The majority of ‘women’s enclave’ has cellulite. Sadly, I belong to this group too… and this drives me around the bend. My friend says that smooth skin is boring and she repeats that she loves her cellulite. Well… I prefer smoothness. If you share my opinion, let me ensure you that there are some pretty clever and powerful techniques for dealing with orange-peel skin. Of course, don’t let be lured into the miraculous dietary supplements – there is no magic pill or tea that will fix this problem. Instead, there is a really hard work combined with a few beauty products that can help you achieve smooth skin (in some cases you can turn to the professional treatments offered in a beauty parlor). And obviously persistence, persistence and persistence. Are you ready for that? Great! So you’ll surely win this battle! Here are my foolproof methods to fight back cellulite.
Cellulite: Is obesity the only cause?
Indeed… back then it was a popular conviction that many people believed in but it’s a myth. The recent studies proved that adipose tissue (body fat) has nothing to do with cellulite. For example, you may weight 120 lb and have a really small percentage of body fat and still you may spot cellulite affecting your skin. Nowadays, we know that there are other causes of cellulite, which even include the place of living – urban pollution and cellulite are best friends, so to say. Also, the food you consume, liquids you drink, cigarette smoking… such factors determine whether your skin is affected by cellulite or not. To sum up, cellulite is a resultant of many factors.
Cellulite: What’s this in particular?
Cellulite is an uneven distribution of adipose tissue, water and metabolic wastes. All of the lumps and ruggedness are the consequence of bad eating habits, sedentary lifestyle and, sadly, genetic predispositions. Naturally, there are a few levels of cellulite – starting form the really tiny lumps, which I’d call ‘light version of cellulite’ to huge lumps, which is ‘level hard’ of orange-peel skin.
If you think that the cellulite you have is second or third level, I suggest you to visit a physician. When cellulite has an advanced form, there must be special medications taken to foster the struggle with this blemish. What’s interesting, slim women are often the victims of edematous cellulite, whereas the plumper ones are mostly affected by soft cellulite.
The former develops when you have deposits of water and lymph in either your skin cells or in intramembrane space. This is pretty bad because it affects tights, belly and even shoulders. Edematous cellulite is the aftermath of poor blood circulation. And this is exactly the type of cellulite that I can ‘boast about.’
THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH CELLULITE IS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Yep, that’s true. I guess this won’t ever change. Since I remember the sworn enemy of cellulite was and will always be working out. Physical activity is the master of removing orange-peel skin. Without it, you won’t achieve any success, no cream will be effective – trust me. That’s why I said earlier that fighting back cellulite is a hard work because you have to remain persistent and don’t give up on exercising. Actually, I hope that many of you will catch the exercising bug because sport doesn’t only help you get rid of cellulite but also makes you feel better in your own body. This will also positively affect your mental state, won’t it?
Is there a sports discipline that cellulite is afraid of the most? Yes, and this is swimming that sadly I’m not a big fan of. Other option is strength training. Weight-lifting burns less calories than aerobic, yet it increases metabolic rate, which means that you burn calories loooooong after leaving the gym!
CELLULITE HATES WATER!
Not only swimming destroys orange-peel skin. Also drinking huge amounts of fresh water contributes to improving the look of your skin. Why is it crucial?
Water deficiency encourages body to accumulate it more than it should. Just 2% of dehydration causes general body malaise, headaches, problems with concentration, etc. And obviously this nasty cellulite! Therefore, try drinking at least 2 liters of mineral water per day so as to help the skin remain firm and supple. Mind you, neither tea nor coffee counts, but herbal tea is okay, especially the herbs that are recognized for reducing cellulite (e.g. nettle). Try green tea too.
CELLULITE: WHAT SHOULD YOU EAT?
Well, I guess it would be easier for me to tell you what should you AVOID: too much of chocolate, salt, fast food, fried dishes and highly processed food (e.g. chips and instant soups).
If you want to compose an anti-cellulite menu, turn to vegetables, especially to:
- beetroots – they have vitamin E, potassium and lycopene that is responsible for stimulating blood flow. Additionally, beetroots contain many vitamins, collagen and other marvels that reduce cholesterol levels and sweep out toxins!
- broccoli – it has lipoic acid that prevents collagen from getting hard.
If I were to name you some fruit, I’d say that you should eat more bananas, and if you look for some seasoning, buy a few packs of turmeric. This should do.
MASSAGE AND BODY SCRUBS COMBATING CELLULITE
You will make the effects stronger if you manage to improve blood flow in your body from the inside and outside. Therefore, make use of suction cups, lymphatic drainage and various body scrubs – these are highly effective methods of dealing with cellulite.
However, before massaging your body with a suction cup for the first time, visit a physician. I just want to say that it may appear that the state of your blood vessels is too poor to perform this massage safely.
Okay, now a few words about anti-cellulite body scrubs. In general they are effective, especially if you use natural oils. The best homemade body scrub is the combination of used coffee grounds and natural oil (e.g. argan oil or sweet almond oil – I recommend you using Nanoil oils). This is a true anti-cellulite bomb!
Actually, you should realize that overdoing with scrubs isn’t a good idea. Don’t do this every single day, but only once or twice a week. On the remaining days you can use a regular exfoliating glove or a sponge.
Good luck with combating cellulite!
