Posted by terrepruitt on September 5, 2009
Twitter is interesting. Twitter is nothing to be afraid of. Twitter is a tool to be used as one sees fit. Unlike a hammer that basically has a specific use, Twitter can be used in different ways. I have some friends that use it as a main source of instant communication: “Hey, ya wanna go to lunch today?”, “Meet me at . . .”, “I am in front of the fountain.” And other people just pump out their business information with no conversation at all. I think that however you want to use it is fine. It all works. Everyone is different, do what you want. I use twitter to meet new people, to connect with people, learn things, introduce people to Nia, get the word out about my business, and make kissy faces at my husband.
So that last part doesn’t really fall under what I think of as my “business account” but it sneaks in every once in awhile. (Shrug!) That is what is so great about it. It is MY account and I can use it like I want.
I do actually try to manage my account, and here again, people can manage their accounts all different ways.
I use TweetDeck to see stuff all at once: tweets of people I am following, mentions, DMs, and other columns I have set up. Then I use Twitter.com to look at my list of new followers and look at their profiles. I also use Twitter.com sometimes because DMs and “mentions” come to it faster than TweetDeck. Also, I look at my tweets from Twitter.com. I try NOT to tweet a bunch of tweets in a row especially if they are “general” tweets. Sometimes I am having a conversation and so they are in rapid succession. Twitter.com allows me to see them all in a stream and when I am sending out Nia information or business announcements I try to space them out.
TweetDeck allows you to do some of these things too, but I like Twitter.com for some things.
I also use Mr. Tweet to see who that system recommends.
I use FriendorFollow.com to see who I am following but who is not following me (“following”). It also shows you who is following you that you are not following (“fans”) and it shows you who you are following that is following you (“friends”).
I also use Twittergrader to sometimes check who is following me. Friendorfollow is not always accurate. I also use Twittergrader to see who I can follow in my area. One of my goals of being on Twitter, as I mentioned, is to expose people to Nia and along with that I want to obtain students for my Nia exercise classes. So I try to follow people in San Jose, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Mountain View, and basically the Bay Area, so that I can see local tweets and maybe they will follow me back. Sometimes that works out.
As you can see if you know anything about any of these programs this is a very rough overview. If you don’t know anything about anything I have just mentioned then—perfect, I told you something new hopefully without confusing and overwhelming you. Just go to these sites and check it out. I promise you can’t break them nor the internet! From these sites you can work on managing your twitter account or get information on your account.
There are so many systems and programs to use. It is amazing and overwhelming. Just try it. Don’t be afraid of it. Have fun. Be safe.
If you already use different sites and programs, what do you use? How do you use it? Please leave a comment and share with me and my readers because I am not an expert. I am just learning and I love to hear about all the other stuff out there.
Posted in Twitter | Tagged: Bay Area Exercise, Bay Area Nia, Bay Area Nia classes, Bay Area Workout, business on twitter, Friendorfollow.com, Los Gatos Exercise, Los Gatos exercise classes, Los Gatos Nia, Los Gatos Workout, Milpitas classes, Milpitas exercise, Milpitas Nia, Milpitas workout, Mountain View exercise, Mountain View Nia, Mountain View Nia classes, Mountain View workout, Mr. Tweet, Nia Classes, Nia exercise, Nia information, Nia workouts, San Jose exercise, San Jose Nia, San Jose Nia classes, San Jose Workout, TweetDeck, tweets, Twitter, twitter business, twitter help, twitter programs, twitter sites, Twitter.com, Twittergrader.com, workout Nia | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 3, 2009
I wanted to share this with you just in time for Labor Day. This past summer I went to a barbeque and the hostess had made grilled bell peppers and feta. She had bought the bag of bell peppers that you get from Costco that have the different colors in them.
Well, I brought some home to Hubby and he liked them. Since then we have made them several times but we have been using the green bell peppers.
It is so easy. You just cut the bell peppers so they form a little boat. If they are flat that is ok, it just makes it more possible for the cheese to escape. 🙂 Then you grill them 5 minutes on each side, or if you like them less cooked just grill them on the inside for five minutes.
After you grill them either on the outside for five and the inside for five or just the inside for five you put feta in them. You can put as much as you would like. You can also use blue cheese. It is a litte bit more greasy so it is a little tricky to deal with, but it is good. I prefer the feta.
Then you grill the feta filled boats for five minutes. Yum. Nothing else is needed. No salt, no oil, nothing. And they are so yummy.
Recently we went to a barbeque and started talking about all the ways you can do them and there are a lot of ways. You can get elaborate and makes some pretty yummy concoctions, or you can just keep it simple. It is really good. This is an easy treat that is in a class by itself.
I don’t know if you have a Costco in your area but that is what we have in San Jose and the Bay Area where we get our large quantities.
If you end up trying this and make any variation, let me know how it works out. I would love to hear how different types of cheeses work. Although it is an exercise in will power to not over do it on the cheese. You know how I love cheese!
Posted in Vegetables | Tagged: bell peppers, Costco San Jose, exercise on Labor Day, grilled bell peppers, Grilled peppers, Labor Day, San Jose exercise, San Jose exercise class, San Jose exercise on Labor Day, San Jose Workout | 7 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on September 1, 2009
Multitasking. So revered we have invented a word for it. Thought so highly of it is a buzz word included on resumes. Employers look for it. They want someone who can do multiple tasks at once. Sounds fabulous.
But at what cost? What is each task not getting so that the other can receive? How can someone possibly do more than one or two things at once? I mean, when you think about it, our bodies are already DOING a lot of tasks, then we expect our brain to do MORE. No, our brain does not need us to stop and think about breathing and blinking, but when you add a task to that, it is DOING more than one thing already. So if you try to do five, it is going to be doing a lot.
Our society praises and rewards “multitasking”, but it has come to light in studies that whatever tasks are being done while other tasks are being done, the tasks suffer. We — in America at least —- don’t concentrate on much of anything. Stop for a second and watch. Do you see one person in your line of sight doing one thing? Is there someone walking while on the phone, driving while drinking, eating while talking, riding a bike while listening to a device?
I am not sitting here typing this because I am the master of living in the moment and concentrating on one thing I am doing, I have a task I do every single day—more than once a day—that I am guilty of doing while doing other things, so I am not sitting here saying it is all YOU that are guilty of this, I am just pointing out something that you have heard of lately as being not as great as we were originally led to believe. My teeth and gums can prove it to you. I never JUST brush my teeth. I am usually picking out my clothes, or finding my earrings, or finding my shoes, while I am brushing my teeth so then I have to stop and say, “Did I brush my inner lowers?” And I brush them again.
I could go on and on about this. There are texting while driving issues, there are talking on the phone while driving issues, there are cooking while on the phone issues. So maybe I am just saying to stop. Just once during your day in the next few days, stop and do one thing. Oh my! How much will it cost you? Five minutes? Or less? I know that if I stopped and concentrated on brushing my teeth and didn’t brush the same spot five times because I wasn’t paying attention it would probably cost me less. What about you? What has “multitasking” cost you? How much did you really save? Could we all benefit from doing one less thing at a time?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: brushing your teeth, multitasking, resumes, texting while driving | 13 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 29, 2009
You know when you are feeling tired or can’t make it through a workout think about what you have eaten. It really makes a difference. We don’t have to rely on the experts to tell us that, just think about it. There are a lot of ways people can eat, vegan, raw, vegetarian, etc., but stepping away from a diet that has a name and just trying to eat less processed foods and foods that are less processed can really make a difference in how you feel.
If you pay attention to how you feel for a week or so, then try to cut out some of the processed foods that you normally eat you will notice a difference if you take note.
Sometimes you might not need to adjust your workout or the exercise it could be just fine, it could just be that you don’t have the proper nutrition to fuel your body. A blog is not the place to get informaiton on what your body actually needs because everyone is different. I am just suggesting that you take a look at your diet and see if you could make a few adjustments to get better NUTRITION and see how that affects you. If you want specifics you need to see a nutritionist or work with a personal trainer.
Sometimes we think we are eating healthy because the packaging claims it is “natural” or “wholesome”, but the truth is more processed foods are just full of chemicals. Just look at what you are eating. Check the INGREDIENTS, not just the big words on the package that make claims.
I believe that good nutrition affects your ENTIRE body: you physical body and your mental state. If your body has property nutrition you have more energy and you FEEL better. You can actually make it through a workout without just wanting it to be over, and then that makes your body feel good and then your mind feels great because you feel like you can conquer the world.
We were at a gathering today in San Jose with a lot of good food. Not too much processed food. A lot of vegetables. I am sure I am going to feel great tomorrow. Good nutrition makes a difference.
Posted in Food | Tagged: Good nutrition, nutrition, San Jose exercise, San Jose Personal Trainer, San Jose Workout, work out San Jose | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 27, 2009
I was making rice tonight and I thought, this is so easy, but not everyone knows about this funny little trick, so I wanted to share.
I was not familiar with a rice maker until I met my husband. I was accustom to Uncle Ben’s white rice you make in a pot on the stove. The whole point being to make it fluffy and NOT sticky. But my husband wouldn’t eat that. He only ate “sticky rice”. And he makes it with a rice maker. Since my apartment in San Jose was really small I received a small one as a gift. It was so cute. We don’t have that one any longer.
Anyway, the way he taught me how to cook rice in a rice cooker was to pour the rice in. To me it doesn’t matter how much because to me left over rice is fine. So, pour the rice in. And if it is white rice, rinse it. I hate this part. I always lose rice because in our present rice maker my hand is just that little bit too small that rice escapes when I try to get out most of the water. But usually I only lose a little bit so it works out ok. After you rinse it all you have to do it make sure you have enough water to cover the rice up to the mid-point of your first finger’s knuckle. What? Yeah, I know, odd, but it works.
You put your finger on top of the rice and make sure the water reaches up to half way up your finger only to the first joint. Always works. Rice comes out perfect. How, because Hubby and I have different size fingers, I don’t know. But it works.
But low and behold, that only works for white rice. We found out that you have to add more water for brown rice and then that also means it takes longer to cook. Took two times of waiting for the rice to be done and then having it be crunchy for me to figure that one out!
Sometimes I put a little bit of garlic olive oil in there or lemon infused oil (learned the lemon one from a friend—yum!). Either oil gives the rice a slight flavor plus helps it NOT stick to the pot. Love that.
As you can see from the picture there are measures on the actual pot, never used those. Sounds like an exercise in patience to me. I just dump, rinse, and fill. I rinse white rice well, but not the brown rice. What about you, do you use the finger water level method?
Posted in Food | Tagged: brown rice, fluffy rice, Perfect rice, San Jose exercise, San Jose Workout, sticky rice, white rice, Workout San Jose | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 25, 2009
Here are the main points to the 12 tips to help you move with Nia. These tips are taken from The Nia Technique a book written by the creators of Nia, Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas. The book can help you better understand how Nia can be is a great workout and can be just a workout or practice, like yoga and Pilates are practices.
~Use visual imagery to make movements feel natural.
~Combine small movements with large movements.
~Use your Base, Core, Upper Extremities, breath and voice to add energy and power to your moves.
~Use a variety of speeds.
~Use your joints to move energy.
~Use breath to start and stop the flow of energy.
~Add intensity to your movements by sinking lower and rising higher.
~Shift your body weight–don’t drop it—
~Add emotion to every motion.
~Use your fingers and hands to express how movements make you feel.
~Use your voice as you move, to activate your abdominal muscles.
~Lead your head movements with your eye movements.
While nothing compares to the energy of a live class, the book is a great way to get started or to get you acquainted with Nia.
These are great tips to help you get more from your workout yet also help it feel less like exercise.
Posted in Nia | Tagged: 12 tips, 12 tips to move with Nia, Carlos Rosos, creators of Nia, Debbie Rosas, exercise, Nia, Nia Practice, Pilates, Pilates practice, San Jose, San Jose exercise, San Jose Pilates, San Jose Workout, San Jose Yoga, The Nia Technique, The Nia Technique book, workout, Yoga, Yoga Practice | 8 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 22, 2009
This is one of Nia’s 52 Moves. The Releve. First you touch your heel to the ground.
Then you weight on one foot.
Then you come up on what we usually call your toe, but is really the ball of your foot.
Usually this is done in a quick step like motion. During a workout routine we usually step to a releve then move on. Sometime though we do stay on the balls of our feet in releve and walk. It all depends on the workout and routine and if that will even work for you and your body. It is great for the ankles and the lower leg. It also strengthens your foot.
You can see a list of Nia’s 52 Moves on my site or in the Nia Technique book.
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: 52 moves, Nia, Nia's 52 Moves, Releve, routine, work out, workout routine | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 20, 2009
We have recently had baby blue jays surface. For the most part I don’t even know they are there. When they do make noise it is hilarious. I can’t tell how many there are. I think there are at least two, maybe three, but at least one has a hilarious voice. It is not the squawk of a blue jay yet. I can’t even describe it, but it makes me laugh. Whatever I am doing I will stop to listen to him. It is so funny. I tried to record it today, but . . . I only have my iPhone and the baby stopped the second I pressed record. Then all the other birds started in and drowned out his little voice.
Anyway, it is Thursday, and I haven’t posted birds once this month so I thought I would share some baby pictures. The babies are deceptively large. At first, you don’t realize that the baby is the baby because he is so much bigger than the adults then it opens its mouth and makes this pathetic noise or it walks and has absolutely no grace.
So, please keep in mind I am not posting this pictures because they are good pictures and I wanted to share, I am posting them because they are our babies and I wanted to share.
Its a beautiful day in San Jose for this bird to sit by the water.
Do you see his brother (sister?) on the rock behind him?
I think the one on the rock is the one that is has the funny little voice. It is so funny.
Babies just stand different. They are still learning. It is so funny to watch them move.
I think the one on the rock still wants to be fed because he will open his wings and make his little noise. He “screams” at the top of his voice. But scream is a harsh word since it sounds so cute, but . . . you can tell it is a workout for him. He puts a lot of effort into it.
Ooooh, balancing on one foot. Good.
Posted in Birds | Tagged: Baby blue jays, blue jay squawk, blue jays, jays, San Jose, San Jose Workout | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 18, 2009
You will notice that the numbers are not sequential, that is because this is just a few of the sixteen main benefits of Nia stated in the Nia Technique Book by Debbie Rosas and Carlos Rosas.
1. Nia increases the pleasure of living in your body.
2. Nia creates weight loss and proper weight maintenance.
6. Nia increases grace and flexibility.
10. Nia enhances sensory awareness.
11. Nia heightens sexual function.
12. Nia builds reservoirs of chi.
14. Nia improves circulation of blood and improves lymphatic drainage.
Please remember that these are benefits that people practicing Nia have had. I invite you to share your experiences and tell me what benefits you have gained from Nia. You can post a comment here or send me information through my site (you can scroll down the drop down menu to “share my benefit(s) of Nia”).
Nia is a journey where you are invited to discover the wonders of your own Body.
Nia is practiced in the Bay Area (San Jose, Mountain View, Cupertino, Los Gatos, etc.) and the East Bay (San Ramon, Oakland, Walnut Creek, etc.).
Posted in Exercise and Working Out, Nia | Tagged: Bay Area Nia, Benefits of Nia, Carlos Rosas, Cupertino Nia, Debbie Rosas, Los Gatos Exercise, Los Gatos Nia, Los Gatos Workout, Mountain View Nia, Nia, Nia Bay Area, Nia Benefits, Nia Debbie, Nia exercise, Nia Oakland, Nia Practice, Nia San Jose, Nia Technique, Nia Technique Book, Nia workout, practicing Nia, San Jose exercise, San Jose Nia, San Jose Workout, San Ramon Nia | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 15, 2009
Here is a picture of the Nia spear fingers, one of the 52 Nia moves. You pose your hand as if you are going to salute someone.
The benefits according to The Nia Technique book (page 161) are that it will help with tension that “tends to build up in your wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck, and jaw.”
Also pictured is a modified version of the spear finger. At this point I use this version in a song that I lead. Throughout the entire song our hands/fingers are in the spear finger position and I find that is too stressful on my wrists. And Nia is about exercising and working out in a pleasurable manner so, I have adapted the spear finger to a more comfortable position for me. In other instances where we use spear finger for not such a long time, I employ the actual technique.
Nia is about so many things, but one thing we want to ensure participants do is modify and adapt to their own body’s way. My body’s way for that move is to cross my thumb over my bent ring finger and little finger. When you come to class you will be encouraged to listen to your own body and move the routine as your body wants to move. You will be encouraged to sense pleasure. Come experience it for yourself.
Posted in 52 Moves (of Nia), Nia | Tagged: exercise classes 52 Nia Moves, Nia 52 moves, Nia Classes, Nia exercise, Nia spear fingers, Nia Technique, Nia workout, The Nia Technique, The Nia Technique book, workout classes | 2 Comments »
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