Terre Pruitt's Blog

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

  • I teach Nia, yoga and stretch! SIX group classes a week!

    Nia: Tues and Thurs at 9 am

    Yoga: Tues at 10:30 am and Thurs at 6:00 pm

    Stretch: Thurs at 10:15 am

    Please see my website for details! I sub for the City of San Jose and the YMCA so check my website for dates and times!

    I am also available for private Nia / yoga / Personal Training!

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Archive for the ‘Misc’ Category

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Disneyland Information

Posted by terrepruitt on February 25, 2019

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise Classes, Cambrian Yoga & Cardio Dance, CYCDThis past week we spent in Disneyland. We were celebrating our niece’s birthday. She, and the rest of my family, are BIG Disney fans. They go to Disneyland every chance they get. My husband and I had not been to Disneyland since 1996 or maybe 1997. I don’t know the exact year, but we were there for a dance competition. We, as you may have guessed, are not Disney Fanatics. But since it was a milestone birthday we thought we would tag along with the family. We had a nice time, but I have to say I was not prepared for the weather. It was so cold. The temperature wasn’t THAT bad. I would have been ok, if it were just the temp of high 40s, but it was the wind. The first two nights I thought I had gotten sunburned because my face HURT and it was bright red. But then I woke up each morning with no redness. I was just getting windburned. Weathermen are useless because the reports were NO RAIN – nothing, nada, but the rain we experienced on one night was torrential accompanied by thunder and lightning. How did they not have a clue about that? Perhaps Disney pays them to lie so that people will go to their parks? The parks are really amazing to me. In addition to the rides I am fascinated by the workings of an amusement park. On the way home I was curious as to how many people attend the park per day. When I tried to look it up I found that Disney does not make those figures public. On the flight home I sat next to a man whose wife works at Disney and he happened to mention that same fact. Of course in looking up that information it made me curious about other things. So I thought I would compile a short list of Disneyland or Disney Park facts that interested me. They are from various sources on the internet.

“Disneyland officials won’t discuss daily attendance numbers, but theme park experts estimate that the 85-acre park draws an average of about 44,000 people a day.” This information is from 2015.

A website called Statista claims to have figures on attendance.  Stating that attendance at the Disneyland in Anaheim, California in 2017 was 18.3 million.  That is about a 6,000 person per day increase from 2015.

Disneyland had 53 attractions (as of March 2017). Attractions include exhibits, shows, and rides. (Wiki)

Popsugar says Disneyland sells 2.8 million churros a year. That is roughly 7,671 churros a day. I had a bite of one. Not that exciting for me.

Travel and leisure had an interesting list from December 2016:

Top eight rides at Disneyland:

“1. Splash Mountain. Clocking in at 10 minutes long, Disneyland’s take on the classic log flume is well worth the wait. 
2. Indiana Jones Adventure
3. Pirates of the Caribbean  
4. Matterhorn Bobsleds
5. Haunted Mansion
6. Mad Tea Party
7. Space Mountain
8. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad”

It was way too cold for us to go on Splash Mountain. We went on Indian Jones twice over a two and a half day period. Thankfully we went on Pirates of the Caribbean the first day we were there because it was down the other two days. I don’t need to go on the Matterhorn again. It is super rough. Haunted Mansion is always fun. I don’t know remember having been on the Mad Tea Party, but I am assuming I have, but when I was very young. I love Space Mountain. That is my favorite ride at Disneyland. Big Thunder I love too, but it was down at least one of the days we were there. We were there to be with my niece so she was in charge of what we rode. She had our Fastpasses on her phone and would reserve all of our spots for us. We just went where she said to do.

It was in 2017 that the Fastpass system was available on phones.  (Business Insider)

According to GOBankingRates.com:

It costs $3.25 million (estimated) daily to operate Disneyland.

There are about 3,000 to 6,000 people a day working at Disneyland.  The amount changes according to the need. So sometimes it is double.

“The estimated cost of employee pay per day is $396,000.  Many cast members are paid hourly, with most making $10 to $12 per hour.”

Estimated daily cost of landscape: $1.69 million

Estimated daily cost of roller coaster maintenance:  $7,424.00

Well, I find all of this interesting.  We enjoyed our time and I am thinking it will not be 20 years before we go back.

Have you been to Disneyland?  When was the last time you were there?  What is your favorite ride?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Meant To Be Together

Posted by terrepruitt on February 13, 2019

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise Classes, Cambrian Yoga & Cardio Dance, CYCDI heard a funny story the other day as I was leaving the community center where I teach yoga. My friend had asked me if I had any plans for Valentine’s Day.  I replied that I have a yoga class that evening so we wouldn’t be going out and asked her about her plans, she explained that it was her wedding anniversary a couple of days ago which reminded her of a funny story. She had went to the store to buy her husband an anniversary card. A couple of days later she went to look for the card, but did not find it in her usual “card hiding spot”. While she was doing something else she happened to look up and see the card on the bookshelf. So she took it off the shelf and signed it. Later that day she was out and her husband texted her and asked her if she had taken the card that was on the bookshelf and she said yes. She had actually forgotten that when she was at the store she didn’t end up buying the card she had picked out. But the card her husband had purchased for her was the same card. So she had thought she had bought it and put in on the bookshelf – although that was not her usually hiding place.  She ended up giving him the card he bought her!

I thought that was so funny for so many reasons. I know that I have looked at cards and thought I had purchased them only to find out I hadn’t. I sometimes buy cards and misplace them. I know that multiple times my husband and I have purchased the same card and given it to each other twice. In some cases the sentiment was the same but the card maker had added a different picture. I am not sure if we have purchased the same card for each other, but I think we might have. But I know we have not used one another purchased cards. HA! So funny.

Do you have any funny card giving or receiving stories?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments »

The Timing Of Love

Posted by terrepruitt on February 11, 2019

I was recently watching a TV show where one of the characters told another, “I wonder what would have happened if I met you later?” He went on to say that had it been five years later and they passed on the street would they have looked at each other and known. He was surmising that had they met later HE would have fallen in love with her and been ready to settle down and not practically leave her at the altar. Just like when people say, “I wish I would have met you sooner.” With that sweet sentiment they are usually saying that they wished they would have met sooner so they could have been together longer. But I don’t believe either of those ideas. I think that in both cases if the meeting would have happened at different times then they would not have fallen in love.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise Classes, Cambrian Yoga & Cardio Dance, CYCDIn the case of the TV show, he literally fell in love with her (in my opinion) because of what she was doing. Had it been five years later she would have not been doing that. He fell hard when she was lovingly caring for his siblings. He decided to marry her when someone died. Had it been five years later those situations would not have been occurring and he wouldn’t have fallen in love. I believe she would have been an entirely different person. He would have too, so I think that they wouldn’t have fallen in love.

The same with the idea of meeting earlier. The person that would have been encountered years earlier is not the person you met and fell in love with. In general, I believe that people fall in love with a person as they are and in the circumstances they are currently in so they might not have been the same years earlier and they might not be the same years later.

Now I know this is all a generalization (as I said) . . . there are plenty of people who fall in love and then for a multitude of reasons never get together or don’t stay together only to get together or back together years later when they meet up and their circumstances have changed. Love is just a crazy amazing thing. Ya never really know.

This thought was just a Monday musing because of what I saw on a TV show.

What are your thoughts about the timing of love?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

My Husband Laced My Shoes

Posted by terrepruitt on February 6, 2019

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise Classes, Cambrian Yoga & Cardio Dance, CYCDThis interesting picture was posted on my Facebook feed a long time ago. I have always been meaning to post about it. I don’t know who posted it or who created it. I just thought it was so interesting because years ago I complained to my husband about how the tops of my tennis shoes hurt my feet. His solution was to take my shoes and lace the laces in a different way. He took both shoes and laced them in different ways. He told me to figure out which one didn’t hurt my foot and he would lace the other shoe that way. Well, I am embarrassed to admit that I left my shoes like that for a long time. Years, probably. I didn’t wear my tennis shoes that often so I would forget that they were laced like that. And one was so much more difficult than the other to put my foot in and take it out once it was tied well. In fact, that was one of the reasons I didn’t wear them that often because it was so difficult to get my foot in and out of and/or to tie it. It was years. Then when I started to wear them more (because my boots “died”), I realized that it was really just ONE shoe that was annoying and painful so it finally occurred to me to fix the shoe lace. I just needed to make one shoe match the other.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise Classes, Cambrian Yoga & Cardio Dance, CYCDOne of the ways my husband laced my shoe was so comfortable AND easy to tighten. The other way was not comfortable and tightening it was a pain in the rear. It wasn’t worth tying the shoe comfortably. And now, often, I don’t even tie my shoes. I teach Nia and yoga – both are done barefoot, so I am really just wearing my shoe from my house to my car, from my car to my class and back again. So I don’t normally bother with tying the shoes laces.

When I need to run errands after class then I tie the shoe properly otherwise it flops around on my foot and that is not comfortable. But when I am just going to class I just loop the lace around my heel and that keeps it from dragging on the ground and being a “trip-threat”.

The way my husband laced my shoe does not match any or these. Had he not successfully laced my shoe I might have gone for the “Heel Slipping” because that is usually what happens with the regular way of lacing a shoe.

How do you tie your shoes? Does one of these examples apply to you?


Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise Classes, Cambrian Yoga & Cardio Dance, CYCDDance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise Classes, Cambrian Yoga & Cardio Dance, CYCD

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Too Much Of An Inconvenience?

Posted by terrepruitt on January 23, 2019

You may have read that I get my father’s magazines also, our neighbor had a business, but doesn’t any more, but he still gets the magazines he had subscribed to for his lobby, and he gives them to us. So we get a lot of magazines. Most of them I don’t read, I just take them to the community centers “bring a book – take a book” shelves. But I saw a title as I was putting one in my “to go” pile that I thought would make an interesting blog post. The article’s title was “why isn’t anyone using condoms anymore?”

Well, Cosmopolitan surveyed 2000 18 to 25 year olds and only 30 percent of them had used a condom the last time they had sex. Aside from being 98 percent effective against pregnancy condoms help stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, but, according to this little survey the participants aren’t worried about STDs. The survey didn’t give the reasons the participants weren’t concerned, but in the same section the article mentioned that chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis can be treated with antibiotics. So perhaps these people surveyed figured STDs aren’t a big deal because they can be cured? Even though herpes and HIV cannot. And not to mention what can happen as a result of having one of these diseases. Some of the STDs can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and infertility.

And the article even starts out by saying “Nearly 20 millions Americans are projected to get an STI (I guess they don’t even call them STDs any more!) this year.” It also says that “for the past four years in a row, the U.S. has consistently broken its own STI records.” There were 200,000 more cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis in 2017 than in 2016 (which was 2.3 million). And think about it, those are just the reported numbers.

The article also stated that 61 percent of the people participating in the survey said they would use a condom if they knew their partner had an STI . . . really? I must be old fashioned because I think I wouldn’t be having sex with them until that was taken care of all together.

Other information the article stated:

Seventy-two percent said they respect a partner who asks to use one.

One reason they don’t use them is because they don’t like throwing them away.

Menstruation and birth control pills were other reasons (they couldn’t get pregnant).

The article also had some information about four dotcom companies that check for various STDs so you don’t even have to go to the doctor. You can just send a sample in and get results back.

I guess I just thought that avoiding pregnancy and STDs was important enough to use a condom. With everyone wanting to be healthy by not eating gluten, not eating dairy, not eating meat, running 5Ks and 10Ks, and doing things like yoga, . . . . I just assumed that “safe”/protected sex went along with that. It is another way to stay healthy. I think those 72% that said they would respect a partner that asks, should start asking.

How about you?  Do any of these figures surprise you? 

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

People Want To Know About Soaking Oats

Posted by terrepruitt on January 16, 2019

No matter what I post my most read posts are always the ones in the oat series. Sometimes the blood pressure one, Blood Pressure Monitors – It’s All In the Wrist, beats them out, but usually my WordPress stats say that You Should Soak Your Oats or No Need To Soak Your Oats have the most views. This is so puzzling to me that I actually did a search to see if “soaking oats” was something slang, a sexual term, or a sexual act or maneuver. I don’t understand how it is – pretty much consistently – the most read post. It is amazing to me. I guess people really want to know if they should soak their oats or not. I don’t actually need to know the answer to the oat soaking question because I don’t eat oats. I know a lot of people eat oatmeal for breakfast because it is supposed to be healthy. But I just don’t like it.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise Classes, Cambrian Yoga & Cardio Dance, CYCDIt puzzles me and it kinda makes me happy that posts from 2012 are still getting viewed. I am glad that my “research” gets read. I remember when I went to write the post there was so much information . . . so much conflicting information . . . my one post on oats turned into a series of posts. About six posts if you consider the granola recipe.

And it is even more amazing because now, as I look at the post, I decided to see if the links still work, and while they do — they go somewhere — not all of them even link up to the information that I had found. Some link up to the pages, but the pages have been changed. So the same information isn’t even still there. I am wondering if people even click the links (which now have been changed or deleted – as of this pose – because they are no longer even connecting to the information disclosed).

It seems that a few of the pagse have turned from online information to links to pages where you can buy the books that have the information. Hmm. Yeah, the changes in the internet. So now, I have updated it, I wonder if it will get less views. Now I have to go through the other ones to see what links are no longer linking to the information. I don’t have time right now . . . but I will get to it eventually.

Funny, I started this post with an entirely different intent and now I am having to re-do some posts.

Let me ask a question that somewhat rounds us back to the start: What is your most read post?

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Your Smile, Your Light

Posted by terrepruitt on January 9, 2019

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise Classes, Cambrian Yoga & Cardio Dance, CYCDA while back a friend of mine brought a few books into class that she was getting rid of. She said that her son goes to libraries and second-hand book stores and sometimes buys a book for her that he thinks she might like. One book he bought her was a book about yoga. And it was so hilarious that she found – tucked into its pages – a handout that I gave out in one of my yoga classes. We got a kick out of that. Kind of a small world. We spent a couple of minutes wondering what happen to the original owner of the book. Had they given up on yoga? Or had they mastered all the poses in the little book and moved on? It was funny. She had a little stack of books she was giving away and I took one. I was thinking it might have quotes or it might give me ideas of things to post about. Well, I just decided to pick it up today and I am going to quote a page from it.

“Share Your Smile
It radiates light. If reflects your inner warmth. It engenders confidence. It eases tension. It opens doors. It is contagious.”

And on the same page there is a quote from J. M. Barrie (1860-1937)

“Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.”

I like both what Patrick Lindsay wrote (Make the Most of You) and the quote by J. M. Barrie. I decided to share it. I was struggling with what to post and this just made me smile so I thought I would post it and perhaps make you smile.

I am still on the Happy New Year kick. It is still new enough!  Happy New Year!

 

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Here’s To 2019

Posted by terrepruitt on December 31, 2018

So it is New Year’s Eve. We are about to enter into 2019. Wow! TWO THOUSAND NINETEEN! I am seeing a lot of different things on Facebook and the rest of the internet. Many people make resolutions. Many people pick words to motivate their new year or for them to live by. Some people pick phrases. There are so many things that so many people do. Along with the various things people do that I am seeing I am also seeing the various attitudes towards the exiting year. Some people are saying it was the worst year ever while some people are saying it was great. So many different things have transpired and we all have had different experiences. Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? Do you pick a word or a phrase to live by or guide your year? I don’t do any of that. I am just going gratefully into the New Year and hope to live it gracefully and gratefully. There are changes coming up, but there are every year, right? We just face ’em and do our best.

I would like to give you a virtual hug because you may be happy this year is ending and need it or you may be just fine, but most everyone enjoys a hug. I would also like to wish you a

Happy, Healthy, and

WONDERFUL 2019!

 

I know this is a video of our Christmas tree, and it is New Year’s Eve, but I thought it was sparkly and festive!


 
 

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

Merry Christmas 2018

Posted by terrepruitt on December 24, 2018

I am not a fan of blow up decorations. They just lie there all flat when the fan isn’t on. They make a lot of noise. I am just not a fan. But I loved this one. I thought it was pretty ingenious that the reindeer can eat without any mechanics, it is just air. We are busy with Christmas things so I thought I would just pop this up really quick and wish you all a Merry Christmas.

 

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

Out With The Old, In With The New

Posted by terrepruitt on December 19, 2018

I have posted information about the programs that I teach under for the City of San Jose. At different times they had two versions of a “gym-like” program (Group Ex and then SJCITY Fit) where people could purchase an annual membership and attend all of the classes offered under the program at the participating community centers. There is also the program many seemed to be familiar with, where the city sends out a brochure listing all the classes available. The classes are taught in “sessions”.  You might want to take guitar lessons being offered for 10 weeks one night a week. You register for the class paying for the entire session, all 10 weeks. There is no make-up if you miss a class. This is the way that I have taken classes with the cities of San Jose, Santa Clara, and Campbell as long as I could take classes. I remember taking a babysitting class when I was young. The “gym-like” program was relatively new. It was a great program, but I am betting that most you reading this that are local didn’t even know about it. It seems like a fair job of promoting it was not done. It was impossible to use the internet to find any information about it and like, happens with all things when they don’t get properly promoted, they fail. The city has determined that the current version of the “gym-like” program – SJCITY Fit – is not sustainable so they are cancelling it.

There are members that take at least one class Monday through Friday. It was a great deal. The majority of the students that came to my class loved the program because when the math was done with them going to at least one class a day Monday through Friday, it was about 50 cents per class. So, yeah, it makes sense that the city wasn’t able to maintain that. But it is sad that the program could not attract more than 140 people. I keep thinking in a city with a population of over 1 million the program could have at least attracted 500 people.

But with so many different choices for the exerciser out there it really takes a strong desire and a concentrated effort to get the word out about exercises programs. So the city it moving some of the classes that were be held under SJCITY Fit into a hybrid of the leisure program (where students sign up for a session of classes). There are a multitude of things that are different under this program, so I will only be teaching Nia once a week on Tuesdays.

Now, in order to take Nia with me through the City of San Jose you have to sign up for the sesssion or “season”. So far there are two sessions/seasons on the books (Winter and Spring). They are both 10 classes each. I say classes because there are some weeks where there is not a class so it might end up being more than 10 WEEKS, but there are only 10 CLASSES. You can see more information on my site.

Dance Exercise, Nia, Nia in the City of San Jose, Nia classes in the South Bay, Nia Teacher, Nia Class, San Jose Nia, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, Nia, Gentle Yoga, Group Ex classes, YMCA, Zumba, Nia Technique, SJ City Fit, SJCityFit, City of San Jose Exercise Classes

I am still teaching the yoga classes, one on Tuesdays at 10:30 am and one on Thursdays at 6:00 pm.

It is very sad that this program or a version of it was not salvageable by the city. So many of the consistent exercisers are moving off to other places, some I am afraid might stop exercise altogether. I will miss seeing them every week. I’ve been teaching Nia on Tuesdays for six years, on Thursdays for five years, and on Fridays for three years. Many students have been coming that long or even longer (on different days at the various places I have taught). I did write a post on the how long I have been teaching what.

I do hope to see some of my students taking part in the new program that is being offered. It might not have the convenience of SJCITY Fit, but it is still a great deal. The program will still offer 8 of the 12 classes that were offered under SJCITY Fit.

So, here is to a new chapter of San Jose Nia. I am looking at teaching at a studio right down the street on Union from where I teach now. I am hoping to teach my Thursday Nia class and my Thursday stretch class. So stay tuned.

We have such a great little Nia community in San Jose I hope we can keep dancing together!  Here’s to the New Year and to a new chapter of San Jose Nia.

Do you take classes through your city’s exercise program?

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