{Today we have a guest writer, Marcela de Vivo, giving us some tips on how to reduce cellulite! And hey, none of them involves using a cellulite-reducing cream. Can we do this the natural way? Read on and find out!}
Hard to avoid and even harder to get rid of, cellulite is the bane of many a woman’s—and the occasional man’s—existence. Some experts estimate that more than 90-percent of women have cellulite somewhere on their body.
Frequently referred to in pop culture in less-than-savory terms (“cottage cheese thighs” or “orange peel skin” are some of the examples), cellulite is an undesirable, if not harmful, condition. Women struggle with ridding themselves of the unwanted dimpling, spending millions of dollars each year on creams, invasive treatments, and more.
Before you start throwing money at the problem, understand that you can simply minimize the appearance of cellulite by starting to take better care of yourself. By learning what causes the skin to dimple, you can treat the underlying reasons, instead of just smoothing out the surface.
Your thighs can be toned too!
Causes of Cellulite
Cellulite are fat deposits just below the skin that protrude between the net of connective collagen. Collagen is structured in a side-by-side formation in women; however, in men, the collagen cross-links like a net, and is therefore more effective in keeping fat cells in place.
In women, these deposits are typically found in the abdomen, hips, thighs, and butt region, as they have three layers of fat here (instead of the usual one).
As with most health issues, there are many potential causes for cellulite. Hormonal changes, frequent weight fluctuations, poor diet and weight gain, smoking, age, and genes all play a part in creating the unwanted dimples.
While each acknowledged cause is seemingly disparate, you can address nearly all of them by resolving the condition they create: the acute toxicity of your body.
A poor diet filled with processed foods, refined sugars and flours, high levels of sodium, pesticides, and preservatives, combined with daily exposure to environmental pollutants and chemicals, can all lead to a buildup of toxins in your body over time. Add in smoking, excessive drinking or drug abuse, and you overwhelm your body with more toxic material than it can process.
How are toxins related to cellulite?
So, where do all the toxins go when they are unable to be filtered out and processed by your lungs, kidneys, and liver? They get stored in your fat so that they don’t keep circulating around your body and harming other vital organs.
This is why body fat percentage matters more than dress size or weight in preventing and reducing cellulite.
You should be able to start reducing the overall appearance of cellulite after you have properly detoxed your body. Once detoxed, and by preventing further accumulation, you will be able to keep the smoother skin that you’ve achieved through the 8 tips below:
1. Clean up your diet.
If you don’t eat a clean diet already, you should alter it so that you are eating unprocessed, alkaline-forming foods. Eschew processed, packaged foods and substitute them for whole foods (a good tip is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store rather than from the middle aisles).
Alkaline-forming foods are foods that cause your body pH to become a bit more on the acidic side once they are digested and being absorbed. Most individuals are more susceptible to illness when their bodies are slightly acidic, therefore, alkaline-forming foods should be incorporated into your diet, regardless of cellulite issues.
Excellent sources are fresh fruits and vegetables, and these should be the primary components of your diet. They will help draw toxins that have accumulated in your body over years of exposure. If you have not consumed a lot of alkaline-forming foods before, add them into your diet gradually, so that you don’t draw out more toxins than your body is able to handle.
2. Drink a LOT of water.
Juices help to replenish water content in the body.
Once you start drawing out old toxin buildup, help your body flush it away by staying hydrated. Drink water, 100% fruit and vegetable juices or herbal teas throughout the day to keep a steady stream of toxins flushing out.
Avoid drinks with caffeine (like coffee or regular tea) or sugar—with the exception of freshly-squeezed fruit juice. The best option is to drink plain, filtered water with a slice of lemon or lime.
3. Cut out the salt.
While salty snacks are tempting to munch on, the reality is that they do nothing to prevent cellulite. Salt, of course, causes a much higher level of water retention. This water retention leads to a higher development of cellulite.
Avoid products that contain a great deal of salt, such as potato chips, popcorn, and soy sauce. If you do happen to eat something that contains salt, all the water that you are hopefully drinking will help to cleanse the salt from your system.
4. Clear out the waste.
Now that the toxins have been drawn out of their “hiding places” and are being flushed out through constant hydration, they now need to be eliminated from your body completely so they don’t resettle.
A well-balanced body that is free of toxin accumulation will have no problem ridding itself through normal elimination channels; however, years of buildup can lead to less-than-effective waste management, especially in the bowels.
Colon cleansing, either through professional colonics or at home enemas, can help restore the natural flow of things. Elimination of waste is key to completely ridding your body of toxins, therefore, it is imperative that the exit channels are clear and primed for function.
5. Brush your skin.
Dry brushing stimulates the lymphatic system—the bodily system associated with flushing out and removing toxins in your body.
Focus on brushing around the areas where cellulite often appears as the action can also improve blood flow and circulation to the afflicted area. The more blood that travels to the dimpled areas, the more support the connective network has to grow and maintain collagen.
Work the brush in small circular movements over areas with cellulite for a minimum of ten minutes of day (start with just a few minutes and work your way up), several days a week. Not only will the brushing force toxins out, but it will also help break down the fatty deposits causing the dimpled skin.
6. Get a massage.
A massage will definitely help to reduce the appearance of cellulite and help in blood circulation.
Getting regular massages can help eliminate cellulite as well. Massage treatments that focus on forcing toxins out of your body, like deep tissue massage, are especially helpful for reducing the appearance of cellulite.
Specialty massages focusing on cellulite or lymphatic drainage are also good treatment options to help your body naturally rid itself of toxin accumulation.
7. Exercise.
Not just an excellent way to relieve stress and boost your mood, exercise also helps you sweat away toxins. It also helps improve blood flow and circulation throughout your body, which–like dry brushing–can help reduce the appearance of cellulite by stimulating the regrowth of collagen.
Exercise also help reduce the appearance of cellulite by tightening and toning your overall body. Combined with a healthy diet, fat loss will further reduce the appearance of cellulite by shrinking the fat cells.
8. Avoid using skin-thinning creams.
Thinner skin makes cellulite more pronounced. Products containing steroids—like creams that manage eczema—can thin out the skin, which causes cellulite to appear more noticeable.
If the cream is a prescription, discuss potential alternatives with your doctor; however, by practicing a healthier lifestyle that rids your body of toxins, you may find yourself less dependent on these creams altogether.
There’s no need to overhaul your habits all at once—pick an easy tip to start with and then slowly incorporate the others, as you get comfortable with each change. By slowly and steadily making these modifications, you will reduce unwanted cellulite and experience better overall health.
{Author Bio: Marcela De Vivo is a freelance health and beauty writer from Los Angeles. She currently works with Bellezza Spa, writing on such topics as skin and hair care, fitness, and meditation techniques. Follow her on Pinterest for more tips like these!}