5 ways to reduce fat and build muscle without hitting the gym

Lose Weight By: Going Shopping

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It’s not often considered a physical activity, but did you know that an hour of window shopping burns up to 230 calories? In addition, just 30 minutes of trying on clothes can burn up to 100 calories too.

Walking is an easy and great way to keep the weight off, while improving your stamina and fitness level. And with the festive season coming up, there’s no better time to hit the stores. Go out and help our retail economy as you shop for your Christmas gifts and clock in steps to meet your daily 10,000 count at the same time.

Bonus: Lugging your gift haul will help you burn more calories and strengthen your muscles at the same time.

Lose Weight By: Being as Active as You Can

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“Being active on a daily basis goes a long way towards helping to keep the weight off,” says Dr Karen Soh, medical director of Privé Clinic. In fact, a 2005 Mayo Clinic study showed that leaner people tend to move around a lot, and that weight gain is often associated with lack of movement. So it’s important to keep moving and be active whenever you can.

And with most of us living in high-rise apartments, the easiest way would be to take the stairs instead of the lift when you get home. Climbing the stairs is good for your heart, lowering bad cholesterol levels, relieving tension and stress, and increasing muscle strength and power. You can also opt to take the MRT instead of a Grab car because you’ll be walking through the station during your commute, and walking a lot more to get to your destination.

So how long should we keep active? “Approximately 150 minutes of physical activity every week, according to Ministry of Health guidelines,” Dr Soh adds.

Lose Weight By: Freezing the Fat Away

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Thanks to the US FDA-approved Coolsculpting by Zeltiq treatment, you can literally freeze your fat away. It’s a non-surgical, non-invasive body contouring and fat reduction treatment developed by Harvard scientists to eliminate stubborn fat, and offers up to 20 per cent fat reduction from one session.

It works through cryolipolysis, which uses controlled temperatures to freeze and destroy fat cells. These crystallised fat cells are then flushed out and removed via your body’s natural waste functions over the following weeks and months.

The Coolsculpting machine delivers 360-degree cooling technology at an even lower temperature, which improves fat elimination and cuts the treatment time by nearly half. It also has several improved applicators for a better fit, and more efficient results. The CoolAdvantage range has a wider cooling area, which means that more fat can be targeted with one applicator.

It also includes a new CoolMini applicator that is ideal for targeting smaller, hard-to-reach areas, like under the jawline or at the bra and underarms.

“As your body will flush out the treated fat cells and continue to do so over the next two to three months after the fat freezing session, it is important to remain patient while the body eliminates the waste,” says Dr Soh. She also advises patients to “drink plenty of water to help your body flush out toxins and waste more effectively”.

While fat freezing is ideal for getting rid of fat deposits, Dr Soh warns that it is not a weight loss treatment. You should still complement the treatment with regular physical activity and a healthy diet.

Lose Weight By: Changing What You Eat

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Another common weight loss method is to change your eating habits. And it works. Load up on a rainbow of different coloured fruits and veggies. Add more wholegrains, meat and protein-rich foods (especially those containing calcium), fruits, vegetables and healthy oils, while going light on salt, limiting sugar intake, and having alcohol in moderation, says Dr Soh.

Losing Weight By: Toning Up (Without Breaking a Sweat)

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If washboard abs or a perkier booty is what you desire, this is the answer: a 30-minute Emsculpt session that stimulates muscle contractions, similar to doing 20,000 crunches or squats. The US FDA-approved non-invasive treatment uses High-Intensity Focused Electromagnetic (HIFEM) energy to induce powerful contractions that tone and build muscles, and burn unwanted fat. In fact, studies have shown that Emsculpt can remove up to 19 per cent of fat and increase muscle mass by 16 per cent in a single session.

Emsculpt has little to no downtime and is great for targeting a jelly belly, flabby thighs, bat wings and saggy buttocks. For best results, four sessions, done two to three days apart are recommended. To help the results last longer, Dr Soh recommends doing weights at home so that your muscles can be consistently engaged for maintenance. “If you don’t use it, you will lose it,” she says.

Just like Coolsculpting, Emsculpt isn’t a weight loss programme. “It is designed to help build new muscle fibres and tone existing ones for more defined and sculpted muscles,” says Dr Soh. Ideal Emsculpt candidates are those who are “in good shape but desire more definition of their abs or lifting of the buttocks”.

In addition, Coolsculpting and Emsculpt can be paired to help you achieve a trim and toned physique. The treatments can be done with a two-week break between each session. Dr Soh recommends doing Coolsculpting first, to eliminate fat cells from the body, followed by Emsculpt to tone and build muscle as the “body fat percentage needs to be low enough for muscle growth results to show”.

For more information on Coolsculpting and Emsculpt, contact Privé Customer Service at 9656-5380