Terre Pruitt's Blog

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

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My Assignment As A Cat Is Now Done

Posted by terrepruitt on July 10, 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 YogaThanks, God.  I had a good time.  Those last few days were rough and my mama feels really bad, but they are over now.  Hopefully she can forgive herself.  I know that was one of the lessons I was there to help her learn.  Forgiveness.  I think I did ok, not that she got it, but I was good at it, right, God?  I didn’t hold a grudge like I hear a lot of cats do.  When my parents came home after being gone I would try to do the “catly” thing and give them an attitude.  I would be at the door waiting, then when I got picked up I would strain to get away, but I just couldn’t keep it up for more than a minute.  I was always so excited they came back.  And when I got scolded for doing something I just couldn’t help myself from doing, I would often be the one to go get my mama after a short while.  I did ok, right?  I do have to say, I love my wings, but I kinda miss that short tail you gave me.  I never quite understood my mom’s fascination with my paws though.  She used to hold them and stare at them. She would squeal, “Pink toes!  Pink toes!  Pink toes!”  And sometimes hold my feet saying, “Your paws are so TINY!!!”  I guess I was smaller than a lot of cats.  But I was a fierce protector of my house, my yard, and my people!  So really I wasn’t all that small.

I really had no idea what I was in for when you asked for volunteers.  I understand that being an angel is forever and forever is a long time, so I figured an assignment would be interesting.  I had heard that it could be risky because once one volunteers it is up to you, God, to place us and sometimes the placement might be really difficult.  I know that not all angels get good homes and loving families.  So I really, really appreciate you sending me to my family.  I know I was sent to teach them and like I said, I think I did a good job.  I hope you agree.  I know they loved me with all of their hearts.  I know my mama thought I was the best kitty in the universe because she told me every single day.  And I heard her thank you for me all the time.  I heard her say I was a gift from you.  I know I was special because they treated me that way.

But, God, I am afraid I didn’t teach her all she needs to learn.  I think I left too early.  I know they were hoping I would be around for longer.  I know she still needs me.  She always gave me hugs, but lately she would give me hugs when she was sad and missed her mama.  Who is she gonna hug now, God?  Are you sure she will be ok?

I might be back to my angel form now, God, but I still have some of that cat stubbornness inside.  I want to see my mama.  I want to make sure her and my poppie are ok.  Can I see them, God, please?

Well, it is really hard to see them cry.  Can’t I let them know I am ok?

Oh, I do see that even though I am not there, my mom is still learning.  Through my death she is learning to be a little bit more compassionate.  My poppie didn’t need to learn the same stuff my mom did.

God, one more thing — for now — will they recognize me when they get here even though I don’t have my tiny paws or short tail.  Will they know it’s me?  I sure would love more belly rubs from my poppie.  I loved all the kisses my mom gave me.  Even though she gave me hundreds and hundreds every day . . . . it really doesn’t seem like enough now.  If I walk around her in a circle she might get the clue that it is me.  Then she can give my head more kisses.  Is that how it works, God?

My not being there seems to make her more sad about the deaths that have happened in her family this year.  (Sigh.)  Ok, God, thanks.  I am done looking now.  I will just trust you and your plan.  I do miss ’em though.  Thanks, again.  I love them as much as they loved me.

Posted in Cats, Spot | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 23 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?  

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

Fourth of July Potluck Dessert

Posted by terrepruitt on July 5, 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 YogaIf you saw my last post you know that I was going to make something that I had seen on Facebook for a party I was going to.  I thought it would be a really quick thing.  WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?  Never, when I make a recipe for the first time, is it a quick thing.  Also, I was reminded why I never melt chocolate.  I don’t know how.  I think the hotter the burner/pan/water the better.  NOT THE CASE!  So I attempted to make pretty Fourth of July Strawberries.  Well, I ended up with yummy strawberries, but they were far from the pretty picture I originally saw on Facebook.  Also, they took WAAAAAAAAAAAAAY longer than I thought.  I started later than I wanted which had us arriving at the party WAY later than I wanted.  But . . . . that is what I get.  And I really do know better.  I just thought . . . . wrong, obviously.  So I made Champagne 4th of July Strawberries.  The “recipe” is here along with some things I learned and/or experienced.  Perhaps this will help you when you attempt to make them next year.

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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

 

 

 

Champagne 4th of July Strawberries

I used:

*A large container of strawberries
*mason jars
*a bottle of sparkling wine/champagne
*about 3/4 of a package of white chocolate chips
*sugar
*blue food coloring

Wash the strawberries.  Put them in the jars, fill the jars with champagne.  Seal the jars.  Let the jars set in fridge at least 24 hours.  When you are ready to make the dessert, take the strawberries out of the champagne and let them dry.  (The dryer they are the better!)  Mix the food coloring into sugar.  Melt your chocolate.  Dip the strawberries in chocolate, then the sugar.  Place on serving tray.

 

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Ok, FIRST of all . . . . one of the best things that comes out of this is strawberry flavored champagne.  Yeah, it is flat, but . . . then it is just like strawberry wine!  (Oh, that reminds me, I have mine to drink tonight—yay!)

So, originally I used chop sticks to remove the 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 Yogastrawberries because I just didn’t want to stick my fingers in the champagne because I was planning on drinking it later.  Only with the first jar.  Once one jar was empty of strawberries I poured the liquid in it and then just plucked the strawberries out with my fingers of the remaining jars.  I set the strawberries on a paper towel to dry.  I patted them “dry”.  They DID NOT dry.  The chocolate did not really want to stick to the strawberry.

I do not know how to melt chocolate, so something that should have taken a few minutes took forever.  I tried three different methods and the last one . . . .the one I should have started with . . . proved to be the best, but still, as most people know (except me) HIGH heat is not good for chocolate or white “chocolate”.  But I was thinking that it would get hard while I was dealing with each strawberry so I wanted it really “melty”.  Most of you will not have the trouble with the chocolate I had.  I had seen some recipes with frosting instead of chocolate, that does not sound as good to me so I opted for the chocolate.  While I was struggling with the chocolate I kept thinking, “I should have gone with the frosting!  I should have gone with the frosting!”

I ended up having to SPREAD the chocolate on each strawberry.  So I would spread, then stir, then spread, then stir all the while battling my “too hot” chocolate.  After the first tray my husband walked by and bravely said, “Can I do anything to help you?”  And I made him stir while I spread the chocolate on the rest of the strawberries.

I prepared WAY too much sugar.  So that is why I did not give an amount in the above “recipe” because I have no idea.  I later saw something that said 1/4 of a cup.  I think I make 3/4 of a cup of sugar.  Also, I couldn’t find any type of sugar in the store besides powdered, regular, and extra fine.  So I just used regular sugar.

I found that pouring the sugar on worked well.  I used a spoon to pour it on the end of the strawberry.  Although, I think if you properly melted the chocolate and waited a bit before dipping in the sugar, it would be fine.  But with my seized chocolate (see I knew WHAT it was doing, I just didn’t know WHY) the pouring method worked great.

Put the strawberries down where you want them to remain.  Once they were on the tray they were NOT moving.  Again, that could be because of the overheated chocolate.  I will try this again.  In fact, I didn’t use all the chocolate so I am going to attempt it again.  Although I am using my seized, crumpling, leftover chocolate . . . so we will see.

The people at the party were very kind and said the strawberries were pretty.  I think they were admiring the colors not the texture.  And then once a bite was taken it didn’t matter.  Chocolate, whether white, milk, dark, or semi-sweet, on a strawberry is really yummy.  So these were ok.  Not the pretty thing I envisioned, but they were yummy.

And I learned a lot.  I look forward to my next attempt!

So, how was your Fourth of July?  Does a white chocolate dipped champagne strawberry sound good to you?

Posted in "Recipes", Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

What To Bring To That Fourth Of July Party?

Posted by terrepruitt on July 3, 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 YogaIt is the Fourth of July . . . .well tomorrow, but if you are going to a Fourth of July party you might have your “dish” decided upon.  Or you might not.  What are you bringing?  Not that you have to bring something, it just seems very traditional to have a BBQ potluck type of thing on Fourth of July.  So I was wondering what you were bringing.  I saw something on Facebook that I want to bring to the party I am attending, but then the hostess has indicated that she is having a “homemade cake that is red white and blue. (Strawberry, blueberry & almond, with stars & stripes inside!)”  That KIND OF is what I wanted to bring . . . . strawberries with red, white, and blue.  So I decided to bring “my” bean salad which is funny because it is really is a recipe from a friend of the hostess.   (Click here for the bean salad recipe.)  That friend is not attending . . . . . whew!  Naw, she wouldn’t mind that I was bringing “her” recipe.  But I really want to bring that “dish” I saw on Facebook, too.  Since I am unable to really think about being creative for a potluck, I am going to bring it.  It is a dessert type dish that needs at least 24 hours to “percolate”.  So we will see how it comes out.  And, I will be sharing about the adventure of it.  Even though it is really simple I have already taken pictures of the first step with the intention of posting about it.  Of course, it will be after the Fourth of July . . . . . but these treats are festive and can be “adjusted” color-wise to make a pretty plate for any occasion.

I needed something simple that I didn’t have to think about.  I have some work to do and I am gearing up for a really busy month of subbing and I am dealing with that “stuff”.  So the post on Facebook was perfect, until I received the menu.  So I did look for other ideas, but was not feeling very inspired.

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 YogaEven though I had already purchased the ingredients for the “other” strawberry thing, I was doing a search for things to make that would be festive I found this an “American Flag” made of kabobs of blueberries (as the stars portion of the flag), strawberries, and bananas.  The strawberries and bananas made up the stripped portion of the flag.  It looks so easy to do, and really very pretty and patriotic.  Click over to Menus4Moms to see the full picture and get some ideas on how to do it.  I am providing a tease of it so you will be sure to click over.  I am making a note of it here . . . . . like I often do so I won’t forget about it.  My blog is the easiest place for me to make notes of things.  I use it all the time for my recipes.  And grocery shopping when I want to make the recipes.

So, enough about my Fourth of July potluck party situation . . . . . what about you?  What are you making?  What are you taking?  I am excited to hear.  I know that if you comment and tell me I will be able to refer to it for next year . . . that is if you are doing a “Patriotic Dish”.  If you are doing something yummy, but not red, white, and blue, I can refer to it the next time I want to make something yummy.  So what do you got?

Posted in Food | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

More On Downward Facing Dog

Posted by terrepruitt on July 1, 2014

I once briefly wrote about the Downward Facing Dog yoga pose in my post Down Dog. This is considered a resting pose. For many; those starting out or those wanting a gentle type of workout, it is not extremely restful. There are many muscles that are being used so it is a very active pose. This pose could be qualified as a “push exercise” or using the muscles that are used for pushing. Muscles on the back of the body are considered the “push muscles”. There are many benefits to this pose.

The lower body gets the biggest stretch. If you are able to straighten your legs and place your heels on the ground the back of your legs get the stretch. The hamstrings get a good stretch along with the calves. If your heels are up there is still a nice stretch going on. With many people working in office chairs and having the posture of bent legs, tight hamstrings is a very common situation. So having heels up and bent knees is a widely used modification.

No matter how your legs are (straight or bent) your arms are holding you up. This pose does require your arms to do some work. It is considered an arm supported pose. In conjunction with latissimus dorsi, the muscles by the ribs, and your deltoids the triceps are working. So for some their arms might feel fatigued. So even though this pose is allowing for a very big stretch in the back of the legs there are muscles working on the top half of the body.

Even though the focus is in pressing the tailbone to the sky we don’t ignore the front. The front of the legs get a bit of attention, as we are lifting the knee caps.  We also have a sense of our spine lengthening.

In addition to increasing flexibility in your legs, hips, and ankles. And strengthening arms and wrist, this pose relieves depression and helps calm the mind. Additional benefits include:
-Energizing the body
-Increasing circulation
-Improving digestion
-Relieving headache, insomnia, back pain, and fatigue
And it can be therapeutic for high blood pressure, asthma, flat feet, sciatica, sinusitis

I have learned to like this pose a bit more. I was reminded of what I tell my students and what we practice in Nia. Find the Joy in the movement, if you cannot tweak it until you do. I believe a portion of my dislike of this pose back when I first wrote about it, was that I was forcing it.  I was doing it in away that did not feel good for my back. Once I stopped the complete loose action of my spine, the pose became more comfortable. As it became easier there was room to move into the pose better and relax into it.

So, like many things it is good to do it at your level. As you improve it can be done better. The benefits can be received throughout the practice. It is a practice.

How is your Downward Facing Dog?

Posted in Yoga/PiYo/Pilates | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

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 »

A Breathe Of Fresh Caffeine?

Posted by terrepruitt on June 24, 2014

Wow, you might not believe I have more “stuff” going on.  More on that later.  I am sure I will write a post or two.  You know I always share, it just takes some time sometime.  So, instead – highlights of my day:  a student who has been away from my Nia classes for a bit came to class today.  That was wonderful, unexpected and very timely.  Another student in one of my yoga classes came to class with his own mat.  That put a huge smile on my face.  I took that as a sign that he is “into” it.  Later when I told him I was so happy to see him have his own mat, he said, “Yeah, I got to stick with it!!!!”  Thrilling!  Yes, gotta keep looking at the bright spots.  While perusing my cache of “topics to post about”, I came across one I found interesting.  Could be something you are aware of, perhaps I had heard of it too, but forgot.  I think the studies were done in 2009.  Did you know caffeine could, possibly, help people with asthma breathe better?

There is an article about a small study showing caffeine worked as a bronchodilator.  “A bronchodilator is a substance that dilates the bronchi and bronchioles, decreasing resistance in the respiratory airway and increasing airflow to the lungs.” per Wiki

The small study of 75 people with mild to moderate asthma was done.  Six trails showed 55 people had improved lung function for up to fours hours after consuming caffeine.

A study at the Indiana University show that caffeine an hour before exercise can significantly reduce exercise induced asthma.  I cannot find a link to the Indiana University study, but there are numerous articles about it that surface when a search is done.  One article on ScienceDaily said that it was LARGE amounts of caffeine that were used in this study.  The article stated “9 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of body weight”.  Ok check my figuring on this using the information from the Mayo Clinic regarding a regular brewed cup of coffee, which is 8 oz brewed coffee has 95-200 mg of caffeine.  That is a big difference, but that is ok, it will still work in my “figuring”.  Let’s use the top, 200 mg of caffeine in a cup of coffee.  Well, lets say average man is 80 kilograms (176.37 pounds), that would be 720 mgs of caffeine.  That is roughly 4.5 cups of strong coffee.  Is that right?  The article also said that smaller amounts – 3 mg – 6 mg per kilogram of body weight “also reduced the wheezing, coughing and other symptoms of” exercise induced asthma.

Interesting.  I know many people who use caffeine to help fuel their workouts.  I know many people who use caffeine to help fuel their day.  So, while I am by NO MEANS saying to use caffeine instead of any physician prescribed medication for asthma . . . I just think it is interesting.  Since it could be that many people with asthma are drinking coffee anyway. I just like when I come across tidbits of information.

What do you think?

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

POPCORN, A Thing Of My Past

Posted by terrepruitt on June 21, 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 YogaMy niece was here visiting for a week, but because she is family she doesn’t really get treated like a guest.  It is my stance that she is here visiting ME (and my husband) so I drag her along to all of my Nia classes, my yoga classes, and all the things I have to do.  She is completely capable of staying at the house and relaxing as if on vacation, but — nope, she is here for a visit so I make her visit.  She got out of going with me one day when her uncle took her to the beach.  THEY were visiting.   At the end of the week, my dad came to pick her up and we were waiting for my husband to get off of work so we could all go to dinner.  My dad looked at one of my clocks, then at his watch and he said, “I always look at MY watch.”  Then he said that my clock was fast.  We started talking about how we can’t call POPCORN any longer.  Then I realized that my niece probably doesn’t even know what that is!  So I asked her, she had no idea.  Awwwww.  Sometimes it is sad when things I had all my life are unknown.  The conversation led to, “When did it stop?”  So, of course, I looked it up.  And — guess what?  I found all kinds of information I didn’t know.  This post is about POPCORN or the Speaking Clock!

When I was young if you wanted to know the EXACT time you called 767-1234, or 767-2676, which spells POPCORN.  Now, I grew up in a house with a lot of clocks (probably why I have a lot in our house), but they were set at least 10 minutes ahead of time — I am sure my parents had a reason for that, but I could NOT tell you WHY (but my dad still does it).  Not only were they not set to the correct time, most of them didn’t match.  So, I basically never really could figure out what time it was, so I called POPCORN a lot.

It was also interesting because after a power outage the line would be busy!  Apparently a lot of people were trying to find out what time it was!  My internet search revealed that AT&T stopped the Speaking Clock in California in 2007.  I remember when it stopped.  I remembered it was a hot topic in a lot of my social media feeds, but I didn’t remember the year.  All of the information in this post is from Wiki.  Wiki says that in the United States it was not known by the name “Speaking Clock.”  That is nice for me to know because I don’t remember it ever being called that.  The information states it was typically called “Time of Day.”  I just remember we called it POPCORN.  Although the 767 prefix was just for Northern California.  (Wiki calls the prefix “exchanges”)

Quick Wiki facts:

–France had the first speaking clock service, it started on February 14, 1933
–Not all speaking clocks are a free call, sometimes services charges apply
–Some counties have speaking clocks in more than one language
–Some services supply local time and local weather

The following countries have speaking clocks:

Argentina, Australia, Austria, Barbados,Belgium, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France Germany, Greece, Iceland, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Latvia, Malaysia, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand,  Ukraine, United Kingdom,

Norway had the service until 2007.  Also, it could be that some of these services have since been ceased.

Ha.  Cool.  I never really thought about other countries having a speaking clock.  Seems like a lot of the States in America have stopped the service due to the use of cell phones.  Not many people using their cell phones to CALL to see what time it is.  And cell phone clocks don’t need to be set.  I used to carry the phone (not a cell phone) from clock to clock and set the time to the EXACT time according to POPCORN.  I just was kind a little surprised the other day by the thought that my niece didn’t even know what it was.  I am so happy that Deb Wong thought to video tape it and put it on Youtube for those of use that want to hear that familiar voice to see it!  THANKS Deb!

So . . . do any of you local remember this?  Miss it?  How about you all living not local (to me)?  Do you have a Specking Clock?  Do you use it?

 

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Things I Didn’t Know About E-cigarettes

Posted by terrepruitt on June 19, 2014

Recently while riding as a passenger I saw another driver smoking an e-cigarette.  I think it would be more accurate to say, sucking on an e-cigarette.  I mentioned it to my husband and he mentioned something about the manufacturers having issues because laws were being passed in many places that would require them to be treated like regular cigarettes.  I was excited to hear that because I feel that the manufacturers of them “target” young kids.  So I Googled e-cigarettes or something and an article came up “10 Little-known Facts About E-cigarettes” by Maria Trimarchi and Susan Cassidy.  This statement jumped out at me:  “Smoking cigarettes is known to cause damage to every organ in your body, and smoking-related illnesses are responsible for one out of every five deaths in the U.S.”  Holy Moly!  If you have time jump over and read that article or stay here and let me share with you some of the things I found interesting according to that article.

It states that one-fifth of smokers have tried e-cigarettes in attempt to quit smoking.  So basically trading one habit for another.  To me, not truly quitting.  The citation for that statement links to an article that states the e-cigarette helps give the smoker the same sense of smoking.  Well . . . not truly quitting.  So I am unsure as to why they consider an e-cigarette and “attempt to quit”.

I have always wondered what an e-cigarette was, ya know, what it did, this article cleared that up for me with “This is a tobacco-free product. E-cigs are actually vaporizers; instead of burning tobacco, the mechanism heats up a liquid. The liquid turns into vapor, which is then inhaled, or ‘vaped.'”

More info:

—Instead of a lighter there is a battery which engages the e-cigarette to heat up and the liquid contained in the cartridge and it vaporizes.

—Nothing is burning so there is no secondhand smoke, the “sucker” inhales vapor.

—Just because they are tobacco free and don’t burn that doesn’t mean they are nicotine free.  And that is the addictive stuff.  The stuff that is very harmful.  In fact in its liquid form it can be fatal.  Not only through ingestion, but through your skin.  I know I have seen CSI do a story on that.  The article lists some numbers about how there was a significant rise in the calls received by poison control centers in regards to liquid nicotine poisoning.

—“The liquid in e-cigarettes is typically a combination of nicotine, flavorings (such as bubble gum or watermelon).”  Oh, yeah, remember I mentioned I believe they are targeting kids . . . . what?  Why?  Because they have bubble gum or watermelon flavor?  Naawwww!

—Some have the same amount of nicotine as regular cigarettes.

—The article also alludes to the idea that some of the metals released during the vaping may be toxic.

—Some tests done on the cartridges used in the e-cigarettes showed they contained an ingredient that is also found in antifreeze.

—Some tests showed that the cartridges were not labeled correctly so the consumer was actually getting MORE nicotine than they thought.

—Just this year regulations regarding e-cigarettes are starting to come into play.  But according to this article “Manufacturers, however, say the e-cigarette is simply recreational, and should not be subject to FDA regulation.”

—There is a possibility for smokers to save money sucking on e-cigarettes instead of “real” or regular cigarettes.

—Even though the e-cigarette does not burn the potential for secondhand nicotine exposure is present.  The exposure is less, but still with 2.5 million non-smokers having died from affects of secondhand smoke in a fifty year period, I would rather not be breathing that air . . . thank you.

I never thought they were a good idea, but I found it interesting to read these fact.  Do pop over and check out the entire article as I only highlighted the info to give you the “vaporized” version.

Well, what do YOU think about the e-cigs?  Better than regular cigarettes? 

 

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