Posts Tagged ‘Nia’
Posted by terrepruitt on June 25, 2011
Let’s see what today brings. I know it will bring my Ten Minutes Workout, Nia, and the rest is a mystery. That is more funny than you know.
Well, I’ll be here.
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June 25, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Ok. DONE! I must have done it really fast because I was able to get part way through the fourth exercise on a third round. I obviously rushed through my lunges. But I remember doing the first set slow and concentrating on my right foot. So it must have been by the second round that I was already thinking about all that I have to do.
I procrastinate so when thing come up that I didn’t plan on it makes be rush other things. But I did it. I mean it is only ten minutes. What takes me longer is posting a comment to check in. 
I am also getting ready to post the details on the last exercise in the Ten Minute Workout. Then I will finish out the month with more about the ten minute workout, but not sure exactly what.
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: Nia, ten minute workout | 1 Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 24, 2011
Friday the weekend is almost here, so close. Get in your workout, talk about it here. 🙂 I have a Nia class this morning and a million things to do this afternoon. I’ll let you know when I do my Ten Minute Workout. It’s fast and easy because it is only ten minutes. If you have time you can always make it longer by repeating any or all of the ten exercises or adding additional exercises.
It is great as a starter workout or an additional workout.
Got ten minutes?
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June 24, 2011 at 5:34 pm
So late! I got up this morning to do my ten minutes because I knew that I would be busy this afternoon, but when I step out of bed, my foot went, “HELLLLLLOOOOOO THERE!” So I debated. And I decided that I need to soak it in ice water for the ten minutes instead.
Then, things came up, as they often do. That is why I like to do workouts in the morning because things always come up in the afternoon. But I did it. And I think I am going to have to make some adjustments to it. I don’t want to do it faster, but add some weights or something . . . we will see.
How about you? Gotta stay in the habit. 
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: exercises in ten minutes, Nia, Nia class, Nia exercise, Nia workout, ten minute workout | 1 Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 22, 2011
I love my 9:00 am Nia class. I love starting my days with movement. It just helps the day go better, right? Do you start your day with movement? Do you have time for a long workout? If not have you thought of trying to get ten minutes in?
Here is one you can do. Ten Minute Workout.
I’ll be back after class to check in. It is going to be hot again today in the Bay Area so I’ll be right home to do ten exercises.
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June 22, 2011 at 12:41 pm
So I didn’t get home as early as I wanted because I decided to go to the store. You might now how it is when you go to “pick up a few things” and end up with a cart full of groceries. I got home later than I wanted, but that really encouraged me to get my 10 minutes in because I didn’t want to be doing it while it was so hot. So I got home and got it done. But then I got on my computer . . . . . and almost an hour later I am posting, “I’m done!”
How are you?
I’m gonna go get more done. Happy Wednesday!
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: 9 am workout class, exercise in ten minutes, Nia, Nia class, Nia exercises, Nia in the Bay Area, Nia Movement, Nia workout, ten minute workout | 1 Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 21, 2011
Would you believe me if I told we do push ups in Nia? Ha! We do a lot of exercises in Nia, but we do them to music. We are dancing and flowing from one move to the next. We allow for the individual to do them their own way. People might not even realize they are doing a push up, just like the sit ups they are disguised. It is not a disguise of deception, not at all. It is that we are in the moment and it is truly a dance so one just doesn’t realize it is a push up. Sometimes it is a military push up, but sometimes not. Sometimes it is from the knees, or sitting down or even standing and using a wall. But there is pushing involved and the upper body is utilized.
For this Ten Minute Workout we are using the BOSU. The round side is on the ground. So we are using the flat side to hold onto. Push ups have never been my favorite exercise to do because I have never been really good at the military ones. But I could do them, but now I am sticking to the on-the-knees version to stay off my toe. You do with your legs what is comfortable. Even though my execution of a push up can be improved upon I love the push up because it is a multi muscle working exercise.
In this workout we have just gone from sit up (on the ground), to overhead triceps extensions (on our knees), and now we are doing the push ups. I think having done the triceps extensions on the ground is one way to help you make it through the 10 exercises in the 10 minutes.
With the round side of the BOSU on the ground, I grip the edges of it. Mine has “handles” and I use them. I stay on my knees and use my arms to push me up and allow me to come down. Even on your knees there are different ways to do it. You can keep your legs down, using your shins and the top of your feet for additional stability or your can lift your shins and feet off the ground. Remember no matter how you choose to do the exercise you are not stuck doing it that way for the entire 10 or the second pass through. So experiment. Listen to your body and decide what works best for you at that moment. Remember your goals and adjust your movements to help you to achieve them.
Only go as low to the BOSU as you can and still be able to push back up. Using the BOSU requires you to use equal strength in each arm because you have to work to keep the BOSU level.
One of the key things to do to get the most out of a push up is to keep the body straight and move the entire body down and entire body up. Even if you just go down a little, the straight body is working arms and core. If you just let your upper body down and push it up you are missing out on the exciting portion of a push up. It works soooo many more muscles if you engage your torso and have it move with your arms.
You see what I am saying? (As I am typing this I imagined you getting on the floor and trying it. I am sure you sense the difference. Even if you don’t go down that far.)
As I share with my students in Nia class all the time, there are technical ways to do an exercise or a movement, but not everyone can do it that way — the body’s way. It could be a matter of needing to learn it or work up to that or it could be that our body is not physically able to do it. Whatever the reason, I believe it is important to know how to do it properly and then be aware of how we are doing it. Then we can listen to our body. When we try to do it the technical way our body might say, “Oh yeah, that is just not going to happen.” Then we can adjust. We can learn, is it not going to happen because it is painful or is it because I need to work a little bit to get to that level? Then we can make a decision and a conscious choice.
Know how to do a push up, then decide how you are going to do it. Don’t just let the pattern of your movement dictate how you execute an exercise, decide for yourself make a choice then do it. As I said before, it could be that you do five with your whole torso then need to give your arms a break . . . . but that doesn’t mean you have to stop, just do the push up with your arms and not bring the whole body down and up. Or you do three on your toes then decide that you really want to have a straight back so you switch to your knees. Then on your next set you do all knees. Whatever you decide, make sure it is something you are aware of and then do your push ups your way.
What do you have to add? Share? Comment? Question?
Posted in Ten Minute Workout (Posts) | Tagged: 10 minute exercise, 10 minute workout, arms, body's way, BOSU, BOSU with handles, exercise, exercise flow, knee push up, military push up, Nia, Nia class, Nia Dance, Nia flow, Nia Music, Nia push up, Nia students, push up, push up on knees, pushup, Sit-up, strong core, strong torso, ten exercises in 10 minutes, ten minute workout, ten reps, ten/ten/ten, toe push up, tricep, triceps, triceps extension, twenty exercises in ten minutes, workout for 10 minutes | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 20, 2011
Oh my! I was just about to go to bed. Yes, up late as usual. I got caught up watching Calendar Girls. I had never seen it even though it is from 2003. So cute. I realized I didn’t post a placeholder and there is no way I can turn on my computer at this hour. I would never get to bed! So I am using my iPad which does not have all the needed functionality as a computer. Not all websites – and WordPress is one of them – behave noemally on the iPad. But this is just a place holder for you that want to check in.
I will be back to let you know I did my Ten Minute Workout. I will have to wait until I get back from my Nia Class to hear how you are doing with those ten exercises. Can’t wait to hear.
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June 20, 2011 at 11:40 am
Ha! Ok, I came right home after my San Jose Nia class. And I only sat for about five minutes then I came upstairs and did my ten minute workout. I wanted to get it done before it got too hot. It is supposed to be really hot in the San Francisco Bay Area today. I am not a fan of the heat so I know that if I wanted until it was hot I wouldn’t want to do it. So I got it done, about an hour ago. But I was replying to my friend’s comment. As you can see my reply is very long . . . . it took me awhile.
Here I am, I am done and I am checking in.
So . . . . . . where are you? How are things going for you? How is your weather?
Thank you for being here and reading. Please comment. Tell me . . . . something . . . .anything . . . .
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: 2003 calendar girls, iPad, ipad less functional, Nia, Nia class, Nia in San Francisco Bay Area, Nia San Jose, Nia SF, San Jose Nia, SFBayNia, ten exercises, ten minute workout, wordpress | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 16, 2011
As with most exercises there are many modifications that can be made to a sit-up. But for now, in this Ten Minute Workout this is a basic sit-up. Probably would be called more of a crunch than a sit up, but YOU can put the amount of movement in it that you want.
Lie on the floor on your back. Knees up, feet on the floor, slight tilt of the pelvis toward your chest. Keeping an imaginary apple or orange under your chin lift your head and shoulders off the ground towards your knees. The purpose of the imaginary fruit is to keep you from collapsing your chin to your chest, especially if you are using the hands-supporting-head/neck method. With that form sometimes there is a tendency to actually push the head to the chest. But the idea is to keep space between the chin and chest and just lift your head, shoulders, and upper chest upwards and towards your knees. Squeeze your abdominal muscles on the lift and at the top. Pause for a second. Allow the movement to be smooth and fluid. If you find yourself jerking up or using momentum to do the movement, try LESS movement or fewer reps. (Yes, yes, the idea is ten of ten in ten, but it is ok to learn a move. It’s a journey we are on.)
This is one of the exercises that most of us are familiar with. This is an exercise most of us have done in our life. So this is one that is easy to play with and modify. So many ways to do it.
People might not realize or even notice but we do sit ups and or abdominal work often in Nia. But the way we do them is as a dance so I think people don’t realize what we are doing is even an abdominal exercise until the next day when they have that nice feeling of a muscle that had some attention paid to it. Nia makes it more like play than work.
Ok . . . . comment away . . . . . . 😉
Posted in Ten Minute Workout (Posts) | Tagged: abdominal exercises, abdominal squeezes, basic sit up, Nia, Nia Dance, Nia exercises, Nia workout, sit ups, Sit-up, ten minute workout | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 15, 2011
Ok, so it is Wednesday and as you might notice, it is 1:00 am and I am not in bed yet. This means I have a few more things to do before I get to bed, which means I will not be up at 6:00 am doing my Ten Minute Workout, drinking my coffee, reviewing my Nia Routine, deciding on a Nia focus, and popping out the door in time to be at the studio 15 minutes early for my Nia class. In fact, around here, when the weather is nice traffic is worse, at least lately because our weather in the San Francisco Bay Area has been so wet and rainy, I think when it is sunny people think they have to be out. If it stays like this, then people will settle down and it won’t be so bad . . . . I hope, but on Wednesday, it is ALWAYS worse than Mondays and Fridays. Go figure. (I have my theories.) On Wednesdays I have to leave a few minutes before I do on Mondays.
Since I am not a morning person that means, I will do my Ten Ten in Ten after my class. But YOU can do it anytime. And the beauty of it is . . . . you can share . . . .
So . . . . tell me . . . . how is it going? What are you doing with it? What questions do you have? One of my readers I am lucky enough to actually see in person so I was able to answer some of her questions, what about you? What do you want to know about this workout?
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June 15, 2011 at 3:21 pm
Ok, after 3:00, but I did it. This workout is really meant to be something that easily fits in your day. If completing it is a challenge then it seems like ten minutes is a good start to a workout. If it is not challenging and you want more than you can add reps, sets, or weight. Or it could be that you are adding it to something else you are doing.
It really is something that can work for anyone if they want. If the way it is presented is not “working” for you but you want to do it, let me know. You can always send me an e-mail if you don’t want to comment.
Cheers!
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: Bay Area Nia, dance studio, exercise studio, exercises, Nia, Nia class, Nia focus, Nia routine, Nia San Francisco Bay Area, reps, San Francisco Bay Area, San Francisco Bay Area Nia, San Francisco Bay Area Nia Classes, sets, SFBay Nia, ten exercises, ten minute workout, workout | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 14, 2011
I am actually going to get to bed earlier tonight than I have been getting to bed. The plan is to get up a little earlier and do my Ten Minute Workout. I want to actually have it done before noon. Since I don’t have a Nia class on Tuesday I can get my ten (or twenty) ten in ten done in the morning. Not necessarily early morning just morning as in before noon. What about you?
Also, how are you doing with the ten? Are you getting through ten repetitions of all ten exercises?
Well, I shall return to actually check-in with my “I’m done!”
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June 14, 2011 at 9:46 am
Okey-dokey. I did my Ten Minute Workout. I am averaging at least twice through, but, as I’ve said before I am convinced it is because my lunges aren’t that long, BUT . . . . . they ARE lunges. Yay! I am getting on the ball of my right foot (while my left leg is forward) AND pushing off on it when the right leg is forward. I am working on distributing the weight through the entire width of my foot (ball of foot) and all five toes, because I sense that I am still putting the majority of the weight on the actually “ball” of my foot (metatarsal head).
So are you ready to give the ten a try? Remember we all have different goals so do what YOU can, not what I am saying I am doing. Let me know how it is going for you.
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: Ball of foot, long luges, lunges, metatarsal head, Nia, Nia class, Nia exercises, Nia workout, ten exercises, ten minute workout, ten reps of ten exercises in ten minutes, your body's way | 5 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 13, 2011
Helloooooooooo. I have my Monday morning San Jose Nia Class today at 9:00 am. I am not a morning person, maybe you have figured that out from my posts. By “morning person” I mean I don’t go bed by 10:00 pm and automatically wake up a 6:00 am or 7:00 am. I CAN get up in the morning and I DO get up in the morning when I have a Nia class to teach. I like to be up in enough time so that I can drink some coffee and review my routine. I like to leave in time for me to get there fifteen minutes early. So even though my Ten Minute Workout is only ten minutes I do not get up early enough to do it and all the other things I have to do. I also don’t get up early enough to even turn on my computer. I am posting this after midnight before I go to bed. I have made it a rule that I cannot turn on my computer in the morning on Mondays and Wednesdays because then I get caught up in doing work on it and I don’t get all that I have to get done before I have to leave to teach my 9 am Nia class.
On Fridays, my Los Gatos Nia class is late enough that I could get up and do my Ten Ten in Ten before, but at this point, by Friday my foot/toe is reminding me that it is still not 100% and so I “save” up my toe/foot for my class. I want to give my Nia students 100% so I don’t do my workout before. When my toe IS at 100% I will definitely do some exercising before my class because on Fridays I tend to get home in the afternoon and I have other things to do. I end up not getting to the workout until way late.
Ha . . . all of this is really just a placeholder to allow you to check in and to tell you . . . . . . I WILL BE BACK!
Well, how is it going for you this Monday morning?
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June 13, 2011 at 3:35 pm
I did my ten minutes. I did it about an hour ago.
Any one else do their’s too?
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: early morning workout, Los Gatos Nia, morning workout, Nia, Nia class, Nia Los Gatos, Nia San Jose, Nia workout, San Jose Nia, teach Nia, ten minute workout, workout | 3 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 12, 2011
My Ten Minute Workout is done. I do believe that ten minutes is not that long and it can be done, but one does have to manage their time properly and I did not do that yesterday. I had plenty of time in which to do it, but I kept getting delayed. Also, I was sensing my hamstrings wanting a rest. I didn’t really think they NEEDED a rest, they are not injured or really sore, but I am aware of them when I get up. The Nia routine I did most of last week has a lot of bows in it. The name of the Nia routine is Passion and when the music is in fully swing it allows the passion of dance to be experienced and I have been taking my bows low. I am experiencing some soreness in my hamstrings.
But the main reason for me not doing my Ten Ten in Ten is my poor time management. Unless I am in a lot of pain and think that further movement will damage my muscle for me the best course of action is to work through it, even if I tone the volume of movement down. This workout MIGHT cause DOMS to be experienced and that is when you have to decide what it best for you.
How are you doing today?
Posted in Ten Minute Workout check-in | Tagged: Bow Stance, Dance Workout, Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness, DOMS, muscle pain, Muscle Soreness, Nia, Nia Dance, Nia Music, Nia routine, Nia Teacher, Nia workout, Passion, passion dance, passion of dance, poor time management, sore hamstrings, swing dance, ten minute workout | 4 Comments »
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