Jorge Cruise - Inches Off! Your Tummy: The Super-Simple 5-Minute Plan to Firm Up Flab & Sculpt a Flat Belly

This book is intended as a reference volume only, not as a medical manual. The information given here is designed to help you make informed decisions about your health. It is not intended as a substitute for any treatment that may have been prescribed by your doctor. If you suspect that you have a medical problem, we urge you to seek competent medical help.

The information in this book is meant to supplement, not replace, proper exercise training. All forms of exercise pose some inherent risks. The editors and publisher advise readers to take full responsibility for their safety and know their limits. Before practicing the exercises in this book, be sure that your equipment is well-maintained, and do not take risks beyond your level of experience, aptitude, training, and fitness. The exercise and dietary programs in this book are not intended as a substitute for any exercise routine or dietary regimen that may have been prescribed by your doctor. As with all exercise and dietary programs, you should get your doctors approval before beginning.

Mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities in this book does not imply endorsement by the author or publisher, nor does mention of specific companies, organizations, or authorities imply that they endorse this book, its author, or the publisher.

Internet addresses and telephone numbers given in this book were accurate at the time it went to press.

2013 by Jorge Cruise

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

Photographs by Beth Bischoff

Book design by Elizabeth Neal

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

ISBN 9781609614973 paperback

ISBN 9781609614980 ebook

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To the Rodale family: Thank you for your belief in me for the past 10 years. Your support means the world to me.

I know what its like to struggle with excess weightIve lived it. I remember cringing after catching glimpses of myself in windows or mirrors and wanting to just hide away. I also remember always having to readjust my bunching tight clothes, how my belly would bulge over my pants, and how I always felt slow and out of breath. As a kid, gym class was humiliating: I was always picked last for any team and I couldnt even do a pushupnot a single one. Many people dont realize it, but I spent my formative years as the heavy kid in school. I tried every workout and diet out there to slim myself down, but I failed miserably every time.

By the ripe old age of 15, my health had already begun to deteriorate. I had headaches every day, I suffered from severe asthma, and I never had any energy. Surprisingly, no one ever suggested that these issues could have been linked to my diet and weight. But the more weight I gained, the less active I was, and my health issues became more frequent.

The worst part of being the fat kid in school was the rejection I felt. Kids are cruel, and they werent shy about letting me know that I wasnt acceptable. Socially, doors close quickly and permanently when youre overweight. I was left with low self-esteem, insecurities, and depression.

I found my refuge at home. I grew up in Southern California with a loving family. My mom was from Mexico City and my dad was from Pennsylvania. My mother and grandmother came from the food-is-love school of parenting. We had incredible meals, both in serving size and deliciousness. I found pleasure in food and ate far too much. The reaction at home was approval. Food was love, after all, and I wanted so much to feel loved. And so a vicious cycle beganfeel horrible and rejected in the outside world, feel loved and stuffed at home.

The beginning of the end of my struggle with weight happened when I was a teenager. I began to have nasty stomachaches in addition to the headaches and asthma I mentioned earlier. This went on for a few weeks, and when I was finally taken to the hospital, the doctors discovered a chunk of meat lodged in my appendix. I had to have emergency surgery to remove it.

That experience terrified me. Id always thoughtlessly shoveled in whatever food was in front of me, and, besides hating the way I looked, I never considered what it was doing to my health. Later, after I learned the healthy way to lose weight and became more fit, my headaches and asthma went away, my energy surged, and so did my mood. Miracle cure? No. Just living a better lifestyle. And its one you can have too.

But thats not the whole story.

When I turned 18, shortly after my hospital stay, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I was scared. It just kept playing in my brain on an endless loop: Dad has cancer. What I didnt know then, but would soon learn, was that some of the big risk factors for prostate cancer are a poor diet, excess weight, and lack of exercise.

I realized for the first time that I was on a very dangerous road, and so were the people I loved most. What did the future hold for me if I refused to change? I found motivation from my health crisis and my fathers cancer. Together, my father and I remade our lifestyles. I was motivated so deeply to make a change, and to help those I loved, that I enrolled in college to study fitness and nutrition. It was the beginning of a lifelong quest to help myself and the people I loveall of youfind the path to freedom and happiness through optimal health and fitness.

So what does that mean for you?

You came to this book because you want to change your life. Well, I know exactly how it feels to want change badly, but not know how to get to that goalIve been there. It took a pair of serious health scares to light a fire under me, and while it doesnt have to be that dramatic, you need to uncover your true inspiration.

The first key to losing inches is to find your deep emotional triggerthe one that will help you to truly pursue permanent, positive change in your life. I dont say this lightly; being deeply motivated is inherently necessary for long-lasting change, according to a wealth of scientific evidence and personal anecdotes from thousands of women and men Ive helped over the years. If you want to change, youve got to find the emotional trigger that, when fired off, will light up your heart.

We all try with superficial triggers repeatedly: Bikini season approaches, a wedding is coming, or maybe its time for your schools reunionand you once again prepare to lose the weight. And maybe you drop 10 to 20 pounds, as youve most likely done more than once in your lifetime, but then over the next several months the weight creeps back until you weigh more than you did to begin with. The deep, meaningful emotional trigger is the tipping point you need. For some, that trigger might be chest pains, a diabetes diagnosis, or a heart condition in yourself or someone you love. For others, its watching lively children or grandchildren running and playing and knowing that if a change isnt made, you might not be around for the fun.

When you see people who have lost a lot of weight or reached some kind of major positive goalan aunt, your best friend, the coworker down the halltheyve succeeded in part because they found that deep emotional trigger and pulled it. When you are profoundly motivated, failure stops being an option. To zero in on this, I want you to make a list (see the opposite page for specifics on how to do this). This will help you get beyond what I like to call magazine-cover motivators: I have a big event coming up; I want to fit into my skinny clothes; I want to look great naked. These are nice, but very few people find true lasting motivation in these things. Use your list to find your deep emotional triggers.