Archives September 2013

This is an excellent question that many women ask. Unfortunately, most of them receive the wrong answers. In this article, we’ll examine if a detox cleanse is really necessary for you to banish that awful cellulite from your body.

First, we need to look at what detox cleanses claim to be. There are several detox cleanse products on the market that make bold claims to flush out the toxins in your body.

Some of these products even claim to have ‘liver flushing’ capabilities. The general idea given is that the body is full of toxins and other harmful substances and these cleanses will remove them.

Are Detox Cleanse Marketers Lying to You?

Next, we need to understand what cellulite is. We must know what it really is. The detox cleanse manufacturers will have you believing that cellulite clumps are actually pockets of toxins in the body.

They’ll say that these pockets of fat are hardened fat that cannot be removed through normal methods. So, you’ll need to resort to cleanses to get to the bottom of the problem.

The only problem here is the lies and misleading information surrounding cellulite.

Cellulite is fat. Nothing more, nothing less. It is NOT pockets of toxins or trapped particles beneath that can’t be removed. It is just normal fat and the same rules apply when dealing with cellulite as you would normal fat.

While a detox cleanse can have other benefits for your body, the removal of cellulite is not one of them.

You may be wondering why cellulite looks so different if it is just normal fat. Shouldn’t it be smooth and thick rather than clumpy, dimpled and ugly to look at? To understand why cellulite looks this way will require having an understanding of your anatomy.

There are several bands of tissue that connect our skin to the muscles beneath it. These bands are known as septae. For women, these fibrous bands are connected in a vertical, perpendicular manner. For men, the bands are connected in a cross hatched manner.

This is the main reason why men commonly do not have cellulite.

The perpendicular bands create spaces that are used by the body to store fat. There is very limited space with the male’s cross hatched pattern. Women definitely have it tougher in this area. Once the fat spaces are filled out and carry on getting bigger, the fat will push up against the skin. The clumpy appearance is due to the fact that the fibrous bands are between the fat stores.

So why does cellulite only appear on the thighs, butt and legs? The answer to this lies in the fact that for the majority of women, the skin is thinner there. Men have thicker skin than women in this area and thicker skin masks it.

How to Deal With Cellulite When a Detox Cleanse is Not an Option

In order to deal with cellulite, we need to deal with the body fat percentage of our bodies. The more fat you have in your body, the more cellulite you will have. Heredity and luck may mean that some women have fewer tendencies to have cellulite than others but nevertheless, the same principle holds true.

So, in order to lose this fat, you will need to adopt a healthy clean diet and exercise program to eradicate the fat stores. No detox cleanse can achieve this. There is no detox product on the market to remove cellulite that is effective. If you wish, you may go on a short 3 day detox plan and then follow up with a healthy diet and exercise program. That would be the best way to go about getting rid of cellulite.

This is a difficult question to answer because there are several costs. There is money, there is effort and time. In this article, we will examine the financial aspect of cellulite removal which will differ depending on what course of treatment you chose to adopt.

Women as a whole spend millions of dollars a year on cellulite treatments. These can range from cellulite creams, massages, surgical procedures, special supplements, etc.

This is a huge cash cow for many companies as they compete for the dollars and their marketing messages can be deceiving. Advertising, testimonials, ‘proof’ are all used to convince women that their special products will work wonders.

So, if you decide to purchase cellulite creams, your costs will be lower than that of someone who decides to go for Endermologie cellulite treatment which is a kind of ‘special’ massage.

There is no Exact Cost for Cellulite Removal.

It varies from woman to woman depending on their means and budget. The question is how much do you want to spend on treatments that rarely produce any long lasting effects?

What most anti-cellulite product companies will not tell you is that there is no product on the market that effectively gets rid of cellulite. Not a single one. This is because cellulite is fat. It’s fat in the body that just looks different because of the tissue structures in the body.

Nevertheless, it’s just fat.

There is no cream or massage on this planet that can get rid of fat. What’s more, the only way to remove fat from your body is to exercise and eat right. You need to create a caloric deficit and your body will start burning fat and the cellulite will disappear. This is neither glamorous, romantic nor easy. It involves sacrifice and hard work.

That’s exactly why it will work.

The true cost of cellulite removal is not just the dollars you spend on products that don’t work…

It’s the time that you have wasted on trying out these products. The disappointment you will experience when you see no results. You may even have low self-esteem or hate your body and this is a very real cost that nobody seems to want to talk about.

Cellulite Removal is the Same as Fat Removal

Cellulite is nothing more than fat. That’s it. It is such a simple concept that most people just don’t get.

Ignore the talk about lymphatic drainage, toxins, damaged fat, poor blood circulation, etc. Fat is fat. It can be burned off if you know what you are doing. If you are in a constant state of caloric deficit and exercise regularly, your body will definitely tap into your cellulite fat and burn it off just like any body fat.

Have faith in your body. It’s a miracle and it will do what is best for you as long as you do right by it. It will find the cellulite and burn it when it needs energy and it’s up to you to use the energy to make this happen.

The Key to Cellulite Removal

There is no such thing as damaged fat or trapped toxins that cause cellulite. Your body will detoxify itself. That’s what your liver does. It does a better job than any detox cleanse product on the market. The key to cellulite removal is to burn more calories each day than you consume; this will burn the fat known as cellulite.

So, go about it the healthy way. Save your money. Do not waste it on the creams or other supposedly ‘scientific’ discoveries that are expensive. The old fashioned method is the only effective way to proven and sustainable cellulite removal. Exercise and eat right and you’ll be able to get yourself there.

This is a very interesting topic. Can yoga get rid of cellulite? Some people say that yoga works wonders and others say that other than slight health benefits, they saw no visible reduction in their cellulite.

So Who’s Right About Getting Rid of Cellulite?

This is another one of those questions where both parties are right.

What? Both parties? Really?

Yes. Before we examine why, first you need to understand what cellulite is.

Let’s look at what Wikipedia says about what it is:

Cellulite (also known as adiposis edematosa, dermopanniculosis deformans, status protrusus cutis, gynoid lipodystrophy, and orange peel syndrome) is the herniation of subcutaneous fat within fibrous connective tissue that manifests topographically as skin dimpling and nodularity, often on the pelvic region (specifically the buttocks), lower limbs, and abdomen. Cellulite occurs in most postpubescent females and rarely in males.

In simple terms, cellulite is fat. That’s it. Fat. F-A-T.

Most women are shocked when they hear that cellulite is nothing more than stores of fat. They often exclaim that it can’t be fat because it looks so clumpy, lumpy or dimpled. Normal fat is just smooth and rounded.

That’s wrong thinking.

The reason that cellulite appears the way it does is because of the connective tissues beneath the skin of a woman. In a woman, the connective tissues from the muscles to the skin are perpendicular. This creates pockets or spaces for fat to be stored.

Men do not have this problem because their connective tissues are connected in a cross hatched manner. Men have it good in this department.

To worsen the situation, women have thinner skin so any subcutaneous fat becomes much more visible when it pushes up against the skin. As a woman ages, her skin gets thinner and less supple.

That’s a double whammy because now the cellulite becomes much more visible. This is why older women complain of cellulite more.

Get Rid of Cellulite by Getting Rid of Fat

The only way to reduce the appearance of cellulite is to reduce the fat stores in the body, be on a healthy diet and take care of your skin by consuming collagen supplements and applying moisturizing lotions to your skin.

Women see cellulite on their thighs and butt because the skin there is thinner. Different women may see cellulite in different places. It all depends on how thin the skin is on the body. Regardless of location, the principle is the same.

When you lose the fat, you’ll lose the cellulite.

So is Yoga Effective to Get Rid of Cellulite?

If your body fat percentage is not too high, yoga may help you burn more calories and you may lose some body fat. When this happens, your fat stores drop and the cellulite may be less visible or not even exist at all.

If you are overweight or obese, it may take you a long, long time to burn off all the excess fat with yoga because yoga is not a high impact exercise. In this case, it may not be very effective in the short run but over a period of time, yoga can get you there. So, depending on the person, the answer is a yes for everyone even though it may take much more time for some.

I’d highly recommend that yoga just be one component in a varied training regimen. You want to hard cardio workouts that will get your heart pumping and your body in fat burning mode. You want resistance training especially for your lower body. Squats, lunges, dead-lifts, scissor kicks, etc. will tone the muscles in your legs and butt. You will also accelerate fat burning in these areas.

That is how you lose cellulite. Yoga is a means to an end and not an end in itself without a considerable amount of time invested.

This is the question that women ask when they think they have tried everything to rid themselves off cellulite and all attempts have failed. In most cases, hundreds or even thousands of dollars were spent on creams, massages, supplements, etc. and despite all these attempts, the cellulite still remains.

This is due to the fact that almost all the cellulite removal products on the market just do not work. Most women do not realize that cellulite is just fat. The dimpled, orange-peel appearance makes it seem that cellulite is different from normal fat.

In reality, cellulite is just plain old fat. When fat gets stored and squeezed out between the stiff bands of tissue that connect the muscles to the skin, the fat appears to be dimpled and clumpy. Nevertheless, it is just fat.

The Right Time to Consider a Cellulite Laser Treatment

The best way to remove the cellulite will be to embark on a healthy diet and lots of exercise to bring your body fat percentage down. This is the most effective way to remove it, bar none.

However, some women, due to genetics or other issues still have persistent cellulite even if they have brought their body fat percentage down. In these rare cases, they may consider doing a laser treatment.

Laser treatments are one of those rare cellulite treatments that actually work. However, it involves surgical procedures and the cost can be exorbitant. You will need to decide for you if your budget allows it and you really want to go with an invasive procedure like this.

How a Cellulite Laser Treatment Works

Laser treatments for cellulite work by melting the fat deposits away. The procedure itself takes about 90 minutes while the patient is under local anesthesia and it goes something like this:

The cellulite areas are disinfected before the actual surgery… Tiny incisions are made on the skin where the cellulite is visible… A very thin and fine metal tube with an attached laser is inserted into these incisions… The laser then emits heat to dissolve the fats and thereby reducing all unsightly bulges that give the cottage cheese appearance.

The heat will also stimulate collagen formation in the next 6 to 12 months. This will make the skin look healthier and supple.

During the laser treatment, it is common for fluid and fat to seep out of the incisions. These are wiped away. It’s not a big issue and just shows that the treatment is actually effective. Many women who have gone for laser treatment swear by its effectiveness and say that the effects are permanent.

To Do a Cellulite Laser Treatment or Not

If you have followed a healthy diet, exercised your butt off and brought your body fat percentage down to about 15 percent, and you’re still seeing cellulite on your thighs and legs, you may first wish to evaluate how you feel about a surgical procedure.

Are you willing to put up with it or does the cellulite bother you so much that it is affecting the way you live?

If you are unhappy with the way you feel, then by all means you can give a laser treatment a try if you think that it is a fit for you. The cost may be an obstacle but if you really want it, you will find a way to get it. Instead of wasting money on creams and massages, you can save up for a laser treatment which has the potential to end your problem on a more permanent basis.

There are several cellulite creams available on the market. You may have seen advertisements for these creams on late night infomercials or on ads at your local health store. The anti-cellulite product industry is a 12 million dollar a year industry.

A Huge Chunk of Money is Spent on Cellulite Cream Alone

These creams are marketed very professionally. There are testimonials from satisfied users who in many cases have been financially compensated for their “honest reviews.”

The ads will promise the world and guarantee to deliver results in a short time but of course, the fine print will usually state that results are not typical and may vary from individual to individual.

What Does One Cellulite Cream Have in Common With the Other?

The only thing that all cellulite creams share in common is their ineffectiveness and inability to produce long lasting results. Most cellulite creams make the skin swell a little and become tauter.

When this happens, the appearance of the cellulite diminishes because the skin is tighter. However, the effects of the cream will subside and the cellulite will return. So, will the woman’s disappointment.

Trade-in Your Cellulite Cream for Something That Works

The best way to get rid of cellulite is with a healthy diet and exercise. You will need to reduce your body fat percentage. If you can do this, your cellulite will to a large extent disappear.

Once you get your diet and training in place, your body will start burning off cellulite. Now you may wish to use cellulite cream to hasten the process. The best way to do this will be to make your own cream at home.

It will be a lot cheaper in the long run and is just as effective.

The cream will be beneficial if it gives you the psychological advantage. Many women feel better just by applying the cream. If it makes you feel better doing it, go for it.

The application and massaging will also improve blood circulation to the cellulite prone areas. That is a good thing. The crux of the matter is that the cream is just to supplement a proper eating and training regimen.

Make Your Own Cellulite Cream

After scouring the internet, the following creams were discovered to be the best that you can make at home. You may wish to give them a try.

1. Essential Oil Cellulite Cream

This good-smelling lotion not only pleases your sense of smell; the essential oils used are reputed to help tighten skin and reduce cellulite’s lumpy appearance.

* 1 cup unscented body lotion

* 1 tablespoon witch hazel (available at drug stores and large retailers in the pharmacy or first aid section)

* 3 to 5 drops each of the following essential oils: juniper, rosemary, cypress and grapefruit

First, mix the essential oils with the witch hazel by shaking or swirling. Then add the lotion and stir or shake vigorously. Use this lotion after you shower and before bedtime, working it into the skin with a circular, massaging motion.

2. Coffee Scrub

Caffeine is one of the main ingredients used in a lot of commercial cellulite creams. Using coffee grounds you can apply this caffeine to the skin, and also the abrasive/exfoliating action of the grounds can help increase circulation and skin tone. Here is how to make a coffee scrub for cellulite.

* 1 cup used coffee grounds (some sources say you can use the ground coffee fresh, without making coffee with it first. Presumably, this would have more caffeine but may seem more wasteful)

* 1/4 cup sweet almond oil

Mix these two ingredients and apply to wet, warm skin in small circles, massaging well. You can “wrap” the area with plastic wrap and then a towel, leaving the coffee scrub in place for about ten minutes before rinsing. Make sure you have a strainer over your shower drain so it doesn’t get clogged with coffee grounds!

3. Fruit Cream

The presence of acids such as tartaric and citric acid in fruits may help reduce the appearance of cellulite. This recipe also uses sugar, which can act like an exfoliant to increase circulation and tone up skin.

* 1 tablespoon sweet almond oil

* 3 tablespoons sugar

* 1/2 cup pureed fresh strawberries

Apply this cellulite cream as you would the one made from coffee grounds. It could also be used under a cellulite wrap.

That’s basically it. Use the cellulite cream separately or alternate if you wish, along with a good diet and train hard using a good exercise workout routine. You will see results, save money and be happy with your end results if you just keep after it.

Endermologie treatment is a method of cellulite treatment that involves strong rolling, sucking and massaging of the skin on cellulite prone areas. The theory behind this is that the treatment will break up the cellulite and disperse them away from the affected areas.

The Endermologie cellulite treatment works by using 2 “rolling pin” shaped rollers that have suction and vibrates. The rollers will knead and massage the skin. Each session lasts about 45 minutes. The purpose of these sessions is to breakdown the unwanted fat cells and cellulite.

So Then, is an Endermologie Cellulite Treatment Safe?

Yes it is. Since it is just like a massage.

Is it costly?

It depends on your budget. If you have money to spare, you will not feel too bad of a pinch but there are women who spend thousands of dollars on this type of treatment so you’ll need to ask that question at your local establishment.

Does it work?

Ah hah! This is the crucial question. There are 2 views about this just like most things in life.

There’s one camp that supports Endermologie and claim that it works for them…

Then there’s the other camp says it is a waste of money and produces no lasting results.

Is the Endermologie Cellulite Treatment Worth the Money?

So, now that we have determined that Endermologie is safe, we should look at whether it is effective and worth your money.

The interesting thing to note is that Endermologie states that cellulite is indeed fat. This is the truth and a step in the right direction.

Now, can fat be massaged away?

The answer to that is no. Anyone with common sense will realize this. However, most people do not exercise common sense when it comes to issues that affect them on an emotional level. It’s so much easier to just believe that you can massage your fats away rather than go the painful route of hard exercise and strict diets.

Yet, it is the latter that produces the results. Even if the theory that you can massage your fats away holds true, that would be similar to saying that you are moving your furniture around the room. At the end of the day, the furniture is still there! Even if it works, the cellulite or fat stores are still in your body. So what is the point?

You want to completely banish the cellulite from your body. You want to burn it off and get rid of it. The only way to do this is with exercise and eating right. When you burn off your fat stores, you burn off your cellulite. This is the most effective way in the long run.

Think Before Doing an Endermologie Cellulite Treatment

Before trying out methods like Endermologie or laser therapy or any other method that requires you to fork out your hard earned money, it would be best to go about it the old fashioned way. Exercise and a healthy diet never hurt anybody that I know of.

Squeeze in a few cardio sessions a week. Engage in resistance training. Do the squats, lunges, dead-lifts, etc. Train till you are dripping in sweat. You will feel good and look better. Your body composition will change and your body fat percentage will drop.

Once that happens, your cellulite will automatically disappear. You will not need an Endermologie cellulite treatment or any other method.

Cellulite is fat that has received a bad reputation. It is not a sign of an unhealthy body. There are many misconceptions about it and some websites will even state that it’s caused by poor circulation and drainage in the body.

They also state that it is fat that has been damaged. To add credibility to their statements, they’ll also state that even female athletes show signs of cellulite.

All this is just confusing and makes women hate their bodies. This article aims to keep things simple. Cellulite is fat. That’s it. Fat that is stored in a unique way that it results in its dimpled and not so pleasant appearance.

That’s it. Just like all fat in your body, it can be burnt off and you can reduce the amount of it in your body.

To a certain extent, it can be hereditary also. Women with thinner skin will show more signs of it since the fats will be more visible beneath the skin. Some women are also more predisposed to gaining fat and that’s exactly what makes up those lumpy dimples.

Within Reason, Fat or Cellulite Gain is Not Unhealthy

That does not mean they are unhealthy. Just like any fat gain, they’re consuming more calories than they are expending. Reversing this state will result in fat loss and the reduction of cellulite.

Cellulite looks different from normal fat only because of the structure of the tissues that connect the skin to the underlying muscles. These bands are perpendicular in women and have pockets of fat storage. Once those pockets are filled and then continue to fill with fat the excess fat starts pushing upwards and becomes visible because the skin is thin.

Yet, it is still just fat.

No, Toxins Do Not Cause Cellulite to Appear or Disappear

Some people may say that it’s caused by toxin buildup. This to a certain extent is true because fat in the body tends to bind toxins so that you do not become sick. However, toxins do not cause it. Fat buildup does.

Eliminate the fats and you eliminate the cellulite.

Another common fallacy is assuming that only overweight women have it. Many slim women have it too. So, if fat causes it to appear, why do these women still have it?

Because, it is not a matter of weight. The all-important number is your body fat percentage. There are many women who see slim, yet they have low muscle mass and a high percentage of body fat. In the fitness industry, this is known as “skinny fat”. So, even if you are slim but have a high body fat percentage, that fat is going to spill out of the spaces between your tissues and pop out as cellulite.

Cellulite is Not a Sign of Poor Health

If you eat a sensible diet, exercise regularly, consume collagen supplements and keep your skin supple and healthy, you’ll do more to banish cellulite than any cream or detox cleanse ever could.

Your health is affected by having fatty internal organs, poor stamina and other problems caused by a lack of exercise and a diet that is not wholesome. Cellulite is a symptom of an underlying problem. It is not an issue in itself. Maintain discipline with your diet and exercise and the cellulite will slowly but surely disappear and become less visible.

Every year women spend upwards of 10 million+ dollars on products created to fight cellulite. New products, creams, miracle cures and other weird contraptions flood the market constantly. All fighting for a slice of the very profitable pie.

Yet, there is not a single product on the market that works effectively or shows permanent results. Slick marketing, compensated ‘testimonials’ and other tactics that prey on women’s emotions, are all used to sell these products.

Almost all the products are a waste of time or money and in most cases, both.

The truth is that cellulite is just fat. That’s it. Not accumulated toxins, poor circulation, damaged fatty tissues or any other nonsense that is so often spouted by the companies that sell anti-cellulite products.

You Banish Cellulite the Same Way You Banish Fat

Since cellulite is just normal fat, it can be eradicated just like normal fat. The same rules apply. No need for special creams or massages to get rid of cellulite. Exercise, a healthy diet and a close eye on your body fat percentage will do more for your cellulite than any cream or massage ever could.

If you were to tell certain woman that resistance training is more beneficial than cellulite creams, she’d probably think that you lost your marbles. Yet, this is the hard truth.

Fat can only be burnt off with exercise. You cannot melt fat with creams and you definitely cannot massage fat away.

If Only It Were That Easy to Banish Cellulite

Of course to lose weight, you will need to watch your diet closely and engage in cardio sessions on a frequent basis. In this article, we will take a closer look at resistance training.

Most women feel that weight training or resistance training is only for men. Again, this is fallacy. Women will benefit greatly from resistance training.

You will not get big and bulky by doing resistance training. Even men struggle to gain muscle. Resistance training will give you a lean and toned body. You will have firm thighs and a nice, perky butt. Toned muscles will give your thighs and legs a taut appearance and cellulite will be less visible.

Good Example of Resistance Training Exercises to Banish Cellulite

Examples of resistance training are squats, lunges, dead-lifts, snatches, leg presses, etc. You may wish to focus more on resistance training for the lower body to increase the lean muscle mass in your lower body. Most women are prone to storing fat in the lower body and cellulite most frequently occurs on the thighs and butt.

When you engage in resistance training, your body composition will change. While your body fat decreases, your lean muscle will increase. So, even though the numbers on the weighing scale don’t change, the appearance of your body will. Your weight may be the same but you will look smaller and more toned. That’s because muscle is denser than fat.

The more lean muscle you have, the more calories you will burn on a daily basis. That means the chances of your body storing fat are much lower. Since cellulite is just stored fat, you will not see it returning anytime soon, unless you start slacking on your diet and training of course.

Two resistance training programs that will give you a good workout for both your upper and that all important lower body are Dumbbell workouts and the Kettlebell workouts. Both provide resistance where you can start out low and work your way up as you see, and get fit.

Resistance training is one of the key components to banish cellulite so start now by making it a part of your daily workouts and you will see and feel the difference in a matter of weeks.

Thousands of women all over the world would save themselves a whole lot of money if they knew how effective diet and exercise is when it comes to wanting to melt cellulite.

The creams, massages, supplements and other fads just do not work. They are rip offs and just a waste of time and precious resources.

Note that there’s no difference between actual fat and what is called cellulite beneath the surface. It just normal fat that looks different because of the tissue structure in a woman’s body. The tissues are connected in a manner that squeezes the fat out and makes it look clumpy and gives a similar appearance as cottage cheese.

Nevertheless, it’s the same type of fat found all over your body and just like normal fat, cellulite can be blasted away with cardio and weight/resistance training. This article will focus on cardio training.

Using Cardio Workouts to Melt Cellulite

There are many types of cardio workouts from running to cycling to swimming to even classes like Zumba or Taebo. Any workout that elevates your heartbeat and keeps it elevated for a prolonged period of time is considered a cardio workout and is helpful to melt cellulite away.

Cardiovascular training is one of the most important and effective components in a fat loss quest. You must include both resistance training and have a healthy diet to achieve good results. However, without cardio workouts, your progress will be slowed down considerably and you will take ages for you to be able to burn the fat.

How Much Cardio is needed to Melt Cellulite?

Depending on your age and fitness, the intensity of your cardio workout will vary. What may seem intense to a 40 year old woman may be easy as pie for a 25 year old woman. So, intensity is based on how you feel.

You always want your cardio workouts to be short and intense. We are not interested in those long 45 to 60 minute walks. Your cardio workouts should be around 20 to 30 minutes and work your muscles hard.

When you’re panting and sweating and feel like giving up means that you’re giving it your best and this is when you will melt cellulite the fastest.

As long as you feel that it’s intense, that’s a good sign. Uphill sprints, stair climbing, skipping, kickboxing, etc. are excellent forms of cardio. You want to choose a cardio workout that focuses more on your lower body. So, it may be advisable to skip swimming or rowing as those exercises focus more on the upper body.

Focus on Lower Body Cardio to Melt Cellulite Away

When your cardio workout focuses on the lower body, your legs, thighs, calves and buttocks will be targeted. The muscles in these areas will become stronger and tauter.

While you cannot spot reduce fat, the fat burning process in these areas will be accelerated due to the increased muscle mass in those areas.

Most women notice cellulite in the lower body because these are the more prone areas. The skin is thinner and generally, women have a tendency to store fat in the lower body. So, by engaging in cardio that works your lower body, you are directly targeting the problem areas in their entirety.

The key point to note is that you need to do your cardio sessions regularly and intensely. 4 times a week would be great. It will take time to burn off your fat, but if you persist and stay the course, in time to come, your body will tap into all of your fat stores and that is what it will take to melt cellulite and burn it all off.

That is your goal and to help you achieve it, be sure to get your My Fitness Nut Newsletter subscription activated at the top of MyFitnessNut.com and be sure to check out the free muscle building video series that comes with your free newsletter subscription.

If you’re in a hurry and only have time to read the first 3 lines of this article, I’ll summarize the answer in 1 sentence…

To keep cellulite at bay, watch your diet, eat healthy and exercise till you have a low body fat percentage. That is the best way to keep cellulite at bay. If you’re curious about how to do this, read on.

First thing, remember that it is just fat that we’re dealing with here. It is not accumulated toxins or the result of poor lymphatic drainage. It is not damaged fat. It is not poor circulation or weird metabolism. It is not a disease or condition.

Cellulite is Just Fat – Nothing More.

It only looks different from normal fat because of the way it is stored. There is a layer of fibrous tissue just beneath our skin. This tissue makes our skin adhere to the underlying muscles. For women, the tissue has vertical bands that are perpendicular to the skin. For men, these tissues are connected in a crisscrossed manner.

This is the reason why women are stricken with it and men typically are not. The vertical bands in the woman’s tissues create columns or pockets where fat can be stored. The body then proceeds to store fat in these spaces.

Fat Fills the Spaces Making Cellulite Visible

Once these spaces are filled out and the body keeps filling up the spaces, the fat has nowhere to go but upwards. The fat then pushes the skin upwards and this causes the cellulite to become visible.

Women also have thinner skin than men. So, the fat is more visible. The cellulite appears dimpled or clumpy because of the bands of tissue between the fats. So, while it appears different from normal fat, it is the same and just like normal fat, the same rules apply to keeping it at bay.

Body Fat Determines the Visibility of Cellulite

You will need to get your body fat percentage measured. This is the first key step. You may get a doctor or a fitness professional at your local gym to do it for you because body fat percentage can’t be measured on a body weight scale.

Weighing scales are not a good indicator of body composition. Even women who seem slim may have a high body fat percentage. This is why even slim women sometimes show signs of cellulite on their body.

Now that you have your body fat percentage measured, you will need to bring it down to 12 to 18 percent. It may be difficult and take time but it’s well worth the effort. The most important factor is your diet. You must watch what you eat very closely just as you would on any fat loss diet.

Avoid foods with a high GI. These are the foods that you know are fattening. Cakes, chocolates, ice cream, pizza, etc…

Don’t deprive yourself entirely but try to save these foods for just 1 day in a week opposed to every day of the week. Keep your diet healthy and wholesome and once you have your diet under control that’s 70 percent of the battle already won.

Next, you will need to embark on an exercise program that involves a good mix of cardio and resistance training. The cardio will burn off the excess fat and the resistance training should be geared towards your lower body.

Squats, lunges, deadlifts, etc. are great exercises for women and men both. Your lean and toned lower body will reduce any visible signs of cellulite.

This is how you keep cellulite at bay. It may not be as popular as creams, massages or other methods but this is the only method that is truly effective, budget friendly and has long lasting effects.

On a closing note, be sure to subscribe to the My Fitness Nut Newsletter at the top of MyFitnessNut.com to get some awesome exercise workout routines and dieting advice that can help you make that cellulite disappear from your body once and for all.