Terre Pruitt's Blog

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

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Archive for May, 2014

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Always Something Good!

Posted by terrepruitt on May 8, 2014

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, Gentle YogaSo . . . . how are you all doing?  Are you still filling that Goodie Jar?  I am.  This is one of the things I have put in my jar . . . hence the crease in the middle of it.  I wrote on the back and folded it up and added to the jar of good things.  A friend sent it to me in a card.  It is a great motto!  Yeah, remember the Good Things Jar . . . it is an “exercise” in recognizing and being aware of the good things that happen every day even among the things that cause us sorrow.  When my mom got sick I asked her, I said, “Mom, I know you are sick and it is a very sad and scary thing, but is it ok if I am still happy about things?”  I didn’t want her to think I wasn’t sad or concerned about her if she saw me smiling and enjoying life.  She gave me permission to still be happy.  She said it was good to still acknowledge and be grateful for the good things.  And really, to me, that is what life is all about.  There is always going to be things that can bring us down.  There is death, destruction, betrayal, hurt . . . all of those things that can detract from the things that make us happy.  But focusing on the uplifting things is what gets me through.  Making note of the good things is what I want to do!

Now just because I have a jar with notes regarding the things that I consider good things that make me smile, doesn’t mean I don’t take time to be sad or be mad or concentrate on the things that don’t make me smile.  All of that is part of life too.  We all have situations and issues to deal with.  I allow myself the necessary time with emotions and situations.  Often times, I can even learn and grow from those things.  But because there are times that aren’t just rainbows and unicorns,  I have a jar.  The jar helps remind me to find the smiles in the times when I have other “stuff” going on.

I have received notes and cards and a lot of love . . . . all “Goodie-Jar worthy”.  Someone thinking about me is ALWAYS a good thing.  Makes me smile that people care and they take the time to let me know.  Also it is a great push for me to do the same.  Sometimes I think, “Oh, I wanna to let someone know I am thinking about them.”  Then I think, “Aww.  I don’t want to bother them, because I don’t really have anything to say, except ‘I’m thinking about you.'”  Then I remember how much it meant to me and I do it!

So good things can spread.  🙂

Also I found that the first time I did the jar I really enjoyed reading the good things at the end of the year.  It was fun – for me – to have that little review and the reminder of the good things that happened throughout the year.

Are you still putting things in your Goodie Jar?  How is it going?  When is the last time someone let you know they were thinking about you?  When is the last time you let someone know you were thinking about them?

Posted in Good Things in the Goodie Jar | Tagged: , , | 4 Comments »

More On Ylang Ylang

Posted by terrepruitt on May 6, 2014

I was looking at my collection of essential oils and I found it interesting.  The ones I use the most are peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus.  The ones I use the least are Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, and Frankincese.  They are also the three that I only have one bottle of.  I bought a set that contained peppermint, lavender, and eucalyptus.  I used it and bought another set.  I used those three out of the set and bought another set.  At least I THOUGHT I bought a set, but I must have duplicated my order and ended up with two sets.  Which is fine because of the three I use all the time.  Plus I have used them in my sugar scrub so that uses them up more quickly.  But I was interested in learning more about the three I don’t use often.  Also I happen to see some information on Ylang Ylang.  So I decided to do more research and report about 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, Gentle YogaI find it most interesting that the bottle of the brand I purchased states ” . . . Ylang-ylang Essential Oil is best suited for use in the perfumery and skincare industries.”  I know that when you mix scents with other scents you can come up with something delicious, but . . . seriously???  Have you ever smelled Ylang Ylang?  It is an odd scent.  I can’t really describe it.  The words that came to mind made it sound good , but I wouldn’t really call it a good smell.  It REMINDS me of smoke flavor.  I know that is odd to assign a scent a flavor, but that is what I think of.  I have not tasted it.  I am not that brave.  In addition to smoke flavor I think of a wet barrel.  Not wet wood, but a wet barrel that might be a bit moldy.  So odd, that is what it smells like to me a smokey wet moldy barrel . . . yet it is used in the perfume industry.  And I even used it in the sugar scrub.

The bottle also states:  ” Ylang-ylang Essential Oil can assist with problems such as high blood pressure, rapid breathing, nervous conditions, as well as impotence and frigidity.”  I can see why it might help with rapid breathing because when you smell it you stop breathing to keep the scent out.  Ok, it is not really THAT bad, but I also think I am used to it.

A few different doTERRA sources have information stating it can help with “Anxiety, Arrythmia, High Blood Pressure, Lack of Libido for Men and Women, Restlessness.”  And “helps balance hormones, promotes healthy skin and hair, and lifts mood while having a calming effect.”

Another company’s website states: ” . . . . it may help with releasing feelings of anger, tension, and nervous irritability.”

🙂  Which could be a result of correcting the “lack of Libido”.

I had included it in the scrub to help relieve stress.

Aroma Web says: “Ylang Ylang Oil is a rather interesting essential oil as its distillation varies a bit from most other oils, and this can affect the composition and aroma of the oil.”   Perhaps I need to smell a different version.

Summary of benefits:

Helps with:
high blood pressure
rapid breathing
nervous conditions
impotence and frigidity
anxiety
arrhythmia
lack of libido for men and women
restlessness
balance hormones
releasing feelings of anger, tension, and nervous irritability

Also promotes healthy skin and hair and lifts mood while having a calming effect

Of course, these are claims and I would recommend visiting a medical professional to make certain there is not a serious medical condition causing any of the above symptoms.  I also would like to remind readers that every one is different and every body is different and something that might help one person might not help another.  I personally know that I am healthy enough with no underlying medical condition, that I can use this oil for these symptoms if need be.  I think it could help release feelings of anger, tension, and nervous irritability if I have them.

If you use essential oils, do you use Ylang Ylang?  What do you use it for?  How do you use it?  Do you like the smell?  How would you describe it (the smell)?

Posted in Essential Oils | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Sleeping With A New Partner

Posted by terrepruitt on May 3, 2014

So I have a new bed partner.  One that my husband doesn’t actually mind me having.  Remember when I said my back was in pain, but it wasn’t muscle pain?  One day I couldn’t even lift my elbows up out to the side.  I was worried about how I was going to teach my Thursday morning Nia class.  Doing Nia and using the foam roller helped.  So I did a post about using a foam roller to roll it out so I would remember to use it.  Click HERE for that.  It worked great.  I had to roll it out or roll on the foam roller often, but it worked.  Then I started thinking . . . “Why is my back bothering me in the first place?”  I started paying attention.  I noticed that after I slept in a specific position was when my back hurt.  And that same position also hurt my shoulder.  I think my hips were being effected by this position too!  It is a cross between an on-your-side position and an on-your-stomach position.  Where I kind fold my upper body in half.  I came to the conclusion that I needed to stop folding in on myself.  I thought if I slept more on my side with my upper body “open” instead of the half-side-half- stomach-fold it might help.  So I am sleeping with my foam roller.

🙂  Yes, I know they make body pillows so that might work, but why get ANOTHER thing when I can use something I have?  Plus I think a pillow might be soft enough to still allow me to fold more than I want, whereas the roller keeps me propped up.  I don’t fold at all.  So I slept with my foam roller for a few nights and my back pain stopped.

So, now, I sleep on my side with my leg on the roller.  The roller keeps my hips more in alignment.  I say “more” because I don’t think they are IN alignment but more so than when I let my leg rest on the bed.  And I have the roller down low enough so that the arm on the side I am lying on has a place to be and I actually use the roller (almost the “top” of it) to keep my body propped up.  My “top” arm which rest on the roller doesn’t allow me to fold in on myself and rest my shoulder/arm on the bed.

Honestly the roller is not all that comfortable and so the hardness of it would keep me awake at first.  But not having my back hurt all day was worth it.  Plus the first few nights I would actually wake up a bit to move the roller to the other side when I switched sides.  Now . . . since my back feels better, if I want to turn over I have been leaving the roller only on one side.  I think that not folding over on at least one side is helping.

I am now using my foam roller as a preventative tool and not just a restorative tool.  Nice.

How do you sleep?  Do you have a lot of pillows?  Do you have a body pillow?  Do you wake up sometimes with a crick?  Do you wake up with pains in your shoulder(s)/hip(s)?

 

Posted in Foam Rollers | Tagged: , , , , , , | 14 Comments »

First Degree Nia Black Belt Guest Teacher

Posted by terrepruitt on May 1, 2014

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, Gentle Yoga

This class was held in San Ramon on April 30, 2014!

As you probably know I teach a dance exercise called Nia.  It is a cardio workout.  If you have read any of my information on Nia you will also be aware that many of the people who practice Nia consider it to be more than JUST a cardio dance exercise.  But . . . on the surface that is what I call it, in brief, to let people know what it is.  If they are interested then we can discuss some of the other facets of it.  Like many exercise disciplines there are star teachers or celebrities.  I’ve talked about that before.  There is always some people who were there from the beginning and so they have the most experience and often times get categorized into star or celebrity “status”.  Yesterday we had a long-time Nia Practitioner and Teacher do a 007 Nia class.

Jason Alan Griffin is one of the first First Degree Black Belts.  Nia has created an additional training intensive, they have added a “degree” to the black belt.  It is so new that not a lot of information is out regarding that, and I didn’t even think to ask Jason about it.  I am Facebook friends with Jason and yesterday was the first time we met in person.  Jason likes to travel, so he drives around with his dog River bringing Nia to cities around the United States.  He created a routine he called Bond Girls, but recently re-named it to Goldfinger and that is what he is delivering on his current trip.  He was in the East Bay last year (I believe) but he packs his travel schedule so tight he doesn’t stay long and so I missed the classes he had.  Maybe he was in the North Bay too.  I don’t remember.  I couldn’t make it.  So this trip I was very excited to get to take his class, meet him, and his dog.

Jason is one of those dog daddies that takes his pet parenting seriously and he posts a lot about his dog.  So through his Facebook and blog I feel I know both of them a bit so I was happy to finally get to meet him.

Not to use the current happenings in my life as an excuse, but I found myself leaving for the class much later than I intended and also the directions I looked up gave me a different travel time than the day before.  I ended up being late for class.  And while I felt very bad about that . . . I decided to forgive myself which enabled me to jump right in to his already-started-class.  It was so fun.

While the invitation to dress up in something shimmery was there, I completely forgot, but Jason did not disappoint.  He had on some shiny silver pants.  He led us through many of the 52 Nia moves while we focused on pelvis, chest, head.  We used our spear fingers in true James Bond fashion.  We danced in our own body’s way and laughed and sang while doing so.

Every time I take a Nia class I realize I am not a Nia student often enough.  I love being able to laugh at myself because I don’t get the moves on the first (or how many ever it takes) go around.  I love being able to just follow as someone else’s lead.  I love being able to learn new pearls and moves.  It is so fun.  I am so glad that I was able to join the East Bay Nia community while they hosted Jason’s class.  It was super fun.  I want Jason to come to San Jose to deliver his FreeDance Playshop.  🙂

I hope you jump at the chance to dance with Jason when he is in a city near you.  He is really fun to dance with.  And if you are lucky, River will sneeze on you!

Thanks, Jason and River.  I look forward to your next visit!

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, Gentle Yoga

Jason leading the class in his silver pants!

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, Gentle Yoga

Janet and I doing our Bond Girl impressions – with spear finger

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, Gentle Yoga

Jason and River. River was more interested in the grass than posing!

Posted in Nia | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

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