Archive for the ‘Misc’ Category
Posted by terrepruitt on September 21, 2010
Nia teaches me a lot of things. So does my husband. He is my computer technician. As you probably know with computers when something isn’t working correctly it isn’t always an easy fix. When he suspects what the issue is he can plan for it and figure it out and fix it. But sometimes something comes up that is not familiar. The first thing he asks me is “What have you done?” The second thing he asks is if I “Googled it”. Two times within the last nine months something has been troubling my computer. The first thing was an “Active Desktop”. The second was a HUGE e-mail. They annoyed me enough I was desperate to find relief. This time I remembered that whenever I have something wrong with my computer my techno-geek asks me if I Googled the problem. So that is what I did.
The Active Desktop “thing” happened when I wanted to save a picture from an e-mail to my computer. It was a Nia e-mail and a Nia promotional picture so I wanted to save it so that I could help in promoting the Bay Area Nia event. When I went to save it my computer asked me if I wanted to make it an active desktop item. I believe I was in so much of a rush I didn’t read the whole question, I saw “desktop” and said yes. I was thinking it was just asking if I wanted to SAVE it to my desktop. When I said yes it caused this “thing” to continue to happen with my computer. Every time I clicked from icon to icon or from document to document or webpage to webpage, my screen would go blank for a second then it would flash back up and continue on with its task. I put up with that for months. Every time my monitor went blank, my stomach would sink because I thought my computer had died. But then it would flash back up. At one point I did “Google” how to fix it, but the directions did not match with what I was seeing in my files. But after feeling sick for months I finally decided that I couldn’t take it any longer and if I broke my computer worse than it was so be it. I looked at the directions again and just kept looking and poking into my system until I found what the instructions were telling me I would find. I fixed it.
Then a month or so ago, I tried to send an e-mail. I didn’t realize it was as big as it was until my e-mail program kept showing something in my outbox. Well, it wouldn’t send it, it wouldn’t delete it, it wouldn’t do anything with that one e-mail but the rest of my e-mail was working fine. So for about a month I just put up with it, thinking there was nothing to do. But . . . I did it a second time. (Eyes rolling). As I was scanning the document I thought, “Remember to check it before you send it.” But as always when I am on my computer I got distracted and by the time I finished typing the e-mail and pressed send I had forgotten to check the size. It was huge and it wouldn’t send. So it was stuck again. Now I had TWO stuck e-mails.
So again I turn to “Google” and I found something that explained what I had to do. Now . . . keep in mind that I am pretty much a chicken when it comes to messing with my computer because I know if I break it I will be without it. So I only do things that I am confident about. The solution to fixing the e-mail was to disconnect it from the internet. I was completely comfortable with doing that because when I had a corporate job I used to do that all the time in order to connect my work laptop. So . . . .I disconnected the internet from my computer. My e-mail program had no way to try to send the e-mail (that was too big to send) so it allowed me to delete it. Yay. No more e-mail that can’t be sent and a message coming up saying “Do you want to exit with an e-mail yet to be sent?”
So . . . my point is there are things in life you can “Google”, especially if it has to do with a computer problem. Did you know that? It took me years to learn that many people post answers to computer issues. Its awesome.
Posted in Helpful Hints | Tagged: Active Desktop, Bay Area Nia, Bay Area Nia event, computer problems, computer problme, computer technician, Google, google a problem, Nia, Nia Bay Area, Nia promotion | 9 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 16, 2010
I am turning to the bloggey-sphere for answers. The corners of our sidewalks were curbs and not ramps. I don’t even know if that is what they are called–ramps. Not too long ago people came and jack hammered up the corners and put in ramps. I don’t remember exactly when it was but you can see that the new ramp is still bright and new. I actually think it has been in the last two years because I think I was teaching Nia when they put in the ramps. I remember commenting on it because we always see the work trucks and the “don’t park here” signs but we can’t always figure out what work has been done. With the ramps it was obvious. The whole corner section was bright cement. 
Well, just this week the jack hammers have been back. Again they have made cement rubble of the corners. They did it rather quickly, I think. They have redone all the corners and they have replaced the ramps they created not too long ago with this metal knobby stuff.
I tried to Google it, but what I came up with was how to get a permit in San Jose to work on the sidewalk. What I want to know is what is the knobby metal for?
I would think things that need the ramp, things with wheels, like wheel chairs, skates, and strollers would not roll well over the knobs. You might be able to tell in one of the pictures that the knobby plates don’t seem to come together but it actually looks like the plates are already rusting or something.
So . . . . do you know what the knobby metal plates in the sidewalk ramps are? Also, do you know WHY the knobs are better than the cement?
I am so curious.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Metal knob plates, metal knob sidewalk plates, Nia San Jose, San Jose Nia, San Jose sidewalk, sidewalk corner ramps, sidewalk curbs, sidewalk ramps | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 9, 2010
Whether I am teaching a Nia class or participating in a Nia class I sweat . . . . a lot. I used to think I sweat too much, then I heard that when you sweat your body is sweating out toxins. So then I went on thinking that it was good and ok that I sweat a lot because I was ridding my body of toxins. My plan for the post today was to jump on the computer and find all kinds of information regarding the toxins that are sweated out and to provide information about why we sweat. The first thing I read said there is no scientific evidence that proves bodies sweat out toxins. What? Did you know that?
Sweat is not just water, it does contain other things (minerals, lactate, and urea) but it has not been found to contain toxins or maybe more accurately, it has not been found to contain enough toxins to conclude that we actual sweat toxins out. Sweating is the bodies way of cooling us down. The mechanisms that produces sweat is not constructed to filter out toxins like, say, the liver or the kidneys.
When our bodies get hot the 2.6 million sweat glands (average person) produce perspiration or sweat. There are two different types of sweat glands and they produce two different types of sweat. There is the armpit and genital area type and then the rest-of-your-body type. Sweat itself does not have an odor, it is mainly made up of water. It is the bacteria in the areas of the body that mixes with the sweat that sometimes causes odor. Our bodies constantly sweat, but for some, most of it is absorbed back into the body before it even reaches the outer layer of the skin. When too much is produced to be reabsorbed that is when it comes out of the body. When it does come out of the skin some of it is evaporated to help produce a cooling effect. When there is more perspiration then can be evaporated it rolls or drips off the skin (or soaks into clothing).
Like many, many things there is just not scientific evidence showing that toxins are sweat out. Many people swear by saunas and bikram or hot yoga to sweat out the toxins. When you are sick some of us have been taught to sweat it out. I am just surprised that I have heard it for so long, but when I go to find supporting evidence I can’t. Maybe I just can’t. Maybe it is out there, but I am unable to find it.
The only information I found that supported the idea was webpages that had to do with the sale of saunas or one that has to do with a Detoxification Program created by the late L. Ron Hubbard. What do you think? Do you believe that we sweat out toxins?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: bikram yoga, Detoxification Program, hot yoga, kidney toxins, L. Ron Hubbard, liver toxins, Nia class, Nia Teacher, perspiration, saunas, sweat out toxins, sweaty yoga, teaching Nia, toxins, yoga classes | 7 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 7, 2010
Ever since I started teaching Nia I think that I have gotten more sleep than when I had a job with a large company. Do you get enough sleep? But what is “enough” sleep? I think some people think it is like a badge of honor if they can “get by” with a few hours sleep at night. I think we might forget that sleep is when our bodies do their repair work.
While we sleep our bodies rebuild and repair. Our brains, while they are busy performing these tasks actually gets its rests and gets ready for the next day. It is believed that healthy adults need between 7 and 9 hours sleep a night. Some sources say that getting even just one less hour a night can possibly affect our ability to think properly. Also it could affect your cardiovascular health and ability to fight infections in an adverse way. Your energy level and ability to concentrate might be less than desirable due to an inefficient amount of rest.
More and more studies are starting to point to sleep and the lack of it affecting our appetite. There are hormones involved that are produced while we sleep and their production is reduced when we don’t get enough sleep. These hormones control the feelings of hunger and of being full. So when we don’t get enough sleep it could result in being constantly hungry and not feeling satisfied.
Our mood is also connected to the sleep we get. Many people feel irritable and short tempered when they do not get enough sleep.
As previously stated research has concluded that a healthy adult needs between 7 and 9 hours sleep in order to function at their optimum, but everyone is different and the exact amount varies. Researchers at a California university found that a there is a rare gene in less than 3% of the population that allows for those people to get by on less than 6 hours sleep. The kind of says that probably 97% of the population is not getting the sleep that their bodies require to function properly. It is believed that most of the population survive on less than 6 hours sleep a night.
So, if you think sleeping less is something to boast about or if you think that sleep is a waste of time maybe you can try getting more sleep and see how you feel. Then maybe all these studies that are out there will be viewed in a different brighter light, through less sleepy eyes.
How much sleep, on average do you get a night?
Posted in Just stuff | Tagged: constanly hungry, Nia, sleep repair, sleep research, sleep studies, teaching job, teaching Nia | 14 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 24, 2010
Often times during my day I think of things I am thankful for, I am always thankful when I remember to turn OFF the alarm in the morning before opening the door, having the heart-stopping-blare of the house alarm is really no way to start the day. I am always thankful when I find my keys when I didn’t put them in the correct place. I am always glad when I drop my toast and it lands butterside up. 🙂
I want to share a few things in my life I am gratful for, my hope is that you would join me and make your own list and share it here with me. I am only listing six, but please feel free to list as many things as you are grateful for and share as much about each thing you would like.
1–I am grateful for my hubby, he is the best.
2–I am grateful for my family, they are awesome.
3–I am grateful for my hubby’s family. While yes, I consider them my family I know that I am lucky to have such a great
“in-law” family so I needed to list them separate.
4–I am grateful to be able to teach Nia, sharing something I love with others.
5–I am grateful for my friends. I am very blessed to have some of the greatest friends ever.
6–I am grateful for my health, and will work to keep it.
I am thinking that many of you will be able to list some of these very things, but I also know that some of you have some very exciting things in your lives and maybe you would like to list them as something you are grateful for.
Oh, and I could forget, I am grateful for you taking your time to read my blog.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: grateful, gratitude, gratitude list, Nia, teach Nia, thankful | 8 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 21, 2010
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems (according to Wiki). The measurement of obesity is primarily BMI – Body Mass Index. The formula for determining BMI is divide a person’s weight by the height squared. This is just a guide as it does not always work well in determining excess body fat if the person is primarily muscle. Just like all of the information put out to the general public is a guide made to be easy and simple.
BMI Categories:
• Underweight = <18.5
• Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
• Overweight = 25–29.9
• Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater
A report recently published* revealed is America’s BMI is going up. Adult obesity rates increased in 28 states in the past year, and declined only in the District of Columbia (D.C.). Other information reported:
■ 33 States have adult obesity rates above 25%
■ No state had an obesity rate above 20% in 1991
■ Colorado has the lowest rate of obesity at 19.1% of its population being obese
■ The number of adults who report they do not engage in any physical activity rose in 12 states in the past year
■ The number of states where adult obesity rates exceed 30 percent doubled in the past year, from four to eight —
Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and West Virginia.
■ Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of diabetes are in the South
■ Ten of the 11 states with the highest rates of hypertension are in the South
■ California’s percentage of obese is 24.4
One way to change these numbers is to eat better . . . I really believe that most of us could eat better . . . and move more. Most of us could move more too. Find something you love to do because odds are if you love it you will stick with it. This is not about looking good it is about reducing a condition that leads to a reduction in life expectancy and/or increased health problems. Feeling good is an added benefit.
Regardless of where you fall on this type of scale, what can you do to eat better? Share here. Tell me what you are going to do in order to improve your diet. What about movement? What type of movement do you love? What can you add to your day? Let me know.
*F as in Fat: How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010, a report from the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).
Posted in Just stuff | Tagged: BMI, Body Mass Index, diabetes, eating better, fat, health problems, high blood pressure, hybertension, life expectancy, obesity | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 19, 2010
As a Nia teacher I am entitled to listen in on a monthly Nia Teacher Continuing Education call. These teleconference calls are included in the cost of licensing. So I am familiar with teleconference calls and that they have value. I received an e-mail from “The Difference” and it was an invitation to listen in on a teleconference call. The calls were happening at times that I was unavailable so I was unable to listen in on the live call. But they recorded the calls and sent out an e-mail instructing us how to listen to the call.
This is a service. Regardless of how you feel about teleconference calls, you have to know that people sign up for them and pay money to listen. You have to know that all types of information is distributed this way. Regardless of whether you would have paid for a call that has to do with ‘Re-energise & Fall In Love All Over Again’, you have to know that others would. So The Difference provided a type of service.
I was not told that I could not share the information, but I don’t want to get involved in possibly disclosing something I shouldn’t have so I am not going to get into specifics. I am certainly not going to spend my time contacting “The Difference” to see what I can disclose. My purpose for this post is to continue the conversation about “The Difference”. So many people are saying it is a scam and I am not ready to conclude that. I have no proof that it is. This is me sharing that they are doing “SOMETHING”. They offered a call that might not have value to all, but it does have value.
This phone call goes along with my original assessment that being involved as a paying collaborator on The Difference is a type of “self-improvement”/”self-help” thing. In the call Jacqueline Bignell the Founder of The Difference™ interviewed two Australian Difference Makers. One was Heather Yelland (her claim per her website: “Australia’s leading female personal development and mindset specialist”) and the other was Lisa Ippolito, a Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner.
They brought up the main point of loving oneself will assist in the enabling of loving fully and of attracting love back. It is not a new concept and more and more people are starting to talk about it. I just read a post today that was about the very same thing. The blog was saying that is what he saw in the movie “Eat, Pray, Love”. That Elizabeth Gilbert the author of the book came to that realization. Funny how all of this connected in one day. This type of thinking is what Jacqueline is trying to promote with her project The Difference.
The conference call that they did is just an example of what they are doing to help this “opening of your heart” type of thinking along. Again, they are doing something, they are providing something of value. I didn’t even become a collaborator and I still got something out of it.
Posted in Just stuff | Tagged: "Eat, collaborator, conference call, Difference Makers, Elizabeth Gilbert, Heather Yelland, Jaceline Bignell, Jackie Bignell, Jacqueline Bignell, Lisa Ippolito, love, Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner, Nia, Nia Continuing Education, Nia licensing, Nia Teacher, NLP Practitioner, personal development, personal development specialist, Pray, self help, self improvement, service of value, teleconference call, The Difference, The Differnce | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 29, 2010
I often find myself defending Twitter when I meet new people. In this world of multiple social media networks, the subject of FaceBook, Twitter, and Yelp often come up. We start talking then usually someone says, “I’ve never gotten into Twitter. I mean, really (!?!?) who wants to know what I had for lunch? And I certainly don’t care about what others had for lunch?!?!” That is not the only thing Twitter is about.
First of all, that is a Twitter stereo-type. Not ALL tweeple tweet about what they had for lunch. But those that do often get a lot of responses. If you are in a circle of people that are foodies they LOVE tweets about food! ANY MEAL AT ALL. My hubby (@JohnPruitt) used to tweet and Facebook pictures of his lunch every day. Now he actually takes lunch from home and people miss his pictures. They ask him if he is on a diet, if he is sick, they miss it. EVERYONE eats. Not everyone has the opportunity to eat what is available to us in San Jose and the Bay Area and they enjoy seeing all the different things. Food really brings people together.
What I was thinking about the other day was when someone tweets me out of the blue and says, “I thought about you . . . .” WOW! People I know only through Twitter THINK about ME! How cool is that? I love that someone out there is thinking about me. I love it when it is silly, “I was thinking about you because I was wearing blue.” I love it when it is related to healthy eating, “I was thinking about you as I ate my salad.” I love when it is about kitties, “I saw a cat and thought about you and your cat.” I love when it is about Nia, “I went to a Nia class today and I thought about you.”
Yes, I started using Twitter to promote Nia and my business. I have made business connections and friends. I have actually made some connections. Funny enough, with this post half written (up to this very point – no lie!) I had a DM* conversation with a friend today. She was asking if I thought it were possible to have “real” friends on Twitter. Ones that you only knew through Twitter. My thinking on that is “you betcha!”
Maybe the definition of “real” is different, I don’t know. But I know that I know more about a lot of my friends on Twitter than I know about my friends I have in person. I talk more to some of my Twitter friends than I do my “in person friends”. So . . . . . to me, as I always say . . . Twitter is what you make it. Connections are out there to be made. Either you know because you are on it, or you will see when you get there. It is soooooo AWESOME (inspiring, and humbling) to have someone tweet, “I was thinking about you today!” Gives me the warm fuzzies.
*DM = Direct Message
(Oh, and puleeeaase! You think I am going to write a post about Twitter warm fuzzies and not put this most excellent tweet that I received one day in my post. Ha! That would be unacceptable. Thanks, Dani!)
Posted in Twitter | Tagged: @JohnPruitt, Bay Area, Bay Area Nia, Bay Area Nia class, Direct Message, DM, Facebook, foodies, John Pruitt, Nia business, Nia class, Nia San Jose, San Jose, San Jose Nia class, social media, social media networks, Tweeple, tweets, Twitter, twitter friends, warm fuzzies, warm fuzzy, Yelp | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 17, 2010
While I was doing Nia today, I was thinking of that yummy mango-cucumber salad (have you tried it yet?). I had a thought about the lemon leftovers. If you have seen a few of my posts you might have noticed that I really try not to be wasteful. I think that as a society we are pretty wasteful so I know I do my share, but when I can come up with ways that allow me to re-use something I like it. Guess what, you can do a few of things with the lemons that have been used for the salad.
You can zest the lemons. The outside colored part of the lemons can be used for many things. (Hmm, I think I see another blog post at of just that.) I would think it would be easier to zest before you squeeze all the juice out of the lemon, but that is just me.
You can use what is left of the lemon to try to “bleach” stuff. For me I use it to lighten any darkness that might be on my kitchen grout. It doesn’t always work on a dark-dark stain, but on anything light it usually does. Often times I leave it for a few hours, but remember it is an acid so it might eat through some of the grout . . . so like most things you are trying for the first time test it in a small unseen area to make certain you can live with the results.
Or just take the lemon portion that has been squeeze and run it over your counters or your sink—-provided the surfaces can tolerate something like that. Then wipe it down with a damp towel you might have the fresh sent of lemon in the kitchen. I have tile on which I do that, but I do not do it on my granite.
Then when you are all done using as much as you can out of that little lemon put it in your garbage disposal. As long as your garbage disposal works well at grinding rinds that helps clean it and leaves a fresh sent in the kitchen. Especially if you run the disposal at the same time you run some warm/hot water–it fills the kitchen with lemony scent.
What else can we do with the lemon “leftovers”?
Posted in Helpful Hints | Tagged: leftovers, lemon scent, lemons, mango-cucumber salad, Nia | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 6, 2010
Throughout my day I come across a lot of things I would like to post about, but not all of them are in keeping with or even CLOSE to in keeping with health and wellness. I know I stretch sometimes, but I always write about something I have learned or something that interests me.
I just happened upon that tonight. This might not be suitable for everyone and it certainly won’t interest everyone.
I have long wanted to donate my body to science. When I am done with it I have always hoped it could help people. I watched a special tonight that really amazed and interested me and really helped confirmed that donation is a great thing. I was of the belief that it would go as a whole to a medical school, but now-a-days with so much surgery being done laparoscopically the need to practice on real tissue has greatly increased. So an entire body is not always needed.
I understand that this might be against some people’s religion or beliefs which is understandable. But if not, it might be something to consider. Even though I cannot dwell on the actual details, I love to focus on what a donation can mean: saving a life or improving the quality of one. To me that is a tremendous gift.
There is a company here in the United States* that will take a body at no cost to the family. For a lot of people not having the cost of a funeral or anything could be a very big relief. Plus the body can be used for great things.
Body parts can be used in medical studies, in transplantations, in medical products. We could keep on giving.
All of the information on this show** was amazingly fascinating to me, but I have a feeling that not many here would care for the details. I will say that due to all of the medical advances there is an increase in demand by as much as 50% per year. With this huge increase in demand for tissue the black market is getting larger. Since only 1% of Americans donate, it is still very profitable for thieves to steal and sell. It is awful to think that some people are profiting from stealing someone’s body. And on top of that, if they are doing it so dishonestly they COULD be doing it with potentially diseased tissue. This TV program hinted that if more people were to donate through legitimate sources it might help make it less profitable for the shady ones and there for less worth the risk.
Did you know:
—Bone graphs from one person could go on to help 80 people. (That is EIGHTY people that could live a better life because ONE person decided to be generous with something they are no longer using.)
—In Britain it was illegal to practice medicine on a cadaver until 2006.
—Organs need to be retrieved while the heart is still beating, but tissue can be retrieve up to 24 hours after death.
—They can use an achilles tendon to replace a ruptured knee ligament.
—Tissue transplant includes bones, tendons, and skin.
—Donated human tissue can be used in Medical Science, Education, bio products.
*Anatomy Gifts Registry (AGR) – Tissue Broker
**The show I watched was first aired in 2008, I just watched it July, 6, 2010. All the information in this post is from the show.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: AGR, cadaver donation, donate body to science, donated human tissue for use in Medical Science and Education., Donation, funeral, health, Laparoscopic surgery, Medical Science, Tissue Broker, tissue donation, transplant, wellness | 16 Comments »
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