While not dangerous, cellulite is an annoying and unsightly problem for many women. Cellulite is bumpy skin usually found on the butt and thighs. While there are many theories on what causes it, it’s usually considered to be fat cells bulging out through tight, inflexible connective tissue.
If you turn on infomercials or the home shopping channels, you’ll probably see tons of different products to help get rid of it. The truth is: you can’t get rid of cellulite without expensive surgeries, but there are ways to reduce its appearance. Here are just a few suggestions to bring back your smooth, supple skin.
Get Healthy. While you can’t get rid of the cells that cause cellulite without surgery, you can shrink them down by losing weight and building muscle. While being overweight doesn’t cause cellulite, getting rid of excess pounds usually helps reduce its appearance.
Increase circulation. To loosen tight connective tissue and give your skin a smoother appearance, you should take steps to improve circulation in the area. While there are many products out there that are designed to help (even cellulite reducing pantyhose), the best way to do this is with daily massage. Plus, this can be a nice way to relax at the end of the day.
Use aloe vera. There are many “miracle” cellulite creams on the market, but you probably already know that it’s best to avoid them. Instead, get a good aloe vera cream. This will help loosen up the connective tissue and reduce the appearance of cellulite. Regular use of an exfoliating scrub may help as well.
Get rid of toxins in the body. One theory suggests that cellulite is caused by excess toxins in the body. Having well hydrated cells washes away the toxins and keeps them from building up; so drink plenty of water. Some people have found improvement after wraps and other treatments designed to remove toxins from the skin. You should also avoid adding new toxins to your system; cut back on caffeine, additives, preservatives, artificial colorings, and unnecessary medications.
While none of these suggestions can totally get rid of cellulite, with a few changes and patience, you can have smoother, less lumpy skin.
Filed under Cellulite by on Jan 10th, 2008. 
Sure, exercise is important for losing weight. In fact, weight loss without increased activity is impossible for many people. But the kind of exercise you do can make your weight loss even more significant. While cardio workouts are great for getting the heart pumping and the calories burning, you need to build muscle mass if you want those calories to keep flying off while you’re sitting around doing nothing. That’s why it’s important to do exercises that tone your body while you exercise.
Adding a pound of muscle mass will cause you to burn up to 50 extra calories per day, even when you’re just sitting down. Imagine how much faster you could lose weight if you replaced 10 lbs of fat with muscle? Plus, on a normal diet, you lose muscle mass along with the fat. This slows your metabolism and causes you to gain weight when you eat normally again. If you add muscle mass instead, you keep burning more calories and are more likely to keep the weight off.
Exercises like running, biking, and swimming can burn hundreds of calories per hour, but have much less benefit after the exercising is done. While they can increase muscle mass, the increase is not nearly significant as lifting weights. Weight lifting burns fat while you work out, and continues to burn after you stop. And the more weight you can lift, the more calories you’ll burn each time. This means the stronger you get; the faster you’ll burn through your fat reserves.
With many exercise programs, doing too much too quickly can be dangerous. This is especially true with weight training. Using too much weight can not only stress your muscles, it can also cause permanent damage to tendons and ligaments. Not to mention the dangers of being crushed or trapped by extreme weight. When using weight training, always start slow and build your way up. And remember to use a spotter when lifting significant amounts of weight.
Remember that weight training should not replace a cardio workout. For best results you should alternate between aerobic exercise and weight training. This gives you the benefits of both to power maximum weight loss.
Filed under Exercise, Strength Training by on Jan 21st, 2008. 3 Comments.