April Five Exercises For Core Strength, Balance

April 6, 2016July 3, 2025Anne

I was in Astoria last weekend and the weather was so nice we were able to do a photo shoot on the beach! Here are your April Five. For full written descriptions of these moves click here. Could you do one minute of these exercises every day this week?

Warrior II:

Leg Pull Back:

Swan Dive:

Double Leg Kick:

Rolling Like a Ball:

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She offers these photos to remind you of the work you have done with her. Please see your medical professional prior to beginning a new exercise program.

April Five Exercises For Core Strength, Back Extension, and Standing Balance

April 2, 2016July 3, 2025Anne

The April Five

Here are photos of this month’s moves. Click here to see full descriptions of these exercises. Could you do one minute of each of these today?

1) Warrior II:

2) Leg Pull Back:

3) Swan Dive:

4) Double Leg Kick:

5) Rolling Like A Ball:

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. She offers these photos to remind you of the work you have done with her in a private training session or class. Please see your medical professional prior to beginning a new exercise program.

March Five Exercises for Strength, Balance and Mobility

March 10, 2016July 3, 2025Anne

The March Five

Have y’all been doing your Five? Click here for full descriptions of these moves.

In need of personal guidance? Join us for an ongoing class, or call to schedule a one on one session with Anne (503) 705-4762.

1) Crescent Lunge:

2) Pilates Push Up:

3) Half Moon:

4) Boat:

5) Single Leg Kick:

These photos are meant to jog your memory about the exercises we have done together. Please see your medical professional prior to starting a new exercise program.

Sports Illustrated’s “Plus Sized” Cover Model

February 16, 2016July 1, 2025Anne

Did you see this week that Sports Illustrated has featured a “plus size” model on the cover of their 2016 swimsuit issue? There are actually three cover models, my girl Rhonda Rousey, model Hailey Clauson, and “plus sized” model Ashley Graham. While I applaud S.I. for including a variety of body types, when I saw Ashley’s photo I thought “plus size, really?”.

Depending on the brand/ designer miss Graham, wearing a size 16, likely has a 36 inch waist, and 42 inch bust. To give some perspective, the average American woman stands 5’4″, weights 140 pounds, wears a size 12-14, and measures a 35 inch waist and 40 inch bust. My concern is that we continue to set unrealistic beauty standards, and comparing ourselves to these photos can actually hurt us. Research has shown that looking at images like these of “perfect women” for even a few minutes is enough to have a negative impact on a teen girl’s body image.

Also please keep in mind when you view these highly photo shopped images what you see in the magazine or on your computer screen is not real. This person does not actually exist, at least not looking like that.

Personally I would kill to have Beyonce’s butt (and dance moves), or Lindsey Vonn’s thighs. I would rather be able to squat heavy weights, go for a 4 hour hike in the Gorge, or hold a plank for two minutes than fit into the same jeans I wore in my twenties.

Hooray for S.I. for inching the bar a tiny bit forward.

What are your thoughts on how the media affects your (and your daughter’s or granddaughter’s) body image? What have you done to improve your body image or notice or change your self talk?

Let me know in the comments below…

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. She offers one on one and small group training to ease pain, lower stress and increase mobility.

Pineapple Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats Recipe

January 31, 2016July 3, 2025Anne

Looking for a quick easy breakfast you can take on the run? Try this tropical overnight oats recipe!

You can use any combination of oats, liquid (cow milk, coconut milk, water, or juice), fresh or dried fruit, and nuts – the recipe below even has a little dark chocolate! Prep breakfast the night before, warm in the microwave if you like, or just grab the jar from the fridge and go. Now you have no excuse for skipping breakfast!

Why “overnight”? You may have heard me talk about the benefits of soaking your grains. The folks at Nourished Kitchen suggest you can “enhance the nutrient profile” of your grains and make them easier to digest by soaking overnight (read all about that here). You may warm the milk slightly, add all other ingredients, cap the jar and leave it on the counter. If the thought of warm milk left out overnight makes you squeamish, pop the jar in the fridge.

The basic overnight oats recipe is as follows: 1/2 cup oats, 1 cup liquid, a small amount of the toppings of your choice like nuts, and fresh or dried fruit, plus 1 tsp spices (I like cinnamon, cardamom, clove, and nutmeg) a pinch of salt, and if you like a splash of acid like yogurt, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.

I recently played my favorite game of “what’s in the fridge/ pantry” and came up with this combination of fruit, nuts and coconut milk and it was delicious!

Here are the tropical oats before going in the fridge…

…and the next morning, ready to eat! They puff up a bit as the grains absorb the liquid.

Below is my recipe for pineapple dark chocolate coconut overnight oats. Try it and if you like it or have feedback please leave a comment below.

Pineapple Chocolate Coconut Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats
1 cup full fat coconut milk
2 tsp ground chia seeds
2 tsp ground flax seeds
2 Tbsp chopped dark chocolate
2 Tbsp chopped pecans
2 Tbsp shredded (unsweetened) coconut
1/3 cup chopped pineapple
2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Put all ingredients into a glass jar and shake well to combine. Seal with a lid and place in fridge overnight.
You may enjoy oats as is, or if they are too thick for your liking thin with a few spoonfuls of milk, yogurt, or juice. I prefer my oats warm so I heat mine for one minute in the microwave before eating.

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. She offers this recipe to tickle your taste buds. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.