Too many cupcakes and cocktails over the last few months and not enough
running has inspired me to talk about the tricks to dressing yourself
thin. A few fashion tricks can easily make you look five to ten pounds
smaller and you won't even have to wear Spanx 24-7.
Take a
good look at yourself. What are you needing/wanting to minimize? For
most of us, it's an unflattering tummy area. There is so much you can
do.
First, lock and load. Make sure your bra is holding your girls up
at the level they should be. Saggy breasts accent a bulging belly. Get
professionally fitted for a bra once a year. You'll be amazed at the
improvement. Once your chest is in check, go top shopping.
Choose tops that hit right at the top of your hips or lower. A short top is only going to bring unwanted attention.
Go
for tunics, but make sure they are not too billowy. The last thing you
need is to be accused of being pregnant! It's happened to me, while I
was buying an ice cream cone...it still pains me to think about. Go for
loose, but not overtaking.
If you are wearing a loose top, go for a
slimmer fit on bottoms.
Wear tops with a v-neck. By making your neckline longer, you look leaner. It also makes your face look thinner.
Bulky necklaces with your v-neck top help draw the eye upward and away from your pooch.
Pick
pieces that have ruching (where the material gathers or pleats) around
the waist, especially in dresses and one piece swimsuits.
If it's
your lower half that needs a little thin dressing, pick dark bootcut
denim. It's universally flattering and slims hips.
Avoid denim that is
lighter on the thighs. Not good.
And pick pants that have small back
pockets. It minimizes your butt.
Pencil skirts that hit right above the knee are great for slimming. If it's too short, it can make your thighs look chunky.
Wanna look taller? Try nude pumps. They instantly add inches to your legs.
Finally,
on those days when nothing is gonna make you feel or look skinny, and
you don't wanna wrestle into a pair of Spanx on, put on a loose maxi dress
and let it all hang loose.
Now pass me another cupcake, I mean carrot....
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Sudatonic Body Wrap Makes You Hot...Literally.
When Rebecca Johnston of Avarya Skin & Body Center offered me the
opportunity to try the Sudatonic Infrared body wrap, I was more than
happy to do it. It's touted by many celebrities as the way to drop
weight quickly and look fabulously refreshed before red carpet events.
Used for many years in Europe, the popularity of the wrap is growing in the United States. Basically, French creams that break down fat are applied all over your trouble areas, you are wrapped in plastic and then you lay inside a Sudatonic Infrared heated full body sized sauna pouch for about 35 minutes. The sauna pouch heats three times deeper than a conventional sauna. The body sweats intensely and breaks down fat cells. It also helps your body to detoxify dirt, oils and other toxins stored in your body.
So here is a rundown of my experience.
Prior to my appointment, I was encouraged to drink plenty of water and eat a healthy meal. The system gets your body to sweat as much as if you ran six miles, so hydration is extremely important. You can't eat for four hours after the treatment so make sure you have some food in you, or else you'll be grumpy and ravenous.
Upon arrival, I had to stand on a machine called a Vibratrim, which shakes and vibrates the body, loosening up the stuff you want to leave. It definitely made me aware of all of my jiggly parts.
Then, I headed into the treatment room, which was a very relaxing spa room with Sudatonic pouch on a comfy massage table. After stripping down to my underwear, I was weighed and my BMI was measured. Then, Jill, the administrator of the treatment, had me lay on the table and she rubbed the first cream on me. She described it as a second skin that made it harder for your own skin to sweat, thus, you end up sweating more. Next, she put on a menthol scented cream that mobilizes fat. Then, she wrapped my thighs, arms and midsection tightly in plastic.
Yes, there was quite a bit of giggling on my part throughout this process. Having a woman you just met wrap you in plastic is ridiculously funny. You've got to have a sense of humor in these situations otherwise it's just plain awkward.
It was time for the pouch, which was a like a big hot sleeping bag. Your arms are wrapped separately in their own little pouches. Before the actual timing of the treatment can begin, your face has to sweat. It shows that your body has reached the proper heat point. On average Jill told me it takes about 15 minutes. So there I lay, waiting. It's actually quite relaxing as your body warms, but after about 10 minutes, I felt like I was trapped in an oven.
When my face finally showed signs of sweat, Jill put on a frozen neck wrap and a cool towel on my forehead. This is key. With a cool head, I could stand the extreme heat my body was experiencing. For 35 minutes I baked in that little oven. Jill checked on me every ten minutes to make sure I could take it. She warned me that the last few minutes were going to be rough. She was right. It's when your body is the hottest and sweating and burning the most fat. I wanted to quit. I was starting to feel slightly miserable. And you can stop at this point. They will gladly let you out of it. But I decided, I'd come this far so I could endure three more minutes.
When the time was up, I felt great relief as she unwrapped me from that fiery cocoon. I was in a huge puddle of sweat and my skin felt soft and luxurious.
I dried off and Jill rubbed some more French cream on me. This one helped your body to continue to burn off fat. Luckily, it smells nice and covers up the undeniable scent of sweat.
Then the moment of truth. The weigh in. I felt like I'd lost several pounds judging from all of that sweat on the table. The scale said I lost about a pound and a half. Not bad for 35 minutes. I had to retreat back to the Vibratrim for ten more minutes to send the loosened up fat to my lymph nodes so that my body could extract it more easily. Your body will continue to burn fat and detox long after the treatment. Keep drinking water to keep things moving.
I felt refreshed and relaxed.
But be warned, you need to go straight home after this treatment because despite how great you feel, you look a hot mess. By the next morning, I was down two pounds. It's recommended that you do several treatments, most clients do ten, to get the full benefit and weight loss. I recommend this treatment as a great way to jump start weight loss or to lose those last few pesky pounds that you just can't seem to shake. For me, it was easy, had no adverse side effects and it did what it said it would.
The Skinny:
Each Sudatonic Infrared Treatment takes about two hours start to finish.
Cost is $125 per treatment, $660 for six treatments or $999 for ten treatments at Avarya Skin and Body Center, 110 1/2 N. Tejon St. During the month of April you can save 20%.
For more information, visit avarya.com or call 719-635-9600.
Used for many years in Europe, the popularity of the wrap is growing in the United States. Basically, French creams that break down fat are applied all over your trouble areas, you are wrapped in plastic and then you lay inside a Sudatonic Infrared heated full body sized sauna pouch for about 35 minutes. The sauna pouch heats three times deeper than a conventional sauna. The body sweats intensely and breaks down fat cells. It also helps your body to detoxify dirt, oils and other toxins stored in your body.
So here is a rundown of my experience.
Prior to my appointment, I was encouraged to drink plenty of water and eat a healthy meal. The system gets your body to sweat as much as if you ran six miles, so hydration is extremely important. You can't eat for four hours after the treatment so make sure you have some food in you, or else you'll be grumpy and ravenous.
Upon arrival, I had to stand on a machine called a Vibratrim, which shakes and vibrates the body, loosening up the stuff you want to leave. It definitely made me aware of all of my jiggly parts.
Then, I headed into the treatment room, which was a very relaxing spa room with Sudatonic pouch on a comfy massage table. After stripping down to my underwear, I was weighed and my BMI was measured. Then, Jill, the administrator of the treatment, had me lay on the table and she rubbed the first cream on me. She described it as a second skin that made it harder for your own skin to sweat, thus, you end up sweating more. Next, she put on a menthol scented cream that mobilizes fat. Then, she wrapped my thighs, arms and midsection tightly in plastic.
Yes, there was quite a bit of giggling on my part throughout this process. Having a woman you just met wrap you in plastic is ridiculously funny. You've got to have a sense of humor in these situations otherwise it's just plain awkward.
It was time for the pouch, which was a like a big hot sleeping bag. Your arms are wrapped separately in their own little pouches. Before the actual timing of the treatment can begin, your face has to sweat. It shows that your body has reached the proper heat point. On average Jill told me it takes about 15 minutes. So there I lay, waiting. It's actually quite relaxing as your body warms, but after about 10 minutes, I felt like I was trapped in an oven.
When my face finally showed signs of sweat, Jill put on a frozen neck wrap and a cool towel on my forehead. This is key. With a cool head, I could stand the extreme heat my body was experiencing. For 35 minutes I baked in that little oven. Jill checked on me every ten minutes to make sure I could take it. She warned me that the last few minutes were going to be rough. She was right. It's when your body is the hottest and sweating and burning the most fat. I wanted to quit. I was starting to feel slightly miserable. And you can stop at this point. They will gladly let you out of it. But I decided, I'd come this far so I could endure three more minutes.
When the time was up, I felt great relief as she unwrapped me from that fiery cocoon. I was in a huge puddle of sweat and my skin felt soft and luxurious.
I dried off and Jill rubbed some more French cream on me. This one helped your body to continue to burn off fat. Luckily, it smells nice and covers up the undeniable scent of sweat.
Then the moment of truth. The weigh in. I felt like I'd lost several pounds judging from all of that sweat on the table. The scale said I lost about a pound and a half. Not bad for 35 minutes. I had to retreat back to the Vibratrim for ten more minutes to send the loosened up fat to my lymph nodes so that my body could extract it more easily. Your body will continue to burn fat and detox long after the treatment. Keep drinking water to keep things moving.
I felt refreshed and relaxed.
But be warned, you need to go straight home after this treatment because despite how great you feel, you look a hot mess. By the next morning, I was down two pounds. It's recommended that you do several treatments, most clients do ten, to get the full benefit and weight loss. I recommend this treatment as a great way to jump start weight loss or to lose those last few pesky pounds that you just can't seem to shake. For me, it was easy, had no adverse side effects and it did what it said it would.
The Skinny:
Each Sudatonic Infrared Treatment takes about two hours start to finish.
Cost is $125 per treatment, $660 for six treatments or $999 for ten treatments at Avarya Skin and Body Center, 110 1/2 N. Tejon St. During the month of April you can save 20%.
For more information, visit avarya.com or call 719-635-9600.
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