Eddie Baran's Body Sculpting Blog

Today I'll be answering a few of your questions. Let's get to it:

Q: Eddie,
What about coffee. Is this ok to have daily.
Thanks,
Jeff

A: Jeff,
I'm not a big fan of coffee but it's ok to have a cup a day.
Just make sure you're sticking to the rest of the program.
A little bit of anything is fine as long as it's not too excessive.
What makes something a bad thing is when you replace
the good with the bad. If you drank coffee instead of water
(which many people do) then you're asking for trouble. If
it's just a cup of coffee you have with the ten cups of water
you drink, then it's no biggie. Have at it.

Q: Dear Eddie,
I am also a 52 year old identical twin and my twin is in
excellent shape. I now work at a desk job and have put
on some lbs. I used to be very active and into sports and
exercise. Now I do almost nothing. I want to lose my gut
and get in shape, but I do not have much time right now.
I also hurt both my wrists in a car accident and cannot put
any weight on my wrists, like doing pushups. With this
problem, would I still be able to do your program?
Jan

A: Jan,
Yes, the majority of exercises in my Body Sculpting
http://www.eddiebaran.com/body_sculpting_women.html program do not require you to put your weight on your hands.
You can get into great shape by doing the other exercises.
Remember to start out slowly, do what you can do, and
acclimate yourself to movement. From here, you will get
into better shape and develop the exercise habit. It doesn't
take much time to start. Begin with a minute a day and go
from there. Sooner than later, your pounds will then be gone
for good. Now is the perfect time for you to catch up to your twin
sister.

Q: What happened to Jake Chu?

A: A few people asked me about Jake Chu. He was the
Chinese cowboy coworker I spoke of in yesterday's email
who taught me to write software code. When our dot-com
turned into a dot-bomb and we were all canned, Jake took it
pretty bad and swore off programming for good. Too bad
since he loved it and was so talented at it. I lost track of Jake
but last I heard he was spending his time doing his other
passions - day trading and taking care of his little daughter.
They don't make 'em like that anymore.

Well, that's it for today.

Wishing you the best,

Eddie Baran

P.S. For more information on my products, go here
http://www.eddiebaran.com/products.html

Posted by Eddie Baran at 09:42 AM | Permalink

When I worked at a Silicon Valley dot-com back in
the late 90's, I found myself at risk of losing my job.

The boss wanted me to help with the programming a complex
software application for the website, something I had no
experience in. But I had no choice, unless I wanted to find
other means of employment.

So I gave it my best shot although it was incredibly difficult
for me. It was so hard, in fact, that I just couldn't do it, no
matter how hard I tried. I was completely lost.

And there was no one at the company who would help me.
The other geeks were expert coders and could have easily
helped, but they wouldn't. I was all alone to fend for myself.

I bought as many books as I could get on the subject and
studied my rear off. But it was all to no avail. After weeks
of trying, I could not write a single line of code. I was dead
in the water and my job was at risk.

But thankfully a new employee was hired. When I first met
him I did a double take: He was Asian and dressed in cowboy
boots, a cowboy hat, tight jeans with a world champion belt
buckle. He always had a big wad of chew between his cheek
and gums. Best of all, though, was his very pronounced
Texas accent which sounded like it should have come from
anyone but him.

His name was Jake Chu. He was a Chinese cowboy and an
expert programmer who could code anyone under the table.

It took a while for my eyes and ears to adjust to the anomaly
that was Jake Chu. But until I got to know him he was just
a riddle to me which I couldn't wrap my head around.

However, unlike the other nerd programmers there who
ignored (and annoyed) me, Jake befriended (and befuddled)
me. Actually, he was more than just nice. He took me under
his wing and taught me to write code.

He loved coding. He loved it so much that he wanted me to
see its beauty. So he took the time to coach me making sure
I got all the fine points and nuances that go into making a
solid software program. It wasn't long before I was good at
coding myself. What was once something that I couldn't do
and detested, I was able to do and began to appreciate and enjoy.

Cowboy Chu had three rules on learning software programming:

1. Start from the beginning - No matter how good you are
(or think you are), start from the start and learn the basics
first and foremost. From there, build up on this solid foundation.

2. Don't overwhelm yourself - There's no better recipe for
failure than trying to do too much too soon right out of the
gate, especially if it's too difficult for you.

3. Take small steps on a big journey - You can accomplish
anything, big goals included, as long as you do a little at a
time and progress forward with a definite plan.

These lessons apply to fitness as much as they do to learning
to code software. If I could learn to do something I hated (and
felt like it hated me back), then you can get fit and strong.
You can even learn to love exercise (if you don't already), if
you follow Cowboy Chu's rules. There's no difference at all.

This is exactly how my brother Andy and I designed our
Gymnastic Abs http://www.eddiebaran.com/gymnastic_abs.html
Steps to success, starting from the beginning and getting
you to an incredible place. A place you never thought you'd
get to.

Wishing you the best,

Eddie Baran

P.S. Just as Chu loved coding, I love exercise. And I love
teaching it to others. You'll see what I mean when you go
here http://www.eddiebaran.com/gymnastic_abs.html

Posted by Eddie Baran at 03:08 PM | Permalink

Some years back, I volunteered each week on suicide and
crisis line. Once a week for four hours a night I'd answer
calls from all types of people in need.

We might get a woman calling who wanted to die to just
completely end her pain; she was looking to this phone
call as a last resort, for someone to tell her why she
shouldn't kill herself.

Or we'd get the man who wasn't suicidal but was in severe
crisis, nonetheless; he'd feel as if his life were falling apart -
wife was leaving him and taking the kids all at the same
time he just lost his job. He'd need to talk to us to get his
emotions out and in order, and to get temporarily balanced.

And then there were the many who were just lonely and
wanted to talk to anyone who would listen and be there.

With all callers, we'd listen without judgement, lift some of
that pain off their shoulders, lighten the load, give them some
light, even if it were temporary.

We weren't a substitute for therapy but we used some of the
tools. We'd ask them tough questions to get to the core of
the problem. Some of the times the caller wouldn't even know
what was causing her turmoil. We went by saying "you gotta
feel it to heal it."

If you're not feeling what's really bothering you, you'll never
get better. All that repressed emotion buried deep in you.
To get better you've got to get to the root of the problem.
You'd have to talk about these painful things. If you were
stuffing then you weren't feeling. And if you're not feeling,
you're making things much worse and setting yourself up
for a world of hurt.

It was critical that you confront your fears and problems;
Don't ignore your areas of need. It might hurt but in the
long run you'll feel much better.

On the phones, we'd have to make the callers feel things
they might have never felt before. It wasn't easy for them
but it was the only way to get the healing process moving
along.

So how does this relate to exercise, you're wondering.

Well, as most of you know me by now, EVERYTHING relates
to exercise because everything relates to your body. The
rules of the mind are also rules of the body: You gotta feel
it to heal it.

You've got to feel your muscles working.
You've got to feel your body moving.
You've got to feel exactly what your body's doing in the NOW.
You've got to feel on what you want your body to do and be

Where does the healing part come in?

By exercising the muscles and feeling how they're supposed
to be, you heal them.

"Heal them?" you ask.

Yes.

Most people have sick bodies, weak and out of shape. Ignoring
your body and muscles is like ignoring your feelings. Most
people have neglected physical activity like some neglect
emotions, burying them only to become completely dysfunctional.
It's like having a dysfunctional body. A body that has repressed
muscles like the mind has repressed emotions.

Just a little bit at a time, start feeling your muscles, then healing
your body. Eventually you can handle more physically, like the
more you feel your emotions you can handle more psychologically.
Soon your body will be strong and bullet proof. But you gotta
start healing it now.

It might be strange and foreign when you first start exercising,
but when you're in touch with your body - like when you're in
touch with your emotions - your health and happiness is assured.

Wishing you the best,

Eddie Baran

P.S. Talk about feeling and healing. My Gymnastic Abs
program http://www.eddiebaran.com/gymnastic_abs.html will
heal you of any bodily weakness. When you FEEL these exercises
not only will you HEAL your body, you will STEEL it, i.e. turn your
body into steel - strong, resilient, bullet proof, rock solid.

P.P.S. These gymnastic ab exercises feel great. You've got to
try them to feel.

Posted by Eddie Baran at 07:55 AM | Permalink

At the age of 45, Louise Achey found herself with an embarrassing
problem: Urinary incontinence, which is a fancy name for
accidentally wetting your pants.

In Louise's case there was no rhyme or reason for it, no fair
warning, and it'd always come at the most inopportune
times. She didn't even have a full bladder when she had a
"moment." It just happened. The only thing she could do was
wear adult diapers to prevent leakage.

But what about stopping this? You don't want to be wearing
diapers in the prime of your life.

Louise researched drugs and surgery. Neither was an option
because they were both ineffective.

Kegels? She tried that. Thousands of them, in fact, but that
was a dead end too.

Then she discovered a very simple routine that eliminated
her incontinence once and for all. It was simple to do and
took all of 3 minutes a day. In no time she had eliminated
her embarrassing problem. No more diapers, no more
embarrassment, no drugs or surgery, and no thousands of
kegel exercises a day.

I wasn't aware that millions of women have this problem so
this is very important. If you or anyone you know (wife, mother,
sister, friend) suffers from urinary incontinence, you need to
read Louise's story http://eddiebaran.com/eliminate_incontinence.html

and how only 3 minutes a day will give you a permanent
solution.

Wishing you the best,

Eddie Baran

P.S. Louise tells me that her 3-minute has also really helped
her husband and her in the bedroom. That's reason enough
to look into this http://eddiebaran.com/eliminate_incontinence.html

Posted by Eddie Baran at 03:18 PM | Permalink

Yesterday I, Easy E as they call me, spoke to you about easing
into exercise. I said it was important not to rush anything,
start where you are and don't overdo it. You don't want to
do too much too soon until you've accustomed your body
to exercise.

So what about eating right? Is it recommended to eat perfectly
right off the bat and drop all the bad stuff (that tastes so good)?
Are you supposed to swear off the bad stuff forever and
completely?

Here's the deal: In a perfect world, yes, the best thing you
can do for your body is to completely eat right, go cold
turkey. Your results will come very fast this way. No doubt
about that.

BUT... who can really do this right away? Not many. And if he
does, no doubt he will return back to the buffet and fall off the
wagon, probably for good.

When I trained my brother Andy to his remarkable results
- http://www.eddiebaran.com/gymnastic_abs.html - I had him
ease into the exercises AND into the eating. He didn't start
right out of the gate with a perfect plate of food. No, that
would have been too much for him to handle. He was used
to eating garbage so I had him start off slowly removing the
bad and adding lots of good, i.e. fruit and veggies. From
there he was able to eventually rid himself of the wrong and
eat the right.

This way it felt effortless and the results stuck.

If you're having trouble cutting down on those bad foods
that taste so good, or if you're feeling deprived, don't worry
about it. Have the crap. But realize this is only temporarily.
Wean yourself off of them at your comfort level. At the same
time, get into the habit of pounding the fruits and vegetables.
Eat lots of them. Soon the balance will tip from bad to good.

At a comfortable pace, wean yourself off the bad and increase
the good. This way you will eventually - and permanently - be
able to easily eat right.

So again, when you're starting your journey, you don't have
to be perfect. Do what you can do and don't feel guilty about
not eating great from the get-go. You'll get there in due time.

Wishing you the best,

Eddie Baran

P.S. Doing things the easy way is the only way to go. Easy E
says you should ease your way into exercise and eating. Do
it like a gymnast does at the start of his training: Gradual
and steady progressions = fast and permanent results.
Read about it here and find out what to eat and what not to
http://www.eddiebaran.com/gymnastic_abs.html

Posted by Eddie Baran at 12:40 PM | Permalink

11 years ago I got my first job in corporate America as a
web developer for a huge Japanese multinational company.
I was thrilled to have such an opportunity.

So thrilled, in fact, that I was set on learning Japanese. It
wasn't necessary but I figured it was a way to move up in
the ranks and impress the boss.

Every day for a couple hours I studied the language. I was
very motivated and diligent about it. I figured if I continued
at this pace I'd be fluent in no time.

This lasted for all of one week.

After that I just couldn't bear the thought of memorizing
another word of Japanese. I was completely burned out. I
swore off the language, never trying to learn it again until
I went to Japan a decade later. I had completely lost interest.

So what happened? If I was so motivated and disciplined at
the beginning and did put in the time, why did I give up?

The problem was that I had tried doing too much too soon.
I wasn't mentally prepared for this. Of course I'd get burned
out. Who wouldn't. I was force-feeding myself something I
hadn't yet developed a taste for, something that was foreign
to me. I was a beginner and couldn't handle the load.

If I had eased into learning Japanese I no doubt would be
fluent by now. But instead I'm back to square one. What I
should have done was start with 10-15 minutes a day and
worked up from there.

Then I would have been able to handle the load and learned
at a better pace instead of ramming it down my throat.
Something so new, so much and so fast was too much for
me too handle.

I see so many people start their exercise program the way
I tried to lean Japanese. He'll bust his hump at the beginning
for hours a day trying to make up for lost time. Or she'll start
off by jogging 10 miles a day, cramming years of exercise into
a week.

No doubt these people are gung-ho and motivated, and I
admire them for that, but they're not prepared to do so much
so fast so soon.

If you're new to exercise you need to start off slowly to acclimate
yourself. Don't do too much at first, just a few minutes a day
to ease yourself into it. This way your brain and body will adapt
and build a strong and stable foundation.

It's also the best way to get results fastest. Only when you're
more advanced can you then do a long, hardcore, intense workout.

But not when you're a beginner.

Start off easy and do a little bit, then increase gradually.
Your body will then learn to enjoy movement this way.

When my brother Andy and I developed our Gymnastic Abs
program http://www.eddiebaran.com/gymnastic_abs.html it was
specifically designed to take a beginner and progress them
through the exercises. By gradually increasing the level of
difficulty in a series of progressions, you are assured of
success. You'll build a rock-solid foundation and have a
trackable goal to work toward.

This is the same way a gymnast trains. No gymnast starts
at the top. He starts at the bottom and works his way up
through a series of small goals and progressions. Then
one day he finds himself moving his body in amazing ways.

Same goes for everyone else, no matter what the activity.
Start where you start and go up from there one step at a
time. Don't force it or rush it, or it won't happen.

Fitness is a lifetime journey. Build your foundation first by
doing it the proper way. The results will be fast and permanent.

Wishing you the best,

Eddie Baran

P.S. They don't call me Easy E for nothing. I'm an easy-going
guy who likes to ease myself into everything. I teach the
same to others, especially when it comes to exercise. The
fastest way to strength and conditioning is by easy progressions.
Start from the beginning doing easy and short workouts.
Graduate up the scale to more difficult and longer workouts.
Read how it's done here http://www.eddiebaran.com/gymnastic_abs.html

Posted by Eddie Baran at 12:22 PM | Permalink

As you all know, I've been away traveling for the past three
weeks. During this time I didn't workout as much as I would
have liked. In fact, I didn't train much at all. And I wasn't
eating to well either.

I could have worked out in my hotel room., and I could have
eaten well. But I didn't. No reason, really, for when I travel I
still eat and exercise right. But this trip I didn't. Even I have
my moments. I knew in the long run it wouldn't affect me
because I've made eating and exercising part of my life,
and this slight little change wasn't going to make a dent
in my overall health. It's so rare that I knew it wouldn't
matter much.

I guess you could say I fell off the wagon.

But I got right back on. It wasn't a big deal because being
idle and eating poorly are not the norm for me. It's perfectly
okay to fall off the wagon once in a while as long as you're
exercising and eating well most of the time.

A little slip amounts to nothing. It won't derail your progress
in the least.

So don't beat yourself up or think you're doomed because
you're not perfect. No one is. If you fall off, get back on and
continue the ride. Don't try to speed things up by starving
yourself or working out for 8 hours a day to make up for
lost time. This will throw you off the wagon faster than
anything.

Just stay the course, maybe even slow it down until you
can accelerate to a safe speed. This is what I'm doing at
the moment. My first workout back was a bit of a nancy one,
just an easy session to get back into it. You can't start up
the wagon at full speed.

But just make sure you do start it.

Wishing you the best,

Eddie Baran

P.S. Don't forget to eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Even
if you're not yet ready to cut down on the bad stuff, increase
your produce. You'll find that this in itself will do wonders
for your body. Eventually you'll replace the bad with the good.

P.P.S. To learn how to tie in the best exercise and eating ideas,
check out this http://www.eddiebaran.com/gymnastic_abs.html
and this http://www.eddiebaran.com/body_sculpting_women.html

Posted by Eddie Baran at 10:50 AM | Permalink