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September 18, 2018

[By Fiona Li]

Are you tired of having to limit your swimwear choices due to your body shape? Are you always worried about being caught on camera unaware? When was the last time you wore a two piece swimsuit that flaunt both your figure and confidence? And to add salt to the wound, you’ve stuck to a strict exercise regime, watch your portion sizes like a hawk, go for plenty of walks and follow all the fat loss tips in your favorite health magazine… but you simply can’t quite shake that pocket of fat around the belly or under the arms.

You’re not alone.

Read on to find out more about what’s sabotaging your best weight loss efforts and how to achieve a toned and sculpted mid-section in our exclusive interview with ex- model turned fitness trainer and mother of two, Trisha Sullivan.

RSB: Hey Trish, I was just looking at the swimwear pictorial you did recently. Your body is amazing and I can’t tell the difference between those pictures now and those taken 12 years ago. And you were telling us you just had twins a year and a half ago?

Trish: Haven’t you heard of photo-shop? I’m just kidding! (She proceeded on to lift up her tank top to reveal her eye-popping abs). Everyone has abs but there’s fat covering them. It’s all about determination and discipline. In summary, there’s only two ways to get a six pack abs — Lose your fat and strengthen your abdominal core muscles.

RSB: I’ve been doing my sit-ups and crunches religiously for ages but nothing seem to be showing! Why is that so?

Trish: You need to lose some of that extra fat over your abs. Even if you work out and get gigantic abdominal muscles, if there is still a layer of fat over them, no one will ever get to see them. And the best way to lose fat is by cardio workouts and good dietary habits. Cardio workouts can be jogging, biking, rowing or more fun activities like skipping, swimming and dancing. Switch around so you won’t get bored and will be more likely to engage in them in the long run. We are talking about at least 30 to 45 minutes sessions, 3 to 5 times a week. Try HIIT, High Intensity Interval Training, which consists of short burst of furious activity followed by longer periods of low activity. Researchers think that interval training helps burn fat better than exercising at the same intensity for longer times. So for instance if you are running, alternate between jogging with lapse of sprinting.

RSB: I know that diet is the cornerstone to weight loss and I’ve tried many but somehow the stubborn pockets of fat just refuse to budge! Why is that so?

Proper detoxification might be the missing puzzle to help you achieve your ideal weight and body shape

Trish: Fad and crash diets are sure to fail and backfire! The trick is really to eat everything in moderation. Go for lean protein, fiber and whole grains and cut back on sugary and high fatty processed food. Besides, your body might not be getting the proper detoxification that’s required to clear the accumulated toxins released from your weight loss efforts and this might hinder your progress.

RSB: Can you elaborate on this?

Trish: We are exposed to large amount of toxins every day in our environment, air, food and water. When the body is exposed to large amounts of toxins, levels that the body cannot safely excrete, they will be stored in adipose tissue or fat cells as a way to protect us from toxicity issues. As we exercise and diet to bust our fat cells, toxins overload might trigger an unwanted response to create fat in order to deal with the toxins if they are not cleared in a timing manner. That is one of the reason why your best weight loss efforts are not garnering the kind of results you hope to see!

RSB: Oh Em Gee! This sounds awful! Do you have any detoxification tips you can share with us?

Tackle both fat soluble and water soluble toxins with SW1 Purification and Daily Cleanse for a happy, healthy system

Trish: There are two kinds of toxins, water-soluble and fat-soluble toxins. Water-soluble toxins are easily flushed out of the body via the blood and kidneys, but the fat-soluble toxins are a challenge for the body to remove.Fat-soluble toxins such as heavy metals, pesticides, preservatives, food additives, pollutants, plastics and other environmental chemicals must become water-soluble for the body to eliminate them fully and this takes place in the liver. Having adequate water intake is a no brainer to flush out toxins and your diet should be rich in antioxidant foods to mop up the free radicals. In addition, we can supplement our bodies’ own detoxification pathways with health supplements.

Metabolic pathway of fat soluble toxins in the liver

The SW1 PURIFICATION 1-Day Cleanse is a superb way to take the stress off your liver and supplement its metabolic clearance of fat soluble toxins by gently stimulating all of your key detoxification pathways to give you a fast and furious system reboot. Its unique formula features seven nourishing herbs that promote toxin elimination, helping to cleanse the blood and support the maintenance of a robust immune health. Simply drink all four ounces with water in the morning and go about your day without any changes made to your daily routine and dietary habits. The herbal ingredients do not have a laxative effect as they get to work quickly to nurture and gently flush your body’s primary detoxification organs, leaving you feeling refreshed, rebalanced and revitalized the very next day.

One or two well formed bowel movements every day is one of the best ways to give toxins a one-way ticket out of your body. If that goal seems high you’re not alone, with as many as 20 percent of people struggling with constipation. If increasing your fibre intake is not doing the trick, I would recommend DAILY CLEANSE dietary supplement, an all-natural herbal bowel regulator that contains 17 of nature’s most powerful digestion-optimizing botanicals from around the world. Providing gentle, yet effective support for healthy, regular elimination with bowel cleansing herbs and natural bulking agents, DAILY CLEANSE also helps support the liver and kidneys in their toxins removal duties.

RSB: A lot of guys and gals I know exercise and watch their diet like a hawk and yet they reach a frustrating plateau in getting that 6 packs abs. What’s the next step?

Trish: First we got to be aware that there is no way to target fat loss in any one area of your body with exercising. Just like your body deposits fat in many different places, it burns fat in your entire body, not just from your abs or your thighs. In addition, weight or resistance training is important to limit the amount of muscle mass lost whilst reducing your calorie intake. If you do only cardiovascular exercises without weight training, you may lose the muscle mass, including the muscle in your abs. It’s a genetic fact that for some people there will always be just a little more fat over the muscle layers than we’d like. (shrugs)

RSB: So does this mean that these people will never be able to have a toned and sculpted mid-section like yours?

Trish: Well, sometimes we just have to bring our expectations a notch down and explore other possibilities. Usually those belonging to this group will not have ‘enough fat’ and any respectable plastic surgeon will not perform a liposuction on them and subject them to the surgical and anaesthetic risks that come with it. Ok, to be honest, let me share a little secret with you. After having my twins, I worked really hard to try to get back my figure but no matter how much I work out and control my diet; I just can’t seem to lose that last bit of fat. Also, with a preggers’ weight gain of 18kg, I had a fair bit of loose skin which contributed to my ‘lost abs’. (chuckles)

Ah well…(paused) I did have a little help somewhere along the way.

RSB: Oh really? Please tell!

Trish: The truth is, I had a little help from 2 fabulous non-surgical medical procedures for target fat loss and skin tightening; namely Coolshape and Exilis Body Magic. (almost whispering)

Also known as cryolipolysis, cryo fat reduction or fat freezing, Coolshape is rapidly becoming a popular and mostly pain-free in-office procedure for targeted fat loss. All you have to do is to lie down for an hour or two when the applicator is placed over the area(s) to be treated when suction is applied.

Coolshape engages advanced German Zimmer technology for fat freezing

I felt so little discomfort during the procedure that I was able to catch up with some reading! When it’s done, the only sign that the procedure has been carried out was a little redness which didn’t last long and I was able to go back to my gym routine shortly after. The frozen fat is then gradually eliminated through the urine over 2 to 3 months with scientific papers recognized by the FDA showing results of up to 22% of fat loss. In other words, a fifth of the blubber around the waist is gotten rid of for good. It’s really more of a ‘shaping’ and not a ‘de-bulking’ fat loss procedure excellent for treating stubborn pockets of adipose tissue.

Exilis Body Magic combines radiofrequency (RF) with ultrasound as the energy source to melt down undesirable pockets of fats and tighten the overlying skin

The other technology, Exilis Body Magic, engages radiofequency and ultrasound to systematically heat up skin to various depths to tackle loose, saggy skin for overall skin tightening in addition to fat reduction. A built in Energy Flow Control System ensures high precision of the exact amount of energy delivered to the treated areas, with an integrated cooling system preventing overheating, thus minimising the risk of burns. Similar to Coolshape, results were best seen 2 to 3 months down the road and by keeping a photo diary on Instagram in my iPhone, I was able to track my progress of pairing these two wonderful procedures with my diet and exercise regime.

RSB: That’s giving me a load of inspiration and hope! Thanks for sharing the wonderful tips, Trish!

Trish: My pleasure! And remember, opinions on weight loss and exercise routines are like noses — everyone has one but they’re all different. Ultimately, you should find something you enjoy and that you will adhere to. See you at the beach this summer, babe!