Terre Pruitt's Blog

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

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Archive for the ‘Misc’ Category

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Special Favors For Special Occasions

Posted by terrepruitt on August 23, 2014

If I got paid on all the products I talk about I would be in a better position.  But I don’t, but I still talk about them because if I like it I like to share it.  When my husband turned 40 I thought it was a big deal and I was working then so I wanted him to have a nice party.  It wasn’t really a big party, but I wanted to have a lot of stuff to commemorate the event.  I think birthdays should be celebrated big.  He did not want a party, but I insisted.  I ordered a few favors for the party.  When we were planning my mom’s “Celebration of Life” I also thought it was a big deal and so mentioned to my dad that we could order favors for her party.  What I did for my husband we did for my mom.  We ordered personalized fortune cookies.  They are a great way to personalize your favors.

Personalized fortune cookies are very affordable, I think.  I didn’t remember the name of the company that did the cookies for my husband’s birthday.  I remembered the website but when I looked it up it was no longer cookies.  So I searched on the internet and found another place.  They allowed FIFTEEEN different fortunes in the cost of the cookies.  I thought that was a great deal.

For my husband’s birthday, I don’t remember what I put on the fortunes.  For my mom, at first I had no idea.  Then one day I sat down to send my dad an e-mail and 15 ideas came into my head.  I thought it would be nice to share facts about her.  Somethings people would be hearing for the first time.  I thought the suggestions would be talked about and changed, but my dad just went with it.

The company allows you to change font as part of the cost of the cookies.  Colored printing costs extra.  They will put the fortune in the cookies facing in or out — according to your instructions.  I don’t know if having the print facing out costs more because I didn’t even bother to look.  You can also decided the kind of package you want each cookie to be wrapped in. Plain or the companies label . . . and other choices I don’t remember.  I think the whole thing is very cool.

The cookies are very tasty too.  Most people love fortune cookies.  These ones have a slightly lemony flavor.

As I mentioned before you can have fifteen fortunes.  I also mentioned the font.  Each fortune can have a different font.  I mixed it up just a little with my mom’s fortunes.  I wanted them to be clear enough to actually read.  Here is what we put in the cookies:

1—Diane’s favorite color was purple.

2—Diane loved flowers even though she was allergic to them.

3—Diane loved to bowl.
Diane was a good bowler.

4—Diane had a generous heart.

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, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes5—Diane was a good listener.

6—Diane loved her “Reno get-a-ways”.

7—Diane loved Lake of the Pines.

8—Diane was a wonderful person.

9—Diane used to drag race.

10—Diane lived in Santa Clara
for 23 years.

11—Diane had a strong faith in God.

12—Diane loved Mexican and Chinese food.

13—Diane and Steve were together over
50 years and married for 49 years.

14—Diane loved traveling with Steve
in their motorhome.

15—Diane was a GREAT wife, mom,
sister, grandma, and friend.

I am trying to collect all fifteen.  So far I only have twelve.  I have a few more cookies left.  I am hoping that they will have the remaining five fortunes.  I think my dad is saving them all so perhaps he will let me have the one I don’t get from his duplicates.  Silly, I know, but I would like to have them.

So what do you think about personalized fortune cookies?  Do you like that idea?  What could you use them for?  What would you say in your cookies?

 

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

Beautiful But Can Be Deadly

Posted by terrepruitt on August 19, 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, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classesI love Stargazers.  They are so beautiful and fragrant.  I put up a short post about them once in 2009.  There is a picture.  It seems that the most recent ones we have gotten have not been as pink.  They are very pale.  And they do not have that strong intoxicating fragrance.  We used to have them all the time in the house.  Then I heard that they were toxic to cats, so we stopped buying them.  We had some recently . . . I do love them.

I was looking at the information on Wiki hoping to share more information than in my first post.  There was not a lot of information.  The most interesting fact was that they were created in California in 1974.  A lily breeder created them.  Wow.  What a cool thing to have done.  Created one of the most popular flowers.  If you Google her name a lot of lilies show up.  So I am thinking that some are named Leslie Woodriff.  The pictures I saw were of “drooping” lillies.  I have not seen stargazer droop like that.  Click here to see what I mean.

Wiki said the cats are the only animals poisoned by star gazers. About.com had more information about toxicity in cats.  The article said the flower itself is the most toxic but ANY part of the plant, if ingested by a feline, can cause problems.  Information directly from the article:

The first signs seen are:
•  vomiting
•  lethargy
•  loss of appetite
•  tremors
•  seizures

Kidney (renal) failure usually follows, and the signs seen are:
•  increased thirst
•  increased urination initially, followed by lowered urine output, and finally, no urine output
•  dehydration
•  death

Kidney failure occurs as early as 36 – 72 hours after ingestion.

The article states in addition that treatment is aggressive and can be successful if administered within the first 18 hours.  Wow.

Our cat was not one to climb up on things all the time.  Yeah, she did it, but not all the time.  She didn’t get into a lot of things.  But once we learned they were poisonous to cat’s we didn’t buy them any more.

Also, if you have ever had these types of lilies you might have experienced staining from the anther, the orange pill shaped thing that is on the end of the stamen and is powdery to the touch.  I had thought these lilies were older than 1974 and was convinced that ancient civilizations used them to dye things.  That stuff stains no matter what it touches.  Just a little powder from one of those things can make a huge stain.  My husband and I are very diligent in pulling them off and throwing away before they can dust the surface below the vase with any powder or worse yet, fall onto the surface.  If powder does happen to get onto something VACUUM it up or use a DRY cloth.  If any amount of moisture touches that powder it has even MORE staining power.  Any of you know what I am talking about when it comes to those things?  Incredible.

So do you like these flowers?  Do you love the smell?  What type of flower do you like?

 

Posted in Flowers, Misc, Star Gazers | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 11 Comments »

Broken Hearts And Blood Vessels

Posted by terrepruitt on August 12, 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, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classesOur focus in Nia this morning was laughter, happiness, joy, comfort, and support our intent was to find it (from within) and share it with those in the world that need it (or even just want it). We danced in honor of Robin Williams(/Armand Goldman*). I know clinical depression is not fixed by someone just “snapping out of it” nor is it a matter of just “being happy”. We were sending laughter, happiness, and joy out. Along with comfort and support. So even though it can’t be fixed or healed simply with those things we were dancing our support of those that suffer. And even though many of us are not clinically depressed many are saddened by Mr. Williams death. From what I am reading on the internet he touched so many people with his down to earth comedy and crazy antics. While we were dancing . . . . in my enthusiasm, I clapped so hard I broke a blood vessel in my hand. At least that is what I thought I did. In order to be sure it was nothing more serious, I did what a lot of us do . . . I posted a picture on Facebook and asked my friends.

One friend said that she does it all the time in her fingers. I have done it in my fingers at least a couple of times that I remember. So her comment made me feel a little better. But I had never done it in my hand. When it happened, I had clapped and sometimes I do clap long enough that my hands itch. So this time I just thought . . . “Hmmm . . . that is weird, I wasn’t clapping that long.” And I scratched viciously at my hand. Then I looked at it and I was surprised to see this large purple spot on it. But I kept dancing because I was teaching. So I thought I would deal with it later. Then I forgot because right after my Tuesday morning Nia class I have a gentle yoga class. I rushed off to that and completely forgot about my hand.

I forgot about it until I had to fill out a survey. The questions were answered by filling in the “bubbles” or circles on a form. We used to call them Scantrons. There were 1400 of them. My hand started to bother me then I remembered my injuring clap.

So onto Facebook, one friend — the one who said she breaks blood vessels in her fingers all the time — suggested arnica gel. I have arnica oil. I just put that on. I also have my Trauma (that you know I love) and my Zheng Gu Shui. But I am using the oil. Another friend . . . a nurse said – “Your body has already healed the blood vessel, now time will reabsorb the blood in the tissue.” Good to know. I didn’t THINK it was anything serious, but I wanted to check. 🙂

Amazing that the body can begin to heal so quickly. If only the heart healed as fast. Yesterday, August 11, 2014, marked four months that my mom has been dead and the suicide of such a beloved celebrity made it that much more sad.

Not that this site should be used to treat or diagnosis ANYTHING, but if you find yourself with a spot on your hand looking like a bruise and nothing else appears to be wrong or damaged with your hand, it could be just a broken blood vessel.  For anything serious, please seek medical help.

I will look within to find laughter, happiness, joy, comfort, and support and I will share it with those in the world who need it or want it.

*Birdcage was one of my favorite movies I ended up with by some odd thing. Someone at work was giving away movies and I grabbed the tape . . . .yes, the VHS tape, that is how long ago it was. My husband and I watched it and we loved it . . . . who wouldn’t? What a cast! Since we love it and watched it often we bought the DVD. It is one of my favorite movies to watch over and over. It is one of those ones that I will stop to watch if I see it when I am flicking channels. It will make me sad now.

Have you ever had a broken blood vessel in your hand?  On your finger?  Do you have a favorite Robin Williams movie?

 

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

Homemade Soapy Goodness

Posted by terrepruitt on August 7, 2014

One time I had my husband buy me some of those yummy soaps from an art and wine festival.  They were really nice.  I think they were glycerine soap or something.  I really liked them.  The had nice names that led you to believe they had ingredients that might be beneficial — as in STRESS LESS, MUSCLE RELAXER, MOISTURE MAGIC.  But, according to the creator, they didn’t actually contain any essential oils or ingredients that would actually do those things.  So that had me thinking I wanted to find some soap that did have some essential oils in them.  Some soap that might actually BE able to reduce stress or relax muscles or moisturize.  So I looked online, of course.  I found an Etsy store for Bubbly Seahorse Soap Company.  Always a bit of a risk buying something you have never tried before, but I took it and I am glad I did.  I love it.  I actually ask for this soap as a gift.  My husband thinks it’s an odd gift to be giving, but he is a guy and doesn’t understand that good quality soap is a great gift!  I like it and it is what I want.  I am not saying it actually has properties that can reduce YOUR stress or relax your muscles or magically moisturize you, but it makes ME happy.  I love it.

The Etsy site says her soaps are made of:  saponified oils, coconut oil, olive oil, palm oil, essential oils, herbs, exfoliates, vitamin e oil, grapefruit seed extract, shea butter, jojoba oil, distilled water, goats milk

My first order consisted of:

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, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classes1 – Vanilla Latte
1 – Love Spell
1 – White Honeysuckle and Patchouli
1 – Buttercream
1 – Birthday cake
1 – Cucumber Melon

 

Then in my second order, I had:

—LOVE SPELL (now the Bath and Body Works version! – When I bought it was was the Victoria Secrets version) – top notes of cherry blossom, grapefruit, clementines and strawberries. Middle notes are Georgia peach, black currant, and rose petals.And sweet, white musky base note.
—HONEYDEW MELON –  . . . . refreshing and invigorating fragrance and blend of floral notes.  (I don’t see this on the site currently)
—FLORAL BOUQUET – mixture with highlights of freesia, lilac, and lillies, with low notes of vanilla and berries.
—HONEY ALMOND – Blend of fresh honey and crushed almonds.

I chose these scents to be a part of a small little package of four.  Sadly, the last time I ordered I did not see the variety pack as an option.  I am not certain if she actually offers it any longer.  I really liked it because it was a variety and I learned I didn’t care for Love Spell and the Floral Bouquet.  But I really LOVED the Honey Almond and Honey Melon.  I THINK.  I was hoping she would have pictures of each scent so I could view it online and tell her which colors I liked and then she could confirm what I was thinking.  But she didn’t.  So this very last order I just ordered ones I know I like.

Funny because as I looked at my very first order so that I can tell you what I liked and didn’t like and I had already ordered the Love Spell in my very first order.  I forgot about it with my second order and order it again.  Or I might have thought I would give it to my niece, who I think likes that scent.  Hmmm . . .

Also in my second order (and third order):

—BUTTERCREAM – So rich you’ll want to eat it (but please, don’t), . . .  with heavy whipping cream, peaks of sugar, and enough butter to completely and irreversibly clog every artery you own. . . . . plus a hint of vanilla.
—CUCUMBER MELON – Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, and fresh green cucumbers combined . . .

As you can see, I’ve ordered these two twice, well, three times if you count the order I just put in.  I love these two.  I don’t actually feel I want to eat the buttercream, but it does smell yummy and it FEELS rich.  Also in this very last order I just put in I ordered the Birthday cake.  It smells really sweet and edible.  It has little beads in it that go away rather quickly.

That is what I found I didn’t like in some of her other scents, like Honeysuckle and White Patchouli and I THINK the Vanilla Latte, the things IN the soap were to rough for me.  They are on one side so I tried to remember to use that side to scrub my feet, but they still escape and I didn’t care for the scratchiness on my skin.  So I am sticking with the soaps that don’t have rough stuff in them.

But other than that the ones I have gotten were all nice, I just like some more than others.

I like to share things I like in case other people might be interested.  I know a lot of people who are interested in soaps with these types of ingredients instead of chemicals.  Also, as I stated good quality soap makes for a great gift.  In fact, I was thinking of giving some of these this year as gifts.

Do you like hand-made soaps?  What scents grab your interest?  

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Common Saying Known Not Followed

Posted by terrepruitt on August 2, 2014

When I go to the grocery store I employ the “lift with your legs” practice.  Do you know that one?  The one where you lift heavy objects by using your biggest and more than likely strongest muscles of the body–the legs.  So instead of bending over from the waist or even hips you lower your body down by bending your knees bringing your hips low, then you grab the object and push up with your legs.  This allows you to lift the object by using the power of your legs and not your back and/or your arms.  Many woman, do not have the upper body strength of men.  That is a simple fact, it is not meant as a gender-derogative comment, it is just that by nature most women are weaker in the upper body than most men.  But even the men should use their legs when lifting heavy objects.  And while the things I am putting in my cart might not appear heavy, especially for a man with more upper body strength, lifting with the back is not the best way to be lifting things.  I really think grocery stores should employ Occupational Therapists to teach their baggers how to best utilize their bodies and save their backs.  Also it could encourage other people.  I know that baggers get trained how to bag . . . at the store I frequent it is obvious some are better than others, but I am sure they get some training on the basics of how to put groceries in a bag.  But when it comes to putting heavy objects on the cart they put the heavy objects IN the cart.  This means that I am supposed to reach in, bending over the cart and object and lift it out with my arms and back.  However, when it is in the BOTTOM of the cart, I can use my legs to lift.  So I was thinking that if stores were to employ Occupational Therapists they could teach the baggers the proper way to lift.

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, Group Ex City of San Jose, San Jose Group Ex classesI think that helping employees move their bodies would help them be better employees.  Also, it would help allow them to be employees longer and not injure themselves on the job or off.  I believe that it is not always ONE thing a person does to injure their back but the constant misuse and abuse of the back that results in injury.  Often back injuries mean time off of work and time that one has to take out of their lives to heal.

I was kind of excited not too long ago when I went to the grocery store and I noticed they had a herd of new carts.  “Oooooo!  Pretty.”  I thought.  Until I went to use the bottom.  The new cart even promotes more inefficient use of the body.  The back portion where I used to be able to put a case of water (via the back) now has a BAR across it.  So I can’t put something on that side via the back.  I have to put it in the front then SLIDE it all the way to the back so I have room for the other heavy item I am going to purchase.  Or basically, now I have to plan my shopping trips so that I am only buying ONE heavy item at a time.  So . . . there went my enthusiasm for the new carts.  They are pretty . . . pretty useless.

I often find myself wondering what people are thinking.  Perhaps they are in league with Doctors or drug manufactures.  That conspiracy theory would be something like:  Hey if we make carts that don’t allow people to put heavy stuff in the bottom they will have to put it IN the cart and cause injury.  They will end up at the doctor’s office, the doctor will write up a prescription — and voila.  Yeah, I can see doctors and drug manufactures investing in shopping cart companies.  Because if a personal trainer, a chiropractor, or an Occupational Therapist were to design shopping carts, the bottom rack would be easily accessible to that people could use it for heavy items.  Additionally, the baggers would be training on how to load heavy items on a cart.

Do you practice lifting with your legs and not your back?  Do you think about your back?  Do you use the bottom rack of the grocery cart? 

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Space Age Image

Posted by terrepruitt on July 17, 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 YogaWhen I was first hired on with the Parks and Recreation Department with the City of San Jose, I was a substitute Group Ex Instructor.  I didn’t have a class of my own.  And we use that term “my class” loosely because we know it is not guaranteed to be a permanent thing and we can be replaced or things can change.  But for the sake of simplicity we call them our classes when we are asked to teach a weekly (or more) class at a specific time on a specific day.  I didn’t have a class at first.  So I was able to fill in as a substitute wherever I could.  I was also really happy to fill in with Nia because I wanted to introduce the community centers in San Jose to Nia.  So I would step up to teach when someone had a cardio class that needed subbing.  There are five different community centers that participate in the Group Exercise program.  Each center has at least two rooms where they might have a cardio class.  Not all rooms have mirrors — and many exercise classes use mirrors.  So when I first saw the portable mirrors at a community center I was so excited.  These “mirrors” are awesome.  It is not like a mirror image it is like a space age image!

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 YogaHave you ever seen these portable mirrors?  They are not really mirrors.  I don’t know what they are.  The material reminds me of the package that toner used to come in.  I am not sure how many of you have worked in an office where you had a big copier or printer that used the cartridges that were sealed in the shiny packages.  But THAT is what this stuff is like.  It is kind of like Mylar.  It is REALLY thin.  And VERY easily torn.  But the reflection when they are new and clean is amazing.

The first time I taught in front of one of these portable mirror things I kept expecting to dance right through to another dimension.  Now that might sound odd to some of you, but my husband is a science fiction buff and we watch a lot of science fiction so that is what I felt like because it seem clearer and cleaner and more crisp than a regular reflection.  It was more like something otherworldly.  It was rather funny because it was so amazing I was distracted a few times.

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 YogaSince these mirrors are not glass they are really lightweight and super easy to move.  They are really great for community centers I think.  Except I really wish they should come with some sort of handle.  There is NO WHERE to hold them without touching the reflective surface.  One could get down and use the “feet” to roll them but that is not very efficient nor a good way to be moving (the body).  I am always surprised that the city doesn’t simply add something to use to roll them around.  It would be so easy to add a strap or SOMETHING so people are not putting their fingers on them or THROUGH them.

The reflective surface really is very thin and sadly I have seen many “mirrors” with tears.  I just did a quick search and some sites are saying their mirrors ARE Mylar, while others are saying they are not.  Either way, they are great lightweight mirrors, but unfortunately they tear easy and I have yet to see any with handles.  But when they are not torn and they are clean, they are really fun to dance in front of because it is almost as if you are dancing with a partner instead of your reflection!

Have you seen these cool portable mirrors?  If you have, do you think they are more clear and crisp than a mirror?

 

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A Possible Help For Alzheimer’s

Posted by terrepruitt on July 12, 2014

I recently came across some information I thought was interesting.  I had heard it before, in fact I mentioned it in my post Turmeric – Flavor With Benefits, but this time I decided to look into a bit to see what is being said.  One of the compounds found in turmeric is curcumin.  Turmeric is a product of a ground root of the Curcuma longa plant.  It is a relative of ginger.  The curcumin is what gives turmeric it’s yellow color.  So basically it is the stuff in turmeric that stains everything it touches.  While in the middle of typing this I needed to make dinner.  I used some turmeric.  This spice has been used in other cultures as a spice to flavor foods, and a medicinal spice.  It has been used as a dye.  It is a subject of study and research as it is thought to have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  There is information that has been published regarding using curcumin as a possible prevention and treatment for Alzheimer’s.  The National Center for Biotechnology Information,  U.S. National Library of Medicine’s website has information regarding a paper disclosing such information.  The UCLA Alzheimer Translation Center website also has information regarding how it might help prevent Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s is thought to begin with inflammation.  So, as I have stated often in my post, I believe that chronic inflammation in the body is a disease catalyst.  It is as if the body is so busy fighting the inflammation, other things go wrong.  Chronic inflammation is being viewed as a serious health problem.  So again, as I have stated before, things, foods, that can reduce inflammation can be good to add to our diets.

The NCBI article states that the idea that curcumin might help with Alzheimer’s comes from the fact that it is less common in India where they eat a lot of food with curry with turmeric.  This idea was supported by a study in which macrophages (A type of white blood cell that ingests foreign material) was treated with curcumin.  The white blood cells treated with the curcumin were able to clear the type of plague that is thought to contribute to Alzheimer’s.  The article also indicates that since curcumin can pass through the blood brain barrier it can help at the neurological level.  Also, neurotoxicity caused by cadmium and lead was prevented.  Additionally, curcumin might help lower cholesterol.

The bioavailability of the curcumin is not very high.  So eating enough and getting enough could be an issue . . . especially at this point there might not be enough information to know what amount “enough” is.

Another post on The National Center for Biotechnology Information,  U.S. National Library of Medicine’s website claims that three patients with Alzheimer’s showed significant signs of behavioral and psychological improvement after being treated with turmeric powder capsules.  A change was seen after just 12 weeks, but a large improvement of recognizing family members was seen after a year.

There is always risks with anything if one is to use it as a treatment for a specific condition, so before you go out and purchase curcumin capsules please do some research and seek professional advice.  I do think that my adding it to my food would not be a problem.  I know in my post about turmeric I said I would, but I really dislike that it turns my dishes yellow.  But I really think the possible benefits outweigh that.  I prefer to try to use food, herbs, spices, and movement to provide nutrition and health benefits so that I can keep it healthy and hopefully not need medication.

Do you like curry dishes?  What type of curry dishes do you make?  What do you add turmeric to?  Do you have a trick to keeping it from turning things yellow?

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

DVD Swap

Posted by terrepruitt on July 8, 2014

Do people still have DVDs any longer?  My husband and I do.  I like them.  Especially with our Netflix.  I am CONVINCED someone at Netflix is having a good laugh on our behalf.  We will be watching something . . . . it does not matter what . . . and right at the part you are waiting for it will start loading.  I swear.  At first my hubby and I got annoyed, but now it is just funny because it is so comical.  It really as if there is someone who presses a button to stop the show from playing right when it is most important.  It could be, “I know I have not told you the truth about anything your entire life.  I know you are upset with me, but I had a very good reason.  This is hard.  You see I am — LOADING! — or “I love you, Sam.  I have loved you since the moment I saw you.” (Sam opens her mouth and — LOADING! —).  We have learned to laugh.  Netflix will blame our carrier and that is fine.  I don’t care who does it, it just happens and it is funny.  So a DVD is nice, no commercial, no “LOADING”.  Not “LOADING” or getting all messed up when we stop and start the show.  No “LOADING” when we rewind.  Just nice and simple viewing of the movie or TV show.  But does anyone else have DVDs any longer?  Well, I am late in learning this but I did just see it last week and that is ——–LOADING! ——— Just kidding.  I just learned about a website called www.swapadvd.com

Cool!  I am impressed.  Granted when my hubby and I buy a DVD it is because we want to keep the movie or TV show to watch over and over.  And that might sound odd to you — it did when I first met my husband — but it is something we do.  But . . . there are a few exercise DVDs I might want to swap out.  Yes!  That is cool, huh?  You can switch up your workouts by swapping exercise DVDs.  So you could have a group of five let’s say that you do for 30 days, then put them on SwapaDVD and get a whole new set of workout DVDs.  Do that set for a month, then swap again.  Always keeping your workout varied.  Of course, my “set of five for 30 days” is just an example.  You could do one for two weeks.  Whatever . . . . the point is that you can swap and mix it up.

When I first learned about this and thought about posting about it.  I did a quick search of dance exercise DVDs and there is quite a few.  And there are over 500 10 Minute Solutions DVDs.  I love those because you can do a 10 minute workout when you are THAT pressed for time or program the DVD to play as many as you want to get a longer workout.  There are yoga DVDs.  In my quick search just now there seems to be a lot of pregnancy and yoga DVDs.  That makes total sense.  You are only pregnant for a limited time so you want to get rid of the DVD once you are not pregnant any longer.

The website’s info is below:

• You have original, playable DVDs that you do not want to keep.
• You post those DVDs to your “DVD Tower” to offer to other members.
• After you have posted the first 10 DVDs to your DVD Tower, you get 1 “gift” credit from SwapaDVD to get you started swapping (limit one per household).  After that, you earn credits by sending out DVDs to others.
• You may order available DVDs for 1 credit per disc (some DVDs do cost more than 1 credit), plus a Swap Fee of $0.49 per item (no matter how many credits are in the item).
• If you want a DVD that is not currently available, you can place it on your Wish List and we will notify you by email when it is available for you to order.  You can even have it sent to you automatically when it becomes available, with no email necessary.
• When a DVD is requested from you, we notify you by email, provide the address for you to send it out, and even provide a wrapper with postage printed on it if desired!
• Wrap and mail your DVD.
• When the requestor receives it, you earn 1 credit per disc mailed. Yes, you pay the postage to send out your DVDs, but when you request a DVD, the sender ships it to you and you pay 1 DVD credit (some DVDs do cost more than 1 credit)!
• The DVDs you receive from SwapaDVD are yours. We hope that you will repost them to share with other members when you have viewed them, but you can certainly keep them, or give them away. Similarly, the DVDs you send out to others belong to their new owners.

SwapaDVD is a great way to share DVDs with people all over the country!

I think that is pretty cool.  What do you think?  Do you still watch DVDs?  

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Home Gym Machine

Posted by terrepruitt on June 28, 2014

I bought a machine like the Total Gym awhile back. I just have not used it much because it is one of those things that can take longer to set up in my house than to use, so it is annoying. It is also one of those things that if you have room to set it up quick or have it already set up it is a quick and easy thing to jump on and workout on. When I bought it I thought I had room and also it was one of those awesome Costco deals that are silly to miss. I’ve had it for about a year and when I “Googled” it today the ads still come up over $125 more than we paid for it shipped! Today I moved it to a “permanent” position so I will be inclined to use it more often. I have some favorite exercises to do on 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 YogaThe machine I bought is a Jillian Michaels‘ Body Shop. It is pretty much like a total gym but WAAAAY more affordable. It comes with an exercise printout that I used when I first got it. It has been so long since I used it I don’t know where I put that. But I will find it again and use it as it was a quick easy guide to use. Just a simple way to track what you are doing. It is nice to have a list. It is nice to just “jump on” and go without having to think about what to do. It is nice to have a plan.

I like to do Triceps Kickbacks on it.  With this machine you can change the level of the incline and also the tension.  Since you are on the sliding “board” your body weight is always a factor, but the incline and the tension you can adjust.  Then you can adjust the challenge by your body position.  You can lay on the sliding board or you can kneel on the sliding board.  Even with kneeling you can adjust the difficulty, you can kneel “sitting up” with a straight back or you can knee laying down on your legs.  There are so many ways you can do an exercise.  With simple tweaks you can make it different.

You can also do different versions of a triceps extension.  One you can use the cables to pull yourself up and let yourself down as you lay on your back.  You keep your long arm bones down at your sides and pull your forearms down, straightening your arms.  Keep your legs in an unmoving “table top” also helps activate your core.  As you are having to keep your legs still while you are sliding the board up and down.

Or you can flip your body around and use the “kick plate” as a push off.  Laying on your back with your arms overhead, you can use the plate portion to “push up” or push “off” from.  In order to activate the triceps the long arm bones remain stationary as the forearms do the work of moving the body board.

With the machine already set up and no moving of it having to occur, these are a few of the exercises you can do quickly.  If you have to set it up . . . these are still a few of the exercises you can do on it.  I have more that I like that I will be share soon.  But this is all for now.

Do you have any exercise machines in your home that you use?  What are they?  What exercises do you do on them?

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

Finding Bright Spots

Posted by terrepruitt on June 26, 2014

Here is a beautiful picture of a place I am lucky enough to visit.  I was looking through my pictures and I thought I would share it.  I taught a Nia class this morning and we went to coffee afterwards.  It is so nice to have such a great group of students.  I also taught a yoga class this evening.  They are also a great group!  We have not gathered for a visit after class.  Not sure that will ever happen because I like to rush home to get dinner on the table.  But there is a very tasty taqueria really close so maybe one of these days we will go out after class.   Perhaps I can talk my husband into joining us, or at least promise him I’ll bring home a burrito!  This post is really just a filler.  I mentioned “stuff” in my last post.  Well, it is taking up my thoughts so I didn’t come up with an educational post.  I thought I would share some bright spots and remind you of your Goodie Jar.

If you are doing a Goodie Jar, I am using this post to do some checking in with you regarding it.  My wonderful students are often notes in my Goodie Jar.  Our current weather gets mentioned too.  Our weather has been very nice the past few days considering it is summer.  It has not been sweltering hot.  Yesterday my husband and I sat outside most of the day.   It wasn’t too hot to do so.  It even rained a bit last night.  We need rain so bad, it was nice to see the street wet this morning.  Since we need rain so badly it is so great that our temperatures are not so hot.

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 YogaLast week my niece visited us.  She and I spent one afternoon making candles.  You may have seen my post about when we did it the first time?  Last time I made myself a candle.  This time I made a candle for my hubby.  A sun, because he is my sunshine.  With kitties below.  Hummingbirds because we love ours in our yard, along with our roses.  And then the words because, well, I love him.  The colors were just because my niece and I liked them.  My niece is a bit of a Disney fanatic so she made one that looks like a symbol of Minnie Mouse.  I did not take a good picture of it, but it was very cute.

I did mention two other bright spots in my last post.  One was the return of a Nia student to my Nia class and another student bringing his own yoga mat.  Well tonight I had another returning student.  It was to my yoga class.  There are many, many teachers around so it is so heart warming when a student returns to class.  Something to put in the jar of Good Things.

I have many bright spots to acknowledge and be thankful for.  How about you?  Are you still making notes / documenting the good things in your daily life?  Jotting down things that make you smile?  Here it is open for sharing.

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments »

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