The festive season is undeniably the most wonderful (and delicious) time of the year. It’s also the busiest period for social engagements, with many of us reaching for our glad rags after months hiding away at the back of our closets. So dropping the pounds before Christmas can feel like it’s one for the too-hard basket.
But if you’re looking to get in shape to look your absolute best for party season, all hope is not lost. Here are four tips to help you get a leaner, toned bod. Prepare for compliments!
Did you know that, once we hit 30, our muscle mass can deteriorate as much as 3-8% per decade? And this is more evident if you’re the inactive sort. It might be why you’re finding it harder to lose weight or stay toned, the older you get.
Strength and resistance training will help but there is another way to reverse this process, with TruSculpt Flex. In fact, having a 45-minute TruSculpt Flex treatment is the equivalent of doing 54,000 crunches – without the tiring after-effects.
TruSculpt Flex is a muscle-sculpting device that uses Bio-Electrical Muscle Stimulation (BEMS) to send electrical impulses to muscle nerves. What this stimulation does is mimic the actions initiated by your nervous system which causes muscles to contract. The treatment stimulates up to eight muscle groups at the same time and at different intensities.
Not only does it strengthen muscles, it also increases range of motion and offsets the effects of muscle atrophy. This type of stimulation is often used in sports medicine for muscle rehabilitation after injury or simply to improve overall performance.
According to Dr Chua Cheng Yu from Veritas Medical Aesthetics, the TruSculpt Flex treatment is ideal for strengthening and toning abdominal muscles or developing a firmer abdomen. It is also recommended for strengthening, toning and firming the buttocks and thighs.
So how does it work? “When you do traditional strength training, your brain sends signals to your nervous system and motor neurons to contract skeletal muscle,” says Dr Chua. “However, through this treatment, the handpieces placed on your body use an electrical signal to contract skeletal muscles and engage the entire muscle group – without getting your brain involved. As a result, a repair process known as hypertrophy is triggered and releases hormones such as testosterone to active cell recovery, repair muscle fibres and form new blood capillaries.”
There are three modes pre-programmed into the TruSculpt Flex treatment, says Veritas Medical Aesthetics’ Dr Lena Fan:
- Prep – creates a twisting motion to warm up, stretch the muscles and build up tolerance to incoming muscle contractions
- Tone – contracts muscle, holds them up to the point of exhaustion and then relaxes them to increase muscle strength and enhance muscular endurance
- Sculpt – deep sequential contractions of muscle are engaged to build muscle mass and increase metabolic rate
How quickly you react to the TruSculpt Flex treatment will depend on factors such as your age, diet, genetics and current fitness level. For optimal results, do two treatments a week over a course of six to 12 weeks. You might not make your Christmas goal but you can certainly start your weight loss journey before then and be in better shape in time for the Chinese New Year festivities a few weeks later!
“The treatment is suitable for anyone except patients with a cardiac pacemaker, myocardial arrhythmia, swollen/inflamed skin or cancer,” adds Dr Fan. “It’s also not suited for patients with any metal implants, skin abnormality, history of seizure disorder or epilepsy and patients who have undergone cancer treatment three months prior. And it’s not recommended for pregnant women.”
Note that you might have muscle soreness after your treatments, which usually lasts 24 to 72 hours.
Dr Lena Fan gives the skinny on getting skinny.
To find out more about the Trusculpt Flex treatment, visit veritas.com.sg.
The best thing about having breakfast is that it kickstarts your metabolism and prepares you for a day of healthy eating instead of skipping meals or snacking unnecessarily. Have a toast with eggs the way you like them or tuck into a bowl of oats and berries.
Not a morning person? We hear you. You can still get the benefits of this important meal with some easy but healthy breakfast choices such as a bowl of wholegrain ready-to-eat cereal or a pack of Greek yoghurt. Or just pop into your nearest coffee shop for a steamed red bean pau or a bowl of fish porridge.
Who doesn’t love a few drinks with the girls to unwind after a busy week? While this might be good for your mental health (unloading your worries onto your friends will do you a lot of good), it might not be as beneficial for your waistline. Many alcoholic drinks such as beer and sweet white wine are filled with empty calories. And don’t even get us started on those oh-so-delicious but sinful sugary cocktails.
So the next time you’re out for a drink – or having a cheeky one at home – pick red wine as it’s heart-friendly, or a vodka and soda with fresh lime, which is low in both calories and sugar.
Having a good night’s sleep helps to balance out your hormones and ensure that they are not derailing your efforts to avoid weight gain. And if you’re going to bed really late, there’s a higher chance that you’re reaching for snacks when the late-night munchies hit you. Eating near your bedtime isn’t going to help your weight loss journey.
When you’re lacking in sleep, you’ll also feel more tired the following day, which means you probably won’t be as active as you should be to keep those extra pounds off. You should aim to get at least seven hours of sleep each night.
Brought to you by Veritas Medical Aesthetics