Posts Tagged ‘Nia class’
Posted by terrepruitt on July 24, 2012
In Nia we use the clock a lot. We don’t actually USE the clock, but we use the idea of a clock face on the ground. When we are moving and dancing we often times refer to the hours on the face of the clock to indicate where to put our feet or move our body. I had mentioned this in my post about Katas. I find that it works well when I am learning the routines. I note the “o’clocks” on my bars. I find it works well when sharing the moves in my Nia classes. And I find that Nia students appreciate having a reference point. It REALLY helps me when there is an actually clock in the room in my line of site. I know that probably sounds silly because the reason we use a clock to assist in the dance is because it is something familiar and constant, but sometimes it just helps to be able to glance up and be able to say, “Step to one o’clock.” I use the clock a lot.
Often times our stepping isn’t exactly on an hour. Often times I feel as if it is BETWEEN the hours, say between one and two, but it is still a great reference point. As with many of our moves in Nia it could be that we are stepping on the foot we have placed at a specific hour or it could be that we are pointing or tapping on the hour. Using the hours of the clock as a reference can help prevent confusion when required to state which foot is being used. Since we are moving to music one does not always have time to state, “Cross your left foot to the right diagonal and stop.” And saying, “Left right diagonal” could be confusing, so it is nice to have a set “direction” by using the hours on a clock. So I can say, “Left at 1:00” and that is even more clear than saying either one of the instructions previously stated. It is clear that the left foot is to cross over and land at 1:00.
Also it seems to even work better than just saying the directional left and right. If I were to say, “Put your left foot out” I have not actually indicated WHERE to put your left foot, but when I say, “Left to 9:00” it is clear where the left foot should go when it goes “out”. Another example is a bow, it could be executed with the leg directly behind or crossed back so again the clock adds a greater level of instruction.
Of course, the participants in a dance exercise class are watching the instructor but giving them verbal instructions allows them to do it in their own body’s way instead of just trying to do it the exact way the teacher’s body is doing it. Some people might have a LARGE clock face on the ground on which they are dancing and other’s might have a smaller one. It all depends on where they leg reaches, but at least they know what direction.
In Nia there are even moves that refer to the clock. Within Nia’s 52 moves we have a “slow clock” and a “fast clock“. So as I said we use the clock or at least the idea of a clock a lot in a Nia class.
Makes Nia sounds easy, huh? It is. And it is fun. Find a class near you nianow.com or check out my Nia class schedule on my website (www.HelpYouWell.com).
Posted in Nia | Tagged: clock dance, clock face, dance, dance moves, fast clock, katas, looking at the clock, Nia class, Nia Class Schedule, Nia Dance, Nia katas, Nia participants, Nia routines, Nia students, Nia teachers, Nia's 52 Moves, NiaNow.com, slow clock, www.HelpYouWell.com | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 21, 2012
On my way home from teaching my Nia class in San Jose on a bright and beautiful Wednesday morning, I noticed a man at a utility box. I had seen him out of the corner of my eye so it did not register what he was doing until I was passed the box. So I looked at him in my review mirror. I pulled over to the side of the road to be able to really look to see if he was doing what I thought he was doing. Then I decided to back my car up, park, and get out to see. It just so happened that the day before I was on my way to the Roosevelt Community Center, and I took a wrong turn and found myself driving around not sure exactly how to get where I wanted to be and I noticed a set of utility boxes. Do you ever notice utility boxes? Probably not, huh? They are one of those things that are not that attractive so we learn to ignore them. Well, while I was driving around being lost, I noticed them. There was one that was painted with a bunch of flowers and then the one right next to it looked like a big red rose. I thought, “Wow! That is so cool.” So as I was driving home from Nia and I saw a man painting a utility box, I wanted to see what it was all about.
We talked briefly, he said it was a project in the City of San Jose. They are lumping it in as an “anti-graffiti” project, but I like to just think of it as disguising something not attractive AND adding beauty at the same time. The artist, Scott Willis, was sitting on the grass by the box painting it. He handed me a fact sheet. I skimmed it and tried to hand it back and he said I could keep it. (YAY!) Because now I have the facts to share with you.
The project is “Art Box Project SJ”. The project goals are to integrate art into San Jose neighborhoods, grow the project throughout San Jose, and “encourage community participation by engaging neighbors, neighborhood associations, and local artists by sponsoring boxes and paying artists a small stipend for their work.”
The benefits are: bringing art into the neighborhoods, encouraging community engagement, offering temporary work for local artists, deterring and/or reducing the blight of graffiti.
Additional information on the fact sheet says the “project was inspired by photos of utility boxes with murals painted on them, taken by self proclaimed “Anit-Man-About-Town” and world traveler Gary Singh (a local Metro News columnist). It’s being pushed along by Tina Morrill; an idealist [who] believes anything is possible.”
I know San Jose isn’t the first city to do this but I am excited to see these boxes around. In fact the Fact Sheet states, “According to the Contra Costa Times, Hayward has found their art on utility boxes has reduced graffiti problems by 97%”. Wow. Ninety-seven percent.
In addition to the sponsors paying the artists’ stipend they can pay an additional amount to have the box sprayed with an “anti-graffiti coating”.
There are criteria for both the box locations and the art, but that is to be expected and the criteria even makes sense, such as the utility box can’t be on the replacement list. Nice that they don’t want an artist to spend time beautifying it just so it can be replaced. And the are must be tasteful, respectful, and not political, commercial, or religious.
While the artist do get paid a small amount I am hoping that it will be advertising for them. I mean, if you see really compelling work on a utility box maybe it could lead to other things for the artist!
The rose I saw the other day just keeps jumping into my head, it was so gorgeous. The art I saw on Wednesday was unfinished, I interrupted the artist. But since it is a box I pass at least twice a week on my way home from my Nia classes in Willow Glen, I will see the work in progress and post pictures upon its completion. For now you get to see the artist and his work in progress. I am relating this to health and wellness because beauty causes a good feeling. It is nice to see the plain utility boxes beautified.
Here is the Facebook page for it (click here).
So what do you think of this project? Do you have something like it in your city? Would you like to have something like it in your city?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: anti-graffiti, art box sponsors, City of San Jose, City of San Jose Nia, Contra Costa, Contra Costa Times, Facebook, Gary Singh, graffiti reduction, Hayward, local artists, Metro News, Nia class, Nia San Jose, painted utility boxes, San Jose Art Box, San Jose Art Project, San Jose Nia, San Jose Nia class, Tina Morrill, utility box | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 14, 2012
I have a huge favor or request. I know I have mentioned it before, but I don’t think I have done a single post on it, but recently I, myself, was confronted with this situation so I really want to make a serious plea. I am going to go out on a limb and say this is a plea for many fitness instructors/dance exercise teachers. If you go to a class and you don’t like it, please, please, please try it at least two more times. If you are ok with the instructor, but the class is just not that good in your opinion, give it another chance. There are a million reasons why you might not like that particular class on that particular day. It could be the routine or exercises you were doing that day so ask the instructor when s/he will be changing to a new one. Or it could be the music, so, again talk to the instructor. Maybe ask if the class you just experienced was the norm or the typical class. Sometimes instructors decide to change it up and try something new but after taking it to the class they might decide they didn’t like it either. So ask. Also ask the other students. Don’t give up on something after just one class.
If taking three classes from the same instructor sounds like a waste of time and money to you, try a different instructor. We are all different and we strive to represent the brand/technique/practice to the best of our ability, but we also add out own style and it could be that the style is not something that you connect with. It could also be — if you don’t like the class — that the instructor is not necessarily sticking to the program. You might enjoy the class with an instructor that is more closely following the idea of the fitness brand/technique/practice.
I had been to a few fitness classes recently and I felt some elements that I believe should be included in this type of class were missing. Plus in a couple of classes I felt as if it was not all that the brand promised. But I attended a few more classes with different instructors and I began to see a big difference. I also took it upon myself to become educated a bit in the type of class and now I understand why I like one class over the other. One instructor was following the program more closely than the other one and it actually is more enjoyable. I actually went to four or five classes with three different instructors. I walked out of one class saying, “Dang, I really hate that.” Whereas the other two I thought, “Now that is what it is all about!”
So if you walk out of a class thinking you really don’t like it, that is ok, you obviously didn’t like THAT particular class, but it could be the brand/technique/practice wasn’t represented correctly. So try again. Maybe the instructor was having a bad day. Yes, it is our job to instruct and hold a good class, no matter what, but . . . c’mon we are only human. Sometimes we just have “off days”. There are all types of reasons to give an instructor another chance.
I know I have mentioned this before, but if I HAVE done an entire post on it before and I am repeating myself I apologize, but I really feel strongly about this. Because, as I said, twice I walked out of a class saying, “No way!”, but then the two other instructors showed me a “Yes way!”
Now keep in mind that I am not just talking about Nia, I am talking about ANY class you try; Zumba, Jazzercise, Barre Fitness, Turbo Kick, whatever.
If you end up giving it a good try and still end up not liking it at least you will have burned some calories in the process. But I bet if you were drawn to the class in the first place you will end up finding a class and an instructor that you like. Just don’t give up after the first class, do yourself a favor and keep at it and you’ll end up finding something to allow you to gain all the benefit of an exercise workout.
Have you ever gone to a class and not gone back because you didn’t like it after only one class?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: Barre Fitness, brand representation, dance class, dance exercise, dance exercise teachers, dance program, do yourself a favor, exercise class, exercise program, fitness instructors, fitness program, Jazzercise, Nia class, Nia Technique, Turbo Kick, workout class, Zumba | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 12, 2012
So, you know what kind of day I had? I awoke to a kiss from my hubby. Then before I could get out of bed I had a sweet little cat rolling around on the floor meowing for attention. She was very affectionate and spent a lot of time visiting with me. My hubby said she spent a lot of time with him too, about twenty minutes. That is a long time, usually she wants to get her morning hugs in then rush off to a bed for her morning nap. Then my day proceeded with me teaching a Nia class. We had a great time. Afterwards my students and I chatted a bit. The conversation ended on a high – a compliment to me and Nia.
The weather was nice in the morning.
I stopped by the grocery store. I came home and made a really yummy sandwich using the panini press. I received a few e-mails from friends and family. I talked to a good friend. We had a nice phone visit. I even took a little nap.
So it was a very wonderful day. I am very blessed. See? I had one of THOSE kinds of days, the ones that I am grateful for, the ones that sometimes get lost in the mix. When I judge my day or talk about it, I don’t condemn the entire day just because there might be a few bad moments. If you ask me about my day, I will tell you it was good. I appreciated it. If you want to hear I will share about the other moments, but I won’t proclaim my whole day BAD or one of “THOSE DAYS”.
I won’t let the fact that when I got downstairs after visiting my cat I noticed that she threw up in four different places, dictate the whole day’s label. For those of you that have cats, I know you understand (Why do they do it in several places??). For those of you that don’t have cats, cats throw up. Sometimes a lot and sometimes not. Sometimes is it just a hairball and sometimes it is just them not feeling well. It seems that no matter WHY they are throwing up they have to do it in three (at least) different places.
I won’t claim it “one of those days” even after I went into the bathroom to get my vacuum cleaner hose out of the tub (yeah that is where I keep it) and noticed that the other stuff I had in there was damp. It wasn’t gonna get that label even after I came back from the garage with a basket to put the stuff in and the entire tub was full of water, then the toilet started to over flow as I was standing there. Yeah, it still wasn’t a bad DAY. I still can’t negate all the good of my day by calling the entire day bad when I realized we don’t have a mop. I use those disposable type of floor cleaners and our mop died a long time ago. So I had nothing to soak up the water with. I had to go to the store.
Even when my hubby didn’t get a call back from the plumber before 5:00 pm and we ended up getting one late at night. I still couldn’t and can’t condemn the entire day. And I hadn’t had a chance to take a shower all day and it was hot and I got really hot and sweaty bailing out the tub. We did eventually get water. It was 10:30 pm. So the laundry had piled up because there was the initial cat blankets and bedding, then the towels to ensure the leak did go past the bathroom, and all the stuff in the tub (I had clothes in the bottom of the tub, ya know the ones I am going to get around to donating? Geez.).
So even though all of that happened it could have been worse. I could have not discovered what the cat did behind the TV in her window seat until there was a stench and a trail of ants leading to it. It was really hot yesterday so it would have baked in the sun. (Gross I know, but think of how thankful I am!) I could have not been standing there when the water started coming in and it could have kept coming. We could have not had water all night. I would not have been able to make it through the night.
It could have been worse AND I had a lot of great points to the day so I don’t like to say I am having a bad day, or a day from hell, or any of those things. I had a day for which I am grateful, it had some moments that were kind of icky, but still those were just moments. The bad moments are not what make up our lives. We all have bad moments. We all have things to deal with and “crosses to bear”. But me, I don’t condemn a whole day for those moments. I fell asleep thinking about the beautiful moments of my day.
How about you? Do you have bad DAYS? Do you let the trying moments dictate the day?
Posted in Misc | Tagged: bad day, day from hell, good day, gratitude, Nia, Nia class, Nia student, Nia Teacher, plumber, plumbing issues, sick cat, thankful | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 9, 2012
In Nia there are 52 Moves that run through the Nia Routines. One move that we do quite often is not on the list of 52 moves. I call it a four-point turn because we take four steps to do it. In one of the routines I recently learned the instructor calls it an Aikido turn. Since Nia borrows moves and ideas from Aikido and associates Aikido with circular, spiral, and spherical motion, it makes sense this turn would be called an Aikido turn. As with many dance exercises the moves can sometimes be done fast or slow depending upon the music. Sometimes in a Nia routine we can do the same move at different speeds. With the four-point – which is four step – or Aikido turn – the best way to accomplish it is by starting with the first step being a “toes out” type of step. Point the foot out, away from the body in the direction you want to turn. Allow the entire thigh to turn out. Whether you are going to do a fast or slow turn, this first step is key in making it all the way around. Another key is to LOOK! Look the direction you want to turn. Also helpful is hands and arms. Allow your hand to follow after the eyes. The order would be eyes/head, hand/arm, foot/leg. While this is one arrangement of the order, sometimes your arms might actually be doing something else and that is fine too. It could be that the hands and arms lead, but whatever the case your eyes can be a part of the turn. Nia is a dance workout so sometimes we might have our arms dancing in another way to the music.
For a beginner learning the turn, I would make the previously mentioned suggestion of the order. Eyes/head, hand/arm, foot/leg. The thigh bone/foot turned out. Then step on that “toes out” foot, weighting it 100%, as you step all your weight on it your body will turn in the direction you want to go. Your free leg can be swung around to what seems like in front of your “toes out” foot, but by the time you step onto it, it will end up being besides the toes out foot because you will put all your weight into your second step and take the weight off the “toes out” foot so for a moment they will be side-by-side. Then you will swing your free leg behind to land about in line with the heel of your weighted foot. You will weight the foot that just was swung, and turn the other foot to parallel . . . making that the fourth point or step.
Maybe left and right indications will work better for you: The order: Turn your head/eyes to the left , allow your hand/arm to follow. Move your LEFT FOOT to “toes out” turning your left thigh bone to the left. Then step on your LEFT FOOT in a “toes out” position, put your weight on it 100%. As you are stepping all your weight on your LEFT FOOT, allow your body to turn to the left, in the direction you want to go. Swing your RIGHT LEG (free leg) around to what seems like in front of your LEFT FOOT. Step onto your RIGHT FOOT, toes pointing to the back of the room (or what started off as the back of the room), take the weight off the LEFT FOOT (“toes out” foot). Swing your LEFT FOOT (free leg) behind to land about in line with the heel of your RIGHT FOOT (weighted foot). You will stand on the LEFT FOOT, and turn the RIGHT FOOT to parallel . . . making that the fourth point or step.
Right to left works the same but start with your right foot.
To me, it is actually easier to do it fast than slow. But either way the hips get great rotation in the sockets. I was taught that we do not slide on our feet or spin on our feet. We dance barefoot so it is very different than if you have dance shoes on. There is not a nice layer of material that allows for easy sliding and spinning. We pick up our feet so as not to get blisters and to better condition the feet and the legs. So when we turn we are not spinning on the balls of our feet. That is one reason why I call it a four-point turn because we are hitting “points” in our dance. Points, steps, either way it is not a spin on the foot. This is another reason why it is important to start the turn with the toes already turned out because we also always want to be gentle on our knees. Also in Nia we are always reminded to remember our own body’s way. It is more important to protect and love our knees than it is to make it all they way around when doing a turn!
This is a pretty common dance move in dance exercise classes, but it is not always easy and can present a challenge. I believe it becomes particularly challenging when the person doing it wants to keep their eyes on the instructor. The best way to do it is to allow the eyes to move with the turn.
This is also a very fun move because you never know what we are going to do at either end (after the 4th step). Now that you got the turn down come to a Nia class and see what could be waiting at the end! You got the turn down, right?
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Aikido, dance exercise class, dance exercises, Nia, Nia 52 moves, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia instructor, Nia Music, Nia routines, Toes Out, turned out toes | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 5, 2012
Nia is both a dance exercise and a life practice. Kind of like yoga. You can go to a class and get the exercise you want and have it end there or you can learn about its principles and take them into your life. There are levels of the practice. Nia has chosen to use a “belt” system as their levels. Instead of just having numbers or names, they have assigned belt colors to the levels. There are five levels; White Belt, Green Belt, Blue Belt, Brown Belt, and Black Belt. The intensives to gain the belts can be taken and enjoyed by people who aren’t teaching. Each belt has 13 principles, except Green. Green does not have its own set of principles because green is the belt level that is actually designed specifically for teachers and helps them hone their teaching skills. It delves into the 13 principles of the White Belt. The White Belt’s principle #4 is FreeDance. FreeDance as a practice has eight stages. I have posted about eight through two. This post is about stage one. Stage #1 of Nia’s 4th White Belt Principle is Freedance – Anything Goes (movement wise).
While you are dancing any movement is great if it is authentic movement. With Nia there is choreographed moves, but within the patterns of movement there is the ability to freedance. Also with many routines there is sometimes just freedance where we are allowed to dance free to the music without any choreography. Stage one: Freedance, anything goes, allows us the greatest of freedoms. You can dance using the wall, the mirror, a chair, the floor, or a ballet barre that might be in the room. You can dance fast, slow, high, low, or in the middle. Anything that you sense your body wants to do to the music. It is up to you.
The idea with freedance is to just let the body go. Don’t think about it. When you think about it often comes the judgment. Sometimes the judgment can interfere with movement, especially if it is judgment along the lines of, “Oh I must look silly doing this.” “Oh that probably isn’t pretty.” “Oh, I am not graceful enough to spin.” “Oh, I need to do this or that.” This is all inner dialog that clogs up the muscles and their movements.
Freedance also, as I believe I’ve mentioned before, in not club dancing. We are NOT just bouncing or undulating to the beat, we are moving to the music. We are moving our bodies towards as pleasurable sensation of health and well being.
Freedance is also not patterned dancing, we save the patterns for our choreographed movements. Freedance is just free. It is spinning twirling, diving and whirling. It could be hopping or dropping. It really is whatever your body does.
Freedance is not easy. It takes practice. It is not easy to just be on the floor and not think about how you are going to move and just let your body go. It is a challenge. But once you can stop thinking and talking in your head you will find yourself moving to the music. Sometimes you might even notice that you are moving in a way that you didn’t think about and it is really amazing to have that sensation. But don’t think too much, just keep moving.
I would like to invite and encourage you to make some space in your home or if you are so inclined find a space to dance outside . . . find a space turn on some music and just dance. Let yourself go. Let yourself be free. Allow the time, space, frame of mind and spirit to freedance. Remember, anything goes!
Wahoo! I have to add that in the middle of typing this up I secured another class to sub for the City of San Jose. So exciting to be able to share Nia through the city! Yay!
Posted in FreeDance, Nia | Tagged: Authentic Movement, City of San Jose, dance exercise, dance practice, freedance, Green Belt, Group Ex, life practice, Nia choreography, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia Practice, Nia San Jose, Nia student, Nia Teacher, Nia White Belt, Nia's White Belt Principles, San Jose Nia, stage dance, substitute teacher for the City of San Jose, Yoga, Yoga Practice | 2 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 3, 2012
I often get e-mails and phone calls from people who say they have injured themselves and they ask if they can do Nia. Well, I am not a doctor and I don’t know the extent of their injuries, but I explain to them one of the core philosophies (if you will) of Nia. You do what YOUR body can do. EveryBODY is different. EveryBODY has something going on in their body and something going on in their life. EveryBODY will be different every day. So we encourage everyBODY to do what they can. Of course, depending upon the injury, people should check with their physician and be cleared for aerobic activity and movement and when they get to class how much they do is up to them.
It is important to remember that each individual is responsible for his/her own body. When someone has had a recent injury it is very important to remember to be their own Conscious Personal Trainer (CPT). It is up to you to move in a way that is healthful. You are the one that knows the extent of the injury and you are the one that has worked with a medical professional to be healed. So here is where you really get to be aware of your body and do only what it can do.
I’ve also posted before about the levels of intensity. In Nia we say that there are three levels of intensity and Nia teachers demonstrate three levels, but really there are many, many, many levels due to the fact that everyBODY is different. My level one (which is deemed the lowest level of intensity) might be someone else’s level two. My level three could be someone else’s level two AND in addition to that, it could change the very next day! EveryBODY has different levels of intensity. I might take BIG steps to the side, whereas the person right behind me might take little steps, and the person next to her medium steps, and the person behind him HUGE steps. We all move in our own way. It is up to each individual participant to do what works for them at that time. If there is an injury involved maybe the level that used to be intensity level one, has now changed to level three intensity. It could take some time for the body to adjust and heal and get back to its original levels of intensity.
Nia believes you do what your body can and by doing what you can you will feel good. And when you feel good you will realize that you can do a lot. So the next time you do it you might do more, then the next time more, then the next time—might be a rough day, you might do less—and Nia rejoices in that. It is important to do what you can at the moment you are doing it.
I always encourage Nia participants in my classes to play with different levels. I also encourage them to try new things, to not always do the same move they are comfortable with. This could be something that one is required to do if they have injured a body part. Any injury sometimes can be a chance to grow in other areas. It doesn’t have to be a stopping point. So I encourage people to keep moving – if they can – so, yes, people can do Nia if they have been injured. As long as they have been cleared to do so by a doctor. If they are fit to move Nia can easily be adapted to help them move in their new state and get them back to dancing with joy.
Posted in Nia | Tagged: Aerobic Activity, Conscious Personal Trainer, CPT, injuries, levels of intensity, Nia, Nia class, Nia participants, Nia students | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 28, 2012
I am not a marketing expert or guru or anything, I am just a Nia teacher trying to get the word out about Nia to as many people as possible. As I go I realize that my past experiences have helped me learn a lot. Plus I learn a lot as I go. I have a lot of people who encourage me, and help me learn even more. Here are a few things that I have learned that maybe you don’t know. Or maybe you forgot, or maybe, like me, you need encouragement to do/use.
1–When posting a flyer or a poster make certain there is contact information on it. Make certain the information stands out – whether it be a phone number, an e-mail address, or some other way to communicate.
Recently I received a call from someone wanting to take a different class (not Nia), but she claimed there was no phone number for the instructor she wanted to take a class from. I took her name and number, looked up the instructor on the internet, called the instructor and gave her the prospective student’s name and number. When I was able to look at the poster myself I saw the phone number on it, but it was somewhat camouflaged. It blended in with the other text on the flyer. Make your contact information stand out. Make it bold, make it a different color, make it a different font, make it larger than the rest, or circle it. Something that makes it the first thing people see. Flash a sample at a friend and see if the contact info is the first thing they see.
2–Send e-mail.
I am hesitant to send out e-mails because I don’t like to “bother” people. I don’t like to clog their in box with a lot of stuff. I know we all get a lot of e-mails and I don’t want mine to be the one you don’t read because there is an e-mail from me all the time. I try to keep my e-mail down to “need-to-know” stuff. I work to only e-mail once a month. With this past e-mail I sent out a handful of my students thanked me for the updates. That made me feel better. People appreciate being updated.
3–Use the subject line (when e-mailing) to get the info across.
When a fellow Nia teacher told me she sends e-mails reminding people to come to class, I shared I didn’t like sending out too many e-mails. She gave me a great tip. She said to put the information in the subject line. If it is just a quick reminder of one thing then the subject line can hold all the info and the recipient doesn’t even have to open the e-mail. “See you at class tomorrow.” I thought that was brilliant. I have employed that method and I love it. Otherwise, I use my subject line to announce all the items contained in the e-mail. As an example my last e-mail subject line was: “Monday Evenings are cancelled / Subbing classes for City of San Jose / Fourth of July” I bet you can guess without even having received the e-mail what it was about. Big important news – class is cancelled. Then exciting news – I’m subbing classes. Then a note about Fourth of July. This gives the recipient a chance to decide if they need to open it right away. I know that sometimes I don’t have time to read all my e-mail in one sitting so I prioritize. I usually have a few I have to come back and read.
4–Remind people.
In the e-mail I mentioned above, I did take the time to remind people of my regular class schedule, since I was sending out an e-mail anyway. People get busy, people forget, people need to be reminded of what is happening. I can keep track of MY schedule, I can have that in my head, but I can’t have other people’s too. So when they remind me of what classes they have and when I appreciate it. The same goes with blogs. I have a few blogs I read consistently, but sometimes the ones I want to read don’t have consistent postings so I need to be reminded that they are there. This is another thing I need to work on because, again, I don’t want to “bother” people, but when I DO post a link to my blog on FB people read it and they thank me for reminding them. It’s ok to remind people. If it truly bother’s them they will let you know.
5–Send Thank you Notes.
One Nia teacher I know would send out a thank you e-mail every once in a while after class. Made me happy. I was thankful to be able to attend her class, but she would send an e-mail thanking us all for attending. Since it made me so happy, I figured it made others happy too. Of course, you can also send an actual note via the US Post Office. So many of us seldom get actual mail a thank you note would be a nice surprise. I appreciate that my students take the time to come dance with me every week, sometimes twice a week. So sending a note letting them know is important to me. I didn’t even think of this as a marketing tool until I was writing this. People liked to be thanked. Clients deserved to be thanked.
So this is just a short list. It is not trail blazing information, you probably already know these things. It is just a reminder or maybe a little encouragement. I have learned that I write and post things as much for me as for you. I will probably stumble across this in the future and say, “Yeah, that’s right, sending an e-mail is not as bothersome as you think.”
So what do you think? Even if you are not a business owner you are probably a customer on the receiving end of some of these things. What do you think? Do you have ideas you can share?
Posted in Helpful Hints, Misc | Tagged: business owner, client, marketing expert, marketing guru, marketing tool, Nia class, Nia experience, Nia schedule, Nia Teacher | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 21, 2012
As a Nia teacher, my schedule changes a bit sometimes. I had recently added an evening Nia Class to my Nia Class Schedule that just wasn’t getting the attendance I needed in order to keep it going. So sadly there is no longer Nia in Campbell on Monday evenings. The end came rather quickly so the announcement time was short, but sometimes it is better to just rip the bandage off and move on. The opportunity given to cancel the class was wonderfully kind so I took it. You know how I have to cook on Sunday to be ready for Monday. Well, that Sunday’s cooking plan got de-railed because of a party so at the party in my head I was planning on spending my Monday afternoon cooking, but in the wee hours on Monday morning the opportunity arrived to cancel the class. So I actually was able to cook Monday’s dinner on Monday evening. Thankfully there were leftovers, because I was asked to sub for a class on Tuesday. I was still working through my vegetables that I had received. I had received two zucchini. Since I have been out of cucumber I have been putting the zucchini in our salads. I like raw zucchini in salads, but I like it sliced REALLY thin. I had used a half of zucchini for salads. I don’t often buy zucchini because the only way I know how to cook it is to roast it or cook it in a pan where you lay the rounds out in the pan. Then you have to flip each little round to make certain they get brown and yummy on each side. That is a bit too time-consuming for me sometimes. That is how I usually cook it, because I forget about grating it. When I remember I am so happy. Grated zucchini is GREAT!
I don’t remember where I first learned about grating it. But I know the first thing I did with it was mix it with pasta. I am not a big tomato fan. I have never liked tomato based pasta sauces. When I cook pasta it is usually dressed with a little butter and cheese or olive oil and garlic, but not tomato sauce. So one time I grated some zucchini then sautéed it. I tossed it with the cooked pasta and VOILA my husband actually liked it. He is not a big pasta fan so to have him like it was great. As I said I don’t remember when I learned about grating zucchini but it was a long time ago. And I haven’t done it that often since.
Recently I was visiting my mom and she puts slices of zucchini in her salad. So I came home and bought some to put in our salads, which I did, but then I remembered about grating it and I added it to rice. Again, I was reminded of how good that is.
As I was wondering what to cook for dinner Monday night, I was thinking I would use my baby bok choy with the ground turkey I had taken out to defrost on Sunday. But when I took the lone bunch out of the fridge it just seem too lonely to mix with all that turkey. So I decided to use the zucchinis that I had left. As usual, as I was cooking I thought I should take a picture because I will probably post about it, but then I thought, “No, I won’t post about it.” But here I am posting about it because I think that grated zucchini is GREAT (Ok, I like saying that!) and I want to share. I don’t know many people who grate zucchini and add it to things.
So while I was not really that impressed with the entrée overall, I did love the turkey and zucchini. I grilled some corn tortillas and lined a 9X13 baking dish with them. My plan was to cook the turkey and zucchini with my “normal” mix of onions and garlic. I had forgotten until after that I had originally planned to add a bit of Nutritional Yeast for an extra “cheesy” flavor. Half way through cooking I decided to see if we had and taco seasoning. I decided NOT to look at the ingredients on that package and I dumped it in the meat. Then I added the zucchini. Then I thought, “Well this is going to be weird.” Well, I might have ended up being weird, but I liked it. I put the meat on top of the tortillas then put some cheese on top. Part way through I remembered the green onions and the Nutritional Yeast so I threw them on top.
I use my blog as a bit of a recipe book and to remind me of things. With this post about how much I enjoy grated zucchini I am sure that I will remember to use it more often. I might not mix it with taco flavoring but I do love it with pasta and rice. Since it is is so good I am going to experiment with it an other things.
Do you ever grate zucchini? How do you cook it? What do you add it to?
Posted in Food, Vegetables | Tagged: grated vegetables, ground turkey, Nia, Nia Campbell, Nia class, Nia Class Schedule, Nia Teacher, roasted vegetables, sauteed vegetables, taco flavor, taco seasoning, tomato sauce, zucchini | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 12, 2012
I mentioned in my Stuff Happens In Life As Do Moments that I had to rearrange my Nia class schedule because of “stuff”. The stuff that was happening required me to be visiting someone in a hospital. There was surgery involved in the situation and the situation required a “nutrition plan”. As with all surgeries and most medical situations the patient should be eating healthy food. The word HEAL is even in the word HEALthy. One of the “food stuffs” the patient was given to consume was “Health Shake”. I was curious as to what kind of health could be delivered in a carton. Well, after reading the ingredients it was confirmed that there is none – at least not in this carton.
The first ingredient is skim milk. At this point, I will not comment on that. Skim milk and dairy in general will probably be a topic of separate post, but for now, I am sticking to this “Health Shake”. The next ingredient is actually a good one: water.
The next five ingredients and/or additives were what caused me to have a conniption fit in the hospital room. I could not and cannot believe this carton of disgusting stuff is fed to people who are ill and need to receive nutrients to heal their bodies.
This to me is a huge glaring prime example of why so many people are sick in America. If this is what is consindered healthy and nutritious we are truly doomed.
CORN SYRUP, CORN OIL (WITH BHA/BHT), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SOY PROTEIN ISOLSATE!!!!
There isn’t actually any nutritious food in this carton. I didn’t even look at the “nutritional value” because to me there is none. NOT ONE IOTA! Genetically engineered sugar, with genetically engineered oil — that contain preservatives that most counties have banned, with more genetically engineered and further chemically altered sugar, with some genetically engineered protein.
The ice cream they served later was much healthier than this “Health Shake”. I really am completely disgusted with this item. I am disgusted that they are feeding it to a person who needs nutrients. I am even more disgusted that it is called a “Health Shake”. If they called it a chemical shake or liquid crap, I don’t think I would be so upset.
I was even more upset when later on I saw a straw in the carton — meaning the patient actually drank it. Now, let me remind you that I am not a perfect eater. I eat processed foods. I work to avoid food with high fructose corn syrup and corn syrup in them, but I do eat processed foods. But to say that these ingredients are healthy is shameful. To feed a body that needs healing a carton of chemicals is sad.
I just saw this statement:
“The U.S. does not have a healthcare system. Rather, it is a ‘Sickness System’ where the system thrives on people being sick. Far more profit is generated by sickness than health.”
And with this “Health Shake” being given to people in the hospital I am thinking it could actually be evidence that the statement is true.
Many of us have different ideas of what we think is healthy, but I am guessing that most people could look at this list of ingredients and agree that this is nothing but a cacophony of chemicals that really have no nutritional value.
Would you choose to drink this? If you were in a hospital and given this to drink would you think to read the ingredients? What do you think about this?
Posted in Food | Tagged: BHA, BHT, chemically altered, corn oil, corn syrup, genetically, heal, health, health industry, health professionals, Health Shake, healthcare system, healthy food, HFCS, High Fructose Corn Syrup, hospital, hospital food, hospital visits, Nia, Nia class, Nia Class Schedule, nutrition, nutrition plan, preservatives, processed foods, skim milk, soy protein, surgery | 4 Comments »
Terre Pruitt's Blog 