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Fudgy Date Brownies

April 1, 2017July 3, 2025Anne

It has been a while since I’ve posted a sweet treat and I decided we are in need of chocolate. Here is THE BEST no bake brownie recipe!

You will need a food processor, an 8×8 pan, and spatula.

Ingredients:

2 cups walnuts
2 ½ cups (about 15 – 20) pitted dates
1/2 cup, plus 4 Tbsp. cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
2 tsp vanilla, divided
¼ cup, plus 3 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. sea salt
2 Tbsp. coconut oil, melted (plus some extra to grease the pan)
Optional toppings: 1 Tbsp. walnuts, pinch of flaked sea salt, or pinch of shredded coconut

Directions:

Combine walnuts, dates, 4 Tbsps. cocoa powder, 1 ½ tsp vanilla, 3 Tbsps. maple syrup, and salt in food processor. Blend until all ingredients are incorporated into a smooth paste. Now you have your basic dough.
Lightly grease an 8 inch baking dish. Press dough into dish until evenly distributed.
Now for the icing. In a mixing bowl combine remaining 1/2 cup cocoa, remaining ½ tsp vanilla, ¼ cup maple syrup, and oil. Stir to combine. Spread evenly over brownies.
Refrigerate for 2 hours, then cut into squares.

∗Your brownies will be delicious just like this. If you want to give them a crunchy topping sprinkle a few walnuts, shredded coconut, and flaked sea salt on top.∗

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage therapist. She offers this recipe as a “healthier” option to traditional brownies made with flour and refined sugar. Please see your medical professional for specific dietary advice.

The March Five

March 26, 2017July 3, 2025anne

My Mom, Claire is our fitness model for most of the March Five. I took these when she came to visit me here in Portland. Want to see these moves in person? Join us for an ongoing class, or call to schedule a one on one session with Anne (503) 705-4762.

1) Crescent Lunge:

Stand at the front of your mat.
Step left foot back into a lunge with left heel off the ground, shoulders and hips facing forward. Reach arms up and lift your chest.
Hold one minute then switch sides.
Leg and back strength, hip stretch, balance.

2) Pilates Push Up:

Stand at the back of your mat.
Exhale as you curl your chin towards your chest, and roll down, one vertebra at a time to hang in a forward fold (bend your knees a lot if you feel any discomfort in your back). Walk out to a plank position.
Five Push Ups, then walk your hands back, and roll back up to standing.
Strengthens chest, shoulders, back, and core. Spine mobility.

In the photo above, see how Claire has her hands wide, knees down, and her spine in a nice neutral position? This is a lovely option. You may also do “military style” with legs straight, and knees off the ground.

3) Half Moon:

Stand in the middle of your mat, or near a wall for balance.
Start in a lunge, with right leg front (Warrior II). Tilt forward and reach your right hand towards a yoga block, or the ground. Slowly lift left leg.
Work towards stacking your shoulders and hips, so that you are flat like a piece of toast.
Hold for one minute then switch sides.
Improves balance, strengthens legs and back.

4) Boat:

Sit up tall, and hold on to the backs of your legs.
Pull your belly button in, and lift both legs to tabletop.
Hold for one minute.
Core, back and leg strength. Balance, and shoulder stabilization.

5) Single Leg Kick:

Lying prone, lift belly button, guide shoulder blades down your back.
Kick right heel towards your hip, then slowly extend your leg.
Switch legs.
Quad stretch, hamstring strength, hip stabilization.

This is one of the most misunderstood Pilates moves. While it looks like she’s not doing much Mom is stabilizing her pelvis, lifting her abdominal muscles, engaging her hamstrings (with minimal glute activation) keeping her shoulders away from her ears and breathing! Go Claire!!!

Anne McCranie is a Portland (Sellwood), Oregon based Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. She suggests you shoot for one minute a day of these moves, to compliment your cardio, strength, and flexibility work. The above photos are meant to jog your memory about the work you and Anne have done together. Please see your medical professional before beginning a new exercise program.

BOSU: A Low-Tech, Cost-Effective Workout Tool

March 25, 2017July 3, 2025Anne

I often use BOSU balance trainers in personal training sessions, as well as Pilates and yoga classes. This is an excellent low-tech, and cost-effective workout tool.

What is it?

A dome shaped fitness training device with a round side and a flat side, resembling half of a stability ball.

What exercises can I do on a BOSU?

An infinite number but here are my favorites:

Squats
Lunges
Push ups
Bicep curls
Standing yoga poses like Tree and Dancer
Pilates core exercises like Boat, and Half Roll Back
Plyometric (jumping) exercises like Side Squats and Burpies

Why use a BOSU:

Improve your balance
Strengthen your feet and ankles
Strengthen your core
Add difficulty to your strength exercises
Increase your movement options

This is a great addition to your home gym. Easily move it from room to room, even your kids can play on it! I often order these in bulk, or at a discount. If you are interested contact me and if I don’t have the color you like here I will put in an order for you.

My name is Cathy Murray and I have been taking Pilates classes from Anne at Fluid Movement for over two years. I have never enjoyed group exercise, but after hearing my good friend talk about how much she enjoyed the class, I decided to give it a try. I was immediately hooked on her classes. Even though the class was on a Wednesday night and I arrived exhausted from a full day of work and running around, I left feeling relaxed, rejuvenated and re-energized! I have that same feeling after every class. Before long, once a week wasn’t enough and I added the Saturday morning class to my schedule as well.

Anne’s compassion and knowledge make each class a joy to attend. She has an amazing array of exercises, focusing on release, mobility, strength and fitness. Every month has a new focus, so time at class never feels tedious. Of course, that would never happen anyway, because Anne creates an exercise community that feels like friends hanging out. I would go twice a week just because I have so much fun, but the classes also provide outstanding physical benefits for my 50+ year old body. I had total hip replacement this winter and since I was in good physical shape, thanks to Anne, going in to the surgery, I surprised my doctors with my quick recovery. I only needed 2 sessions of physical therapy and spent no time with a cane or walker!

Anne offers more than her fabulous Pilates classes. I have attended her foot health classes, participated in monthly somatic exercise challenges, that greatly reduced my arthritis pain; purchased her homemade lip-balms and lotions; and have had Thai Massages. I can attest to the high quality and value of these services.

Client Case Study – Post Surgery Strength Training

March 20, 2017June 24, 2025Anne

Meet Doug. In 2015 he suffered a shoulder injury that left him with pain, and limited range of motion. A few months later he underwent a successful surgery to reattach a torn tendon. He then went to physical therapy, religiously did his exercises and has regained all of the lost mobility in his shoulder. He began meeting with me for movement + massage sessions in the fall or 2015. Over the past two years he has been lifting progressively heavier weights, and is now stronger than he was before his surgery.

He and his wife love to kayak. In fact right now they are in Mexico where they have done something active every day: lifting weights, yoga, Pilates, swimming, kayaking, hiking to waterfalls… Before he left for Mexico we talked about his desire to continue his workouts while on vacation, so that he wouldn’t lose the strength he has built over the past year. I offered my favorite body weight travel exercises (squats, lunges, push ups, dips) in case there was no traditional gym where they were staying. He concocted a plan to make his own weights using dowels, sandbags and a fishing scale to confirm the weight (did I mention he is a creative genius?). I wasn’t sure exactly what he was talking about until he sent me this photo.

Dougs homemade barbells 3.17

I present to you Doug’s homemade beach barbells! Maybe I will have him video a tutorial on how he created these once he is back in town.

Who do you know who is recovering from surgery? Could your person benefit from strength training with Anne?

Contact her to set up a consultation and discuss if you are a good fit (503) 705-4762.

Anne McCranie is a Portland based Personal Trainer and Licensed Massage Therapist. She works with her clients one on one and in small groups, using a combination of movement + massage to aid in pain relief, increase strength, and improve mobility.

Volunteer At The Oregon Food Bank Saturday April 8th

March 3, 2017July 3, 2025Anne

Join us packing food at the Oregon Food Bank Saturday April 8th

Here’s an update and some photos of our Oregon Food Bank Volunteer day. Thanks everyone who came out! We bagged over 37,000 pounds of apples and potatoes and each volunteer put together 369 meals! We also learned about where the donations and food comes from and how it gets distributed. Most of those being served are the “working poor”, people who are employed (often working more than one job) and struggle to make ends meet. The tour leader mentioned that summer months are when they are most in need of volunteers. Contact me if you’d like to be part of our next volunteer day.

Did you know that 1 in 5 people in Oregon are considered “food insecure”? The Oregon Food Bank’s mission is to eliminate hunger and its root causes. They provide fresh produce and pantry staples, and offer cooking classes and other community events to ensure that enough food is available for all. In 2015, the OFB started a community farm in northeast Portland that produced over 5,000 pounds of fresh produce.

The OFB largely depends on volunteers to repackage food, teach gardening and nutrition classes, and provide office support. I have reserved a time for us the afternoon on Saturday, April 8th. Our shift runs from 1 to 3:30, and there are seven spots left. We will most likely be repackaging food into boxes. Not sure if this is right for you? Call and I can give you more info or send you to the OFB website, which has lots of detailed information about what is expected of volunteers and how our actions directly help those in our community.