Maui Vibes – how I’m keeping my chill from vacation

I’m back from Maui!



While I get back into the swing of “regular” life, my goal is to hang on to as much of our chill aloha vibe from vacation as possible. Keep reading to find out how I plan to do this…

Ok hands own, number 1, very favorite thing from vacation – whales! While floating on my back (with my ears underwater) I could hear the whales singing!

This is what they sound like:

We also saw (and heard) loads of tropical birds, Here are the sounds I heard every morning from our condo:

Our very first stop once we got off the plane was the farmer’s market in Kihei. We loaded up on fresh fruit, and of course, banana bread.

Here is our typical breakfast:

Aloha breakfast with local produce

Travel now requires apps, including proof of our negative Covid tests, so Eric talked me into getting a smart phone. While I loved that my old flip phone phone was tiny and indestructible, (why do I drop my phone so much?) my new phone tracks my steps (I know y’all already know this, give me a minute to catch up).

Our location in Kihei meant we could walk to most things. We averaged 6,500 steps each day, mostly barefoot, on sand, rocks, and grass. While here in Portland I spend most of my day barefoot, this is mostly indoors on flat surfaces. My calves were feeling all the beach walking! During my neighborhood walks this week, I looked for rocks, roots, and other uneven surfaces to walk on.

My favorite beach was Kamaole II.

Kam II

It rained a little on and off the first few days, but once it stopped raining we we able to swim! Eric even tried snorkeling for the first time. Swimming in warm water is such a treat, especially if you have only experienced Pacific Northwest swimming.

Here was Eric’s favorite beach, Kahekili. Look close, that tiny black spec to the left of the catamaran is a whale.

Whales (seriously, look close)

A few days it was windy on the beach, so I got in some pool time.

They had Hawaiian radio on at the pool, playing a mix of Hawaiian pop, slack key guitar, reggae, country, and then every once in a while the dj would come on and read a recipe; like the whole recipe, out loud, from start to finish.

pool time!

Speaking of entertainment, I love watching local t.v. stations when I travel and Hawaii did not disappoint. We watched a high school football game, an outdoor cooking show, skin divers spearing fish, and some sweet local commercials.

We ate loads of fruit and veggies (and also fish tacos, bento, ahi poke, teriyaki, and pork lau lau plate lunch). My favorite restaurant was Coconuts, Eric’s was 808 on Main.

Even with all this good food, by the end of our trip both of us noticed our pants were looser. How is this possible? For one thing we walked, and swam a lot. We were also under very little stress. We started our day with fresh fruits and veggies, ate mostly whole foods, and had one big meal each day that often included fish. We also drank lots of water.

Me n Eric sunset selfie

Now, how to bring this aloha vibe back to everyday life?

Here is my plan:

  • Daily meditation. Here’s the meditation I sent to Fit Club members this week.
  • 5 fruits and vegetables a day. Click here to learn why this is important.
  • Daily walking. My goal is to average 6k steps each day, click here to to learn how to add steps by doing your daily activities.

Watch this video for my tips on reducing stress, and taking good care of yourself this spring.

How can I help you look and feel your best this spring? Do you need a walking buddy? I walk most weekday afternoons here in Sellwood. Call or text me and we can schedule a time to meet.

Do you need accountability? I’m happy to email you once a week to see if you are meeting your goals.

How about personalized help improving your diet, lowering your stress level, or adding strength and balance work to your routine (or starting a routine)?

Contact me today for a complimentary consultation.

(503) 705-4762

Anne@FluidPortland.com

My Fit Club shirt helped me keep from getting too much sun.

Looking for an affordable way to add new moves to your repertoire? Join Fluid’s Fit Club! Each week you receive an email with a new video. These range from 5 minute to 60 minutes, and include: – strength and balance exercises – Pilates, yoga, Energy Flow, and Barre – Therapeutic exercises for shoulders, hips, feet, and hands, and – guided meditations.

Sign up for Fit Club here

double rainbow!

Aloha!

Anne McCranie is a Portland, Oregon based personal trainer and licensed massage therapist. She provides pain relief solutions, for women in their 40’s to 80’s.

She offers weekly zoom Pilates, yoga, Barre, and Energy Flow classes, as well as one on one strength, mobility, and balance training training.

Class schedule and descriptions here.



Maui continued…

I’ve got some more photos to share courtesy of Blainey – Fluid’s official “staff photographer”.

First I have to tell you, we have been eating like the big Kamehameha himself.

Our first day on the island Blainey and I found an awesome farmers market near the airport.  We scored fresh pineapple, papaya, avocados, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini and eggplant (which we later grilled) fresh herbs and a cherimoya – a weirdly sweet and creamy fruit.  We chopped and ate a fresh pineapple almost every day with lunch (did I mention in my earlier post the rum soaked pineapple upside down cake?).

At another market in north Kihei we found fresh young coconuts (with meat so soft you could scoop it out with a plastic spoon).  A cute hippe chick wielding a machete takes a few whacks at the top of the coconut, sticks a straw in and off you go.  They also sold banana bread and coconut candy (I went back more than once to this place).  At the ABC store we found some local Kona coffee, Hana Bay Rum for Mai Tais and Laura scored a screaming deal on chocolate covered macadamia nuts.

Most grocery stores carry several varieties of poke, a cold sushi like salad of ahi tuna mixed with any variety of onions, garlic, avocado, hot peppers, wasabi, soy sauce and seaweed.    Our favorite was shoyu poke. Here is an easy recipe,

 

Also delicious was the lomi lomi salmon, a mix of chopped tomato, onion and salted salmon.  We were inspired by the kalua pork at the Luau and tried a haole style crock pot version that turned out really yummy.  I used my friend Mark’s super easy recipe.  You cook a pork butt for most of the day (or if you want to get the jump on it start it the night before) with a spice mix of your choice.  We used brown sugar, garlic, onion, cayenne, salt, pepper, and a cup of ginger ale (beer would probably work as well).  After it is done and you have shredded the pork and pulled the fat toss in a cup or so of bbq sauce and serve.   Ono baby!

Speaking of living like kings.  Who doesn’t love a massage outdoors?   As Kathy put it “There is nothing like opening your eyes after a massage and seeing blue skies and the moon coming up”.  We have been outside as much as possible, eating meals on the lanai, outdoor yoga and Pilates classes and massages.

More massage relaxation shots.    ahhhhh….Hawaii.

We saw (and most mornings heard) every kind of bird from songbirds to hummingbirds in the backyard.  Anybody know what this guy is called?

For such a laid back group we managed to pack in quite a list of activities – three long bike rides for the guys, one big group hike, Pilates and yoga classes, massages, hot tub time and the occasional pub crawl (hey this was a stress relief vacation not a fast).

Tuesday Dan and George went for a bike ride and us ladies hit the art gallery at the Grand Wailea.  They had mostly local artists work on display.

We saw Chihuly Glass and paintings (who knew he did both?)

We didn’t know it, but Dan was taking in some culture as well.  Here are a few shots took along the Kahekili Highway:

an artist’s gallery…

banana bread anyone?

Our last day we tried stand up paddle.

We tried surfing but Dan was more successful than I was.  I preferred the calm waters past the breakers.  We saw several sea turtles out here.  They came up for air, floated around and waved at us and hung out for a minute before heading back underwater.

Dan catching a wave.  Cowabunga dude.

More SUP…

Ok birds, geckos, sea turtles, I just realized I haven’t mentioned the whales yet.  We are here in February – whale season – and up until now I had never seen them from shore.  On the way to Lahaina for the Luau several people in the car claimed to see them (I was of course focused solely on the road).  They seem be especially frisky right before sunset (the whales, not our group).

Several nights we headed down to the beach around 5:30/ 6 and caught whales playing maybe 200 feet offshore.  Pretty cool.

It is with sadness that we bid farewell to Hawaii, but I am already hatching a plan for Hawaii spring 2012.  Keep your eyes here for more details…

Aloha big beach…

Aloha Plumeria…

See you next year!

Aloha from Maui!

Our group has been here in Maui for a few days now and I wanted to share some photos of some of the cool things we have done do far. I arrived a day before my group and went straight to the beach – Kamaole III right by our house.  There were two locals on Stand Up Paddle boards and they let me try it out.  I didn’t fall in once!

Saturday was a big day. My buddy Leah who lives here on the island took us to the Lavender farm near Kulu and led us on a killer hike up the mountain.

We made it up to the edge of the eucalyptus forest then turned around and headed back to the farm for lunch.

Here’s Dan relaxing after the hike.

Saturday night was the Luau – Feast at LeLe in Lahina. This was the best Luau I have been to. The service was excellent and we tasted foods and saw performances from all of the Polynesian islands. Our favorite was Tahiti (or as our server pronounced it Taaaahiti).

Blainey, Laura and I had fun flirting with our shirtless waiter Miguel, Dan and George had their eyes glued to the Tahitian dancers.

The food was outrageous and it’s hard to even pick a favorite dish but I loved the Kalua pork, grilled swordfish with mango salsa, and ceviche with coconut milk.  We even tried poi and discovered that it actually tastes good if you mix it with the pork.

Sunday morning we did a quick yoga and Pilates session.  Dan and George brought their road bikes with them and Dan did the northern loop around the island today.

He saw a few whales and even found a banana bread stand.  For dinner we grilled some chicken with a lavender spice mix from the lavender garden, made a spicy batch of curry (check out the recipe here) and finished it off with pineapple upside down cake made with fresh Maui gold pineapples.

Monday our dudes went on a bike ride up Haleakela (102 miles and 10,000 feet of elevation) and us ladies did ninety minutes of Pilates and myofascial release with tennis balls.  We had coconut ginger oatmeal with sweet potatoes and smoothies for breakfast.

Blainey, our official staff photographer has been taking all these photos, here’s a cool one of a gecko.

Our house has a huge yard and we have been utilizing the lanai for massages and yoga and Pilates classes.

Monday we headed to Big beach/Makena.  This was Kathy’s favorite beach because it was nice and wide with really soft sand.  We saw whales off in the distance.

Blainey and I hiked past little beach, the nudie beach (we kept our clothes on) to a rocky overlook.

We are here a few more days so keep your eyes here for more Maui updates!

Travel with Fluid to Hawaii

Maui Stress Relief Vacation February 2011

Feeling stressed?  Overwhelmed? Join us February 4th to the 10th in beautiful Maui Hawaii for a healthy relaxing stress free vacation in paradise! Think you are too busy? Studies show that constant work with no down time can lead to decreased productivity and creativity.  Scheduling a vacation gives you an opportunity to recharge, gain a new perspective and can even help stave off depression. Think of this as a mental and physical health boost!

The focus of this trip is stress reduction and Anne has an awesome week planned for you! You are welcome to take part in daily group classes, organized outings like snorkeling and hikes or just hang out in the hot tub. This is your vacation for you to do as you please. Here is a sample day:

  • 7 am breakfast: fruit, banana bread, juice
  • 9-11 am Yoga: strength, flexibility and balance work
  • Noon lunch: baked sweet potatoes, hummus with sliced veggies and pita, couscous with raisins and almonds, cucumber salad
  • 2 pm massage
  • 5 pm leisurely walk on the beach
  • 6:30 pm watch the sunset (while enjoying a Mai Tai)
  • 7 pm dinner: Grilled local fish, black beans and rice, mango salsa, green salad, grilled pineapple

All meals are prepared for you with a focus on whole foods, fruits and veggies and local seafood. Anne welcomes special dietary requests and there are no restrictions on what you can or cannot eat. Want to go raw for a week?  Anne will support you. Want to start your day with a mimosa? Go for it. This is your vacation.

Included in the price of this trip:

  • Daily movement classes including Pilates, Vinyasa yoga, strength, cardio, restorative yoga and chi gung
  • Two massages per person
  • All of your meals (yes breakfast, lunch and dinner every day)
  • A Luau (who wants to try Kalua pig and poi?) check out the Luau menu here – www.feastatlele.com
  • Snorkeling gear and plenty of beach time
  • Hikes led by Anne and her buddy Leah (more hiking info here – www.visitingmaui.com/hikes)

To view our house visit   http://www.mauihouse4rent.com/.

Want to bring the hubby but he is not interested in yoga or massage? Ask Anne about her special “companion rate”.

Call or email Anne to reserve your spot today! (503) 705-4762.

Aloha!


 

Thai Massage, Snorkeling, and Fire Dancing in Maui Hawaii

Hibiscus

Aloha!

I am back from a week in Maui and am now getting around to uploading my photos.  The reason for my trip, along with vacation, was a Table top Thai Stretching course with Valerie “Passion Flower” Mandall.  We learned an excellent lower body routine that I have been testing out on clients this week (you know who you are:).  This work incorporates a lot of stretching, range of motion and breath work.  Really nice after a long run or bike ride, or even sitting at a desk all day.

This is my third trip to the island and I spent most of my time in Kihei.  I’ve decided my favorites spots are on the south and west sides of the island (Kihei, Lahaina and Napili Bay in that order) because it is usually hot and dry.  The north shore tends to be cooler, greener and get more rain.

Most Saturdays and Sundays the HeU’i Arts and Crafts Festival is happening under the Banyan tree in Lahaina.  You can’t miss it, this one tree takes up the whole city block.  I found some nice photography and jewelry made by local artists.

Lahaina

 

There are several spots along the beach in South Kihei where you can just pull over, and snorkel right from the beach.  At secret beach I saw a yellow tang (my favorite), a trumpet fish and the state fish – humuhumunukunukuapua.  I’m still not able to pronounce this correctly.  I also saw a unicorn fish, an eel,  and one sea turtle.

Kamaole 1,2 and 3 have big grassy areas with picnic tables and you will see local families barbecuing and hanging out on the weekends.  I stuck to snorkeling but if you are interested in SCUBA contact Steve at Maui Dive shops.

Hula Hoop

On Sunday the action is at Little Beach.  Go here to watch the sunset, and post-sunset drumming and fire dancing.  Awesome!  These dancers were unbelievable.  I saw kids as young as 7 or 8 working the flaming hula hoops.  Here a sample:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd0KB8deSso]

Even though I slept luxuriously late most days I did manage to do at least 30 minutes of Pilates almost every morning and yoga on the beach several afternoons.  Here are some action shots:

 

Warrior
Warrior

 

085094

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I am planning a client trip for February 2011 so keep your eyes peeled here or on my newsletter for more info.  I would love for you to join me!

And I will  leave you with a sunset…..Aloha and Mahalo!

Hawaii sunset

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