Chapter 4 (Part 2): Slim Waist and Legs, Say Goodbye to a Round Face

Next up is our problem of excess fat around the waist.

Excess fat around the waist is often caused by prolonged sitting. Feel it; does a ring of fat accumulate around your waist when you sit? If so, stand up immediately! If you're an office worker who spends all day in front of a computer, what should you do? I recommend buying a back cushion or a seat cushion that fits your body shape. The goal is simple: to keep your waist free of accumulated fat and maintain an upright posture.

There are many waist exercises; basically, you can try any exercise that involves twisting your waist. Here are a few waist-slimming exercises that I often do.

Make full use of the waist twisting machine in the gym

There's a waist-twisting machine in the gym where you stand with your feet together and hold onto the support frame. After intense workouts like running, I stand on it and twist my waist 500 times as a way to relax. The waist twister relies on your waist strength to rotate your body, making it perfect for use after intense exercise. Compared to the strenuous workout you just did, this exercise is so much gentler that doing 500 twists doesn't feel like much at all.

Recently, I've noticed that many residential communities have added this exercise equipment, so people who don't go to the gym can also exercise in their own neighborhoods.

Side waist and leg raise exercise

I do this exercise before bed, while reading, to distract myself and unconsciously do more sets of exercises.

The method is as follows (taking exercising the right side of the waist as an example): Lie on your left side on the bed, support yourself slightly with your left arm, place your left leg flat on the bed, raise your right leg as high as possible, and then lower it to begin the exercise.

When I exercise, I don't like to set a number of sets because it's very distracting. I prefer to do something more meaningful than counting while exercising, like reading or thinking. I continue until my legs and lower back feel sore, then switch to the other side. After repeating this a few times, I can go to sleep peacefully.

Virtual hula hoop shaking method

Many people know that hula hooping can help tone the waist. But if so many people know this, why haven't so many successfully slimmed their waists using this method? The reason is: hula hooping isn't very convenient.

Anyone who has ever tried hula hooping knows that keeping it spinning around your waist continuously is not an easy task, so many people lose interest after a few tries.

Here, I'd like to share with you my invention, the "Virtual Hula Hoop Shaking Method." The method is very simple: imagine that you have a hula hoop around your waist, and then start shaking it, imagining that it stays around your waist and doesn't fall down. Just keep doing the waist-shaking motion.

This method is perfect for overweight people who love watching TV. Watching one episode of a soap opera can burn a lot of calories, and it's suitable for everyone except those with back problems. However, it's important not to rock to one side all the time; alternate between clockwise and counter-clockwise movements.

Elephant legs and carrot legs all disappeared

Having a pair of beautiful, toned legs without any excess fat is probably the ideal state that every person trying to lose weight wants to achieve, right? I'm the same way, especially since I'm only 1.58 meters tall. If my legs aren't straight and toned, I'll look even shorter and heavier. Frankly, I'm still working on this area and don't think my legs are perfect yet, but compared to before, there has definitely been a big improvement. So, I'd like to share some of my leg-slimming tips with you.

It turns out that it's so easy to lose weight in thick thighs!

Leg slimming is divided into thighs and calves, which I call "elephant legs" and "carrot legs". Compared to carrot legs, elephant legs are easier to slim down because there is more fat on them. You can achieve good results through exercise, diet and some lifestyle changes.

Can running really help you lose leg fat? Opinions vary widely, and everyone seems to have their own opinion. Having personally experienced running as a way to lose weight, I believe that running can help us reduce leg fat, but there's a right way to do it.

At first, eager to lose weight, I would run like crazy as soon as I got on the treadmill and leave the gym as soon as I got off. After a while, I found that my leg lines hadn't changed much. After consulting a professional fitness coach, I learned that the best way to run is to follow a sequence of brisk walking, jogging, jogging, jogging, jogging, brisk walking, and walking again, which can more effectively train leg muscles.

In addition, it's essential to relax your legs after running. There are many ways to do this. You can place your legs on a support bar and stretch like a dancer, doing about 30 sets. Alternatively, you can use your hands to help lift your heels backward, bringing them close to your buttocks, then hold the position for 5 seconds before lowering them, repeating about 30 times. Applying a cooling and soothing leg massage cream before bed would be even better.

In short, stop making lazy excuses like running will make your legs thicker. Go run, run the right way, and relax. It will be effective.

You can ride a bicycle, but you can't listen!

Some of my friends cycle to work, claiming it helps them lose leg fat. They've been doing it for over six months without seeing any results. When I asked one of them, I found out she was doing it wrong.

Slowly cycling won't help you lose weight, but the kind of intense spinning you do at the gym is hard to stick to in the long run. Here, I recommend alternating cycling methods.

Initially, we gradually accelerate while cycling, then maintain a peak speed. When we feel tired and can't continue, we slow down to relieve muscle soreness and prepare for the second round of acceleration. Similarly, after getting off the bike, we need to do stretching and relaxation exercises; specific methods can be found in the previous text.

Personally, I think cycling is a very effective exercise for leg slimming, and it's not as difficult to stick to for a long time as running. When I was losing weight, every time I finished running, I would cycle for an hour afterward, alternating between fast and slow speeds, burning calories without even realizing it while watching TV. And, most importantly, it really didn't feel very tiring.

I highly recommend cycling as an exercise for those who want to slim their legs. However, please be careful when cycling to school or work, especially when speeding up!

Can you slim your legs while lying down? Absolutely!

Yes! You read that right, you can slim your legs while lying down. Before bed, you can spend half an hour placing your legs parallel to the wall, keeping your body at a 90-degree angle to your legs, and holding this position for 30 minutes without feeling numbness.

This can relieve leg fatigue and promote blood circulation, thereby achieving a slimming effect.

Each time I do this, I first apply a gel-based massage cream to my legs, then put on a face mask, listen to music, and clear my mind to achieve complete relaxation, while keeping my legs slightly tense. Making this a bedtime habit won't give you beautiful legs overnight, but consistent practice will yield results.

Carrot legs are by no means an incurable disease.

Now that we've talked about how to get rid of "elephant legs," let's discuss how to combat "carrot legs." Unlike thighs, calves have more muscle, making them more difficult to slim down, and the results won't be immediately visible. However, once you decide to lose weight, you need perseverance. Even if you can only lose one millimeter a month, we should still try our best, right?

Here's how I slimmed my calves:

Tiptoe anytime, anywhere

Anytime, anywhere? Yes! Whether you're standing, sitting, or lying down, you can slim your calves as long as you're conscious of it. The method is very simple: If you're standing, rise onto your tiptoes, tighten your calves, hold the position for as long as possible, then relax and lower your heels. Repeat this. If you're sitting or lying down, straighten your calves, tighten your toes downwards and then upwards. Repeat this until you feel a stretch in the tendon from your calf to the back of your thigh.

Both of these movements are very small and can be done in many situations, such as waiting for a bus, standing on the bus, during office breaks, or watching TV. If you persist, you will see results.

Leg slimming method by softening muscles

The reason why calves are difficult to reduce is because there is too much muscle. But if we soften the hard, stubborn muscles, wouldn't they become easier to reduce? Following this principle, what we need to do is massage and patting.

The massage technique is very important. You should massage from the ankle upwards to the knee, following the meridians on both sides of the calf. Apply slight pressure, preferably using the knuckles of your middle finger to massage up and down; the pressure will be just right. About 100 times a day is enough. It will feel very comfortable, although your arms may get a little tired. Just consider it an exercise for your arms too.

There's another massage technique, a bit extreme, suitable for people with really stiff calves: Grasp your calves with the base of your thumbs and forefinger, then twist your calves in opposite directions, like wringing out a towel. It might hurt a bit, but applying some massage cream will help a lot.

Another method is to clench your fist and pound your calves. Don't use too much force; just a light pounding motion, similar to pounding your back. Pounding them 200 times a day can relax your calf muscles and prevent the formation of "carrot legs."

Virtual jump rope for slimmer legs

I previously mentioned the virtual hula hoop method. To slim your calves, we can use the "virtual jump rope method." As the name suggests, this method involves imagining yourself jumping rope and coordinating small jumps with the swinging of your arms. It's important to land on your toes and jump lightly and continuously, 100 times per set. As always, if you don't want to build muscle, don't forget to pat and relax afterward.

Recommended foods for slimming legs

Spinach can promote blood circulation, ensuring that even the legs, which are furthest from the heart, receive sufficient nutrients, balancing metabolism, and detoxifying to slim the legs.

Celery: Celery, which looks very straight, can also help us to beautify our legs because it contains a lot of colloidal calcium carbonate, which is easily absorbed by the body and replenishes the calcium needed for slender and straight legs; at the same time, celery is also rich in potassium, which is very beneficial for preventing lower body edema.

Tomatoes: Eating fresh tomatoes can promote urination, relieve leg fatigue, and reduce edema; eating them raw is even more effective. However, those with a cold stomach are advised to steam them before eating.

Kiwifruit: Kiwifruit is well-known for its high vitamin C content, but it's also quite rich in fiber. Fiber absorbs water and expands, creating a feeling of fullness. Furthermore, fruit fiber increases the rate of fatty acid breakdown, preventing excess fat from making legs thicker, making it a popular fruit for slimming legs. However, be careful not to choose kiwifruit that are overripe and starting to leak juice, as these are too high in sugar and not conducive to weight loss.

I don't want a round face

After losing weight, many people asked me about slimmer faces. Every girl dreams of a small, delicate face, ideally oval-shaped, but changing your face shape through weight loss is indeed difficult because it's largely related to bone structure.

So, whenever someone asks me for advice on slimming their face, I always start by asking: "Is your face chubby or do you have particularly large facial bones?" If it's the latter, I advise them to accept themselves; every face shape has its own beauty. But if it's just chubby, there are some methods you can try.

Regular beauty treatments

I'm very grateful to my mother for helping me develop this habit. She started taking me for regular beauty treatments when I was 16, and the massage techniques from the beautician helped tighten my face. Honestly, even when I was at my heaviest, my face was still relatively small compared to my body, which I believe is all thanks to the beauty treatments I had once or twice a month.

Furthermore, once we learn massage techniques through beauty treatments, we can apply them to our daily skincare routine. This includes patting toner onto our face after washing to promote absorption and make our skin firmer; when applying face cream, we should apply it upwards along the face (except for the bridge of the nose, which should be applied downwards). Moreover, I highly recommend that you rub the face cream in your palms first to warm it up before applying it to your face, as this will improve absorption and blood circulation.

In addition, there are many things to pay attention to when washing your face. I use the hot and cold water alternation method. First, I wash my face with hot water to open up the pores of my face, apply facial cleanser, and then rinse with cold water. This can shrink the pores and make my face firmer.

Fist massage for slimmer face

There's a type of facial slimming device on the market that you put your face in and roll it up and down, supposedly to achieve a slimming effect. After trying it myself, I don't recommend this method for the following reasons: First, the force is too weak to have any effect at all; second, we shouldn't stretch our facial skin downwards, as this can cause it to sag and age, so the small rollers aren't scientifically sound.

However, this method can be improved. We can use our fists instead of a face slimming device and push from the chin to the cheekbone with a little force.

However, it's important to note that you should make sure your fists are clean each time you massage like this. Speaking of which, I'd like to share a quirk I'm quite proud of: I really dislike it when people touch my face. Of course, my boyfriend is an exception, but even then, it's best not to do it too often, because everyone's hands have a lot of bacteria, which can cause acne and is bad for your skin. When I was a chubby girl, elders, classmates, and friends around me liked to pinch my chubby cheeks, which resulted in very bad skin during puberty. Fortunately, I developed this habit later, and with proper skincare, I now have skin that even my beauty expert, Little P, thinks is pretty good.

Therefore, it is important to wash your hands before massaging your fists.

Chewing gum can help you lose weight – a major improvement to the face-slimming method.

Many people believe that chewing gum can exercise facial muscles, but little do they know that the sugar and alcohol we ingest from chewing it can make us gain weight. So, friends who want to chew gum, why not try a "virtual chewing method" instead?

Haha, you've probably heard the word "virtual" enough by now, but it really is very useful. Occasionally moving your mouth around can help slim your face to some extent.

The same principle applies to chewing your food more thoroughly. The more you chew, the more likely you are to feel full, and it also helps to exercise your face. Why not do it?

Slimming face through spoken language

Practicing English vowel pronunciation can also exercise facial muscles, but it's not about reading normally. Instead, you should pronounce each sound to its fullest extent. For example, when pronouncing A, try to open your mouth as wide as possible; when pronouncing E, stretch your mouth to the sides as much as possible.

Practice whenever you have free time, and your facial muscles will become firmer without you even realizing it!