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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Stretching BEFORE Workout

Posted by terrepruitt on June 10, 2010

When I was young the thing to do, what we were taught to do, before exercise was to stretch.  Static stretching, moving into a position that stretches the muscle, then hold it for about 30 seconds.  The idea was to stretch every muscle in the body, from the top to the bottom or the bottom to the top.  This was considered a proper warm-up.  This was the correct way to get our bodies ready for exercise.  This we were told would prevent injury. Research and knowledge has changed that.

With advances in exercise technology and body knowledge, it is now a popular belief that this type of stretching, static stretching could actual harm the muscles or in the very least keep them from operating at their peak.  Some researchers believe that stretching before exercise actually causes the muscle to contract and tire, therefore not perform as efficiently.

A study done by the University of Nevada found that athlete’s muscle strength was decreased by as much as 30%.  If a muscles strength is decreased you are either going to be able to do less or injure yourself trying to do more than you muscle is able to do at the time.

So many of us have been taught to warm up this way for so long it is difficult for us to let go and to move on to the correct way to warm up.  This type of stretching — static stretch — is best left for the purpose of improving flexibility (and strength in the case of asanas) and is best done after a workout (unless it IS your workout as in the case of a yoga).  What type of warm up do you do?  Do you stretch before or after a workout?

Posted in Exercise and Working Out, Misc, stretching | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

War With Cancer

Posted by terrepruitt on May 18, 2010

One of my best friends’ sister has been battling cancer for a year.  When people say “battling” cancer, it is an accurate statement.  When one “battles” cancer, it is for one’s life.  The fight is messy, painful, tiring, expensive, costly, and heart breaking, just like all battles.

I questioned myself regarding posting about it, because I didn’t ask my friend.  But I received a sense of knowing that if I wrote this and one person read it and it affected their life in a positive way then even though my friend’s sister lost the battle yesterday (May 17, 2010) she would be happy. SHE would have wanted me to write this, because she fought with all of her might and all of her faith until the very end. So she would want me to remind you of some of the signs you might want to pay attention to.  She would want us to continue with the war with cancer.

—A change in bowel habits
—Diarrhea
—Constipation
—Feeling that the bowel does not empty completely
—Stools that are narrower or have a different shape than usual
—Blood (either bright red or very dark) in the stool
—General abdominal discomfort (frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, or cramps)
—Change in appetite
—Weight loss for no known reason
—Feeling very tired

You might want to talk to a medical professional if you have any of the previously mentioned signs.  These symptoms may be signs of rectal cancer. (1)

I would like to remind you that you need to listen to your body, you need to take time out from your schedule and you need to question things when things don’t feel right.  We all suffer from, “Well, its nothing.”  “Its this.”  “Its that.”  It is scaring and frustrating that as we age our bodies change so we never know if what is going on is part of the natural aging or if something is wrong.  Then we rely on the medical professionals to tell us because that is their job, but they don’t know either.  The last time I went to the doctor I felt as if I greatly annoyed her and was wasting her time because I was healthy.  So, I understand hesitation in going to the doctor.

But we all need to be better about it, myself included.  I learned some other things today that I didn’t know in regards to colon cancer*.

-According to the American Cancer Society, colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in the United States.

-Nearly all colon cancers begin as noncancerous (benign) polyps, which slowly develop into cancer.

-You have a higher risk for colon cancer if you: Have a personal history of breast cancer

-There is no single cause for colon cancer.  What you eat may play a role in your risk of colon cancer. (2)

The Mayo Clinic’s definition:

*Colon cancer is cancer of the large intestine (colon), the lower part of your digestive system. Rectal cancer is cancer of the last several inches of the colon. Together, they’re often referred to as colorectal cancers.

You were brave and fought well, you will be forever missed and loved. When I think of the situation and your family I am sad, but when I think of you and your attitude during your battle, I smile.  Thank you for positive energy.

(1) Information from the National Cancer Institute
(2) Information from Medline Plus

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

Sheets

Posted by terrepruitt on May 6, 2010

Ok, not a typical health, wellness, Nia post, but I am changing sheets today and it had me wondering.  How often do you change your bed sheets?  I try to do it once a week and I have been pretty good.  The schedule has been Thursdays.  It just works out that Thursdays has been the day it seems to work into my schedule.  Sometimes I miss a Thursday so it might turn into a Saturday or a Sunday and then depending on the schedule for the week following I might do it on Thursday or wait until the following Thursday but that is usually it.

I vaguely . . . .I say vaguely because I purged the “who” and the exactly “how often”, from my mind, but I vaguely remember someone telling me their schedule and I was kind grossed out.  But since I don’t know yours and I am not sure if that person’s schedule was more to the norm, I am not going to say how “not-often” his/her sheets were changed, just in case that is your schedule to, I don’t want to offend.

So?  How often or not do you change your sheets?

I guess how often you sleep in your bed would help determine how often you change your sheets.  Or if you have pets that sleep with you.  I would imagine that sheets would get changed more often if there are animal butts involved.  Also, activities, I would also imagine that if the bed sees a lot of “activity” there might need to be a more rigorous changing schedule.  That brings to mind more questions, like “when?”  Do you change your sheets before the weekend or after the weekend?  Or more accurately before the more frequent “activities” or after?

When you do change your sheets, do you put on sheets out of the linen closet or do you wash the sheets and put them back on?  I hate folding sheets (although, for the record, I am not ALLOWED to fold the sheets in our house because I can’t do it well.  They are never flat enough to fit in the cupboard.  My husband is a MASTER-sheet folder . . . so the job falls to him.  Since the job falls to him, I try not to leave the sheets for him to fold.)  I try to wash them and put them back on the bed.  And I say “try” because I am famous (did you know, do you want my autograph?) for putting stuff in the washing machine and forgetting about it.  So it could be all day until I go back upstairs and realize that I didn’t put the sheets in the dryer and it is time to go to bed so I end up having to get sheets out of the cupboard.

So, are you a wash and fold or wash and put back on the bed person?  I guess this could depend on how many sets of sheets you own and if you have to go to a laundry mat or you have your own washing machine.

Whew!  A lot of questions running through my head about sheets.  Will any of you help answer them?  I am curious.  What are your thoughts on bed sheets?  What is your changing schedule?  How do you do it (wash and put back on? wash and fold?)

I recently heard from someone who hangs their sheets outside to dry, they like the fresh air dried smell (they don’t live in San Jose because they wouldn’t smell very fresh dried outside here).  I can’t remember who that was.  I wonder how they do their sheets.  Hmmm?  So many questions.

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

Sodalite and Moonstone

Posted by terrepruitt on April 29, 2010

Sodalite – From the things I have read the main thing sodalite is believed to do is bring calm, inner peace, and balance. I have often seen it associated with helping make clear and rational decisions. (Which I would imagine would be easier if your mind was calm and you had inner peace, so those two things seem like they would go together.) In addition to clear and rational thinking, some information states it helps with creative thought too. I have also seen that it helps with inflammation which goes along with the information I have seen that says it assist with immune systems. (Because inflammation is part of that system.)

Moonstone – I see that this stone is said to also bring calm. Most information states, “Moonstone is a stone of inner growth and strength.” Also, it is said to stimulate balance of hormones. (Which we must remember is necessary in males as well as females.) Several things say it is a stone of protection and that it is a healing stone.

This is stuff that interests me. At one time I thought it was pretty (what I call) woo-woo, but then when I start looking into Nia I started seeing things a little differently. When I first discovered Nia I bought the book (The Nia Technique Book). As I started reading it I thought it was too “woo-woo”, but then they related it to science and it made sense. Then I started thinking that there had to be things on this earth that we were given before we had science that could assist with our health and wellness. So I thought, “Why not energies in a stone?” So, I am just interested in this. I feel more comfortable when I read the information out there (and there is so much out there) and it states basically the same information. Then I feel like at least everyone is on the same page.

I was interested in some of the properties these two stones were said to have. I have not listed them all but just some. I have a few in the house. Not sure they are doing any good, but they are pretty.

Do you think stones have energies? Do you think stones have healing properties?

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

Vase Are Like That, Ya Know?

Posted by terrepruitt on April 27, 2010

My husband broke a vase last night.  As he first starts to read this he probably won’t be too happy because this post might appear to be about him and this blog was not supposed to be about us, it is supposed to be about Nia, and health, fitness, and nutrition.  I have noticed that my posts that are strictly about exercises and working out don’t get as much traffic as the ones that are about life’s situations.  There are so many sites and blogs about ways to exercise and workouts to do, so I am thinking I will do more posts about situations that connect to health and wellness, like this one.  It is not about my husband, but about me and how I feel I have progressed to assist with my own wellness.

Used to be a broken vase would greatly upset me, but I think of myself as getting better with stuff like that.  He was in a hurry and was doing something nice for me (very nice*) and he accidentally knocked a vase down.  Oh well.  I sighed.  I was sad for a moment.  He even said, “Vases are like that, ya know?  They break.”  Which is true and truly funny at the same time.  But for me, just going on with the evening is different than I used to be about a decade ago.  I am a “stuff” person so I used to lament over broken things.  Sometimes I do a little still, but I am learning—still.

I was wondering what to write today when I was rushing around trying to bake some banana bread for a friend who donated to my MS Walk.  Guess what I did?  I broke a vase.  I laughed.  Then I was sad.  But then I was happy because, “Vases are like that, ya know?  They break.”

I know that often times it is so much healthier to let things go, but honestly it is not always easy.  Once upon a time I would have been so upset about the vase last night that I would have allowed it to ruin the evening.  Because accidents seem to happen when people are rushed (see the first sentence in this paragraph).  If I would have had a fit last night I would have ruined the evening AND had a totally impossible time dealing with the vase I broke today.  It would have been, “What?  It’s not ok for my hubby to break a vase, but when I do it, oh well?”  Yeah, right.  And we were both trying to do something for someone else.

So . . . . sigh.  I feel so much better that I had a nice evening last night with my hubby.  I will also be able to have a nice evening tonight too because he will just be able to tease me about breaking a vase, but I won’t be apologize because I was a jerk when he broke one.  So instead of getting upset (over something that really is not worth getting upset over) I let it go which actually helped me health-wise because I didn’t have a ball of anger inside.  That helped keep the evening open so that we could have a nice evening.  I am not worrying about how I am going to explain to him that I can break a vase and he can’t.

Being able to let things go and just move on away from it is a good thing sometimes.  Because really in life vases ARE like that, ya know?  They DO break.

*This is what my husband was doing when the vase broke.  He had gone outside in our yard and cut some flowers for me.  Usually he just gives them to me to put in vases, but I was busy cooking so he was being super nice and putting them in vases too.  Sometimes life it like that too, homegrown freshcut flowers brought to you by your love.

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

Earth Day

Posted by terrepruitt on April 22, 2010

April 22, 2010 – the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day.  It has been forty years since the first Earth Day was celebrate on April 22, 1970.  I think it is nice that we have a day for the earth, but I also believe that we should celebrate the earth every day.

I believe that the life we have created with all of the packaging, electronics, and modern conveniences ensures that we are unintentionally a little wasteful, but if we ALL do little things to help it can add up.  So this day, which is celebrated on April 22, 2010 around the world, is set out to bring consciousness to our lives.

Here is a video that was shared on Twitter (by @jfouts) and I think it just goes to show that EVERYBODY can do their part to help our beautiful planet.

Are you doing anything special or different than you do every other day to celebrate Earth Day?  Post a comment and let me know.

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

Green = Less Wasteful

Posted by terrepruitt on April 17, 2010

I love that not wanting to be wasteful is called “green” now.  Yeah, I am finally not “cheap” or “frugal” (which isn’t bad but it sounds too much like frumpy).  I am finally doing something that is “in”.  I really have always tried to not be too wasteful.  I mean, I admit, I am sometimes wasteful, it is just the day and age we live in, but we can do little things to help.  It could be that I have this engrained in me because when I was young we had a drought which seemed to last forever and back then water was associated with electricity so we tried to conserve both.  Then there was the gas shortage when we could only get gas on the day that matched your license plate.  Remember that, if your license plate ended (or was it started?) with an even number then you could get gas on even numbered days, and it the number was odd, you could get gas on odd numbered days.

Well, I just habitual do things that some people think are cheap—but now its GREEN.  Sometimes these things stem from accidents.  Like dryer sheets.  Have you ever thought of re-using a dryer sheet?  If you use it for more than one load of clothes it probably won’t work well.  But have you noticed that after it has gone through the load it is kind of rough?  But not REALLY scratchy rough, but it might just be the perfect rough you need to scrub something?  This happened for me quite by accident.  I was in the garage and I need to wipe something up and I didn’t want to go in the house to get a paper towel so I thought about a dryer sheet.  I looked in the dryer and sure enough there was one, so I used it to “scrub” what needed scrubbing and it worked perfect.  Or sometimes I just want to wipe something while I am in the garage, and I am always lucky enough to find a dryer sheet in the dryer.

Now honestly I don’t save used dryer sheets for this purpose, but sometimes they are just lying around (or does that only happen in my house?  Seems like they stick to the towels and sheets and end up all over the house) and it comes in handy that there is one to use.  That just happened right now so that is why I am typing this post.

I am sure some will argue that NOT using dryer sheets at all would be more green.  I would say that I only use the dryer for my towels and sheets.  And if they are going to be used why not get TWO uses out of them.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the dryer sheet people have this on their website or some other helpful hint website has it on there, but I thought I would share it with you on MY blog.  For once I just sat down and started typing and didn’t look all over the internet to see if I was copying someone.  At this point, I don’t care.  I thought of this myself and I am sure someone else has but more than one people can have a thought and share it, right?

Do you use dryer sheets for anything else?

Posted in Helpful Hints | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

The Forest of Life

Posted by terrepruitt on April 15, 2010

I posted not too long about  friends, Friends For Life. That post was about friends—good friends help contribute to a happy healthy life. Since then I read a post about people you become friends with and stay friends with and how some friends come and go.

While I was reading, I started thinking about my close friends from Junior High. I was reminded of my relationships with these friends and I likened it to us—there are four of us—walking through a forest on life’s journey, walking in a HUGE forest, yeah, “The Forest of Life”. We are walking together. Sometimes we are on the same path, either in a line or two in front of the others or whatever; when it is the same path we can all see each other. Sometimes, the path might become separate trails. Sometimes these trails can be separated just by pebbles or rocks on the ground. Sometimes the trails might be separated by low bushes or even high bushes, dense or thin. Sometimes there might even be HUGE trees and maybe even different levels that separate our trails from the one big path we were at one point walking on together, but I still hear them there. I still know they are there. The trails meet up and go apart, bushes, trees, pebbles, rocks, maybe even streams might separate the path sometimes, but we are all still on the hike, in the same forest.

Yes, what I AM saying is that sometimes things come up and these things get in the way of a closeness that might have been shared. Sometimes one of us might be going through a phrase where she might feel alone, on a side trail. Sometimes we can all be on completely different trails.  We have all had “stuff” in our lives that has taken us away from the group, but, that’s the way it goes. We’ve know each other since Junior High . . . about 30 years and there is no way that in 30 years the relationships of four people could not change and adjust, but we are all on the same walk.

I am so blessed to have three friends from Junior High that are my bestest friends. Even though at times we have slightly separated, and come together, and moved off, and come back, and we might not have all been super-duper close all 30 years, but we have not been apart. Since we were 18 we have been getting together for each birthday and Christmas. So for almost 25 years we get together AT LEAST five times a year.  It doesn’t always work out that all four of us get togther every time, but pretty much.

Speaking of birthdays, one of these friends just happens to be having a birthday today. And I thought that I could post a Happy Birthday on here for her. I didn’t ask her and I didn’t tell her so . . . .I won’t name her, but she knows who she is. If she happens to see this and cares to step up, that is up to her.

Either way, I am wishing her a happy, happy birthday and letting her know that I have enjoyed all the years I have been able to do so and I look forward to being able to wish her many, many more. I could have subconsciously been thinking of walking because we are going to celebrate her birthday this year by walking in the MS Walk in San Jose.  Maybe, at lunch, after the walk they will let me take a picture and I will get their permission to post it here.  (So check back in a few days and maybe you can see us!   It took a week, but I did post a picture of us, see below.)

I always marvel at THEIR wonderfulness for having put up with me this long.

Here’s to us and the journey that we are on, walking through the forest of life . . . . . .

Posted in Misc | Tagged: , , , , , , , | 18 Comments »

My Easter

Posted by terrepruitt on April 8, 2010

I am using today to post My Easter in pictures.

I started out the day doing my Nia workout. . . . thank God, I got my workout in before brunch.

We went to a friends in San Jose.  It was a small gathering so I thought it would be pretty causal, and it was, sort of, this was the spread that met us . . . . pretty fancy, but very relaxed.

We probably could have stayed there visiting all day, but we had to rush off to an early dinner.

We went straight from brunch to dinner in Milpitas.  Since the family was done with dinner this is from dinner.


We had a good day. Good food and visiting with friends and family. Very nice. What did you do? What are your traditions?

Posted in Just stuff | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

iPad Coolness

Posted by terrepruitt on April 6, 2010

We do not own an iPad.  I believe that our iPhones are enough for us, at the moment.  But the company Hubby works for runs Macs and they wanted an office iPad.  Not only that, they are so nice they let the employees take it home and experience it.  So I was able to use one for a couple of hours. It is really like a big iPhone . . . a really BIG iPhone.  It does not take pictures nor is it a phone, but it is really pretty.

Apple seems to have a way with picture quality.  I like my monitor, it is fine.  I don’t need another one, but when I go to Hubby’s office I do tend to stare at his monitor.  It is soooo clear and it makes whatever you are working on so beautiful.  I found this to be the case with the iPad.  But like my iPhone since the “monitor” is also your keyboard, you end up having to look “through” a lot of finger prints and smudges.

It was already loaded up with someone’s applications and so I basically just looked at a movie and did some internet surfing.

It ran pretty fast, and as I have already mentioned the clarity is awesome.

Some of the things that I am familiar with on the iPhone were different on the iPad and I thought the differences would be useful.  The calendar program that comes as part of the iPhone was able to be displayed as if it were a book calendar with the note section on the left and the month on the right.  It looked like a regular desk calendar.  With the iPhone’s tiny screen you have to change “pages” for list/day/month.  I can see how having a “regular desk calendar” would be very helpful.  Don’t we all love to look at things “at a glance”.

I LOVED the way the multiple browsers showed.  But I bet I would end up with 16 browser windows like I usually do on my regular computer.  I think that the iPhone only allows eight and the way they are displayed is linearly and you swipe to move them.  But on the iPad they are displayed in a grid format so you can see them all at once.  I found that to be one of the most exciting features that I experienced.

Remember, I only had this for a few hours and the applications loaded on it were not mine or even my husband’s so I didn’t go snooping into them all.

The “keyboard” that pops up is a good sized qwerty keyboard and one could touch type one it.  I have the need for the feel of the keys in order to type with any speed, but I heard my husband typing away on it just like normal.  (And just so you know, he typed REALLY fast!)

I keep coming back to how pretty the “monitor” (display)  looked.  I actually didn’t even get to see the “naked” iPad because it was “vacuum packed” into is neoprene case and, as I have mentioned, it is not ours so I didn’t want to risk scratching it or anything, so I didn’t take it out of its case to look at it.

I did discover a book in the “library”.  It was Whinnie-the-Pooh.  Oh, my heart melted and I thought since I was stuck on the couch with the cat was on my lap I could try reading on the iPad.  Well, four pages into it, my hand started to hurt.  The iPad is very heavy and I could not hold it in one hand and read it like I would hold a book.  But unlike the Kindle it has its own backlight, like a computer.  (Did I mention how pretty the monitor makes everything look?).

Like a netbook, I can see how people could use an iPad.  I can see how business could benefit from it.  Since I work from home I am good with my regular computer and my iPhone, which is just like an iPad, but smaller, and it has a camera and a phone.   But its picture is not nearly as pretty.

Posted in Just stuff | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments »

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