances I would love to bring to my students.  Nia Jams are such a good time.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo

(The white box is someone who requested to not be in the photos . . . some photos were taken before the request was made)

Nia Jams are jammed packed with energy.  With so many teachers leading so many different dances it is just one big cosmic burst of energy.  I do think that adding the other modality changed the tone and energy a bit, but everyone loved it and had great time.  The weather here in the San Francisco Bay Area and particularly Stanford — where the Nia Jam was held — was fantastic.  Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYoOne whole wall of the space where we get to dance is doors so it is open and lovely.  There are huge fans on the ceiling and several time during the hour and half that we danced, I sensed the air the fans were moving around the room and I was grateful.  It was a beautiful day.

I will continue to shout from the rooftops that if you ever have a chance to go to a Nia Jam — go.  I don’t just mean ones that I am a part of or ones that are in my area, I mean ANY Nia Jam.  I KNOW that ALL of them are infused with the same HIGH energy and fantastic music so I know that any one you attend would give you a GREAT taste of what Nia is.

This month also happens to be the 30th Anniversary of Nia so it was very fitting that we had a Nia Jam this month.

Thank you, Nia Teachers and Nia students for coming to the Jam and making it jamming.

What song would you love to hear at a Jam to get you moving with all you have?

(I will have more pictures from the Nia Jam on www.HelpYouWell.com shortly, so check it out!  Thanks!)

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Goodie Jar – Check In #25

Posted by terrepruitt on July 26, 2013

Wow!  What a week.  How was yours?  I had a couple more classes than usual, which is always nice.  I had to take our cat to the vet which is never nice and was particularly not nice this time.  Poor kitty.

Tomorrow is a Nia Jam.  That is always fun.  You should come join us.

There are good things to be noted going in my jar.  How about you?  What do you have going in your jar this week?

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Homemade Yogurt Instructions

Posted by terrepruitt on July 25, 2013

Homemade Yogurt instructions

You will need:
—1/2 gallon milk (I use Organic Valley 1%)
—Pot large enough to heat ½ gallon of milk
—Two bowls – one large enough to hold the milk, and one large enough to let the milk bowl nest in ice (or you can just use your sink)
—2 Tbsp plain yogurt as a starter
—An extra canning jar for blending the culture – or you can use a bowl and whisk it together
—A ladle
—A spoon (to stir the milk)
—A measuring spoon to measure the starter
—A thermometer (one that has a range of 100°-180° F)
—A suitable number of canning jars/lids/bands to ferment your yogurt in (for ½ gallon I have about 11, plus one 8 oz jars)
—Couple of jars of warm water – to maintain the fermenting environment
—A cooler big enough to hold all of the jars. This is your fermentation environment
—A couple of towels – to help insulate your fermentation environment
—A canning funnel (optional)

This is a multi-step process.

—Before you begin refer to the tips regarding sterilizing all equipment. (click here)

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo—Heat the the milk slowly to 170°/180° F. Stir occasionally and before testing the temperature. (I use medium heat. About 20 minutes.) Stirring prior to taking the temperature makes for a more accurate reading on your thermometer. When the correct temperature is reached your milk will be steaming and you will be able to smell it. It will be a pleasant sweet smell not burned.)

—While your milk heats up, prepare the cooling bath by filling one bowl with ice & water and nesting the other bowl on top of the ice-water. I fill one side of my sink with water and ice then I put my pot in the ice/water.

—After the milk has reached 170°/180° F, pour the milk into the bowl sitting in the ice water or put your pot in the ice water. Cool the milk to 110° F. Stir frequently to distribute the cooling milk from the sides of the bowl/pot with the warm milk in the interior. This will help speed the process and help you get an accurate reading from your thermometer.

—While the milk cools, fill your jars that are going to sit with the yogurt with warm water. Arrange them in the cooler.

—While the milk cools, warm your canning jars with warm water. Just fill them up with hot water and empty them when you are ready to fill the jars with milk. This helps maintain the temperature for fermentation. Alternatively, if you have run your jars through the dishwasher and they are still hot from the cycle, leave them in the dishwasher until they are needed.

—When the milk has reached 110° F remove the bowl/pot from the ice bath. This keeps the milk from cooling even further.

—Ladle a small amount of the cooled milk into the extra canning jar. Add the 2 tbls of yogurt and shake. Then add the mixture back into the bowl of cooled milk, mixing well to make sure that the yogurt culture is distributed throughout the milk.

—Ladle the milk into your jars. Here is where you use the canning funnel if you have one. Wipe any spilled milk off the top of the jar rims and seal the jars tightly with a lid and band. Label the jars with the date the yogurt was made.

—Place the jars into the cooler, interspersed with the jars of warm water. Snug the jars up with a couple of towels. The idea is to maintain ideal heat conditions for fermentation. Close the cooler and put it in an out of the way place for 8-12 hours.

—Leave it alone for the entire 8-12 hours. While the yogurt is growing its good stuff it does not want to be disturbed.

—After the 8-12 hour period, open up the cooler and check the yogurt. It should have set up and become firm.

— Refrigerate and enjoy within two weeks of the “made on” date and remember to reserve two tablespoons for your next batch.

If you have doubts as to the safety of the product (doesn’t smell right, color/texture is wrong), don’t take any chances. Just throw it out and start over.

Remember this is an unstrained yogurt so it is going to be much more “runny” than the average store bought yogurt.

These original instructions I received were taken, but not directly quoted, from, “Canning for a New Generation” by Liana Krissoff and Rinne Allen. If you are interested in sharing this with anyone, please also refer them to this book. I have adjusted and added to it to document the process I have used.

So are you ready? Let me know how your yogurt turns out!

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Yogurt Making Tips

Posted by terrepruitt on July 23, 2013

Making yogurt is so easy it is mind blowing.  I always thought you needed a special yogurt making machine or something.  But it is not that difficult at all.  All you need are a few things including a thermometer, a pot, two bowls or a sink, and canning jars.  There are more things but that is the basics.  Even though it is really easy I decided to split the post between yogurt making tips and the actual instructions. I am posting the tips first because if you are like me you jump right to the recipe, skipping the tips thinking they are just “extra”.  Then half way through the recipe I am wondering how to do this or that and realize that information is in the tips.  So tips first, then instructions.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo—Before you begin, wash ALL of your equipment with hot soapy water and rinse well with hot water.

Equipment means anything that will touch the milk:  the pot, the bowl, the ladle, the spoon, the measuring spoon, all jars, lids, funnel and bands (bands don’t generally TOUCH the milk, but close enough), the portion of the thermometer that will touch the milk.

You can use your dishwasher for dishwasher-safe things.

Sterilizing everything helps keep any bacteria or germs from being introduced to and contaminating your yogurt.

—After washing lay out all cleaned equipment on a clean towel.

—If you have used the dishwasher to wash your canning jars right before you make your yogurt, you might want to keep the jars in the dishwasher until you are ready to fill them.  This will keep the jars warm.  Laura, of Beadzilla, who gave me this recipe noted that she has forgotten to heat the jars and has not had any problems.

—Even after you have calculated how many jars you need, have a few more washed and ready to go just in case.  You might decide not to fill the jars all the way to the top so you might need more than you think.

—I have made three batches of yogurt and I think it sets up thicker when the milk heats to 180° F and it ferments for TWELVE hours.

—Heating up the milk takes about 20 minutes.  I actually set my timer for 20 minutes so I have an idea of how long the milk has to go.

—The jars you want to use as warmer in the cooler can be pickle jars.  Or a few extra canning jars.  At present I have three jars.  When I place the canning jars in the cooler I like to make sure all the milk jars are touching at least one warm water jar.

—Make sure that your jars of warm water are not any hotter than you can touch or you might introduce too much heat to the process and kill the culture.

—I put one towel on the bottom of the cooler, then put the warming jars in then arrange my jars of milk around them.

—When ladling the milk into the jars, I no longer worry about getting it on the rim/lip of the jar.  I would spend so much time trying to keep from spilling and then end up spilling anyway.  I don’t have a funnel.  So I just quickly put the milk in the jars then wipe them well before I seal.  I use a damp paper towel to wipe any spilled milk off the top of the jar rims and seal the jars tightly with a lid and band.  This ensures good contact between the jar and it’s lid.

—Don’t fill the jars all the way up.  Leave some room for your toppings/additions.  If you want to eat the yogurt right out of the jar and you plan on adding to it (honey, granola, fruit, vanilla, etc.) you’ll need room. 

—Remember this is an unstrained yogurt so it is going to be much more “runny” than the average store bought yogurt.

—This entire process takes about an hour.  Remember to calculate the amount of time your yogurt needs to ferment and prepare it accordingly.  The first time I made it with my friend I had to take my jars from cooler to fridge at 1:00 am.  Usually not a problem for me but that morning it was.  The second time I had to refrigerate them at 5:00 am.  Now I make my yogurt by 10:00 am or 11:00 am so I am putting the jars in the fridge at 10:00 pm or 11:00 pm.  Whatever works for you, just remember to think of that before you start.

—DON’T EAT ALL OF YOUR YOGURT!  Remember you need at least 2 tablespoons for your next batch.

So these are just a few things I have learned.  A long list.  You will see the instructions are still long, but don’t let that deter you.  It is easy.

I hope you will share your what you have learned making yogurt.  What tips do you have?

Posted in Helpful Hints, Yogurt | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Put Rocket In Your Bowl

Posted by terrepruitt on July 20, 2013

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYoMy latest veggie obsession is arugula.  Now I know I have been eating arugula for a long time.  I know that it is popular at restaurants.  I know that I have had entrées topped with arugula or it served on the side.  I know that it is in some of the salad mixes I buy and eat.  I know that it is described as having a peppery flavor.  But I didn’t know how good it was.  I actually think that I thought that the food with it in it or on it was so good because it was “restaurant food” and the chef knew how to cook.  I had never thought to attribute the fabulous flavor of the whole dish to arugula.  Ok, maybe not every dish was fabulous BECAUSE of the arugula but I am thinking that they were definitely enhanced by this green.  Recently I was in the store and I was looking at my choice of organic greens and there was spinach and the regular packaged assortment of weeds and a separate container of arugula.  I hadn’t remembered ever seeing arugula in a separate container before.  Maybe because I always grab either spinach or the bunch of weeds.  But this time I noticed them so I decided to grab them.

The regular assortment of weeds has been very tiring to me.  It has become so tiring and bitter that I have actually elected to not have salad a few nights because I just didn’t want to eat that bitter bunch.  So when I was standing in the produce section and I saw something other than that package of weeds I was very happy.  I thought, “What the heck?  I know I have had arugula before.”  I always thought of it as an accent green.  So I bought some spinach too and just put a bit of arugula in with it when preparing our salads.  I always was a tad bit concerned because of the description I kept seeing.  The peppery part.

I decided I love arugula.  I have been loading up our salads with it.  My hubby does not get as excited about greens — except collard greens — as I do so he just shrugged it off when I went on and on.  And now it is our salad staple.  I don’t think it really has any great nutritional values, but if it is a nice accent to a salad and encourages you to eat one, then that is a benefit.

I have a friend and I always share with her my latest kick and I told her that I arugula was my latest thing and she said the same thing as I did.  She doesn’t remember ever seeing it sold separate in a bag or container either.  So either we both have not noticed it before or they weren’t doing it as much as they are now.  She hadn’t tried it either.  Yes, she has had it the same way I have had it but not buying it and putting it in a salad herself.  Well, since I love it I thought I would point it out.  Yes, it could be something you have been using forever and this is old news, but you never know. I always have faith that I am giving at least one person a new idea.  It might not even be the exact one I am sharing but I like to think my “share” sparks something for someone.

According to Wiki (copied directly from) “Eruca sativa is an edible annual plant, commonly known as salad rocket, roquette, rucola, rugula, colewort, or, in the United States, arugula.”

Some quick nutritional information:  in 2 cups there is

20 calories
.5 gram of fat
25 mgs of sodium
148 mgs of potassium
3 grams of carbs
1 grams of fiber
2 grams of protein

It also looks as if it can be a great source of Vitamin A and Vitamin K.  And to me a good source of calcium.  Plus it being a green it has phytochemicals which are necessary for good health.

Do you eat salad rocket?  Are you an arugula fan?

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Goodie Jar – Check In #24

Posted by terrepruitt on July 19, 2013

Well, I would think for a lot of people just that fact that it is Friday is a good thing.  Not that you would put that in your Goodie Jar every week, but when you are having a tough time coming up with something, I bet a good thing revolving around the fact that it is Friday can be noted.

I have to parties to go to this weekend.  Hmmm . . . I guess I can put that in even though they have not happened yet.  I am sure there will be a good thing to add to the jar after each party.  Fun stuff.

How about you?  Might you have some fun weekend plans that can go into your Good Things Jar?

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Smashed Banana Eggs

Posted by terrepruitt on July 18, 2013

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYoI first saw this recipe via a post on Facebook.  A Nia friend had shared it from a group on Facebook.  Neither my friend nor the person on the group had made them.  I was not planning on posting about them.  I know I say that all the time, but this recipe looked so quick and easy I didn’t really think there would be much to say about it.  But I found that I needed to make some adjustments to the recipe in order for it to work for me.  The directions in the post just baffled me because they instructed to cook the “pancake” for 20 to 30 seconds.  As mine were cooking and I was standing there diligently waiting to flip then, I wondered what type of stove the person had.  I wondered what type of pan.  I wondered if they liked raw eggs.  The food in my pan was no where near cooked much less in a state that could be flipped at 20 to 30 seconds.  Because I often think I will not post about something, but then I end up wanting to, I did actually take pictures from the beginning.  But then near the end of the cooking process I was more convinced I would NOT post so I didn’t get any good shots.  But as my hubby was eating them I decided to share.  I don’t want to call these pancakes because they are not “cakey” at all.  To me when I hear banana pancakes I picture pancakes with bananas in them.  So I am calling them Smashed Banana Eggs, because that is exactly what they are.

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Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYoSmashed Banana Eggs

Ingredients:

1 banana
2 eggs
salt
butter/oil

Smash the banana in a bowl.  Smash it so much that it is soupy.  Then add the eggs.  Mix it all up like a scramble, including the tiniest sprinkle of salt.  Heat the butter or oil in the pan.  When it is hot pour the smashed banana and eggs into the pan forming small circles.  Wait until the circle can be moved around the pan.  When you are able to slide it then you can flip it.*  Flip and cook on that side.  When you think it is ready.  Serve it with your choice of topping.

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Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo*So for me, I just let them cook until they looked like they would survive being flipped and guess what?  That didn’t always do it.  Some of them broke apart.  But that is ok.

I like mine browned.  I cooked them for a long time.  I kept flipping them back and forth.  As I have mentioned many times before the great thing about a recipe and cooking is you get to decide how to do it.  A recipe is a guide but you know how you like your eggs and/or pancakes cooked so you decide how long to do it.  With me, since some of the circle didn’t survive the flip intact, I had little pieces that which I could taste so while I was cooking I was able to decide how cooked I wanted them.

As with all of my experiments with food I am a little nervous getting my husband to try it.  So I asked if he wanted to try something new.  He said ok but asked what it was.  At the time I didn’t have my new name figured out so I just said it was kind of like a pancake but not really.  So then he asked WHAT was in it and I said eggs and bananas that is all.

He was eating his while mine were still cooking.  And he was saying that he had them before.  He said his aunt in Hawaii made them for him.  Sounds right to me.  He really liked them.  I think he likes them because they are tasty, but I also think that they are something from his childhood so that makes them even yummier.

I just served them to him with butter.  But I was trying to figure out another way, so on one of mine I sprinkled some cinnamon.  That was really good too.  As I mentioned in the “recipe” serve them with whatever you want.

I am going to say that they are a bit rubbery, but that could be because I cooked them so long.  I don’t mind rubbery, I just mention it because I want you to understand these are not pancakes.  They are not bready.  They are eggs with smashed bananas in them.  I will be making them again.  They were really good.

Just so you know, the recipe above ended up making about 4 thin 5 inch “circles”.

Thanks to Jason for posting the idea on his Facebook page.  My hubby is happy to have a taste from his childhood.

(October 6, 2013 . . . . I posted some things I have learned about making these at My Perfect Smashed Banana Eggs)

So what will you top your Smashed Banana Eggs with?

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Nose And Nose, Nose And Mouth

Posted by terrepruitt on July 16, 2013

A post or two ago I wrote about how breathing is good.  I mentioned that it is very common to hold your breathe while exercising and/or concentrating.  I shared that I was reminded of that recently by my husband (and Remo Williams). I briefly shared a few situations in which people might breath differently.  Of course, I had to mention Nia Sounding.  In my post What IS PiYo?, I mentioned yoga breathing and Pilates breathing.  Generally they are a bit different.

Simply put yoga breathing is done through the nose.  Both the inhale and the exhale.  Depending on what type of yoga you are doing, you may move as you inhale and exhale in a flow.  It is almost as if the breath can work as your metronome.  Or the flow is done where on certain moves you just inhale or exhale, timing your breath to your moves instead of your moves to your breath.  You can just breath normally and move through the poses as you want with no regard to the pace of your breath, but you still move with your breath.  As with most exercising the exhale is on the effort whether you are doing poses in a flow or at your own pace unrelated to your breathing pace.  While breath and breathing is related to movement in yoga, it does not always set the pace. In addition to the breath entering and exiting through the nose the breath affects the belly.  On the inhale it is the belly that expands.  On the exhale the belly compresses.  This is called diaphragmatic breathing.

To put Pilates breathing simply, it is done through both the nose and the mouth.  Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.  And even though ALL breathing utilizes the diaphragm Pilates breathing expands the thoracic/chest area.  When I was first learning Pilates I was taught it was called “Back breathing”.  This name helped me to concentrate on the change in shape of my upper body and not pull the breath down into my belly.  As with yoga, breathing is a large part of Pilates and breath relates to movement, but the area of the body with which the breathing is done is different.

Both yoga and Pilates breathing are done fully and completely.  So whether the air is flowing into the lower part of lungs and you are allowing your belly to expand or whether the air is going into all of the “corners” and your chest is expanding it is a full breath.  I like to practice allowing all the air that my lungs can hold to enter, to the point where I know there is no more space, then exhaling completely, until I know there is no more air left in my lungs.  This expelling completely is done with either type of breathing practice.

So in general that is the difference between yoga breathing and Pilates breathing.  As you practice either yoga or Pilates there are many details that you will learn and experience but that is it in a nutshell.

As I said, I like to practice full and complete breathing.  In addition I like to practice BOTH types of breathing.  I think they each have different benefits.  I think it is very important — no matter which type of breathing you are doing — to make the breaths FULL and COMPLETE  – as much in as you can as much out as you can.

If you were to report on your breathing you are doing right now, which type would you say it more closely resembles?

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Put A Little Strut In It

Posted by terrepruitt on July 13, 2013

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYoI have allergies. I’m allergic to things outside, things inside, and things around. I cannot breathe through my nose at night especially when I sleep. My nose gets too stuffed. When my mouth hangs open all night long it gets dry and my throat hurts. So I sleep with a cough drop in my mouth. This does a few things, sometimes it helps a little with the “stuffy”, it helps sooth my throat, and/or it helps me keep my mouth shut which is great because I don’t even want to think about . . . . (spiders, shhhh!). Not too long ago I was doing a quick stop at a shop after one of my Nia classes and I saw that there was a bag of cough drops on sale. They were honey-lemon. Whatever . . . I was hoping they wouldn’t be to icky. Turns out they weren’t icky at all. I liked them. So the next time I was in the store they were still on sale so I bought two bags. I was using them when halfway through one of the bags I actually looked at one of the wrappers. Well, I’ll be . . . I was happily surprised to see little motivational sayings on each wrapper. How cute is that? Halls has a PEP TALK IN EVERY DROP™.

I think that is pretty brilliant. It made me smile. Then I was thinking that most people use cough drops when they are not feeling well, so these could really be little pick me ups. I know there are tags on some tea bags that have nice little sayings, I’ve seen that, but I hadn’t noticed the sayings on the wrappers of these cough drops right away. I like it!

I like all of the sayings, but some I like more than others. My favorites are:

~Put a little strut in it!Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia at the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Zumba, PiYo
~Elicit a few “wows” today.
~Bet on yourself.
~Hi-five yourself.
~Don’t waste a precious minute.
~Don’t wait to get started.
~Flex your “can do” muscles.

You know that I would LOVE the strut one. To me strut is like “spirit” or “pep” and I like putting that into it! Strut into the dance of life! And, really, who wouldn’t want to elicit “wows”, right? Well, I guess there are some “wows” out there that are a result of some odd things, but I am thinking of the of positive masterful “WOWs”. Those two are my favorite of my favorites.

Such a simple thing for a company to do. I know — as I said — they are not the only ones to do it nor, I imagine, the first ones to do it, but I still think it is cool. Sometimes it is the little things. Ha, and speaking of little things, the latest bag I bought . . . the cough drops are SMALLER than they used to be. Sigh.

So yeah, a simple thing, but for me sometimes it is the simple things. Things that make you smile. Things that make you want to strut or wow someone. Or good reminders, like “Don’t waste a precious minute.”

Don’t you think this is a nice idea? Which saying would you pick as a favorite?

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