Our bride-to-be blogger Claire Adams has already been on bootcamp, but she's discovered a new way to tone up before she puts on her wedding dress...
My pre-wedding health and fitness has got off to a good start. I've already completed a Champney's bootcamp and I'm about to start a juice cleanse. I'm completely dreading it - mainly due to the lack of solids and my love of food.
Yet, I'm still not convinced that all this effort will be enough. I am trying to go to the gym regularly but the 3 ws - work, wedding planning and winter - have been getting in the way. So I've started to look into other quick fire but non-surgical ways of toning up.
I read about a treatment called Med Contour in a glossy magazine. The editor gave it a go and lost around 5cms from her stomach. It sounded painless and reasonably priced so I thought I'd book myself in and see what the fuss was about.
Med Contour is basically fat removal by means of ultrasound. Therapists hold one hour sessions and use the Med Contour machines to destroy fat cells without harming the skin. Afterwards, you are told to drink two litres of water for the next few days to flush the toxins out of your system. A return session is organised for the following week.
I'm not going to lie, I'd quite like some fat cells destroyed and flushed out from ALL over my body. However, I was advised by my therapist to concentrate on one area to get the best results.
I decided to focus on my upper arms and the notorious bingo wing area. Although arms are apparently the most painful to be treated (because the skin is so thin), it can often be most effective.
Lucy, my therapist, began by opening the lymph nodes under my arms with a 'mini hoover'. She then rubbed some oil over my upper arm - which actually felt quite nice - before turning the machine on and in effect, began to iron my arm with the machine. At first, the sensation at first was pretty nice but I did feel a slight discomfort after it had warmed up. Half an hour was spent on each arm. By the time it had finished, I looked like I'd spent an hour in the sun without any lotion on.
After the 'ironing', Lucy began to give me a lymph-drainage massage - this involved another session with the mini hoover to eliminate the liquids, toxins and fat through the lymph nodes (this helps to quicken the 'elimination of the broken down fats'.) Lucy explained that all of this greatly enhances the efficient working of the liver, which would otherwise become overloaded.
I've had 3 sessions so far and I've definitely noticed a difference in my arms and the 'wing consistency'.
The improvement isn't just in my arms either. Drinking the extra water has made my skin feel clearer and more refreshed - a nice added bonus, especially when I feel anything but! I have a couple more visits booked in with Lucy before the wedding - my end goal is to have the arms of Michelle Obama. Now, I wonder who sorts out her wrinkles...
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