Due to the horrible COVID – 19, this 3 months’ lockdown hasn’t been kind to our bodies. During this lockdown the increase of stress, no access to the gym, increased consumption of food and mainly comfort food have been giving us a few extra pounds that we are not happy about. Now that the lockdown is over it Is time to lose weight, detox our body, get back into shape and get bikini – ready for the summer ahead.
Our Physiotherapist is also personal trainer and Pilates instructor and can help you lose weight and that little tummy that you want to see disappear.
What shall I do to lose weight fast and safely?
The best way to start is to be assessed by our physiotherapist and personal trainer because if you want fast results, you need to target the correct muscles, do the right exercises that suit you personally, and not just follow a YouTube amateur who is giving you one size fits all exercises. Because we are all different, targeting the right muscles of the body is a must. In order to start in the best way possible, using a specific test, our physiotherapist and personal trainer will make a full assessment of your body in order to find out which muscle is weak, which part of your body needs the most attention. She will discuss your goal with you because some people prefer a flat tummy, some prefer a round behind and some just want a generally toned shape. She will also take in consideration whether you have any condition or if you have recently been pregnant for example, in order to give you the best results without triggering any pain or damaging your body after your pregnancy ( remember to start with your pelvic floor rehabilitation and a postnatal assessment first if this is the case).
Read about pelvic floor rehabilitation HERE.
Start with the correct diet. (Advice from our dietician friend)
One of the most efficient diets to lose weight is alternative fasting. It is not the easiest for everyone but it works great.
How does Alternative fasting work?
It is easy to understand, you can eat what you want 8h a day and the remaining 16 hours you don’t eat anything, not even a snack. During this 16 hours’ fasting, the goal is to prevent triggering your insulin secretion, but meanwhile you can drink water, tea (no sugar and no milk), black coffee ( which help reducing the sensation of hunger). During the 8h period you can have a reasonable meal.
So for those who prefer breakfast: Eat your breakfast favouriting fibre food (to reduce sensation of hunger) and proteins (eggs are the best, just forget the bacon J ) at 8 am for example and have you lunch at 2pm, preferably protein ( shrimps, red meat, chicken, eggs) and greens (salad, fruits, etc.) and after 4pm no more food, snakes or else until 8 am next day. If you are more of a lunch or a dinner person, do the same but don’t eat before 12 and don’t eat after 8pm. You will have the same fast results.
Cut the sugar and carbs.
The 2 worst foods for you are sugar and carbs. So learn to live without them. I have done it, it is super easy once you get the habit. Drink sparkling water instead of coke, drink milk if you wish (slow release protein), drink tea or coffee (black). Eat greens instead of pasta or rice, there are so many nice vegetables and salads that you can have during summer and with the weather being warmer you feel less the need to eat carbs. Now is a good time to start cutting those nasty carbs that change into fat as a reserve for your body in case of famine (prehistoric reflex of your body, unnecessary nowadays when we have easy access to food).
My Plus tip to speed up your diet: Salad, Salad, Salad. I eat salad twice a day – at lunch and dinner. This doesn’t mean that I eat a little green salad with every meal. No, I am having a massive salad with as many raw vegetables in it as I want (baby corn, carrots, etc.) In this way the duration of digestion is increased and I don’t feel hunger before the next meal. I add good fat veggies (avocado is my friend) and protein (shrimps, eggs, cheese, scallops).
Having a big salad doesn’t make me feel that I am on diet as I add all the food that I love.
Don’t forget – for every successful diet a CHEAT DAY is necessary. Don’t get in a very strict diet, it will be too hard mentally and you will start craving sugar and start snacking. SO save one day or one meal per the week where you just eat what you want.
My personal trick: Each time I eat at home or at work I am strict with my diet and when I go to a restaurant with friends, I eat just what I like. So I don’t suffer mentally or socially and can keep my diet on a longer period (no one likes to order a salad when your friends eat a steak!).
Combine all the above and you extra weight will melt like butter in the sun.
But for this to work, you need to…. EXERCISE THE right muscles to get the result you want.
Exercise with our physiotherapist and personal trainer.
As physiotherapists, we know tricks that others don’t.
Do you want to lose your belly fat fast?
Work on your abdominal transverse muscle. This muscle is the one covering your tummy from right to left and when contracted make your tummy slim. This is the one you use when you want to suck your tummy in. So working on it with the correct exercises and correct breathing will tone this muscle and it will make your tummy flat without you having to think about it. Your physiotherapist will teach you some specific exercises, or use specific technique like hypopressive gymnastics or some specific Pilates technique to automatize this contraction and your belly will be flat in no time.
Another unknown trick to have a flat belly in a matter of seconds is to work on your posture with our physiotherapist.
If you try to look at yourself in the mirror sideways while standing normally, you will see your little belly coming out. Now do the same, but stretch your spine as if someone has pulled a string at the top of your head. Then tilt your hips forward by squeezing your bum. Magically your little belly is now flat.
Our physiotherapist and personal trainer will give you specific exercises to work on your posture and allow you to walk with the good posture while having a lovely flat belly. Repeating this exercise at home and during the sessions will make this posture automatic for you and your shape will change for the better.
Did you know that when you see models training by walking with a book balanced on their heads, it is to automatize this posture and have their belly awesomely flat?
Shape your bum with 3 simple exercises
The 3 best exercise to shape your bum are:
Squats: Put your feet parallel to your hips, hold some weights in your hands and flex your knees to 90° ( not more than 90° to not damage your knees), keeping your back and hips straight (to not damage your back) and stand again. Go slow to control the movement properly but contract your bum at all time and suck in your belly. These are the details that count. Doing lot of squats the wrong way will not help and might bring you knee pain and back pain. Our Physiotherapist will show you the correct way to be safe and efficient.
Leg raise: Get on hands and knees with your back flat and head straight (looking at the ground so you don’t pull your neck), put some weight on your ankles and raise your leg backward. Stay still for 10 seconds and bring back your knee to the floor. Do the same with the other leg and repeat.
Our Physio’s tip: you want to work your abs at the same time? Don’t bring your knee on the floor but try to bring it as close to your chest as possible while sucking your tummy in before bringing it back to the floor. This will trigger your abs at the same time. It’s a win-win situation!
Stepping: Go up the stairs with some ankle weight or use a stepper for about 50 steps to 100 steps a day a and your bum will be rock solid.
Lymphatic drainage, to have slim legs and detox your whole body from all the toxins accumulated during exercising?
Have a 30 min Lymphatic drainage with our physio at the end of your exercise session. Lymphatic drainage is a soft circulatory massage draining the toxins and excess of water in your legs making them slimmer and ready to exercise for your next session. Lymphatic drainage is the best circulatory massage to recover from exercises and lose cellulite.
Get an Exercises Program targeting the area you want to shape for the beach with our physiotherapist:
If you wish to target a different area of your body, discuss this with our physiotherapist. She will give your targeted exercises, tips and tricks to achieve your goal in the most efficient manner, along with some exercises to do at home.
Our physiotherapist is also a Pilates instructor!
To consolidate all the great exercises that you have done with our physiotherapist and to get beach-ready, add a couple of Pilates sessions in order to tone your general body and keep the benefits of your hard work in the long run.
Personal training and physio at home.
Our Physiotherapist and personal trainer offer personal training in the comfort of your home or in the park. She can arrange the time and day that’s most convenient for your home visit.
Personal training and physio in our practice in Moorgate, Clapham and Belgravia
Our Physiotherapist Osteopath and personal trainer can see you at one of our 3 convenient locations in South London (Clapham near Clapham south station) , East London (Moorgate, near Liverpool street and Moorgate station) and West London (Belgravia near Victoria station)
If you wish to obtain more information or book an appointment with our physiotherapist and personal trainer call 02071250262.
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