The Skinny on Cellulite

   Everyone knows what cellulite is, but few people know what causes it. Knowledge is half the battle, the half is hard work. And no, I don't mean in remembering to apply all those creams and serums as hard work. Cellulite is caused by subcutaneous fat that pokes and pushes through the connective tissue around your muscles. It's more common in women because of the muscle structure differences in men and women. Cellulite doesn't indicate excess weight or obesity and can be determined genetically. So unfortunately, if all the women in your family have it, you probably will too. Good news is, while you can't get rid of it without liposuction, you can minimize it's appearance!

 As you can see, the reasons cellulite forms is toxins in the body, enlarged fat cells, poor circulation, a lack of connective tissue, and water retention. While today's diets are full of toxins it's unrealistic to think you will simply get rid of all toxins in your body but eating clean, and even healthy will help. Not only will you feel better overall from a healthy diet, it will most likely help you lose weight. Losing weight will obviously shrink the enlarged fat cells. Guess what helps improve circulation... exercise! The more you exercise, the more capillaries your body creates to increase blood flow and oxygen consumption to the muscles. Oddly enough, garlic and onions also increase circulation so add them to some meals on a weekly basis... No one will want to kiss you, but your butt will look nice. Exercise and eating healthy also helps tighten your tissues (and tushy!) and will help with water retention. Don't dehydrate yourself! If you don't give your body water regularly, it will retain it's water stores so that you don't become dehydrated. So what you need to do is stay hydrated. Drink lots of water! Water also makes your complexion look better, your skin feel smoother, and has a hundred other great properties... your body is made of over 70% water and you need it. So just drink it. 
  If you are tan or have a darker complexion, the dimples will be less noticeable. Using a self tanner will not only give you a summer kissed glow without the damaging sun exposure, but will also disguise the dimples! I suggest this over the "cellulite creams" seeing as they haven't been proven at all to lessen it's appearance and it will not get rid of it. At least with a self tanner, you get the confidence boost from the tan too.

   The best option though to reduce the appearance of cellulite is to exercise. Tightening the muscles and burning the fat will help reduce the cellulite you do have. While you can't necessarily target just one area, taking part in a full body resistance program and lots of cardio is the most beneficial. Since cellulite is fat, decreasing your overall fat is your best option, and increasing your muscles tone won't hurt your appearance at all either.
   So for those of you buying all the creams or looking into lipo, just hit the gym and the produce stand. You won't necessarily get rid of the cellulite but unfortunately if you have it, it's here to stay in some capacity. A healthy body and mind will also give you so many other benefits and boost your confidence that you won't even notice the lingering cellulite... and neither will anybody else!