Posted by terrepruitt on May 23, 2016
I have written and posted about shavasana (savasana) before. This asana can be used to start a class or be done anywhere in the sequence that you see fit to use it. It is used in many yoga classes as the final pose. I think of it as a Challenging Easy Pose. It is a challenge because many of us have busy lives and things to do all the time. Many of us have a lot to think about. Many of us are challenged with quieting the mind. Not necessarily having no thoughts because I am not sure that is even possible, but not having a lot of chatter in the mind. Having focused thoughts. The thoughts focusing on breath, body, and the practice just experienced. Some people are further challenged with just being still. So in addition to the busy, moving mind, there is the busy, moving body. For some just relaxing and not fidgeting is a challenge. I find that being comfortable really helps. When doing shavasana as the final pose, I instruct my students to put on their jackets, if they want. I encourage them bring blankets. I almost plead with them to bring sock, nice, comfy, fluffy socks — and use them during shavasana.
I think this one simple thing will change your shavasana. It doesn’t matter what the temperature is. The room could be hot and the last thing you would think to do is put on socks, but I invite you to try it. I reserve at least 7 minutes for shavasana. I shoot for 10 minutes but sometimes that doesn’t work. But we do at least 7 minutes. So there is plenty of time to sink into relaxation. It could be that in my classes, with all of that time the feet have a chance to cool off so socks are great. When the feet are chilled it might keep you from completely relaxing. You might not even realize they are chilled. So socks can help.
Also air moving around your more than 7000 nerve endings (in each foot) might distract you. With many yoga classes there are some standing poses, so you’ve activated the nerves in the feet. Perhaps sensitized the feet during the class. So nice socks could help keep the distraction to a minimum. COMFY socks might help bring some calm back to those nerves. So if possible use warm and comfortable socks. Not dress socks, because those do not help with warmth.
I am not sure the ancient yogis would endorse or even agree with such a recommendation, but I think of socks as a prop to help me achieve the purpose of the pose. If props are used and recommended for other poses why not shavasana. I do know that some people use bolsters when they are available, so why not use socks?
For me, once I started using socks, my shavasana changed. I hadn’t even really thought about my feet affecting the pose until one day I decided to put on socks. The few students of mine that have decided to use socks during their shavasana mentioned how it made a difference. We all marvel at how it did!
So . . . whether you love shavasana or not . . . whether you are challenged by it or not . . . I suggest trying it with socks on. See what you think. Then let me know.
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: 7000 nerve endings in your foot, asana, bolsters, fluffy socks, relax with socks on, savasana, shavasana, yoga poses, Yoga Practice, yoga props, yoga sequence | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 18, 2016
So, do you know that we have gone in with a friend to by a cow? We get a small portion of a grass-fed cow. If you have read any of my post regarding food you have probably heard that we do this. You might also know that our favorite type of meat is the ground beef. My hubby and I love hamburgers. We usually have two “regular-sized” burgers and then some. By “regular-sized” I mean big enough to fit a bun but not really thick. I am still working on trying to get the burger to actually fit the bun. It doesn’t have to be perfect but I would like it just a little closer to the edges of the bun. Anyway . . . I end up with a little meat leftover. I could just make two burgers out of it, but I really don’t want to have 1/2 pound burgers. We ALMOST have them that big, but not quite. Without using the entire package to make two burgers I have a little left over. The challenge is always, what to do with that little bit left over. I often throw it over pasta. Yum! Always a quick, easy dinner. The other day, though, I looked in my fridge and saw two zucchinis I need to use up. And you know, if you have read some of my other recipes, how much I love stuff pumpkin. So I decided to stuff the zucchini.
I didn’t get all fancy with the ingredients. I just basically used the meat, the zucchinis, onions, and cheese.
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Stuffed Zucchini
coconut oil
2 zucchini
1/2 of a large onion (I prefer white)
1/4 lb of ground beef
garlic salt
salt
pepper
3/4 cups shredded cheese (your favorite)
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Wash the zucchini. Slice them in half length-wise. Use a spoon and drag it down the inside of the zucchini. Only remove a little bit. Just enough to make a little shallow “gully” down the middle of the zucchini. Spread a little bit of coconut oil on both sides of each half. Then place all four halves face down on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Let them bake for 10 minutes. Then take them out of the oven and salt all eight sides. Then put them back in the oven for 10 minutes.
While they are baking, heat up a tablespoon of coconut oil in a pan. Chop up two thirds of the onion then heat them in the pan. Once they are starting to get translucent add the meat. Let the meat begin to cook then start adding the garlic salt and pepper if you would like. Since the meat is going to be baked in the oven you might want to be certain not to cook it TOO much.
If you have to grate your cheese do that while everything is cooking. Also finely chop/mince the rest of the onion.
Check on the zucchini, I like the “inside” to start browning. Then once it is the color I like it, I flip them over and bake them some more. I would say I roast/bake the zucchini 20 to 30 minutes before I stuff them. So keep an eye on them so they are cooked to your liking.
Then once your zucchini are roasted to the way you like and the meat is cooked and drained, if need be. You can “stuff” the zucchini.
I always add more garlic salt. And a little pepper for my hubby. Then “sprinkle” the minced onion . . . some on each half of zucchini. I don’t necessarily measure here because I like less onion than my hubby. So just put the amount on that you want. Then put the meat on top. Distributing it as you see fit. Then top with cheese. You might want to press down on top of each half to ensure (for the most part) that everything stays on while you are baking.
Then put the pan with the stuffed zucchini back in the oven until the cheese is browned.
Then you can serve it.
We usually eat it as an entrée, but you can serve it however you would like.
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Dang, as usually when I type up the recipes I end up wanting to have it for dinner. Also, as usually I hadn’t planned to post about this, but then I thought, why not?
Do you like zucchini?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: garlic, grass-fed beef, hamburgers, roasted vegetable, stuffed zucchini | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 13, 2016
Finger Extensions, one of the Fifty-two Moves of Nia. Yeah, extending your fingers is a Nia move. It may sound odd, but it makes sense. Extending the fingers helps move energy. Each finger holds its own energy. The finger movements also have emotional connections so these type of movements tie in very well with the whole body experience, the Body, Mind, Emotion, Spirit (BMES) connection. The finger extensions are the thumb, the index, the middle, the ring, and the pinky.
Each finger holds specific energy and whether you can think about that and believe it or not, when you really think about it you can believe it. Each finger has an emotional association. The thumb is associated with nurture. It is the finger babies suckle, it gives them comfort. The index finger is the desire finger. It is the finger a child uses to indicate what she wants. We use our “pointer” finger to point to what we desire. The middle finger is our power finger. When used with an extended arm pointing down it is the Balance Finger. Sometimes when pointed up it is used as a way of communication.
The ring finger is the commitment finger. It is where engagement rings and weddings bands are placed to signify commitment. It is the point in which a hand hold is fully committed. The pinky finger is on the edge of the hand it represents the boundaries. Boundaries that are respected yet can be nudged and expanded.
With the emotional attachments of each finger, can you see how there can be energy linked with each finger? Can you acknowledge how extending your thumb might elicit energy associated with nurturing because we or babies we know have sucked their thumb? Can you fathom how extending your desire finger might cause you to have an emotional response? And with our emotions there is energy attached.
I know that when I am dancing in a Nia Class and I extend my various fingers it often affects my feet. When I am extending my desire finger sometimes I feel happy because I am pointing at what I want. Sometimes that happy translates to strong movements of my feet because I am identifying my desire. Dancing my pinky, the edge, sometimes makes me feel brave. When I feel brave my movements, the energy, is different than when I am relaxed or feeling timid.
So now that you have an idea of how a simply hand movement can be used in an exercise class, in a cardio dance class, let me share how we do them. It really is somewhat simple. Just extend your arm and then point each finger one at a time, then take a moment to sense the “different qualities of energy”.
Some benefits to doing these extensions, as stated in The Nia Technique book, are that it “helps move energy in and out of the upper body, and keeps it from getting clogged in the next and shoulders.”. Finger extensions also help you move your fingers in a precise way which exercises the brain and the body.
So really this is an easy move and some might not even think of it as an exercise, but it is important to keep our hands strong and flexible. And if, when we do this it activates our brain, that is even better. And . . . if we can do it while we are dancing and having fun, then why wouldn’t we?
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: BMES, Body-Mind-Emotion-Spirit, Fifty-two Moves of Nia, Finger Extensions, middle finger energy, Nia class, Nia Move, Nia Technique Book | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 11, 2016
You may have seen me announce that I was producing another Nia class with a guest teacher. “Producing” just means that I communicate with the teacher, secure a venue, and promote it as much as I can. The guest teacher does the routine or playshop work and presents the material. I have had this guest teacher come teach a couple of times before. Jason Alan Griffin is a first degree Nia Black Belt and he travels the country with his dog River, and he teaches Nia. In March of 2015, he was going to be in our area so I invited him to present his FreeDance Playshop. Then since he was going to be here on Friday, I asked him to do his based-on-Nia-routine Frankie Say Nia. So we had a Nia class on Friday, then the playshop and a class on Saturday. He happened to be passing through our area in August so I invited him back to do Frankie Say Nia again because it was so fun the first time. This time around he was traveling with a few routines and the one I thought would be the best for the Nia community here was “Amazing”. It is appropriately named. A small group of us danced Amazing with Jason on Friday, May 06, 2016.
Amazing came about through Jason’s desire to share all the wonderful Nia energy he experiences during his trips. He said he was bringing his work and sharing it, but sensed a lot of creativity out there and he wanted to embrace it. So he invited Nia communities to contribute songs from their areas. Then as he visited each area and each Nia community the choreography was revealed. It was either revealed by the community already having done it or by a collaboration.
Now he is spending several months on the road bringing this routine to many Nia communities around the country. He has a few other routines that are on the menu Orchestra, Woodstock Experience, and Floorplay . . . all sound super fun by their descriptions.
The focus of Amazing is on connections and directions. We moved in all directions and were encouraged to sense the connection. As with many things in Nia the connection could be one of or all of the BMES. So we could have been connecting with the Body, the Mind, our Emotions, or Spirit. We were invited to connect with people in the room, in the Nia community, and any where. The intent was to explore something new and return home renewed. And again, as with many things in Nia, that could relate to the BMES. As an example we would extend our arm and try a new movement for our hand, then return our hand back to our center or our “home” and sense if there was a change or some new or different kind of sensation.
It was super fun. A question occurred to me today as I was thinking about writing this post, “Do I just think it is fun because I am not a student often and so any chance to dance Nia is fun?” Then I pictured the e-mails I received telling me it was fun. I remembered the comments after class. It was fun. We have fun when Jason teaches us. So, even though he is planning on taking a year off from traveling, I am hoping that a quick jaunt down the coast to us won’t be considered “traveling” and he will come back next year to teach us again. I really want to try that Orchestra class.
Below are some pictures from the class. I do hope one day you’ll come dance with me!
If you want to see MORE pictures and a video from the class please visit my site.
Posted in Nia | Tagged: BMES, Body-Mind-Emotion-Spirit, First Degree Nia Black Belt, Frankie Say Nia, FreeDance Playshop, Jason Alan Griffin, Nia class, Nia communities, Nia Playshop, Nia routine, Nia Teacher | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 9, 2016
So, I was so blessed yesterday to have two fellow Nia Teachers attend the class I was teaching. There are three of us that teach a Sunday Nia class at the Northwest YMCA in Cupertino on a rotating basis. We have general “dibbs” on Sundays; Anita likes the first Sunday of the month, I like the second Sunday of the month, and Joan has the fourth Sunday of the month. At one point we had a fourth teacher and she usually took the third Sunday. But now that it is just us three, we each take the third Sunday when we are available. It seems to work out amazingly well that when one (or even two of us) is not available the other two or at least one is. So it works out. Sometimes there is even a fifth Sunday and we make sure one of us is available. Plus we work together when something comes up and we have to switch Sundays. The class is at 12:30 so it is late enough that one can get up and enjoy a nice Sunday morning and not have to rush off to teach. Then we teach and are home in time for a late lunch. 🙂
Well, after class yesterday we were talking about Nia, of course . . . and Anita asked us if we had seen her list of top ten signs you are dancing in a Nia class. I had remembered seeing it, but I didn’t remember them until she started reading them. Then I remembered I saw the list. I had glanced at it, but saved the e-mail to read later. When she brought it up I had asked her if I could share the list on my blog and she kindly agreed. So here ya go:
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“Anita Christensen’s top ten signs you are dancing in a Nia class:
1. They like to freedance without judgement of themselves or others.
2. They are the nicest people.
3. They are all so grateful for the day she, Debbie*, took off her shoes.
4. They make claws with their fingers and scratch the air….sounding grrr…healing emotional issues related to power, abandonment, fear, and anger.**
5. They shimmy and shake their shoulders to express sassy gestures that play with each other in seductive and joyful ways.**
6. They fully acknowledge and embrace that this is THEIR adult play time!
7. They kick to the front, side, and back with authority settling on a supportive leg.
8. As a collective group they yell out “yes” or “no” for all to hear.
9. They choose, sustain, and tweak their JOY of movement to sense life force energy….
10. They invite you to come and be open to a life affirming experience.
It is true Nia is fun, healing and joyful! Do you have anything to add to my top ten list? How I would enJOY hearing your top ten list! The bay area teachers are THRIVING and we want you to join us.”
*”Debbie” is Debbie Rosas is the founder and co-creator of Nia.
**Referenced from the Language of Nia
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Anita Christensen is Nia Black Belt and she teaches several classes in the South Bay and the Peninsula. Check out her profile on NiaNow.com.
This is such a great list! I am going to use some of these as focuses and/or intents in my Nia classes!!
As Anita invited readers at the end of her list . . . do you have any signs to add to the list? Please share!
Posted in Nia | Tagged: afternoon Nia class, Anita Christensen, claw hands, co-creator of Nia, Cupertino YMCA, Debbie Rosas, freedance, Language of Nia, Nia class, Nia every Sunday, Nia teachers, Northwest YMCA, shimmy | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 4, 2016
If you have ever taken a moment to look at the list of the Fifty-Two Nia Moves you might have wondered what the “Power Finger Crossover” is. You probably figured out it has something to do with fingers as the name contains “finger” but perhaps that is as far as you had gotten. You may have thought, “What is crossed over what?” Well, the middle finger is considered the power finger in Nia. It has a lot of power. In some cultures it is considered a finger of communication ;-). In Nia it is also called the balance finger. With the power finger crossover in the 52 Nia Moves it can be used at many different times during a Nia routine.
First: how to – the way you do the power finger is to cross the middle finger, the power finger over the index finger. Then you release the index finger and cross the power finger over the ring finger. The arms remain long and extended. The cross of the fingers is small. Use both hands, doing the crossover at the same time on both hands.
Go ahead, try it.
I can do the middle finger crossed over the index finger on both hands. I can do the middle finger crossed over the ring finger on the left hand with out help. But I have to use my left hand to cross my right middle finger over my right ring finger. As you can imagine it takes a little strength and dexterity to cross the fingers over each other unaided. It is obvious to me I need to practice more.
There is a routine in which we cross the ring finger over the pinky finger and for the longest time I could do it on my left hand, but had to help my right hand out. But now I can cross both ring fingers over both pinky fingers without help. So it really is just a matter of practice.
If you can do the crossing without helping great! But if you can’t, it is fine to help your fingers until you can do it without the help of the other hand. The fingers still get the benefit of flexibility. And your brain gets the benefit of your digits being crossed.
According to The Nia Technique (page 164) “practicing this move helps you extend energy along your arm bones and out through your hands, which keeps your neck and shoulders relaxes. It creates positive tension in the hand and adds to awareness of the integration of the hand and arm.”
And as I said it helps strengthen the hands/fingers and brings dexterity to them.
This move is part of the moves of the upper extremities and is grouped under “Fingers”. It can be done in combination with many of The Fifty-Two Nia Moves and during many of the Nia Routines. It can be done at almost anytime in a Nia class. During FreeDance or as part of a routine. It can also be practiced throughout your day.
So did you try it? Can you do it? Can you do it on both hands without the help of the other hand?
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: Balance Finger, Fifty two Nia Moves, flexibility, freedance, middle finger, Nia routine, Power Finger Crossover, strength and dexterity, The Nia Technique | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on May 2, 2016
Recently I attended a yoga class just to observe. Sometimes just observing is difficult because the desire to get up and participate is often there. But I thought this class was beyond my level of doing. I like slow mindful classes. I am not a fan of the speed of a flow class. I also know this teacher to be a bit of a tough cookie. And I have come to the studio AFTER this class – in the past – and the participants are just dripping and wobbly legged, so I had never thought to participate before. So . . . I thought that observing would be a piece of cake. There would be no desire to jump to participate. Now, let me explain this “observing,” it is for me to become a better teacher. I am not there to judge or criticize the students nor the teacher. But I am there to gain knowledge. Observe how one sequences a class. To observe how assistance is given. To observe the yoga teacher’s pacing and volume. To learn by observing. I have three separate papers for three separate types of notes. I have POSES, for poses I want to either do myself or bring to my classes. I have Cues and Things I want to bring to my classes. And I have just notes that I will refer back to. While I was doing my best to listen and look without staring at the participants I got a little misty eyed. My breath caught in my throat and I thought, “Damn! Bodies are beautiful!”
You probably know I have a tendency to ramble on and on when all I really wanted to tell you is – if you want to learn yoga stop staring at the Yoga Journal, stop looking at models on websites – GO TO A CLASS TO OBSERVE!!!!! Look at REAL people DOING yoga. Look at REAL bodies doing yoga. Just watch, just observe, don’t judge. We do this in Nia all the time, we call it witnessing. We “witness” without judgment. So just go to a class and witness. Appreciate what you see. Notice the strength. Notice the weakness. Notice the flexibility. Notice the stiffness. Notice the intention. Notice the determination. Notice the frustration. Notice the effort. Notice the triumphs. Notice the concentration. Notice the distraction. Notice the trying. Notice it all!
I was struck by it all when I looked up and saw someone in a pose perfectly. I thought, “Dang. I will glance back over throughout the class because that is awesome and I want to see more of that.” Then I looked back a few poses later and I thought the person had moved spots because what I saw was misery. The person could barely get into the pose. And the next person was Yoga Journal perfect whereas they couldn’t do the previous pose. A few of the people I noticed in pose “perfection” in one pose were in the total opposite of perfection in other poses. The class was full of perfect poses and not perfect poses . . . all at different times by the same and by different people. And I wanted to jump up and join in!
This was not a beginner class, it was a class of real people doing yoga in real bodies. Some bodies whose arms are not long enough to hold the foot when the leg is extended. Some bodies whose hamstrings are too tight or too short to do a straight legged fold. Some bodies whose bones or bodies get in the way. Bodies that come to class and do real yoga.
The models in the magazine and on the websites more-than-likely were chosen to do that particular pose because they can. Their limbs are just the right length to do the poses. Could also be that the model only did that one pose or was put into that pose whereas in a yoga class there is a sequence and it could be that by the time you get half way through your muscles are tired and so the poses might not be picture perfect. Yoga is a practice not a photo.
So, while there are correct and more importantly SAFE ways to do the asana try not to get caught up in doing it “perfect” or doing it exactly like someone in a magazine. Do what you can and keep practicing. Remember to breath.
Namaste~
Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: asana, Mindfulness, Nia, Nia class, Nia Teacher, observing, witnessing, Yoga class, yoga flow, Yoga Journal, Yoga Practice, yoga teacher | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 29, 2016
I am not organized in all areas of my life. Who is, right? But I do find that when I am organized it makes things easier . . . faster . . . quicker. And, most of us can benefit from that, right? There is so much going on, if we can do something faster it helps. Even if it is just to allow us time to slow down. Hurry up and cook dinner so we can sit and relax. Hurry up and clean up so we can go off to play. Whatever . . . hurry in one area of life to make it easier so we can get to the OTHER things in life. Well, I teach Nia, which is a cardio dance that is done to a variety of music. Nia Teachers purchase routines from Nia Technique. They are playlists and choreography. Ok, really they are A LOT more than that, but if I got into ALL of what the routines are in this post it would be really long and I would probably not even get to the point of this post. The point is some information on how I “organize” or arrange my music in iTunes.
So, Nia teacher purchase routines and for some reason sometimes the Album is titled the name of the routine and sometimes it is titled “NiaSounds”. Sometimes it is the name of the routine-NiaSounds. It is NOT consistent. The artists are all over the place from the ACTUAL artist to “Nia Technique”. It is not consistent. And the genre is spotty too, sometimes it is “Alternative”, sometimes it is “New Age”, and I am not even sure what else. This inconsistency does not make it easy to organize the music. And it is very desirable, if not necessary, to have the music labeled consistently so that it can be organized consistently.
What I do, is I make certain the genre is “Nia”. The ACTUAL genre could be anything because we dance Nia to all types of music. So what it REALLY is, is not what I am looking for. I want my Nia Routine music to come up all in one spot when I look at it if I am looking at it via genre.
I change all the Albums to be the name of the actual Nia Routine so I can find music easily by the name of the routine.
I don’t bother with the artist because I like it when it is the ACTUAL artist, but I am not going to spend the time to correct all the music to be the actual artist. As I said, the way Nia labels it is not consistent.
iTunes changes the way it functions WAY TOO often for me. I notice that the length of a song doesn’t show any longer where it used to. I have to go in and out of playlists to see the length of songs. When I have a playlist pulled up, I have to go out of it into the list of playlists to see the length. I have been delaying the update that is currently out there because I can’t even imagine the new changes they have done, the last time an update came out someone on Facebook asked a question about where the total time of the playlists had gone to and that made me think I had better not update because one of the things that makes an iPhone and iPad useful to me is that it can be used to create playlists. And when you are teaching you need to know how long the playlist is.
One of my devices is on a really old iOS (6something) and the other one is at 9something. I think my iTunes is a few versions behind. But I am afraid to update because I don’t want to lose the function that I use.
Another way I organize the music is I have three separate playlists for the Nia music. One is arranged by Album. So I can easily see what song goes to which routine. I can pick out a song that I know is in a routine, or identify a routine when I know the song. Also, I have a playlist arranged by BPM . . . which means Beats Per Minute, but in Nia we don’t go by BPM we go by the 8BCs. So once I figure out that count I try to remember to put it in my iTunes (under BPM). I have not successfully remembered with all the routines, so not all of them show up properly in that playlist but enough to help me when I am trying to put a particular speed song into a routine I am trying to create. Then I also have a playlist arranged by time because sometimes I need a LONG song and sometimes I need a short song. When they are all clumped together by time it makes it easier to pick the length of time I need then I can just pop it into the correct Nia Class cycle. So these three separate “playlists” allow me to see the music in ways that I need, in order to create playlists on my device that I will use in class.
That is what I do to help keep my music organized in a manner that works for me. I am sure there are different ways that other Nia teachers do it as this is not the only way.
Whether you are a teacher that uses music or not – how do you organize your music?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: 8BCs, BPM, cardio dance, iTunes for Nia, Music playlists, Nia, Nia choreography, Nia playlists, Nia routines, Nia teachers, Nia Technique, NiaSounds, organization, variety of music | 15 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 27, 2016
I teach a cardio dance exercise called Nia. It is dance, it is exercise, it is a cardio workout. It is done to music. Nia teachers pay a licensing fee and included in that are routines. The Nia Technique creates routines. One part to learning a routine is to listen to the music. I listen to it a lot. Sometimes I have difficulty or I feel I do, if I don’t like the music. But most of the time I like it. But either way, I listen to it a lot. Sometimes I listen to it while I am cleaning, but when I have the vacuum on I can’t hear it so I have been wanting some Bluetooth headphones. I have had my earbuds in with my phone in my pocket or tucked in somewhere when the wire has gotten caught and the earbuds RIPPED out of my ears or out of the phone. Neither one is good. So I thought it would be cool to have a wireless pair. Originally I was looking for headphones. Everything I found was expensive. I didn’t even realize they made wireless earbuds! My husband found some that were affordable. It turned out he liked them and they worked well. Sometimes the affordable things don’t always work well, so it is nice that these did. So I went looking and I found a pair that looked almost exactly like his but were even less expensive. I’m only talking $4.00, but, $4.00 is $4.00. So I got some. And I like ’em. I like mine better than his.
Both pair are over the ear type of wearables. Both pair stick IN your ear. On mine, the earbud part seems to be made of metal whereas his are plastic. Also, the over-the-ear holder on mine seems a little softer more flexible. I liked that a lot better. It made them more comfortable. When I tried his on, one of my ears started to hurt. With the softer holder they might flex more and allow for better movement with my glasses.
Of course, at $13.99 they are from a brand I have never heard of – Parasom. But they work. Who knows if they will keep working. I have experienced many off-brand – or more accurately – not a name brand – product that has stopped working after a couple of months. So we will see.
Mine also had a little clip, which I liked. The control portion of the earbuds on mine is about an inch or so closer to the earbud than his, but that is ok for me. I am not using mine while running like he is, so it is easy for me to stop what I am doing if I need to in order to work the controls. Although they are pretty easy and pretty standard controls.
One button powers it on – and it says, “Power on” and off (it says “Power off”). The same button starts the play of music and pauses it. One button turns the volume up, goes to the previous song, and restarts the song. Another button turns the volume down and advances the music to the next song.
I haven’t used it as a headset for phone calls because the first time I tried it with my hubby’s he said he didn’t like the quality of my voice, so I haven’t bothered trying mine. I know when I am using my regular headset and driving I can’t be on the phone that long because the quality of the caller’s voice is distorted. Probably has to do with the fact that it is only coming through one ear bud.
Anyway, I am always excited when I get a product that I think of as expensive at an affordable price AND it works. So, I like to share. So far, this was at an affordable price, it works, so I am sharing. I would like to point out that I did NOT receive this product for free or at a discounted rate for my unbiased and impartial review. But, hey, how do I do that? I read A LOT of blogs and reviews where the people say that. Sign me up for that!
Anyway . . . if you are looking for an affordable wireless headset the one my husband got is good or mine is – which I think is better.
Have you ever had your earbuds ripped out of your ears because the wire to the phone get caught on something? Have you been thinking about a wireless pair?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: bluetooth, cardio dance exercise, cardio workout, dance exercise, Nia, Nia Music, Nia routines, Nia teachers, Nia Technique, wireless earbuds | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on April 25, 2016
Sometimes I just don’t take out meat in enough time for it to defrost by dinner. I thought about it early enough. But I am at that state of meat-in-the-freezer where it is the stuff I don’t know how to cook. My mental inventory check led me to hamburger, but I didn’t want to cook that, so then my brain flitted off to something else. Then later, I think I might have opened the freezer and, uninspired, shut it. Then, by the time I got serious it was too late. I was HOPING it was not too late, but alas when it came time to cook dinner, the meat was not defrosted. And on top of that we didn’t really have all that many veggies in the fridge. Sigh. We have lettuce and salad fixings, but nothing to cook except fennel. We had leftover couscous from the other night. So I was thinking I could roast the fennel AND some garbanzo beans and then mix it with the couscous. Ahhh . . . sometimes I love when there is “nothing” in the house to eat. I loved it.
I always say I don’t like beans, because I don’t for the most part. I don’t like BEAN beans. I like green beans, but I don’t think of them as beans because they are long. Or more so because green beans are eaten fresh like a vegetable and not dried like a “bean bean”. I do like garbanzo beans though. And I like red kidney beans but only in Red Beans and Rice and in THIS bean salad.
I like garbanzo beans or chickpeas as they are also known, because they taste buttery. They add a butter flavor to dishes — to me. And I really like them roasted. So I decided to roast them with the fennel.
I actually roasted them both on the same pan. I put parchment paper on a large jelly roll pan. I cut up the fennel and — well, if I am posting a recipe I put is in that form.
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Couscous, Fennel, and Garbanzo Beans
–2 cups prepared Couscous
–olive oil
–1 bulb Fennel
–1 can Garbanzo beans
–handful of grape tomatoes
–garlic salt
–pepper (if you like)
–1 1/2 tablespoon butter
Drain the beans and rinse them. Set them aside to dry. Cook the couscous according to the package (I used left over couscous). Preheat the oven to 450° F. Cut up the fennel and put it on a parchment paper lined oven pan. Drizzle olive oil on it and sprinkle garlic salt on it. Toss it. Then put it in the oven for five minutes. After five minutes take the pan out and put the beans on the pan. (I kept the fennel and the beans separate on the same pan because I was not sure they would cook to my liking at the same time. This gave me the option of taking one off the pan.) Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt. Bake for 15 minutes. Take them out of the oven and toss both the fennel and the beans (keeping them separate). Adding more salt if you would like. Bake for 15 minutes.
Cut the tomatoes in half.
Add the butter to the couscous and mix it withe the roasted veggies. Add the cut up tomatoes before serving.
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Of course, since I was just throwing veggies in leftover couscous I didn’t think to photograph any of it until the end and it came out so lovely – at least I think so. Probably the bright red tomatoes. They make dishes look pretty. And it tasted fairly good. I really like fennel.
As a note, since I used leftover couscous, I heated it in a pan with a little butter, then I added the roasted veggies. The recipe is written using just made couscous.
If you like roasted tomatoes you could roast them, too. I prefer tomatoes raw so I put them in just before serving.
Couscous is great. It is like pasta you can add anything you want to it. It can be a side dish or a main dish.
Do you like couscous?
Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: couscous, dinner, fennel, main dish, roasted vegetables, side dish | 4 Comments »
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