Posted by terrepruitt on September 14, 2010
Presently I live in San Jose and teach Nia Classes in San Jose. I have lived in the San Francisco Bay Area all my life. When I was growing up I used to tell people I lived in Santa Clara and they had no idea where that was. So I would say, “San Jose?” and if I still received that look then I would say “San Francisco?” and most of the time I would then see a spark of recognition.
When the dot com boom happened that kind of helped put “Silicon Valley” on the map and is comprised of a few places most notable cities are Cupertino, Santa Clara, San Jose, and Mountain View. A lot more people had heard of Santa Clara and San Jose after that. We weren’t known only in the shadow of San Francisco any longer. It was nice to not have to go through the entire San Francisco Bay Area to explain where I lived.
Now I find myself in that same exact “place” with Nia. I tell people I teach Nia and I get a look back. Most have not hear of it. So we go through the, “Is it like Zumba?” and I want to say:
Yes, Nia is EXACTLY LIKE Zumba: we get a workout via dance,we exercise to music, we sweat, we have fun, we work our muscles, we shimmy, shake, and gyrate, oh, except we do it in bare feet, to a variety of music, participants are encouraged to do it as their bodies allow, and there is a body-mind connection.
But most often say: It is sort of like a Zumba class and sort of like a Jazzercise class in that we move to music. Nia is a cardio workout with no impact. It is fun and unique because Nia incorporates moves and concepts from nine different movement forms a few being Tai Chi, Jazz Dance, and Yoga.
When they hear that, then they ask, “So it is Yoga?” 🙂
I was just reminded of the explaining-where-I-lived portion of my childhood when I was with a group of Nia Teachers recently. Made me laugh when I thought about the going through the same type of thing when talking about Nia. Yay, at least I am in a familiar place. 😮
Posted in Nia | Tagged: cardio workout, Dance Workout, exercise class, Jazzercise, Jazzercise class, Nia Cupertino, Nia in San Jose, Nia Mountain View, Nia San Jose, Nia Santa Clara, San Francisco Bay Area Nia Classes, San Francisco classes, San Jose classes, San Jose Nia classes, San Jose Yoga, San Jose Zumba classes, Santa Clara Classes, Silicon Valley, Tai Chi, work out class, workout class, workout class San Jose, Yoga San Jose, Zumba class, Zumba classes, Zumba in San Jose | 10 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 11, 2010
Cancer is in all of us. Could be why we all know someone affected by it. We all have it in us. Experts call it “cancer without disease”. There are microscopic occurrences of cancer in all of us. Our bodies fight it off, kill it, or just don’t allow it to grow, but it is there. I watched Dr. Oz and learned some things I want to share. There is a process in our bodies called angiogenesis, this is a awesome and necessary process, it is when new blood vessels are formed. This is something that occurs when a wound is healing. It also occurs as a catalyst for cancer. When those cancer cells release chemicals causing new blood vessels to form that feed those cancerous cells or tumors that is when cancer becomes a problem.
There are ideas about fighting cancer before it becomes a problem. Love that idea. Let’s prevent and not have to deal with the result of the disease once the cells are out of control. What the talk is about is “starving” the cancer – ANTI angiogenesis. It is thought that there are foods that will assist with that.
The episode I watched talked about five foods that will help starve the cancer cells that may be/are present before they become an issue that has to be dealt with. The guest Dr. said, “It’s not about Doctors and drugs, it is about you and what you eat”. (Love that!)
The video on the site only has what I summed up for you (above), but I was taking notes so I could post it for you:
Five foods to assist with Anti-Angiogenesis:
1) Bok Choy
A Chinese Cabbage. (I don’t think I have ever had it.)
Dr. Li said it has brassinin which is believed to help fight cancer. His advice was to eat 1/2 Cup three times a week.
2) Cooked Tomatoes
(I have heard this before, but I forgot. I need to put it on my hubby’s plate.)
Tomatoes have lycopene, but cooking them increases the availability by two times. So COOKED tomatoes are what they recommend for preventing prostate cancer. The recommendation is for a 1/2 cup serving 2 to 3 times a week.
3) Flounder
(I don’t like fish.)
This is an omega three rich food and they say a 6 oz serving 3 times a week.
4) Strawberries
(I don’t like strawberries either, do you know why? The seeds. And you know what? That is where the good stuff is!)
They indicated on the show that strawberries are believed to be an anti-angiogenesis food in addition to them being high in antioxidants and they said its the seeds.
5) Artichokes
(I like artichokes, but with mayonnaise (which is not good in the amount needed to eat an artichoke) and I am not a fan of the hearts—and you guessed it that is where the good stuff is.)
They compared it to milk thistle and said the artichoke is a flower, the show also recommended a “per day” intake of the artichoke, he said 1/2 cup per day.
Some of these suggestions I’ve heard of, some of them are new to me. I’ve also heard before that cancer is in all of us, but I hadn’t heard about angiogenesis and therefore I hadn’t heard of ANTI-angiogenesis. It found it interesting. I wanted to share. I think I’ll try some Bok Choy next week and make certain that I get tomatoes on our plates. I’ll hold off on the fish. What about you? Do you eat these foods? Might you start? How do you cook Bok Choy?
Posted in Food | Tagged: angiogenesis, Anti-Angiogenesis, brassinin, cancer, cancer cells, Dr. Oz, lycopene, Omega 3, prostate cancer, prostrate cancer | 18 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 9, 2010
Whether I am teaching a Nia class or participating in a Nia class I sweat . . . . a lot. I used to think I sweat too much, then I heard that when you sweat your body is sweating out toxins. So then I went on thinking that it was good and ok that I sweat a lot because I was ridding my body of toxins. My plan for the post today was to jump on the computer and find all kinds of information regarding the toxins that are sweated out and to provide information about why we sweat. The first thing I read said there is no scientific evidence that proves bodies sweat out toxins. What? Did you know that?
Sweat is not just water, it does contain other things (minerals, lactate, and urea) but it has not been found to contain toxins or maybe more accurately, it has not been found to contain enough toxins to conclude that we actual sweat toxins out. Sweating is the bodies way of cooling us down. The mechanisms that produces sweat is not constructed to filter out toxins like, say, the liver or the kidneys.
When our bodies get hot the 2.6 million sweat glands (average person) produce perspiration or sweat. There are two different types of sweat glands and they produce two different types of sweat. There is the armpit and genital area type and then the rest-of-your-body type. Sweat itself does not have an odor, it is mainly made up of water. It is the bacteria in the areas of the body that mixes with the sweat that sometimes causes odor. Our bodies constantly sweat, but for some, most of it is absorbed back into the body before it even reaches the outer layer of the skin. When too much is produced to be reabsorbed that is when it comes out of the body. When it does come out of the skin some of it is evaporated to help produce a cooling effect. When there is more perspiration then can be evaporated it rolls or drips off the skin (or soaks into clothing).
Like many, many things there is just not scientific evidence showing that toxins are sweat out. Many people swear by saunas and bikram or hot yoga to sweat out the toxins. When you are sick some of us have been taught to sweat it out. I am just surprised that I have heard it for so long, but when I go to find supporting evidence I can’t. Maybe I just can’t. Maybe it is out there, but I am unable to find it.
The only information I found that supported the idea was webpages that had to do with the sale of saunas or one that has to do with a Detoxification Program created by the late L. Ron Hubbard. What do you think? Do you believe that we sweat out toxins?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: bikram yoga, Detoxification Program, hot yoga, kidney toxins, L. Ron Hubbard, liver toxins, Nia class, Nia Teacher, perspiration, saunas, sweat out toxins, sweaty yoga, teaching Nia, toxins, yoga classes | 7 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 7, 2010
Ever since I started teaching Nia I think that I have gotten more sleep than when I had a job with a large company. Do you get enough sleep? But what is “enough” sleep? I think some people think it is like a badge of honor if they can “get by” with a few hours sleep at night. I think we might forget that sleep is when our bodies do their repair work.
While we sleep our bodies rebuild and repair. Our brains, while they are busy performing these tasks actually gets its rests and gets ready for the next day. It is believed that healthy adults need between 7 and 9 hours sleep a night. Some sources say that getting even just one less hour a night can possibly affect our ability to think properly. Also it could affect your cardiovascular health and ability to fight infections in an adverse way. Your energy level and ability to concentrate might be less than desirable due to an inefficient amount of rest.
More and more studies are starting to point to sleep and the lack of it affecting our appetite. There are hormones involved that are produced while we sleep and their production is reduced when we don’t get enough sleep. These hormones control the feelings of hunger and of being full. So when we don’t get enough sleep it could result in being constantly hungry and not feeling satisfied.
Our mood is also connected to the sleep we get. Many people feel irritable and short tempered when they do not get enough sleep.
As previously stated research has concluded that a healthy adult needs between 7 and 9 hours sleep in order to function at their optimum, but everyone is different and the exact amount varies. Researchers at a California university found that a there is a rare gene in less than 3% of the population that allows for those people to get by on less than 6 hours sleep. The kind of says that probably 97% of the population is not getting the sleep that their bodies require to function properly. It is believed that most of the population survive on less than 6 hours sleep a night.
So, if you think sleeping less is something to boast about or if you think that sleep is a waste of time maybe you can try getting more sleep and see how you feel. Then maybe all these studies that are out there will be viewed in a different brighter light, through less sleepy eyes.
How much sleep, on average do you get a night?
Posted in Just stuff | Tagged: constanly hungry, Nia, sleep repair, sleep research, sleep studies, teaching job, teaching Nia | 14 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 4, 2010
Nia, at one point, was called NIA or Neuromuscular Integrative Action. Neuromuscular pertains to both nerves and muscles. Our movements involve both muscles and nerves. In a Nia cardio class, we stimulate and activate both during the workout. While leading a group of elder adults in a mobility-enhancement exercise (in a job unrelated to Nia) an observer commented, “It is like kindergarten.” My response was, “Yes, and isn’t it fun?” As I continued to watch these 90+ year olds toss around the ball, she said, “Yeeaaaahhhh!”
Adults just lose it. The stigma that comes with adults playing just to play is too great. Yes, there are competitive teams that adults can join, and those that do are exercising their inner child and having fun, but what about playing just to play.
If a suited adult were to skip down the cubbed corridor they probably would be put on leave of absence. If an adult were to be alone, without children, and were to walk down the street balancing on the curb, they would receive stares from others. Breaking out in song is only acceptable for children and actors in musicals. As adults society does not generally allow us to let out our inner child in everyday life without thinking we are a little off balance.
That is where Nia comes in. In a Nia class we get to play. Also our dance is something that allows you to release that inner child. Nia invites and encourages you to skip, jump, run, walk, shout out, crawl, and move as you did when you were a child. In a non-judgmental freely accepting atmosphere we get to play.
Does that sound like something you could enjoy? Doesn’t it sound like something your body longs to participate in again? Come to a Nia class and find out.
Posted in Nia | Tagged: dance class, inner child, Muscles, nerves, Neuromuscular, Neuromuscular Integrative Action, Nia, Nia cardio class, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia play, Nia workout | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 2, 2010
The recommended daily maximum sodium intake for Americans is 2300 to 2400 milligrams for healthy people, for people with high blood pressure and elderly people it is even less at 1500 milligrams. Do you know how much the average American consumes per day? A lot, more than twice the amount for a healthy person, at 5000 milligrams. The body needs 500 milligrams a day and we are getting about 10 times as much.
One teaspoon of salt contains 2325 milligrams of sodium. So one teaspoon is about all we should be having per day. It would be a lot easier if we were in complete control of the sodium we consumed and it was not added to our food. A lot of food might not even taste salty to contain a high amount of sodium. Most of the salt in the American diet comes from restaurant foods and processed, about 80 percent. Foods high in sodium are the highly processed foods, canned foods, pickled foods, condiments, dressings, and sauces.
There is research predicting that more than 100,000 Ameican deaths a year could be prevented if Americans reduced their sodium intake.
It could be a matter of understanding the labeling terms, according to an article on the Mayo Clinic’s website, here is some help:
- Sodium-free or salt-free. Each serving in this product contains less than 5 mg of sodium.
- Very low sodium. Each serving contains 35 mg of sodium or less.
- Low sodium. Each serving contains 140 mg of sodium or less.
- Reduced or less sodium. The product contains at least 25 percent less sodium than the regular version.
- Lite or light in sodium. The sodium content has been reduced by at least 50 percent from the regular version.
- Unsalted or no salt added. No salt is added during processing of a food that normally contains salt. However, some foods with these labels may still be high in sodium.
I really love salt. Even though I don’t eat a lot of processed foods, I do salt my food. I am probably one of the “average Americans” that consumes sodium on the high end. The information that I am seeing states that liking foods salty is an acquired taste so one can learn to like food less salty by just reducing the salt slowly. I think I am going to do that. What about you, do you eat the “average American” amount? Is there a way you can reduce your sodium intake?
Posted in Food | Tagged: daily max of salt, high blood pressure, Mayo Clinic, salt, salt-free, sodium, sodium intake, Sodium-free, unsalted | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 31, 2010
People can contact me about Nia through my website at HelpYouWell.com. Here is a communication that transpired:
(click for CURRENT schedule! Thanks!)
A consumer has submitted the Contact Terre Pruitt form on your website.
The details are given below:
I am looking to: obtain information about Nia classes
[Personal information deleted for privacy]
Comments: How does one learn Nia? If the classes are drop in but if I have never done this before how will I know the moves? Do you have classes for beginners? If so, when do they start? How many classes must one attend in order to learn all of the moves? What is the nearest cross street to your location on Lincoln Ave.?
My reply:
Dear Lovely Spirit Interested in Nia:
Do you like to move? Do you like to dance? Do you care what others think of you? You are a Lovely Being and I invite you to let go of caring about that.
Nia is not about “the moves”, Nia is about fun. And moving and learning and not caring what others think. Do you think you might like something like that? Do you think you might like to remove your shoes and just get down and shake your groove thing? What makes Nia different than other exercise classes (well, ONE of the things that makes it different) is that we don’t judge. If you are not causing yourself or others harm then it is ok.
If one person goes left, and the other person goes right—as long as there is not a collision—it really does not matter. We are not performing. Nigel, Mia, and Adam are not there. It is just us. Those who want to move. We have fun. We don’t mind if and when we don’t do it “right”.
You, Lovely Spirit, will know the moves because you will be listening to the best, most perfect, most honest teacher there is—-YOU! YOU will be in charge. You will be the one that tells you what to do and how much to do. I might say, “raise your arm” and your arm might say, “No Lovely Spirit, not today.” And you will be moving PERFECTLY because you will have listened, and I and everyone in the class will know that you respected yourself and did what YOUR body needed. That is part of what makes Nia great.
ALL of my classes are for beginners. All of my classes are for experts. Because all of us are beginners and experts. Nia is about YOUR BODY’S WAY!
Come and see. Try not to be concerned about learning the moves. If you have looked at Nia’s 52 Moves, and are thinking about having to know all of them—don’t! We move as the body was designed to move so when you come you will be amazed at how your body just moves on its own. And because of that,
it will feel fabulous!
The NEAREST cross street is Garfield (it is where Rotten Robbies is), the “biggest one” with a light is Coe. The studio is between Coe and Willow in Willow Glen. Does that help?
I want you to come and feel comfortable. Nia is about JOY and comfort and feeling good. It is not about “moves” and “perfection” and performing. We listen to the music and I lead a routine, but you are not required to do exactly what I do. You are encouraged to move as YOUR BODY WANTS TO MOVE!
Sorry, my reply was so lengthy, but I was hoping to help you understand that it is more fun than form. Our bodies were designed to move, in society we sometimes restrict movement, so when you participant in Nia . . . it is
fun!
So, when can I expect to see you? 🙂
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Adam, exercise class, Garfield Avenue, helpyouwell.com, Lincoln Avenue, Mia, Nia, Nia 52 moves, Nia Classes, Nia Dance, Nia exercise, Nia for beginners, Nia fun, Nia Moves, Nia Spirit, Nia website, Nigel, Terre Pruitt, Willow Glen classes, Willow Glen Nia | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 28, 2010
So what is it you want? Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to build strength? Do you want to run a marathon? Do you want to be able to lift a 15 pound weight 100 times? Do you want to touch your nose to your knees? Whatever you want, whatever your goal the best way to reach it is to train for it specifically.
There is a principle of specificity. If your goal is to run a marathon running ten miles every day is not going to get your body ready for the 26 miles that make up a marathon. If you want to build up strength lifting a 15 pound weight 50 times a day will not build strength. You actually have to give your body what it needs in order to allow it to reach your goal. You must train the specific physiological system.
Losing weight requires your body to burn more calories than you consume. Not that doing that is always easy, but that is the simple fact. How you burn the calories is up to you. If losing weight is your primary goal then your options for burning calories is almost limit less.
If you want to build strength, then the key is to use more resistance than you can presently move. This type of goal usually has some limitations, but still, there are a lot of options out there that will enable you to build strength. There are several factors to take into account, but once you have those things accounted for you can go from there.
Running a marathon takes a lot of training, but eventually if you are planning on participating in one you would be better prepared if you included some 26 mile runs in your training. As I mentioned previously you can’t run for 10 miles — even if it is everyday — and expect to be able to complete 26 miles during the marathon.
If it is muscle endurance you want, then you need to train your body in that manner. Doing cardio for a hour or lifting the heaviest weight you can lift a couple of times will not allow your muscles to grow accustom to the repetitiveness required for muscle endurance. Likewise, if you want to become flexible enough to be able to touch your toes or touch your nose to your knees, jogging three miles a day will not help you reach that goal. Specificity, that is how you get what you want. That is how you reach your goal–work the specific system specifically.
So what is it you want? And what type of activity are you doing to get it?
Posted in Exercise and Working Out | Tagged: build strength, endurance, flexibility, how many miles in a marathon, how to lose weight, jog, lose weight, marathon, muscle endurance, principle of specificity, resistance training, run, specificity, strength | 9 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 26, 2010
As you know from my first post on water, the body is made up of a huge percentage of water. As you probably also know, sweating is a process that the body utilizes to cool off. I must always be hot. 🙂 Here in the California Bay Area we had record temperatures. San Jose reached 102 and San Francisco reached 94. For me, when it is that hot, it is easy for me to drink water. I drank a bottle of water right after teaching Nia class today.
It is much easier to become dehydrated in the heat because your body might be sweating more in order to stay cool. Also, because air conditioning takes the moisture out of the air, drinking water even if you are not in the heat is a good thing to do. Often times when the temperatures get high outside the air conditioner goes on or stays on longer, which seems like it would dry the air out more. So even in the air conditioned office or home or mall, drink the water.
I often been told that by the time you are thirsty you are already mildly dehydrated. I like the idea of drinking water throughout the day, but it is really important on the hotter days. There are different stages of dehydration so when you get thirsty drink don’t wait for until you are lightheaded, or get muscles cramps.
Of course there are other more serious reasons people become dehydrated. There are also other treatments when the dehydration is severe. I am just addressing the normal everyday don’t-let-yourself-get-dehydrated-in-the-excessive-heat kind of thing. Funny because my last post regarding water was because it was nice and cool and sometimes a challenge to drink water. In the heat please remember to hydrate!
Posted in Water | Tagged: Bay Area, Bay Area Nia, bottle of water, dehydrated, dehydration, mild dehydration, Nia Bay Area, Nia class, Nia San Jose, San Jose Nia, Water | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 24, 2010
Often times during my day I think of things I am thankful for, I am always thankful when I remember to turn OFF the alarm in the morning before opening the door, having the heart-stopping-blare of the house alarm is really no way to start the day. I am always thankful when I find my keys when I didn’t put them in the correct place. I am always glad when I drop my toast and it lands butterside up. 🙂
I want to share a few things in my life I am gratful for, my hope is that you would join me and make your own list and share it here with me. I am only listing six, but please feel free to list as many things as you are grateful for and share as much about each thing you would like.
1–I am grateful for my hubby, he is the best.
2–I am grateful for my family, they are awesome.
3–I am grateful for my hubby’s family. While yes, I consider them my family I know that I am lucky to have such a great
“in-law” family so I needed to list them separate.
4–I am grateful to be able to teach Nia, sharing something I love with others.
5–I am grateful for my friends. I am very blessed to have some of the greatest friends ever.
6–I am grateful for my health, and will work to keep it.
I am thinking that many of you will be able to list some of these very things, but I also know that some of you have some very exciting things in your lives and maybe you would like to list them as something you are grateful for.
Oh, and I could forget, I am grateful for you taking your time to read my blog.
Posted in Misc | Tagged: grateful, gratitude, gratitude list, Nia, teach Nia, thankful | 8 Comments »
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