Dance Class Update: I Think I’m Getting It!

OK so in my last dance class update I wrote that I felt a glimmer of hope that my attempt at modern ballet is not a total disaster. Well I am happy to say that I think I am definitely getting better! My flexibility has increased a LOT over the past couple of weeks, as have my balance and muscle tone.

Musicality

"You need to work on your musicality."

I also think my musicality has improved. Now, I have to admit that whenever Carrie Ann Inaba on Dancing with the Stars stated that a contestant “lacked musicality” after a performance, I never really knew what that meant. I only knew that whatever it was, I didn’t have it either. I even looked up the actual meaning of the word. According to Merriam Webster, musicality is defined as:


1: sensitivity to, knowledge of, or talent for music
2: the quality or state of being musical : melodiousness


Well, I’ve always considered myself a musical person (with lots of melodiousness), have always been sensitive to, knowledgeable about, and have been considered to be talented by many in terms of music. But I always had a hard time expressing that through movement. 

Even when I used to do musical theater, I never considered myself a “triple threat” since I didn’t feel all that confident with the choreography which usually led me to bump into someone or step on someone’s foot. Anyone who has ever been with me on stage in a musical can confirm that. I guess I had no musicality because even though I was hearing the music and could sing the music, I couldn’t feel the music in a way that allowed me to interpret it with movement. Does that make sense?


Anyway I’ve now been in this class for almost 2 months. I am much more familiar with the warm-ups and many of the movements have come back to me. I feel less concerned with re-learning the movements and I think that allowed me to focus more on the actual music that was playing, because I happened to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and I looked much more graceful! My toes seemed to point more, my hands looked prettier, my arms were less floppy looking…dare I say that I almost looked like a dancer? I think I actually might have a smidgen of musicality now!


Now I know I am not there yet, not by a long shot. But I am definitely enjoying it more and am feeling less self-conscious and awkward. I’d even say that I am past the baby giraffe stage and am on to another creature of the savannah. Not a leaping gazelle yet, but maybe some kind of cat. A serval, perhaps? I don’t know.

Oh, and by the way…

Anyone who thinks that dancers aren’t athletes or that dancing isn’t hard work is sorely mistaken. Check out the bruises on my knees from the part of the routine that is on the floor:

Oddly, I have more bruises now than I did in the beginning…I think that is because I am actually starting to do things correctly and without fear if that makes any sense. I had bruises from my last class and actually felt them as I was getting them. This time, I was so focused on the music and my dancing that I didn’t even realize until this morning that I had bruises again. Could it be that extra adrenaline comes with newfound musicality?


Anyway, remember I said last time that I thought I might regret not doing the recital in June as we get closer to it? I already regret it. I think I could have done it. Oh well. I’m not big on regret so I’m just going to focus on learning the rest of the routine and dancing it as well in class as I would have on stage in the recital. Then, next year I will rock it out on stage. With bells on. Or sparkles.

*Image 1 from Reality TV Magazine, image 2 from Catsg.org.

You Don’t Need a Fancy Blender to Make Great Smoothies

So you all know how I love my green smoothie for breakfast every day. Those are not the only smoothies I make though. I make fresh fruit and veggie smoothies for my kids and I also puree fruits alone or blend in some kefir and freeze them into ice pops for a nice refreshing treat. I’ve even used my blender to whip up some of my apothecary skincare concoctions. Out of my many small kitchen appliances, I would have to say I use the blender the most.

RIP Old Faithful

I have made jokes about my trusty old 1970s era Osterizer Galaxie bar blender AKA “Old Faithful” in past posts. It has served me well. But, alas, Old Faithful’s last day came last week. I was blending up a green smoothie and all of a sudden it started slowing down. It’s normal humming sound started to sound more like moaning in pain. I knew that was it. I blended away for about 2 hours, trying to get one last jar out of Old Faithful, and then that was it. I thought I had several good jars to last me about a week so I had time to figure out a replacement, but once I tried the smoothies I realized that that was not the case. My formerly smooth smoothies were lumpy and clumpy. I consider myself a trooper and I love my smoothies, but I have to admit I had a really hard time choking these down every morning for that week. So I had to find a new blender and fast.

I prefer a smoothie...not a chunky.

Of course I wanted a Vitamix or Blendtec.

Everywhere I turn hear or read about someone’s newfound love affair with either their Vitamix or Blendtec uber blenders. They make smoothies, nut butters, grind whole grains into fine flour, turn water into wine, etc. I mean, who wouldn’t want one of those? As much as I am aware of all of the features and benefits of these two fine and fabulous machines (and I recommend them in my a-store for those of you who can afford them), I just could not find a new or refurbished one that I could afford now without having to make several monthly payments.


So I began looking into less expensive blenders that would serve my current needs. I don’t really make nut butters or flour, but need something that can blend leafy greens, their stems, and different textures of fruits and vegetables to a smooth, drinkable texture. I don’t need it to be totally liquefied like a juice…just smooth without clumps. I figured that any new blender that is on the market today would be an improvement over Old Faithful, so I thought of some other criteria besides blending speeds. I needed the pitcher to be larger than 5 cups, and I prefer a glass pitcher over plastic because I avoid BPA and phthalates. I consulted with some of my holistic nutrition buddies and got some recommendations for KitchenAid, Oster (I guess they got too cool for “Osterizer”), Ninja, and Waring.

And the winner is…

I looked at the reviews on Amazon, and they all seemed to have overall pretty good consumer reviews. I decided to go with the Oster, because I found one that the reviews stated that it made great smoothies, had a 6-cup glass pitcher, and because my old one was an Oster(izer) and I figured it would be reliable and user-friendly (even though the Ninja looked kind of bada$$ and the Waring came in pretty colors). It was a very reasonable price, and I even got it cheaper with my bonus points and a gift card. Thanks to Amazon Prime (which I highly recommend if you shop on Amazon a lot), I had it in two days. 

Of course I had to try it out right away, so I whipped up a green smoothie with the ingredients I had on hand and voila! I got a lovely, smooth, milkshake-like consistency. It also got the job done in no time at all, where even in Old Faithful’s best days, making my smoothies took up a good chunk of my afternoon.

Ooh...pretty. And yummy.

Are the more expensive blenders better than what I got? I’m sure of it. And I’m sure I could have found lots of great new healthy things to make using one of them. But for now, my new trusty Oster will be just fine. After all…my birthday is coming up in a couple of months...not to mention Flag Day, Arbor Day…lots of opportunities for someone to give me one as a gift, right?

In today's batch:

• Raw milk kefir
• Baby romaine lettuce
• Fresh basil
• Arugula
• Celery
• Granny smith apple
• D'Anjou pear
• Kiwi
• Banana
• Maca powder
• Juice from one lemon
• Banana

SGW: Take Control of Your Health: Utilize the Resources You Already Have

I’m really pleased to present today’s special guest writer, Tonya Vrba. Tonya is a passionate writer, whose work has been published in various newspapers and blogs. She writes frequently about health, career, and dating issues. She currently writes for Online Dating Sites, and you can learn more about her and her other published works at her personal website.

Tonya and I seem to share a frustration for how healthcare (if that’s what you want to call it) is delivered today. Tonya is a big advocate for people educating themselves and taking responsibility for their own health and the care they receive. Many people want to make healthy choices, but find themselves limited by factors like cost, confusing (mis)information, and not having enough time to go through articles and studies. Tonya experienced this herself, but instead of giving up, she decided to take the smart path. She considered all the resources she had available to her and utilized them at little to no cost. How cool is that? Read her story below.

Take Control of Your Health: Utilize the Resources You Already Have

I was dismayed today when I saw on the news that the FDA is backing a new obesity pill. I feel this sends the following message: “Why worry about the cause when a pill will cure the illness?” I despise that mindset. How much money would people save if they knew how to avoid avoidable diseases?
No one in our society should have to face illness as an inevitability. 

There are so many common sense steps you can take that can help you stay healthy: 

• Avoid the substances you know are bad. 

• Check the recommended amount of salt you should have daily. 

• Look up the recommended calorie intake for someone of your weight, age and height. 

• Make health a priority in your life. Health is something you should have. It is a necessity, not a luxury. Good health is yours to enjoy. It should not be something that just happens to you.

Here is one example of how I am taking charge of my health. 

So many herbs and spices...where do I begin?

I have been curious about herbs and spices for a long time. I know there is way too much salt in most store-bought seasonings, sauces, and condiments used to flavor food, but I think it’s daunting to take on the huge world of spices. There are so many and you can use them in so many variations. How would I ever learn? I did a search on Amazon.com and found Healing Spices. It has five stars, but I was skeptical I would be able to use it well. Plus, as a college student, $15 dollars is a lot of money for me these days. 



Since I am a college student, I decided to reach out to the resources I have at my disposal. The University of Iowa is a large college, so I assumed there must be some degree which involved nutrition. A quick Google search lead me to the University of Iowa Nutrition Center College of Public Health. I decided to contact them about my seasoning conundrum. It was worth a shot, right? Here is exactly what I sent them:

My name is Tonya; I'm a student here at the University of Iowa. I have recently become concerned about how much salt I consume in the name of flavor (ketchup, barbecue sauce, etc.). I would like to learn about spices and use those instead to flavor my food. I'm looking for a good book with information and recipes with spices. I was wondering if you have any recommendations. Reviews on Amazon.com only tell so much. Thank you for your time.


It took 3 days, but I did get a response. A registered dietitian recommended three books to me with links to where I could purchase them. The Herbs and Spices Cookbook, the first recommendation, had a link where I could buy it for 99 cents instead of the full $24.95. 



The reply ended, reminding me that I should check out a few books at the library to see what appeals to my tastes.


Learning about health and how to live a healthy lifestyle can seem overwhelming. There are colleges everywhere, and I am sure most of them have at least one faculty member who would be delighted to answer your questions. There are also plenty of health blogs (like Holistically Haute™ of course :). Find one you trust and reach out to them. Choose one specific thing in your diet and/or lifestyle that you want to change, for example reducing high cholesterol or avoiding BPA. Perhaps you would love to exercise but don’t know what type is right for you. Whatever your concern, there is an answer and someone willing to help.

I love that Tonya contacted the nutrition department at her college. I love that she found less expensive buying options for her books and also was reminded about the best free resource for knowledge of all: the Internet. Just kidding about that last one…you know I meant the library ;)

Thanks for the great post Tonya!