05 Jul 2007, ST, Urban
Urban lets you in on zero- effort tricks to look thinner, trimmer and firmer in a snap - treadmill not required
You've procrastinated starting that new fitness routine. You've even cheated on your diet. Well girlfriend, we're not going to berate you or beat you into submission. That's your gym instructor's job.
But we're going to help you cheat at looking skinny and feeling firmer and tighter, without breaking a sweat. Really. It's all about good posture and positioning, clever handiwork and the right beauty aids to buff and polish bodies back into shape.
Call it our 4-step Lazy Girl's no-sweat, pain-free guide to get skinny, pronto. Because the only time you should kick off your Christian Louboutins and run a race is when there's a Prada sale at the end of the line. Enjoy.
1. Better posture makes you look thinner
When you slouch, it makes your gut hang out. Just straightening up and standing tall makes you look leaner and taller instantly. There are long term benefits too, as Wendy Lim, senior physiotherapist from the Sports Medicine Centre at Alexandra Hospital, explains: 'It activates the core muscles - deep in the abdomen, the upper back and the pelvic floor. When you work your muscles in the correct manner, you end up burning fat efficiently.'
How you sit also makes a difference. And since most of us spend most of our time at the desks, this is one thing you need to correct right now.
The right position is to sit with both feet on the floor, with just a natural slight curve at the small of the back, squeezing the glutes and slightly tightening your tummy muscles. 'This not only creates a leaner look, but, again, helps you exercise your muscles properly, and burn fat,' says Ms Lim.
Tip: Stick a Post-It note on the top right of your computer to remind yourself to sit up straight always.
2. Lounging your way to lean
Basking by the pool is the fastest way to strip a woman of her confidence. Take heart: A black one-piece tank, cut high on the thigh, is a universal slimming style.
But there are other ways to cheat at looking slimmer, even while lying down. Take cues from the pros.
Freelance fashion stylist Martin Wong advises: 'When lounging, lie back and stretch your legs as much as they will go. This elongates them. Also bend the knees slightly, so your thighs don't spread.'
He adds that to instantly shrink the tum, stretch and raise your arms high over your head when reclined.
Another trick to hide a belly when sitting down on your deck chair, freelance fashion stylist Steven Kong advises, 'is to prop your knees in front of you and drape your arm over them.'
Save your yoga sit in poses for class - 'it's a terrible angle because all the compression only shows off your cellulite.'
3. Massage to debloat
It's our favourite way to cheat. Even better since you can catch some shut-eye at the same time. Every spa or beauty salon will offer its own body tightening, lifting, contouring solutions, but the Pro Body Redefining Treatment ($128 for 60 minutes) at the Clarins Institute (05-05/06/07 Wheelock Place, tel: 6838-5060) never fails to help us shed excess water baggage and tighten us up quickly to fit into an event outfit. Some of the beauty editors in town also swear by it to shift post-maternity bulge.
It's a combination of massage work and exercise - merely a couple of leg lifts and contractions, nothing overly strenuous - that you do still lying on your back.
According to Clarins' beauty therapist Sylvia Lim, the massage and contractions help to break down the stubborn fat deposits that lie between your skin and muscles.
Other massage movements also boost lymphatic drainage to rid trapped lymph fluids and toxins in the body - a result of high salt intake, medication or poor circulation, especially if you're sedentary - that can cause tummy bloat and heavy thighs.
What's used in the treatment is a combination of products that include the brand's signature products like Anti-Eau oil to get rid of water retention and improve circulation, Total Body Lift cream to reduce sponginess, firm and tone skin and Body Shaping Cream to break down stubborn fats.
4. Get tanned to get skinny
It's an art class basic. Light emphasises, shadows recede.
'It's like wearing a darker outfit,' says celeb make-up guru Andy Lee. 'A tan can make you look slimmer.'
But before you run out and bare your butt, think fake bake. And with today's easy-to-use and more natural looking bronzers and self-tanners, there's no need to lie out in the sun and expose yourself to unnecessary skin damage.
Even better, with skilful shading, you can 'shave' pounds off a puffy face, give yourself cheekbones and even ab definition. Make-up artist Lynette Leong shares tips:
To slim down a broad face: Use a bronzing powder - it's less streaky than a cream product and much easier for a novice to pull off - on your jawline along the chin, blending it into the neckline. Go two shades darker than your normal skin tone.
To create cheekbones: Suck in cheeks and apply bronzing powder where the cheek hollows are, using an upward stroke towards the hairline hollow. Finish off with a light dusting of bronzing powder around the temple, blending it seamlessly.
For greater ab definition: Use a cream or mousse product instead of a powder.
'It's more efficient since you're working with a bigger surface area and it gives a more natural finish too.
'Feel where the muscles pop out, then use your little finger to apply tanner or bronzing cream over the contour of the muscle. This will define it. Work fast so you don't end up with streaks,' says Leong.
Urban lets you in on zero- effort tricks to look thinner, trimmer and firmer in a snap - treadmill not required
You've procrastinated starting that new fitness routine. You've even cheated on your diet. Well girlfriend, we're not going to berate you or beat you into submission. That's your gym instructor's job.
But we're going to help you cheat at looking skinny and feeling firmer and tighter, without breaking a sweat. Really. It's all about good posture and positioning, clever handiwork and the right beauty aids to buff and polish bodies back into shape.
Call it our 4-step Lazy Girl's no-sweat, pain-free guide to get skinny, pronto. Because the only time you should kick off your Christian Louboutins and run a race is when there's a Prada sale at the end of the line. Enjoy.
1. Better posture makes you look thinner
When you slouch, it makes your gut hang out. Just straightening up and standing tall makes you look leaner and taller instantly. There are long term benefits too, as Wendy Lim, senior physiotherapist from the Sports Medicine Centre at Alexandra Hospital, explains: 'It activates the core muscles - deep in the abdomen, the upper back and the pelvic floor. When you work your muscles in the correct manner, you end up burning fat efficiently.'
How you sit also makes a difference. And since most of us spend most of our time at the desks, this is one thing you need to correct right now.
The right position is to sit with both feet on the floor, with just a natural slight curve at the small of the back, squeezing the glutes and slightly tightening your tummy muscles. 'This not only creates a leaner look, but, again, helps you exercise your muscles properly, and burn fat,' says Ms Lim.
Tip: Stick a Post-It note on the top right of your computer to remind yourself to sit up straight always.
2. Lounging your way to lean
Basking by the pool is the fastest way to strip a woman of her confidence. Take heart: A black one-piece tank, cut high on the thigh, is a universal slimming style.
But there are other ways to cheat at looking slimmer, even while lying down. Take cues from the pros.
Freelance fashion stylist Martin Wong advises: 'When lounging, lie back and stretch your legs as much as they will go. This elongates them. Also bend the knees slightly, so your thighs don't spread.'
He adds that to instantly shrink the tum, stretch and raise your arms high over your head when reclined.
Another trick to hide a belly when sitting down on your deck chair, freelance fashion stylist Steven Kong advises, 'is to prop your knees in front of you and drape your arm over them.'
Save your yoga sit in poses for class - 'it's a terrible angle because all the compression only shows off your cellulite.'
3. Massage to debloat
It's our favourite way to cheat. Even better since you can catch some shut-eye at the same time. Every spa or beauty salon will offer its own body tightening, lifting, contouring solutions, but the Pro Body Redefining Treatment ($128 for 60 minutes) at the Clarins Institute (05-05/06/07 Wheelock Place, tel: 6838-5060) never fails to help us shed excess water baggage and tighten us up quickly to fit into an event outfit. Some of the beauty editors in town also swear by it to shift post-maternity bulge.
It's a combination of massage work and exercise - merely a couple of leg lifts and contractions, nothing overly strenuous - that you do still lying on your back.
According to Clarins' beauty therapist Sylvia Lim, the massage and contractions help to break down the stubborn fat deposits that lie between your skin and muscles.
Other massage movements also boost lymphatic drainage to rid trapped lymph fluids and toxins in the body - a result of high salt intake, medication or poor circulation, especially if you're sedentary - that can cause tummy bloat and heavy thighs.
What's used in the treatment is a combination of products that include the brand's signature products like Anti-Eau oil to get rid of water retention and improve circulation, Total Body Lift cream to reduce sponginess, firm and tone skin and Body Shaping Cream to break down stubborn fats.
4. Get tanned to get skinny
It's an art class basic. Light emphasises, shadows recede.
'It's like wearing a darker outfit,' says celeb make-up guru Andy Lee. 'A tan can make you look slimmer.'
But before you run out and bare your butt, think fake bake. And with today's easy-to-use and more natural looking bronzers and self-tanners, there's no need to lie out in the sun and expose yourself to unnecessary skin damage.
Even better, with skilful shading, you can 'shave' pounds off a puffy face, give yourself cheekbones and even ab definition. Make-up artist Lynette Leong shares tips:
To slim down a broad face: Use a bronzing powder - it's less streaky than a cream product and much easier for a novice to pull off - on your jawline along the chin, blending it into the neckline. Go two shades darker than your normal skin tone.
To create cheekbones: Suck in cheeks and apply bronzing powder where the cheek hollows are, using an upward stroke towards the hairline hollow. Finish off with a light dusting of bronzing powder around the temple, blending it seamlessly.
For greater ab definition: Use a cream or mousse product instead of a powder.
'It's more efficient since you're working with a bigger surface area and it gives a more natural finish too.
'Feel where the muscles pop out, then use your little finger to apply tanner or bronzing cream over the contour of the muscle. This will define it. Work fast so you don't end up with streaks,' says Leong.
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