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New Year’s Day Pajama Art Party!

Join us Saturday January 1st at 11 am for our Pajama Art Party!

  • Who: You! And your friends.
  • What: New Year’s Day Pajama Art Party!
  • When: Saturday January 1st, from 11 am – 12 pm PST.
  • Why: Make art, dream about the new year, visit with each other and have fun!
  • Where: On Zoom (your house).


Snuggle up in your most comfortable jammies, robe, and slippers, make your favorite hot beverage, and join us on New Year’s Day!

We color, draw, and visit with each other, and I guide you through exercises that allow you to dream about the year ahead (not fitness type exercises, putting pen to paper).

Email me Anne@FluidPortland.com and I’ll send you the zoom link.

Please share this with your friends!

Free for Fluid Fit Club members. $20 for guests.

Why am I doing this? This week I got to hang out with my girlfriend and her two cute kids. We went for a walk, then did an art project. See my lil Santa?

This took about 15 minutes of me picking out tiny beads, placing them on a board, then ironing it to make this (kind of like shrinky dinks if you remember those from your childhood?). It was so relaxing to hang out with people I love and focus on a non computer related task. It’s just a silly little art project, and yet this brought me so much joy.

If spending time on a child like project and visiting with friendly faces sounds like a good way to spend a Saturday, I invite you to join us!

Moroccan Lamb Stew Recipe

How does a warm, spiced, hearty bowl of stew sound right now?

Have I told you how much I love my crock pot? It’s a great option for me because I can prep our meal during my breaks, then our dinner is cooking away while I work, and ready to eat after I wrap my last evening class.

This type of stew actually tastes better the next day, so it’s great for leftovers.

A note about crock pot cooking, the liquid does not cook out like it would if you were making this on a stovetop. Start with the listed amount of broth, then once its cooking, you can check it to see if you like the consistency. If you’d like it more “soupy” and less “stewy”, add more broth.

You can also make this on the stovetop, in a large stock pot. When you get to step 6, just turn the heat down low, and cover the pot, Check it every thirty minutes or so to make sure it still has enough liquid.

Your whole house is about to smell amazing!

Try this stew and let me know what you think…


Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds lamb stew meat cut onto 1 ½ inch cubes (I found a 2.5 lb shoulder roast and had the butcher cut into cubes). 
  • 2 teaspoons of each: salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin seeds.
  • 1/2 red pepper flakes
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil.
  • 1 onion, diced.
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped. 
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste.
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar.
  • 2 tablespoons honey.
  • 1  1/4 cups chicken stock.
  • 1, 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained.
  • ¼ cup raisins or dried apricots (chopped).
  • 1 bunch of collard greens, chopped.

Directions:

  1. Rub the meat with all the spices. 
  2. Let it rest, covered, in the fridge for a couple hours.
  3. In a large stock pot, brown meat in oil for 5 minutes, stirring every so often.
  4. Add onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
  5. Add tomato paste, vinegar, honey, and chicken stock, and warm it through (stir it for another minute or so).
  6. Carefully transfer meat mixture to the crock pot and put the lid on.
  7. Cook on high for 4 hours.
  8. Add chopped collards, and garbanzos and cook for another 2 hours.

Serve with cooked couscous or rice.

xoxo

Anne

Looking for more recipes? Here are my most popular:

Dark Chocolate Bark

Ahi Poke

Green Soup

Broccoli Salad

Baked Oatmeal

Solstice Meditation December 18th

Tuesday December 21st is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day (and longest night) of the year.

Celebrate this time with us! Watch the recording of our live solstice meditation from Saturday December 18th.

Our December meditation theme is slowing down, and listening to your intuition. At the end of all of our fitness classes we do a 5 minute guided meditation where sit quietly and ask our internal guide “what do I need right now?”.

If the idea of listening to your intuition seems daunting, no worries, you can strengthen your listening skills just as you would strengthen your biceps, by repetitive practice. Join us for one of our live zoom classes, and do this short meditation with us, or tune in to our 30 minute session on Saturday the 18th.

Why celebrate the solstice?

For ancient cultures, the winter solstice was seen as a time of rebirth, or new beginning, often celebrated with festivals and rituals.

You’ve most likely heard of the German yule log. Did you know about these other mid winter traditions?

Iranians gather at the house of the oldest relative to eat, drink and read poetry, feasting on nuts, pomegranates and watermelon.

In Japan the custom is to soak in a hot yuzu, or citrus fruit bath. This is thought to boost your immune system, so that you will not catch a cold during the winter.

I love rituals that encourage sharing good food with friends and family, and relaxing.


If slowing down sounds good to you right now, listen to our meditation from Saturday December 18th as we sit and contemplate this special time of year.

If you’d like to be notified of our next live event sign up for Fluid’s newsletters by entering your email address into that box over there on the right ->

The December Five Exercises

About the Five: Each month I offer five exercises to improve your strength, balance, flexibility, and mobility. My hope is that you will go through these either on your own, or with me two to three times a week. Some moves (like this month’s bird dog) you could do every day.

In our weekly classes we start week one with the most accessible version of each exercise, then by the end of the month we have worked our way up to the most challenging variation (like this month’s crow for example). 

If you’d like specific guidance from me as to which exercises are right for you right now, or how to execute these safely and efficiently, give me a call (503) 705-4762.

  • Bird dog
  • Mermaid
  • Side Angle
  • Bow
  • Crow

Please use your best judgment as to how suitable these are for you right now.

Bird Dog

Mermaid

Side Angle

Bow

Crow

These photos are meant to remind you of work we have done together. Please see your medical professional prior to beginning a new exercise program. 

If you’d like more detailed information on these exercises, click one of the links below:

Join Fluid’s Fit Club!

Join a class

Schedule a 1:1 with Anne

Are You Lifting Heavy Things?

Are you lifting heavy things on a regular basis?

Have you heard that “women shouldn’t lift heavy weights”?

Are you afraid that if you lift anything heavier than a 5 lb weight you might “bulk up”?

I call b.s. on these claims.

What does your suitcase weigh?

How about a bag of mulch, or dog food?

If you want to be able to chuck your suitcase into the overhead bin, or load your kayak onto your car, or if you are concerned about losing muscular strength or bone density, you need to lift weights, and 2 lb dumbbells aren’t going to cut it.

To develop massive, bulky muscles takes a lot of work (and often supplemental help from steroids or testosterone). Doing weighted squats, or chest presses twice a week is not going to make you look like a monster.

One common theme I hear from most new clients is “I’m walking almost every day, but I don’t do strength work on my own”. I’ve heard lots of reasons women do not lift weights. You may be afraid of injuring (or reinjuring) yourself, or you’re not sure exactly how to program, or schedule your workouts. Maybe you find it boring, or prefer the camaraderie of a group cardio fitness class, to the solitary, sometimes lonely experience of taking yourself through a strength workout at home or at the gym.

If you don’t know how or where to start, give me a call. We will chat about your goals, and your current activity, and set a plan going forward to help you live your best life!

We can meet for one session, then you can take yourself through your workouts on your own, we could meet weekly until you feel comfortable with your knowledge of the exercises, and your form.

If small groups are more your thing, join an ongoing class. In our Monday yoga, Wednesday Pilates, and Saturday Barre classes, we incorporate weights and resistance training, often doing squats, lunges, rows, and push ups.

If you don’t have equipment at home I will provide you with everything you need to set up a basic home gym, or we can look around the house for tools you can use for now to get started. A large bag of rice can provide dynamic load. A step stool, or sturdy box, can sub for a bench. If you are new to exercise, or recovering from an injury, bodyweight workouts may be the way to go.

To get started, give me a call today and we will set up a complimentary consultation to see if we are a good fit.

I look forward to meeting you!

~Anne

(503) 705-4762