In Shape
In 8 Minutes In The Morning
From eDiets - The premier online diet, fitness, and healthy living
resource
Eight
minutes of your morning. New York Times best-selling author and red-hot
fitness guru Jorge Cruise says thats how much time you need to invest to
achieve lasting weight loss.
OK, so healthy eating, exercise, and
peer support also play a critical role in shedding those extra pounds, but well
get to that later.
But first, Jorge is here to explain just
why eight is enough and why you don’t need to spend hours in the gym to
get in shape.
If you aren’t familiar with Cruise,
you might as well have been living in a cave. The author of 8 Minutes in the Morning
(HarperCollins) is the hottest thing since the BowFlex and the second most
famous Cruise next to Hollywood hunk Tom. Hes been everywhere from Oprah
to Good Morning America and from First For Women to
People. His book has hit the top spot on Amazon.com and hes been
endorsed by a gaggle of fitness goddesses like Denise Austin and Kathy
Smith.
 Cruise is no flash in the pan media
personality. He reckons he's counseled more than three million people on the
topic of weight loss. And his core philosophy is almost identical to that of
the world's leading online weight loss program (yes,
eDiets). So, of course, teaming up a leading fitness expert with a leading
weight loss program would only be a natural occurrence.
Jorge caters to busy people like you and
me. He says that 99 percent of his clients never step foot into a gym and
that’s just the way he likes it. In fact, most of his pupils start their
day off on the right foot by setting aside eight short minutes to exercise.
“Research shows that people who
exercise in the morning are more consistent,” he tells eDiets from his San
Diego office. “If you shave off eight minutes in the morning and exercise,
you follow through better and have more results. Plus, you enjoy it more.
It’s about being practical and simple.”
While on his 28-day program, you perform
just two exercises every morning, but you do each for 4 minutes without rest.
The pair of exercises always works two major muscle groups. For example, Monday
is devoted to chest and back, while Tuesday concentrates on the shoulders and
abdominals. The regimen is strength training, which Jorge says is the number
one exercise when it comes to weight loss.
 Strength training builds lean muscle
tissue, which revs up your metabolism so your body burns more calories. It also
adds muscle so that you are burning fat all the time... even when youre asleep!
By following an effective exercise and
eating program, you can easily shed two pounds a week -- that happens to be the
same amount promoted by the expert dietitians here at eDiets. Cruise admits
there are people who will fail. Their biggest stumbling block: a lack of
support.
“Imagine you’re trying to build a
house," he urges. "The exercise and the eating are the walls and the roof. Now,
imagine you build the house with no cement foundation. That foundation is the
support. It gives you the ability to connect with others. It gives you the
motivation to stay strong and focused. It’s about getting with others who
are in the same boat, people who can help you.
A lot of times people overeat and they
simply throw in the towel. With support, you can go through the crisis with
someone and get through it. You cant make food your best friend. You need
people to be your best friends.
When it comes to eating healthy, Jorge and
eDiets director of nutrition Susan Burke are of the same mindset. They both
argue there are no bad foods. People should follow a balanced meal plan, watch
portion sizes and eat when they’re hungry, not when they’re coping
with emotional issues. Emotional eating is a problem for many people, Cruise
says. Having the right support system will help trudge on through the
troublesome times.
Below is an example of one eight-minute
session. By the 12th rep of each exercise, you should be feeling fatigued. If
you can handle more than 12, add weight to increase the intensity.
Dumbbell Press (works the chest)
Lie on a mat on your back with your knees
bent and your feet flat on the floor. You may place one or more pillows under
your back and head for support. Holding a dumbbell in each hand, bring your
elbows in line with your shoulders, making a right angle between your upper arm
and your side. Exhale as you slowly extend your arms and press the dumbbells
toward the ceiling. Keep your elbows slightly bent. Hold for 1 second. Inhale
as you return to the starting point.
Two-Arm Row (works the back)
Sit in a sturdy chair and grasp a dumbbell
in each hand. You may put a pillow on your lap for support. Lean forward and
extend your arms straight down, being sure to keep your elbows slightly bent.
Exhale as you slowly bend your elbows and bring them toward the ceiling. Once
the dumbbells reach the top of your thigh, hold for one second. Inhale as you
slowly lower the dumbbells to the starting point.
 
8 Minutes in the Morning: A Simple Way to Shed up to 2 Pounds a
Week Guaranteed |
