7 Fitness Hacks for the Festive Season – by Dr. Puneet Nayak, CMD, Prettislim

In India, the months of October to December are generally packed with festivals, events and celebrations. And if there’s one thing the holiday season spells here, it is overindulgence. With friends and family getting together this time of the year, there’s bound to be an abundance of food, drink and merriment. Amidst all of this, one can often forgets their diet and fitness regime and health generally takes a backseat.

Many tend to put on the pounds during this time. It’s not necessary to have to choose between the celebrations and fitness. Wondering how to lose tummy fat this season or want ways to stay slim? Here are some tips from Dr. Puneet Nayak, CMD, Prettislim Clinics

1. Stay Active
Even if sugary treats have been avoided, it’s still important to keep moving. Holidays should be about relaxing, but it’s smart to make it a point to incorporate some movement into a daily routine, even if it’s just taking the stairs instead of the elevator.

2. Tracking Fitness
The many festivities and celebrations during this time take up a big chunk of one’s time, and an exercise routine often suffers on account of this. It’s important then to keep track of the calorie intake and set aside some time in the week to exercise accordingly.

3. Have Fun with Exercises
Even if the gym can’t be managed between all the functions that need attending, there are still ways to stay active. Try making exercise a family routine. One can go for short walks with relatives, or play a sport together.

4. Set a Limit – Mindful Eating in Small Portions
One might be confronted by all sorts of delicious foods and sweet treats. But it’s not necessary to avoid indulgence completely. Setting a limit to an intake is a great way to stay fit without sacrificing on all the perks of the season.

5. Go Easy on the Alcohol
It’s common knowledge that too much of anything is not good. While a drink or two can help unwind, have one too many and the body will protest. Aside from the headaches and dehydration, too much alcohol can also lead to unsightly weight gain.

6. Stay Hydrated
Hydration is essential for the body’s maintenance. Fruit juices can help with this, but the best bet is some warm water. One needs to drink a minimum of eight glasses per day. Aside from keeping one hydrated, this will also help in avoiding overeating.

7. Non Surgical U-Lipo Treatment
For ones with busy schedules, ultrasound lipolysis offers a safe non-surgical approach to targeted fat reduction. Looking for centres offering lipolysis treatment in Mumbai?Prettislim’s 4-In1 U-Lipo, A lipolysis service, allows one to lose up to 8 centimetres in a single sitting.

Follow these simple tips which will help you spend a mindful & an enjoyable Christmas & New Year. Most importantly – feel free to totally enjoy every mouthful of whatever you choose to eat. Just stay in control of what you eat this festive season & it will send a powerful message to your beautiful inner system that you can do it any time at all for all the Year ahead.

10 Celebrity Weight Loss Stories to Inspire You

If you’re on a diet plan to reduce weight, we applaud you. Making the decision to lose weight is not an easy one, and many a time, you may find yourself dejected, or unable to reach your goals. We know that the road to good health and being fit isn’t an easy one, but we’re here with a little bit of motivation, to keep you on track. Here are some of our favourite celebrity weight loss stories to get you all pumped up about your own fitness journey.

1. Kirron Kher

This India’s Got Talent judge dropped 30 kilos at the age of 60. A reminder that age is just a number, and so is weight. She said she didn’t owe her weight loss to a specialcelebrity diet and workout plan, but to simple home cooked meals and professional advice.

2. Anant Ambani

This young Ambani suffered from medication-induced obesity for years. He shocked us all when he lost a remarkable 108 kilos over 18 months. This just goes to show no goal is too big.

3. Parineeti Chopra

After her struggle with weight loss, Parineeti surprised us all, looking slim on the 2015 IIFA red carpet. She had discovered that her previous weight gain was due to an allergy to certain foods. If you struggle with weight loss in spite of following the right diet and workout regime, you should consider consulting a professional.

4. Adnan Sami

At 206 kilos, Adnan was at one point morbidly obese. He took professional help to correct his eating habits. Though he was too obese to exercise when he first started his new diet, he kept at it until he could begin exercising to speed up the process. He is now at 76 kilos, a normal, healthy weight.

5. Jennifer Hudson

We’ve seen this Oscar and Grammy winning actress looking extremely chubby. Remarkably, she underwent dramatic weight loss in 2010 and lost her baby weight as well. She worked out regularly and cut back on the calories with professional assistance. She slimmed down from a size 16 to a trim size 6.

6. Christian Bale

The famous Batman star lost a starling 63 pounds for an acting role. He took supplements under professional guidance to make sure he got his regular dose of vitamins. He continued to follow a balanced diet and exercise regimen to reach this weight.

7. Sonakshi Sinha

Sonakshi was once on the plump side. But after she was offered her first acting role opposite Salman Khan, she went on a mission to lose weight through intensive workouts and professional support. And it really worked – she looks like a million bucks.

8. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah’s weight has fluctuated frequently and drastically. This up and down is partially due to a thyroid condition and partly due to poor diet and minimal exercise. In the early 2000s she slimmed down to a fit 160 pounds and trumped her weight issues with professional guidance.

9. Kareena Kapoor Khan

Healthy eating habits, exercise, yoga and Professional support, helped Kareena slim down to her current ultra-fit physique. She has grabbed quite a few headlines with her weight loss and size zero figure.

10. Sonam Kapoor

A sedentary lifestyle was the cause of Sonam Kapoor’s weight gain. However, she knew what she had to do to get fit. She hired a personal trainer who devised a workout plan that helped her lose 30 pounds and look her current self. We see her looking stunning in Coldplay’s ‘Hymn for the Weekend’.

If you want to achieve your goals just like these celebs, and you’re looking for solutions for weight loss in Mumbai, Prettislim has something for you. Our non-surgical slimming treatments will help you lose weight the safe and easy way. So, walk into any of our slimming centres today, and get ready to reach your fitness goals! Professional advice will be of invaluable support to you in your journey towards reaching your ideal weight and perfect body.

Look Perfect This New Year

Every year, we decide to jot down a few resolutions to help transform our lives. From promising to be nicer, to setting a target weight, there are a number of resolutions we wish to keep every single year. If 2017 is the year you’re finally going to find out how to lose your belly fat, then here are a few tips to help you get a head start:

1. Drink More Water
If you already eat healthy, but you’re still struggling with trying to figure out how to lose tummy fat, then the answer could be insufficient water. Most of us lead sedentary lifestyles, and we forget that we need to drink anywhere between 2 to 4 litres of water every day. Water gives us a sense of feeling full, so we tend to snack less, and also hydrates our skin, helping us look younger.

2. Sleep Early
Many of us get to bed by around 9:30 p.m., but we end up browsing on our phones or tablets till past midnight before falling asleep. A good night’s rest is essential in helping us reach our weight loss goals. Avoid using your phone or watching TV for a couple of hours before getting into bed. These electronic devices are extremely stimulating, and generally interrupt a good night’s sleep.

3. Snack Healthy
When you’re trying to lose weight, it’s extremely unhealthy to skip meals, or cut down on one food group altogether. A new fad is the zero-calorie diet, which isn’t very helpful, because our bodies need fat, and healthy fats help us burn excess fat. To follow a healthy diet, you need to eat three meals and two snacks per day, or five small meals every day. For a healthy snack, you can have an apple with peanut butter; and for a healthy meal, swap out white rice for brown rice, and instead of cooking vegetables in oil, try steamed vegetables instead.

4. Exercise is a Must
As much as we’d love to lose weight just by eating healthy, it isn’t enough. Running and other forms or cardio in combination with weight training are important in helping us achieve the figure we desire. When you lift weights, the calories in your body are used, so they aren’t just stored as excess fat. The more weights your lift, the more calories you will burn as fuel, and you’ll be well on your way to achieving your target weight and body.

5. U-Lipo
If you work long hours, and find it difficult to cook healthy food, or buy a salad every day, then you may think liposuction on your stomach is the only option left. But that isn’t true. Our U-Lipo treatment is non-invasive, pain free, and completely safe, and will help break down fat cells in targeted areas on your body. It’s like getting a tummy tuck without surgery, and all you need to do is to step into one of our clinics for just an hour every week.

No matter what your reasons for losing weight, it’s important to do everything in moderation. Excessive exercise can damage your body, while skipping meals can send your body into starvation, and you’ll end up putting on weight instead of losing it. If you don’t have time, you can always book a U-Lipo appointment at any one of our centres across Mumbai, and you’ll be looking absolutely fabulous by the time 2017 rolls around.

3 Ways to Get Rid of Your Upper Back Fat: Tips by Dr. Puneet

With new fads like face-contouring and body-contouring, it’s quite obvious that a lot of emphasis is being laid on outward appearances in today’s world. Men and women alike are under constant pressure to always look slim and trim. And while some people find losing weight easy, others struggle, despite following strict diets and stringent exercise regimes. One particular issue that people seem to have with their bodies is upper back fat. While both men and women suffer from this problem, women have more of an issue with it, as back fat generally leads to what is known as the “bra bulge”.

 The Bra Bulge

The fatty deposits on the upper back area bulge out around women’s bras, making them self conscious when they wear fitted clothes, or strapless tops and dresses. Before you decide that you’re too fat, or too curvy, it’s a good idea to get your bra size checked. Studies show that 85% of women wear bras that aren’t right for their body or shape. A bra that is too tight, will push excess skin and fat out of the way, and cause some amount of bra bulge. If changing your bra doesn’t solve the problem, then there are a few other things you can do to get rid of the fatty tissues here. While regular exercise and a clean and healthy diet may help men and women lose weight overall, there are very limited things they can do to target the bulges on their back. This had led to several women opting for bra bulge liposuction to get rid of the unsightly bumps, but this process is invasive, and isn’t always safe.

 Losing the Back Fat

If you too are struggling to figure out how to lose upper back fat, then you’ve come to the right place. I’ve come up with a guide that will show you how to lose back fat for women and men. Here are my top 3 ways to get rid of those back bulges:

 1) Exercise: While you might already be hitting the gym every day and following an intensive workout routine, there are a few exercises in particular that can really help tone the fat on your back. If you’re ready to change your focus at the gym, then try these exercises to reduce back fat:

• Pull-Ups: Definitely one of the harder exercises, a pull-up engages and sculpts all the muscles on your back. For maximum results, you should grip the bar with your palms facing out, as this engages your lat muscle and back far more than the easier version of the pull-up, where your palms face inwards. If you’re a bit worried about managing a pull-up on your own, you can always use the assisted pull-up machine that should be available in your gym. While it looks a bit big and scary, it is actually quite useful, and can help you out until you master the exercise on your own.
• Rowing: The basic rowing movement perfectly targets your back muscles, making it a great exercise if your main focus is getting rid of your back fat. If your gym doesn’t have a rowing machine, or if you find it boring, you can always switch up the exercise and try a Dumbbell Row instead. This exercise only requires a light dumbbell and a bench or low table, so you can even do it at home. Place one knee on the bench, and bend forward until your back is flat. If your left knee is on the bench, then hold the dumbbell in your right hand, and contract your upper back muscles to pull the arm with the dumbbell back in a straight line. You should mimic a rowing motion, and your elbow should skim the side of your body each time. You can start with 10 repetitions on each side, and slowly increase them as you continue working out.
• Push-Ups: This basic chest exercise also engages your back muscles while you lower your body to the ground. For maximum impact on the back area, hold your position at the bottom for a minimum of 3 seconds before pushing yourself back up into the starting push-up position.
• Skipping: Although skipping with a jump rope feels like a lot of shoulder exercise, the fact is that it also helps tone your back. Skipping in general is a great exercise and a fabulous cardio workout, so it’s great if you incorporate skipping into your everyday routine.

 2) Yoga: Although not as intense as a gym workout, yoga is just as efficient in toning your muscles, and can even help you get rid of back fat. Poses like the side plank, the bow, and the locust work best for upper back fat.

Side Plank: Start in a downward dog position, and move your feet together so that your big toes are touching. Move your right hand to centre of the top of your mat. Roll onto your right side, so you are balancing on the outside edge of your flexed right foot, while extending your left arm straight up, towards the ceiling. Hold the pose for 5 breaths, before repeating the process on the left side.

Bow: Start by lying face down on your mat. Bend your knees, raise your legs upwards. One hand at a time, reach behind you to grab your ankles from the outside. When you have a good grip on both ankles, lift your thighs as high as you can, while also lifting your upper body off the mat. You should be resting not on your pubic bone, but on your navel. Hold this pose for five breaths before relaxing.

Locust: Lie face down on your mat, arms beside you, and your palms facing the ceiling. Breathe in, and lift your legs, upper body, and head off the mat. Support yourself with your hand, which should be placed firmly on the mat. Breathe out, and relax your shoulder muscles, trying to lengthen your spine by moving your head away from your feet. Stay in this pose for five breaths.

 3) Non Surgical Lipolysis: I understand that as a professional it might not always be easy to find the time to exercise regularly and follow a strict diet, or shell out money for a surgical procedure like liposuction. If you’re one of these people, you can opt for a Non Surgical Body Shaping & Body Contouring Programs. It offers you the best of both worlds. Cost-effective and hardly time consuming, a Non Surgical weight loss treatment could be your golden ticket to figuring out how to reduce back fat.

 At Prettislim, our revolutionary U-Lipo treatment will break down the adipose tissues in your upper back area, and will help you expel the bra bulge. Our treatment is safe, non-invasive and absolutely pain-free. What’s more, you can see the results from the first session itself, and if you follow the diet we prescribe for you, you’ll be rid of that back fat in no time!

 Whether you opt to exercise regularly, practice yoga, or come to Prettislim for a U-Lipo Upper Back Tuck, it’s important to remember that it might take a little time before you see the results you’re hoping for. Always remember that slow progress is better than no progress, and if you stick to your commitment, you’ll soon have the body you desire.

How to Firm Up Saggy Breasts

Are drooping breasts getting you down? Unfortunately for us, our bodies can’t stay young forever. Staying toned gets harder as the years pass, and there’s no stopping the natural ageing process of our bodies. Breastfeeding can also cause your chest to lose their youthful form. However, with the right care and attention we can slow this process down and help our bodies look younger for longer. If you’re wondering how to tighten sagging breasts, we’ve got a few tips for you.

Prevention is better than cure
With the proper care, you can delay the sagging of your breasts by at least a few years. Ensure your breasts are well supported at all times. Wear a snug sports bra while working out. If you have a larger bust, try to find one with a sturdy strap and an underwire. Make sure your everyday bras fit well too, and replace them once they begin to lose their elasticity.
If possible, try to avoid weight fluctuations and yo-yo dieting as this can cause your breasts to lose suppleness.

Get in some exercise
Incorporate exercises that target the muscles and connective tissue of the breasts into your workout regimen. Here are a couple you can try out, with the consultation of your physical trainer or a medical professional, of course.

• Chest Press – Lie on your back on the floor with dumbbells in your hands. Your hands should rest right above your chest. Then raise your arms straight upwards till they are fully outstretched. Hold this position for 10 counts and then lower your arms to the starting position. Repeat this 10 times.
• Arm Raise – Raise your arms above your head and touch your palms together. Then stretch your arms upwards as far as you can. Hold this position for 20 counts before slowly lowering your arms to your sides. Do this 15 times for one rep.

Eat Right
It’s also extremely important to eat right and ensure your body is getting the nutrients it needs to stay in form. Maintain a healthy balanced diet that provides you with your daily dose of protein, carbohydrates, essential fats, vitamins and minerals.

Breast lift without surgery
If exercise doesn’t really work for you, you may consider a boob lift or a mastopexy as your last resort, but it isn’t always safe. This procedure doesn’t alter the size of your boobs, but will surgically lift the breast tissue, skin and ligaments. If you’re wondering how to tighten breasts the safe way, Prettislim’s U-Lipo is the solution for you. It’s the smart non-surgical alternative to traditional breast lifts. It uses Vacuum Suction, Ultrasound Lipolysis, Power Vibra and NARF technology to gently and painlessly tone your body in just a few short sittings.

Whether you choose exercise and diet change or a non-surgical breast lift to firm up your bust, we hope you find the results and the confidence you’re looking for! Our range of treatments and constant support will help you lose unwanted fat without any harmful side effects.

Target those Love Handles with this 10 Minute Workout

Are you suddenly spilling out of your favourite jeans? Is that muffin top getting you down? Are you wondering just how to lose those love handles? You’re not alone. As our schedules grow increasingly more hectic, exercise often takes a backseat. However, it’s important to incorporate some amount of physical activity into your daily routine to stay fit and in shape.

High Intensity Interval Training or HIIT has been gaining a lot of traction of late, as a means to effectively lose weight without the long workout sessions. This training method consists of intense bursts of exercise alternated by short active recovery periods. This helps keep your heart rate up, allowing you to lose your love handles in shorter amount of time.

While there are a lot of exercises for love handle reduction, we’ve found the most effective and efficient HIIT muffin top treatment for you. All you’ll need for this routine is ten minutes!

1. Flutter kicks – 45 seconds
Lie on your back with your hands under your glutes. Raise your head and your feet about 3 inches off the ground. Now, while keeping your knees straight, move your legs up and down alternately as if you were taking small steps.

2. Jump rope skipping – 30 seconds
Keep your elbows to your side and your forearms stretched out sideways. Jump with your feet together and don’t forget to bend your knees. You can even try jumping jacks or jogging in place while skipping rope.

3.Cross body crunch – 45 seconds
Lie on your back with your hands behind your head and your knees bent. Lift your shoulders and upper torso off the floor and move your right elbow and your left knee together to meet above your midsection. Next move your left elbow and right knee together, and so on.

4. High knees – 30 seconds
Stand with your feet hips width apart. Now start stepping in place bringing your knees up to a 90 degree angle or higher.

5. Side plank hip lifts – 45 seconds each side
Start in a basic side plank position with your elbow and foot resting on the floor, and your body raised in a straight line. Now lower your hips to the floor and raise them again, coming back into the side plank position. Repeat this for 45 seconds on each side.

6. Jump squats – 30 seconds
Stand with feet shoulder width apart lower into a squat keeping your knees behind your toes. Now jump straight up with as much force as possible, pushing with your heels, and repeat.

7. Standing trunk twists – 45 seconds
Stand with feet shoulder width apart and your knees lax. Keep your legs and hips stable and slowly twist your torso from one side to the other.
8. Jump rope skipping – 30 seconds

9. Standing obliques – 45 seconds each side
Stand with your back straight and chin up. Keep your left arm overhead and left foot pointed out. Now bring your arm down and your leg up so your knee meets your elbow. Repeat on the right side.

10. High knees – 30 seconds

11. Lying leg raise – 45 seconds
Lie on the floor and place your hands under your glutes. Keeping your legs together, straight and outstretched, lift them perpendicular to the ground and hold this position for a second. Lower your legs and repeat.

12. Jump squats – 30 seconds
You can follow this routine with a 2 minute cat stretch to relax your muscles. If you’re still having trouble with getting rid of love handles, we have the solution for you. Our U-Lipo Tummy Tuck is a safe, painless and non-surgical alternative to love handle liposuction. To know more about our U-Lipo treatments, click here.

Reduce Tummy Fat with These Home Hacks

A toned tummy can be considered one of the hallmarks of a healthy body. However, getting rid of abdominal fat and that belly bulge can be difficult. Belly fat is not only unsightly; it also raises the chance of developing health issues like diabetes, blood pressure, and dementia at an early age. There are many causes of tummy fat, like a dip in physical activity, stress, unhealthy eating habits, menopause, a slow metabolic rate, improper digestion and genetics.

But do not despair. There are many ways to rid yourself of that belly fat, and with these home hacks, it can even be easy. A tummy tuck without surgery is easier than you think. Combinations of exercise and home remedies are geared toward giving you that perfectly toned tummy.

When it comes to reducing fat, eating can actually be really helpful. Here are a few foods that will help get rid of your belly fat – all without the hassle of a surgical tummy tuck!

Almonds Go a Long Way
Eat a few almonds every day. They make a good nibble and are loaded with magnesium, protein, fibre and vitamin E. They also have mono-unsaturated fats that aid in decreasing your body mass index.

Beans for the Belly
Beans have the right amount of protein and fibre. With a fat-free quality, beans are ideal for reducing fat. Try eating navy beans, kidney beans, white beans and lima beans for the best results.

Cool as a Cucumber
Squeeze a lemon over a cucumber and eat that as a snack. Cucumbers are rich in silicon and sulphur, which are instrumental in shedding weight. Cucumbers also minimise water weight, especially around your abdomen.

The Best for Breakfast
Eat breakfast cereals for a healthy start to the day. Rye, oats, buckwheat and grains are wholesome. For taste, you can add berries or honey to your cereal. Calcium intake in the mornings aids a flat tummy.

While changing your eating habits will definitely help, it’s also important to do some kind of physical activity. To target the weight around your belly, you can try these simple tummy tuck exercises.

Body Twist
This exercise will exercise not just your abdomen, but also your legs, hips and arms.

• Start by standing with your legs a little wider than shoulder width apart
• Keep your arms down by your side
• Let your right toe touch the ground as you twist your body towards the left
• Extend your left arm above your body as you turn
• Swing your left arm across your body
• Bend your left leg slightly, but keep your left toe on the ground
• Bend your right leg and twist your torso
• Bring your left hand down a few inches outside your right foot
• Repeat on the other side

Weighted Sit Ups

This version of sit ups will exercise your legs, shoulders, and of course your core.

• Lie on a mat
• Bend your knees and keep your feet on the ground
• Hold a 5 pound dumbbell in each hand
• Bend your arms so your hands are near your chest
• Now, lift your knees until they are directly above your hip
• Your feet should be vertical to the ground
• Without straining your neck, lift your torso off the ground
• Extend your right arm to the outside of your left knee
• Lower your torso back to the ground
• Repeat, twisting to the other side

The Plank

One of the most well-known abdominal exercises, the plank will help you get rid of any excess fat around your belly.

• Get down on your elbows and knees on a mat
• Slowly straighten your legs
• Your legs should be hip-distance apart
• Your weight should now be on your elbows and the balls of your feet
• Ensure your back is not arched and your body is parallel to the floor
• Hold the position for 45 seconds

As you continue to do the plank, you can increase the time from 45 seconds to a minute, and even longer. Repeating all the above exercise patterns will help you tone your body, and get you the flat tummy you desire.

In your pursuit of that ideal tummy, do a comprehensive review of your diet and stick to the foods that are most nutritive. Eat small meals regularly throughout the day and certainly do not starve yourself. Drink at least two litres of water a day. Aim for eight hours of sleep every night. Exercise regularly but do not strain yourself beyond a limit. Get that toned tummy in a natural and healthy way to pave the path towards a fitter and happier you.