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Well, the time has come.  It’s March.

It’s been a looooooooong while since Jolly Old Saint Nick stole down your chimney & ate all your cookies, but it’s still a while until April showers bring May flowers.   By now, 3 months into the new decade, your New Years’ resolutions have likely fallen by the wayside (be honest.  You haven’t hit the gym 6 days a week for ‘step-sculpt-cardioboxing’, and the last time you ate a vegetable was…. The carrot cake you ate for breakfast.  I know, I know… “cream cheese is totally a breakfast food!!!!”)  And there’s worse yet to come!!  Basketball bracket parties offer myriad opportunities to dive head-first into a bowl of queso and stuff yourself with delectable chips & dips.  And forget about St. Patty’s Day!!!!  Admit it.  Last year you drank 4 green beers, 6 shots of Jameson, and downed 5 “irish car bombs” before your corned beef & cabbage lunch….. Because even though you’re ACTUALLY Sicilian, on March 17^th, EVERYBODY is Irish!!

Well have no fear.  I’m not here to kill your buzz.  Just to give you a few easy ways to combat that beer belly, and make better choices- without compromising your inner “irish” frat guy.

Guiness: “It’s Good for You” – it’s frothy.  It’s irish.  AND you can ask the barmaid for that swirly shamrock in the foam. On top of being delicious, recent studies show that Guiness can also work as well as a low dose of aspirin to prevent artery clotting, & can reduce the risk of heart attack.  Guiness also possesses antioxidants (similar to those in super-foods like blueberries) which have some pretty potent health benefits.  PLUS, with lower caloric content than regular beer (198 kcal/pint…. Less than a glass of OJ or skim milk), Guiness is thick, rich & much more filling, making it more likely you’ll be full and satisfied with just one (or….. let’s face it…. 2), so you’ll save calories AND dollars over consuming regular beer.  So indulge!  And earn the nickname “Professor Guiness O’Guiness’oyle”

“Kiss Me I’m Irish!” – we all know that kissing is a great way to express affection, and to boost self esteem.  BUT… did you know kissing can have tremendous heath benefits as well?  For one it stimulates adrenaline production, which not only helps relieve stress, but also gives us a natural boost in energy (enough for one more round of Guiness).  Also, the endorphin release from one kiss can be 200x more potent than morphine!!! Burn, baby, Burn! a good kiss can raise your natural metabolic rate, burning calories 2 to 1!  Forget the French – grab your sweetie and give ‘em a touch of the Irish!  See… I TOLD you I wasn’t here to spoil your fun

Beer Belly Busters:  If you STILL can’t resist the temptation of 7 or 8 green beers, here are a few quick & easy exercises that’ll bust that gut!

1: fore-arm plank: a great one you can do at work while waiting for your assistant to bring your morning double half-caff.  Place the elbows on the ground directly under the shoulders, and roll over your toes to a full plank position (on the knees for beginners) lengthening through the spine.  This hold will challenge the core within 20 seconds, taking breaks on the knees as needed, try to maintain your plank for a full 90 seconds (come on… it’s only ninety SECONDS!!), ultimately working up to 2 minutes sans breaks for advanced.  BONUS: in addition to streamlining the abs, this tones arms, chest & shoulders too!

2: bicycles: St. Patty’s day has a reputation of landing you flat on your back!  This year….. make it be in a GOOD way) All you need is about 6 feet of space in your living room.  You can do these while watching ‘The Real Housewives” of your choice, so NO excuses!  lying on your back, draw your RT knee in to your chest while extending the LT leg straight.  Use the core to roll up OFF your shoulder blades.  Keeping the neck relaxed & the scapula lifted, begin SLOWLY switching legs, continually drawing the navel to the spine.  Take breaks as needed by lying down & hugging the knees to the chest.  Work your way up to 3 sets of 2 minutes each, and ENJOY your new ripped abs.  No one will EVER know you indulged in 2 corn beef sandwiches and 20 cups of irish coffee

3: Straight to the Core: no gym membership? NO problem!  check out my FREE ab. workout on exercise TV!  Just go to On Demand & under ‘sports & fitness’ you’ll find exercise tv.  Under the heading of core work & Pilates, you’ll find my signature 10 MIN series, “straight to the core”.  Come work off all those car bombs with me, in your very own living room!