Pinch me
I own exactly one green shirt, and I wore it today… not about to re-wear it tomorrow after what it’s been through this afternoon 😉 Green isn’t a color I regularly purchase, and I feel like a St. Patty’s Day scrooge since it’s one of my all-time favorite holidays. Give this girl a piece of soda bread with butter, a Baileys creation, a jig (slip jig is my fave but I’m not picky)
and I’m a happy kid. I am scary stoked about this recipe my friend Ashley posted, and this recipe from the lovely Angela. Looks like I have a couple of fun projects to take on this weekend.
If you’re spending a little bit of St. Patrick’s Day in the gym, how about a lucky love handle workout to target those fun oblique/lower back areas that can get a little droopy now and again?
In order to tighten up the sides of our stomachs, a few things need to happen:
-Clean eats
-Cardio
-Tone the entire core, particularly the abdominal external obliques
Here’s an ab burner focusing on this muscle group, but keep in mind that abdominal work isn’t really necessary if you eat extremely well and do cardio of alternating intensities. We actually work our core ALL day, but often don’t realize it: bending down to get dishes out of the dishwasher, rotating and twisting to reach for things, stabilizing our entire core each time we sit and stand, etc.
Feel free to top off your next cardio workout with this burner, complete it on its own, or in conjunction with a weights routine.
*As always, check with a doc before making any fitness changes, honor your body and modify as necessary.
–Dumbbell side bends: alternating sides, 25 total <—go LIGHT with the weights, 5-10 lbs max
-Plank- hold for 10 seconds, rest for 5 <—repeat 5 more times for a total of 60 seconds of planking
–Side jackknife– left side, 20 reps
-Sliding plank: hold a regular plank pose, then slide forward 2 inches and back 2 inches maintaining proper alignment. Continue this for 30 seconds.
-Side jackknife- right side, 20 reps
–Supine windshield wipers: 10 on each side
–Pilates swimming: 30 seconds
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Tonight was a laid back and fun Friday night. The Pilot had a roll call, so we met up with Marisa and Meg at Eclectic Cafe:
and then headed to the O Club to pick up the Pilot 🙂
Things had died down in there quite a bit, so Liv and I hung out for a while before we all headed home.
St. Patrick’s Day plans:
-Dance Cardio
-Lunch on 4th Ave
-Dinner with the fam
What about you?
xoxo,
Gina
A little tip: for a more natural green coloring, add some spirulina 🙂
23 Comments
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Ohhh my gosh. I already need to make it again. It disappeared in 2 days. It’s just too easy not to make! Enjoy the weekend!!
Soda bread and butter, washed down with a hefty side of Baileys, sounds like a perfect way to spend St. Paddy’s Day.
Safe travels to you going to pick up with Pilot and glad you had a fun little meetup with your friends 🙂
http://paddynotpatty.com/
I think we are going out for a couple rounds of green beer and maybe some stereotypical Irish food. Good times!
But first…spin class 🙂
Just completed your lucky love handle workout after my usual Bodyrock sesh and I loved it! It’s going in the list of workouts faves – thanks for sharing.
Enjoy your Paddy’s Day!
This weekend I plan to redo part of my bathroom! Nothing too huge, just a new vanity & toilet. Just enough to make it feel newer. Today I’m going out to pick out/pay for my stuff then tomorrow My parents will come help me (since I don’t think a vanity will fit in my trunk) and my dad and I will do the bathroom & my mom will cook all the food in my fridge 🙂
I need to make some irish soda bread today! Have a great weekend!
I wish I could have some Irish soda bread today, but unfortunately that’s not really a big thing here (in Germany). But I’m proudly wearing green and celebrating my heritage!
I have that same problem! I’m going to a St. Patty’s day BBQ today and I just realized I have almost no green in my closet. I think I’m going to have to try to pass off a teal shirt as green. 😛
I don’t have the “love handle” issue, but I do have that awful “pouch” below my belly button. I used to have a super flat stomach, and do not now bc of that. Is there anything you could recommend to get rid of that? I already eat very healthy. thank you!
I had to comment because I just came across your blog in my blog surfing, and I really enjoy it! It seems like you have a lot of knowledge, and I’m looking forward to reading more:) I have hopes of getting my personal training certification, soon (when I can find the time in between chasing three kiddos around;)) and I love reading about other mom’s who keep a balanced, fit life. Have a great day:-)
Going to the NYC St. Patty’s parade today!! Have a great day!
not big plans today, probably just rest, hangout and do some homework. Got a 10K run planned for tomorrow morning!
Since it’s raining (oh summer weather pls come back to SoCal!) our pub crawl got canceled (by me)… it’s sunny and warm here too much for me to want to go out in the rain… plus, I’m too old to want to get wasted in the freezing cold rain and wind. Since the hubb’s is Irish, we’re planning our own at home celebration. Homemade soup, fire in the fire place, movies & playing way too much battlefield! HOOAH! ;0)
On love handles… I love when I see peeps doing like 236328763279632 types of crunches at the gym. I always refrain from explaining that handles are made (or not made?) in the kitch.
Love the video demonstration of the side jackknife with the hunky model and British narrator. British accents are sexy!
SO so excited for the lucky love handle workout – thanks for putting it together! Can’t wait to try it out. Hope you’re having a great St. Patty’s Day!
I definitely need to tighten up my love handles lately and with my ankle being injured, I think I could at least do the majority of this workout without hurting it. I mean, we don’t want them to get worse… 😉
I just tried this workout and I love it! I can feel it working and it’s pretty quick. Thanks! 😀
Hey,
Why do you recommend light weights for the side bends? Thanks!
because it’s easy to get injured using heavy weights, and you never really need to use heavy weights for abs. if you *build* abdominal muscle, it will actually push your stomach out
I added some chlorophyll to my oats this morning for a natural green color. Never thought about spirulina- great idea! I also only own one green shirt. Wearing it now as pajamas… I do my best :).
Happy St. Patricks Day! That’s so awesome you Irish Dance, I do too! I watched the video you posted and I have never seen costumes like that before! I’m a fan of the slightly more traditional ones, but the dance in the video was fun!