Terre Pruitt's Blog

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

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Posts Tagged ‘mind body’

Bent Over Lateral Raise With Resistance Band

Posted by terrepruitt on June 23, 2011

For the Ten Minute Workout we are doing the bent over lateral raise on the BOSU with a resistance band.  Because we are doing a timed workout, I feel it works best to have the band already on the BOSU.  If you are doing the workout from 1 to 10 as originally written then this exercise is after the push up.  (I have actually done it from number 10 to 1 a few times.  Just depends on how I feel.)

Stand on the BOSU on the resistance band with your feet about shoulder distance apart.  Grasp each end of the resistance band in each hand with an overhand grip.  Sink down, as if you are going to sit in a chair, bend over slightly.  You end up with your butt sticking out, but keep your back straight and shoulders down.  It is a somewhat like a high crouch.  Bring the band in front of you a bit, you might have to adjust your grip on the band as in grabbing handfuls.  I like to keep the band taunt so I have resistance all the way through the exercise.  Open your arms, then bring them back in front of you.  Elbows are slightly bent throughout the move.

With the first opening of your arms squeeze your shoulder blades together (still keeping them down), then keep them together as you move your arms to the front.  Keep your shoulder blades together through all 10 repetitions.  Keeping your shoulder blades together will allow you to keep the muscles engaged.

One way to help with keeping your shoulder blades together is to practice with someone touching your back between your shoulder blades.  Or imagine you are holding a piece of paper in between your shoulder blades.   To familiarize yourself with the sensation of your shoulder blades being together it helps to practice.  That way when you are doing an exercise that gets better results with your shoulder blades together you will know when you are doing achieving that and when you are not.  This is one way to connect the mind and the body while working with resistance.  For me, I cannot just get on the BOSU and grab the band and do this correctly automatically.  I can get on the BOSU and move the band with my arms open and closing, but in order to really work it, I have to concentrate on my shoulder blades.

What do you have to add?

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Dance Conditioning

Posted by terrepruitt on November 4, 2010

One of my San Jose Nia class students lent me a book*.  With all that is going on I haven’t gotten to get into it in depth but I read the beginning and I love it.  I was very happy to see that this particular book addressed whole body conditioning.

The author, Eric Franklin (yes, THE Eric Franklin), says that aerobic training is necessary for dancers.  Yet, he states that dancers are able to achieve what they do because their training involves presence and awareness.  He is talking about the mind body connection.  In Nia we call it body mind connection because we go to the intelligence of the body.  Either way the idea is that they are both connected and when exercising the benefits are greater when they are working as one.

This book is wonderful because it states much of the same information that is incorporated into Nia.  That your state of mind and attitude has an effect on your movements and results.  That is just a small example.

It also states the same information we actually apply to personal training.  Such as, training specifically for a specific result—the Principle of Specificity.  Also it talks about the Principle of Progressive Overload–how you need to increase the intensity in order to improve.  But it also advises you to listen to your body and learn to work with it.

I need to spend more time reading it to see what else he has to say.  I will definitely do another post on it because it has much more information in it and it is so exciting to see that it mimics so many other things I have learned.  It matches up with so much information from other fitness modalities and the information they are saying.  It is nice to hear that so many people are recognizing the mind-body / body-mind connection.  It has been happening for awhile now, it is just nice that it is getting so “mainstream”.  It is exciting to see we are all on the same page—whole body conditioning is better conditioning.

*Conditioning for Dance you can purchase through Amazon, its under “Interesting Reading”.

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Review Blog Year – Top Ten

Posted by terrepruitt on December 31, 2009

So here it is the end of the year.  I have been blogging since March (2009).  I have posted 130 times.  This is 131.  I thought I would end the year with a review of some of my favorites and according to the numbers some of your favorites too.  Here they are, not in any order:

Lyrics Gone Wrong . . . I had entertained the idea of doing this once a month, but after the second month I ran out of songs to play with.

Interesting Picture – Marilyn Monroe Albert Einstein . . . I LOVE optical illusions and this one is a doosey.

Hummingbird Tongues . . . they still fascinate me and I am still surprising people with the fact that the birds have tongues and use them more than the beak is a straw.  And usually they tongues dart in and out so fast it is a rare treat to catch it out for a picture.  Yay!

A Poem Says A Lot . . . Fabulous!  We Have Come To Be Danced . . .

Nia Belt System . . . Before you can move onto the next belt they say a year must pass.   You do not have to get involved.  It is a great workout without being involved with the belts.  The belt system only comes into play if you care to get that involved in Nia.  Nia’s belts mimic some Martial Arts; white, green, blue, brown, black.    I am learning so much with my White Belt, I can see myself waiting at least another year before I move onto the next belt.  There is so much to learn and enjoy in each belt, I am not in a hurry.

Say: “I Am Wonderful” . . . I like to say this, I like to hear this song.  I like to remind people to go to iTunes each week to download the free song.

A Brief Look At Nia . . . still excited to share Nia with people.  It is a great body-mind practice and a workout that can make you sweat yet not really feel like exercise.  It is learning to follow the body’s way.

Wrapping Tips . . . WHAT?  I was shocked that everyone did not read my blog.  On Christmas Day and the day after the bags and bags and bags and bags of wrapping trash that I saw on the curbs just blew my mind. In this day and in these times, I was just utterly flabbergasted that people don’t re-use the wrappings.  It amazed and saddened me.

My Favorite Mugs . . . so I found out that not everyone got my little joke.  Ya know, back in the day (what day, I don’t know), they used to call faces mugs . . . get it now?

The Seven Cycles Of A Nia Workout . . . The workout has cycles, somewhat like Jazzercise.  I like to share this aspect of Nia so people have an idea of what a workout class will be like.  We set a focus and an intent, step in, warm up and move all the way through the cycles to the floor, and then we step out.

Well, thank you so much for joining me on my blog.  I hope that you continue to read, I hope you enjoy and learn.  I learn from your comments so keep them coming.  Thank you for a great year.  Here is to the NewYear.

But . . .before we jump into the New Year, share with me what your favorite post from my blog was?  AND/OR give me ideas on what you would like to see posted in the New Year.

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