Our body is certainly our own, and society norms should not determine how we should look like. There’s nothing inherently wrong with any “body type” out there, as long as you are happy and healthy. Some of us, however, feel that we would feel more confident if they can achieve a more slender body and look great in certain clothes designs – and there’s nothing wrong with that either.
Striving to maintain a healthy diet as well as a regular exercise regime are great ways to keep your body in tip-top condition, and helps you lose weight too. However, you may find that there are “stubborn” parts of your body that slim down much slower than the rest of your figure. We share some tips on how to deal with common problem areas.
1. You’re not drinking enough water = chubby cheeks
Round cheeks can be cute, but some of us may be inspired by the V-face trend and want to get rid of them. While you may lose the roundness of your face with general exercise, round cheeks are often hard to completely get rid of.
Avoid: Not drinking enough water, and having too much salt in your diet. Salt attracts water, and causes water retention and bloating, which may then make your cheeks appear rounder. Getting an adequate water intake sounds contradictory, but it will actually help you become less bloated as it flushes out water-attracting salt. On top of this, it also prevents your body from retaining water because it is dehydrated.
Try: Chewing gum! (Yes, they are sold at pharmacies in Singapore.) The chewing motion could help you strengthen your jaw and “exercise” your cheeks so they look firmer. You’ll end up with a fresher breath, to boot.
2. You spend too much time at your desk = unflattering thighs
Some time ago, the “thigh gap” trend gripped social media. If your natural figure includes a “thigh gap”, that’s fine. If you don’t have one, you don’t really need to slim down your thighs to that extent! Thighs can actually be seen as good curves, so it’s really all about how you want to work with what you have.
Avoid: Being sedentary. If you feel too busy to exercise and are in a desk-bound job, then find opportunities to weave physical activities into your daily routine. For instance, you could consider walking up stairs instead of taking the escalators or the lift, walking or bicycling to your destination instead of driving, standing on public transport, or taking an evening stroll. These little changes in your life could potentially add up to a visible effect.
Try: Adding squats, lunges and climbs to your exercise routine, instead of simply running or doing weights. Be sure to find out the correct ways to do these exercises so that you can maximise their potential.
3. Wrong fashion choice = accentuated arms
Besides the waist, this is probably one of the most commonly cited problem areas that people can’t seem to slim down.
Even if you only pack muscles on your upper arm, a relaxed muscle is naturally soft so some jiggling is bound to happen. You can, however, still aim for a more slender arm so you don’t have to be so self-conscious when taking photos.
Avoid: Wearing cap sleeve tops. They aren’t really going to add fats to your arms, but they will certainly exaggerate how they look, as it ends right where the arms tend to be their biggest.
Try: Sleeved tops that end at a slimmer part of your arms. This is visually more flattering. Consider geometric patterns that are vertical; they can also create the illusion of slimmer looking arms.
4. Wearing heels = Stronger-looking calves
Quite often, large calves are actually due to well-built calf muscles from exercise, walking, running or even dancing, and these may not be a problem for most of us as we see it as a sign that we have put in effort and energy into our healthy lifestyles.
For those of us who do want to alter our exercise regimes so that it does not bulk up the calf muscles any more than necessary, however, here are some tips.
Avoid: Wearing heels. If you are seeking to reduce the size of large calf muscles, then wearing heels is a definite no-go. The posture of walking around on your toes will contract your calf muscle, defining it and exaggerating its size.
Try: Massages and stretching. If you find that you have to stand for long hours, working heavily on your calf muscles, remember to end your day with a good calf stretch or go for massages that help loosen out the muscles in that area.
Take the trial and error out of the equation
The above suggestions may only go so far to help you with your problem areas. If you really hope to see visible results, consider visiting a professional that specialises in targeted slimming services.
We have good news for you. Dorra, voted by Daily Vanity readers as one of their Top 10 Trusted Slimming Services in a survey, offers a targeted lower body slimming service to get rid of problem areas without the hassle.
They utilise formulas imported from France and exclusive fat burning technologies that specifically targets triglycerides, or commonly known as fats, in order to tighten and tone flabby areas, and reduce the appearance of cellulite and stretch marks.
Your first treatment will be 90 minutes, beginning with a personal consultation including a body-fat analysis, then moving on to a treatment that is tailored exactly to your needs and concerns. Dorra promises visible results within one session – as much as 5cm loss after that first treatment!
They pride themselves on being able to deliver results fast, so you don’t have to take too much precious time out of your schedule to achieve the results you want. Subsequent treatments will only take 20-40 minutes of your time per session. They don’t sell or use pills, injections, or crash diets in their treatments, so you can rest assured that your experience with them will be as effortless as possible.
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This article is brought to you by Dorra Slimming.
