You look in the mirror and you don't quite like what you see, Christmas, working days sitting down, the little time you have to take care of yourself... they have left their mark on your body. You discover irregular skin in some areas of your body, and you don't like it at all. Cellulite has shown no mercy to you, and there it is, lodged in your thighs.
Keep calm! and don't let cellulite affect your mood. Of course, start doing something now to stop the cellulite process.
Let's start at the beginning, what is cellulite?
Cellulite is the fat under the skin, which causes that lumpy, dimpled appearance. This irregular surface is produced when the fat grows in number and thickness, pushing the skin out. On the other hand, micro-circulation worsens, so less oxygen reaches the tissues, which lose collagen.
Consequently, the fibrous septum or connective tissue loses elasticity, pulling the skin inward. The combination of both effects gives the skin an orange peel appearance on the thighs, hips, buttocks, abdomen and even knees.
It is estimated that up to 90% of women have cellulite at some point in our lives, for very different reasons. Cellulite does not discriminate. It can appear in adolescence and in thin and overweight people.
The most frequent causes of cellulite are hormonal changes, in adolescence, prior to menopause, pregnancy... diet (rich in sugars, fats...) and sedentary life.
Unfortunately, cellulite is a progressive process, once it appears it will get worse if we don't do something to stop it. Depending on the type of cellulite, the treatment will be more or less fast and effective. When cellulite is incipient (seen by pinching the skin), it is easier to fight. Logically, cellulite is more difficult to treat when it is already visible to the naked eye.
So today we are going to talk about some exercises to avoid cellulite due to sedentary causes, and some complementary habits that will help you enormously.
5 Effective Exercises to Fight Cellulite
Exercise is very useful for this purpose and the following five exercises are particularly good for strengthening your thighs and buttocks.
1. Pile squat
This exercise serves to tone and tighten the inner part of the thighs, the butt, the abdomen. You can add a dumbbell and work your shoulders.
- Begin by spreading your legs apart, as in a traditional squat.
- Instead of putting your feet parallel, facing forward, put them slightly oblique (toes facing out).
- Now inhale and lower your body into a squat. Exhale and press through your heels to push yourself back up to the starting position with your legs straight (i.e. same posture and techniques as a regular squat)
- Returning to a standing position, squeeze your inner thighs, tucking your butt in a bit to work your inner and outer thighs.
- Lower your hips and upper body.
- Place the ball in front of you, at shoulder level.
- Even though we're focusing on the ball, make sure your knees stay behind your toes and your chest is up.
- Exhale and squat back to standing, while bringing the ball back over your head.
- Lie on your back with your arms by your sides and your knees bent.
- Raise your hips toward the ceiling.
- Your upper back and shoulder blades should be flat on the ground.
- Lower and repeat the movement.
- Place your hands flat on the floor shoulder-width apart.
- Extend your torso and legs fully behind you with only your toes and balls of feet touching the ground.
- Your body should be in a straight line. Your weight should be supported only by your hands and toes.
- Start with either leg. Bend your knee and hip at the same time to bring your knee up and then under your hip. You should always keep the other leg fully extended.
- Now reverse the position of your legs by extending the back of your leg so that it extends. And at the same time bending the straight leg until it is in the starting position.
- Do this for 3 sets of 15 reps.
- Using a resistance band, lie on your right side, legs straight.
- Place the band around your ankles. Left leg on top of right, use your right forearm as a base. Keep your upper body on the ground.
- With your legs straight, lift your left leg as high as you can. Keep your leg straight. Lower your leg to maintain the starting position.
- Do as many reps as you can for 30 seconds.
- Switch sides and do as many reps as you can for another 30 seconds.
If you really want to prevent cellulite, stay active and eat healthy.
These specific exercises will undoubtedly help you fight cellulite and flaccidity, strengthening and toning certain areas of your body. But, the ideal is to combine them with an active and healthy lifestyle.
It's hard to change habits and stay active when you spend many hours sitting in the office or studying, or standing up working. If your main activity does not allow you to be on the move, it would be good to look for tricks that help you move.
For example, go to the bathroom that is furthest from your workplace, if you have stairs to get to your office or home, try not to take the elevator and go up on foot, if you can, bike or walk to work.
Does the clothes we wear affect cellulite?
If what you are wearing is affecting your circulation, it can affect cellulite. Wearing tight underwear could be one of the prevention strategies.
Cellulite wasn't a problem until the 1970s and 1980s when diet, activity, and undergarments began to change.
Very tight clothing, such as very tight pants, if worn very frequently, can favor the appearance or worsening of cellulite.
Other Natural Strategies to Fight Cellulite
Along with staying more active, not wearing too tight clothes and taking care of your diet, what else can you do to combat cellulite naturally?
Dry brushing
Dry brushing done vigorously and consistently can help soften hard deposits of fat under the skin by distributing them more evenly. When you brush your skin, it also improves circulation, which could help prevent and diminish the appearance of cellulite.
Dry brushing also helps reduce cellulite by removing toxins from under dead skin. By removing those cells, we allow the skin to perspire and breathe, allowing toxins to be effectively eliminated.
Give it a try, you have nothing to lose. Especially since dry brushing has so many other benefits too. If you want to discover the benefits of dry brushing, read our post on this topic.
Citrus Essential Oil
One of the most recognized benefits of orange essential oil or other citrus oils is the positive effect it has on the lymphatic system, which plays an important role in the body's detoxification mechanism.
This essential oil can help increase the activity of the lymphatic glands, and therefore helps prevent poor circulation and cellulite problems.
To try it, mix one to two drops of orange essential oil with a carrier oil (almond oil, for example) and massage into the cellulite-prone areas in a kneading pattern.
The kneading must be deep and constant, if you cannot do it yourself and need help, you can trust Glo910.
Glo910 is an innovative and effective device to combat cellulite and localized fat. You will be surprised by the great force of its motor that manages to act in the deepest layers of the skin, breaking down fat and eliminating toxins without causing pain. Glo910 reproduces the movement of 35,000 fingers deeply kneading your skin, breaking down subcutaneous fat and mobilizing lymph. In addition, it elasticizes the connective tissue and, thanks to the Slim Tech technology, stimulates the creation of collagen naturally. A great ally to definitively combat cellulite in your body.
Increases collagen production.
Take the necessary steps to increase collagen production, eat foods rich in vitamin C, which plays an important role in collagen production.
Other healthy habits that can help you
Other healthy lifestyle habits like high-quality sleep. Does sleep really help? yes, indeed, sleeping well helps to not gain weight. Of course, it has to be at night and at least 8 hours of deep and restful sleep.
On the opposite side is stress, so common in our lives. We strive to be super women and demand a lot of ourselves, we want to reach 1000 things at once, and we forget about ourselves. It is not an easy task, between work, the house, the children and a long etcetera, but stress reduction can be of great help, since it keeps cortisol levels low. In case you didn't know, cortisol is the stress hormone that, when elevated, depletes lean muscle and retains fat... so you can get an idea of what the sure consequence will be. Cellulite bliss!!
So if you are able to sleep well and reduce your stress, you are well on your way, and not only because of cellulite, but also to live better, and be much happier for sure.
Find out more in our blog posts on how to combat cellulite on the legs.
