Category Weight Loss

Want to Know Why and How HIIT Works?

Chances are your fitness program is primarily cardiovascular. You may walk, run, row, dance or bike. Perhaps you spend most of your time on an elliptical machine, spin bike, or stair stepper.

If you integrate a bit of strength training into your current fitness program then you may have a very well rounded program. And yet you are likely not getting the weight loss and fitness goals you desire. You’re putting in the time and the work but not enjoying the results you truly want.

HIIT can be the game changer, the difference maker, and the solution you’ve been searching for. Here we’ll show you how HIIT works and why it really does produce faster weight loss and fitness results in less time. But don’t take our word for it; let’s take a look at the research and the reason why High Intensity Interval Training is so effective.

Dramatic Fat Burning Results

HIIT has been shown to promote Human Growth Hormone release. This wonderful hormone is a natural one that your body produces. However, as you age the amount of growth hormone decreases. After all, you’re not growing anymore. If you exercise and your muscles and tissues need repair, then HGH is released to help your body repair itself.

When released, HGH also boosts metabolism, burns fat and facilitates muscle building. It also changes the way your body uses and converts energy. Your body does this because it knows you need fuel to repair your muscles and tissues.

The Journal of Obesity reported on a study that showed significant fat burning results after 12 weeks of HIIT. The study focused on young overweight male. They were randomly assigned to a control group or a HIIT group. The HIIT group spent 20 minutes exercising three times a week for 12 weeks.

The majority of the 20 minutes was rest and recovery – between short bursts of intense exercise. And by intense exercise it means that you’re getting up to 95% of your maximum heart rate. The results may surprise you.

The study participants had a reduction of total fat mass that averaged 4.5 pounds. They reduced their visceral fat, the fat under your skin, by 17%. They also showed marked aerobic improvements and their aerobic power increased by 15%.

Some other studies, particularly one published in the journal, Cell Metabolism, seem to indicate that HIIT changes your DNA expression; specifically the genes that are involved in fat metabolism. The study indicates that when you use HIIT as part of your training program, your body automatically turns on the genes that increase your production of lipolytic enzymes, aka fat busting enzymes.

How HIIT Works for Insulin Sensitivity

Diabetes occurs when the insulin receptors become desensitized. It can happen when a person has a diet that is often high in glucose, sugar. The presence of glucose triggers the pancreas to release insulin. However, after a prolonged period of this constant signaling to release insulin, your body begins to shut down those insulin receptors.

When this happens, fat storage is increased because the glucose cannot be processed correctly. So a person with a diet that is often high in sugar – like most Americans – begins to gain weight and take steps toward pre-diabetes and Type 2 diabetes.

HIIT has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity. It makes those insulin receptors work again so your body processes glucose effectively. You don’t store fat, you burn it.

One study looked at volunteers with diagnosed Type 2 diabetes. They performed one interval training session and saw improved blood sugar regulation for the next 24 hours. Other studies have shown that middle-aged adults who are fit but inactive were able to enjoy improvements in their insulin sensitivity and blood sugar regulation after just two weeks of interval training.

Increased weight loss, fat burning, and insulin sensitivity are all spectacular results. However, you may already be at your target weight and not at risk for Type 2 Diabetes. So what are the benefits for you? Can you get better, faster, and stronger with HIIT? You bet you can.

Aerobic Capacity, Endurance, and Strength

High Intensity Interval Training has shown that it provides improved health and fitness for all. A team of Canadian researchers tested a wide variety of men and women at various stages of health – from healthy to fighting cardiovascular disease. The participants performed cycling intervals. All patients showed significant improvements in their health and fitness.

Surprisingly, the cardiac patients showed great improvements and the intense exercise didn’t cause problems for any of the patients.

According to a 2011 study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine, just 2 weeks of high-intensity intervals improves your aerobic capacity as much as six to eight weeks of endurance training – Shape Magazine

If you’re training for a race or you want to get over a fitness plateau then HIIT may be the ideal program for you. One study found that after eight weeks of doing HIIT workouts, participants could exercise twice as long as they could before the study, while maintaining the same pace.

We’ve already mentioned a few of the compelling benefits for integrating HIIT into your current fitness program. Namely, they’re:

• HIIT burns a ton of calories
• More efficient, and shorter, workouts
• Enjoy faster results
• Boost metabolism
• Increased fat burning

However, there are other benefits we’ve yet to discuss. They include:

• You don’t need any equipment to participate in HIIT.
• It’s applicable to just about any workout. From running to weight lifting, you can add HIIT to your program and enjoy results.
• You continue burning calories and fat long after your workout is over.
• It’s seriously challenging, so you won’t get bored.
• It’s quite fun and easy to add to your weekly routine.

So you’ve read the data and you know the facts. You know that if you want to burn fat and get in shape fast then High Intensity Intervals are for you. But how do you get started? Let’s take a look at “Getting Started with High Intensity Interval Training” next and take a look at a few sample HIIT fitness plans.

There are many different approaches to fitness, weight loss, and exercise. As science progresses and more research studies are conducted, new strategies surface. Additionally, as more people become active and start a fitness program, awareness for different techniques and approaches grows.

Introducing High Intensity Interval Training – HIIT

One such approach is called High Intensity Interval Training “HIIT”. It’s a type of training that was actually pioneered by different people at different times. The training that you see today is an adaptation and combination of the initial approaches.

HIIT is an advanced form of interval training. Interval training consists of putting in a moderate effort for a specific period of time and then cranking it up. For example, interval training for a runner might include running at an 11-minute mile pace for five minutes, followed by 8-minute mile pace for one minute. You’d alternate this intensity level for a few cycles.

HIIT is Like Interval Training on Steroids

There’s no steroid use here but HIIT takes it up a notch and truly increases the intensity. With this type of exercise the athlete puts forth a period of high intensity effort followed by a short rest followed by another period of high intensity. One of the most notable HIIT formats is called the Tabata. It is 20 seconds of intense effort followed by 10 seconds of rest. This is repeated for 8 cycles, or four minutes total.

The Tabata workout can be applied to a number of different exercises. For example, you can squat as many times as you can in 20 seconds, rest for 10 and repeat. You can do pushups, pull-ups, or sit-ups.

You can jump rope or sprint. You can ride your spin bike, row on the rowing machine, or do burpees or lunges. Try the Tabata workout with your favorite movement and experience just what intensity really means.

Another example of HIIT for a runner might be a series of 200-meter sprints followed by 30 second rests. You might sprint on your bicycle for a quarter mile and then slow down to a casual pace to recover. You can apply HIIT to any cardio or strength fitness exercise.

There are numerous considerations before starting a fitness plan that includes HIIT.

Pros and Cons of High Intensity Interval Training

The pros of HIIT are numerous, so we’ll take an in depth look at the research in the first chapter. For now, it’s important to know that HIIT results are astounding.

• Fast weight loss
• Less workout time
• Improved strength
• Improved endurance
• Improved cardiovascular fitness
• Better fat burning
• Decreased abdominal fat
• Decreased insulin resistance
• Reduced risk for cardiovascular disease

So the pros look pretty strong, right? They are. You can truly burn significantly more fat and calories in less time. It means that if you don’t have the time to run for an hour a day but you want the same, or better, results, then HIIT may be right for you.
The Potential Risks of HIIT

With every fitness program and workout, there are risks. The same is true for High Intensity Interval Training. The very nature of the workout means it may not be right for people who have a high risk of a cardiovascular episode. Meaning that if you’ve had a heart attack or are at a high risk for having one, please talk to your doctor before beginning a program like this.

If you are older or have other health complications, it’s also important to talk to your doctor. In most cases you can embrace a HIIT program as long as you do it under supervision. It’s also critically important to pay attention to your body and to fuel it well. We’ll talk more about proper self-care for HIIT later.

So Who’s High Intensity Interval Training Right For?

HIIT is right for you if you:

• Want to lose weight quickly
• Have hit a fitness plateau and want to see improvements
• Have hit a weight loss plateau
• Enjoy intense workouts
• Are looking for a new and exciting fitness program
• Want to get rid of those “problem areas”
• Are pre-diabetic and want to increase your body’s insulin sensitivity

These are just a few reasons to try HIIT. Let’s move forward and take a look at some of that research mentioned earlier. Understanding “Why and How HIIT Works” will help you create a strong fitness program for yourself.

Here’s 4 Tips to Help You Avoid the “Inevitable” Holiday Weight Gain

The holidays are a time of massive indulgence for many of us. In fact, even those who have managed to stick to healthy diet and exercise programs all year long often fall off the wagon at the end of the year.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying some extra food and drink at this time of year. In fact, studies show that following stricter diets actually makes things harder in the long run. However, it’s important not to go completely overboard; otherwise you’ll undo all of your good work and make the start of the new year that much harder!

Avoid or Minimize Holiday Weight Gain

Here are 4 tips that won’t take away all of your fun, but that will mean you’ll feel a lot better about your health once the holiday weight gain season is over.

1) Watch What You Drink Over the Holiday’s

All those extra parties are a big source of calories. Not just because of the food, but because of all the alcohol they usually involve! Drinks can contain way more calories than you might realize – especially cocktails and creamy liqueurs. Try to limit your alcohol intake if possible. We know it’s hard at this time of year! If it’s too hard, try drinking spirits (without sugary mixers!) and wine instead.

2) Avoid Holiday Weight Gain by Balancing Your Calories Day to Day

If you’re going out for a big Christmas meal or party in the evening, balance this out by eating fewer calories earlier on in the day. Now this does NOT mean that you should starve yourself or skip entire meals before parties – doing this can actually lead to overeating when you do eat. Instead, eat lighter meals full of fruits, vegetables and fiber that’ll help you feel fuller before the party.

3) Plan Your “Busy Holiday’s” Workout Schedule In Advance

Many of us find that our schedule is all over the place during the holidays, so it’s harder to stick to a routine. Making sure you manage to work out regularly does come down to routine, and it’s easy to let yourself skip your workouts when you’re so busy. Don’t fall off the wagon!

Instead, try to plan things in advance. If you have time off work, let yourself have those lazy lie ins on some days, but make sure to plan which days you’ll be getting up to workout. And, if your gym closes over the holidays, either put together a home workout schedule for yourself or re-arrange your workout days for when the gym is open.

The Holiday Season may be a good time to take up a workout routine that can produce good results in as little as 20 minutes just three to four times a week such as Kettlebells.

 4) Get Enough Sleep Over the Holiday Season!

Your social calendar is probably a lot fuller at this time of year. Be careful not to sacrifice your sleep in order to keep up with anything! Studies have shown that a lack of sleep can contribute to weight gain. It’ll affect how hungry you feel, and it’ll also make it easier to give into cravings when you’re tired. So socialize and party hard, but rest hard too!

If you’ve ever wondered whether practicing yoga can effectively make you lose weight, now is the perfect time to find out.

Although losing weight is not easy for everyone, with the right kind of attitude and discipline, it becomes less of an ordeal and more of a pleasant reality that can be acquired.Using yoga for weight loss can provide you with the discipline you need to succeed.

How Yoga Can Promote Weight Loss

1. Stimulates the Liver

Your liver has many essential functions, chief of which is to process nutrients from food that you eat. Other functions include the removal of toxins from your body, bile production, and protein building. Certain activities, such as drinking alcohol, can overload the liver. Infections can also make the liver lose its health and function poorly.

Yoga is an extremely powerful cleansing agent and detoxifier; it helps to purify your blood, and hasten fat processing by stimulating the liver. Having a healthy liver is greatly instrumental your body’s removal of unhealthy fats more easily, instead of storing them in your body.

2. Improves Heart Rate

People jog or run for a long time to get their heart rates up, believing that this makes their goal of losing weight more achievable. Research, however, has shown that this is a misconception, and is not a very good way to lose weight at all. It actually stresses the nervous system to the point of creating greater exhaustion, leading to adrenal fatigue.

For better weight loss, your heart rate should be change in intervals, and raising the heart rate should happen in very short bursts – raising it, dropping down, and getting it up all over again. Yoga can make this form of “interval training” possible.

At this point, you can check out the videos to be able to do a round of poses such as “Low Runners Lunge” or the “High Lunge.” Do this for some time and for a few rounds you will feel that your heart rate is at its optimal level, without the exhausted feeling that could get from jogging or running.

3. Develops Strength

Moving your body for shortening or lengthening the muscles will help you lose weight. Muscles are active tissues that consume fat for energy. When you build your muscles, your stored fats get used for energy. That is why strength work is very good for losing weight.

Towards this end, doing yoga for weight loss by practicing proper arm balancing positions are great because the poses engage a lot of your muscles, not just the arms or shoulders, but also your abdominal muscles, your core, and your legs.

In essence, yoga can give a full body workout, depending on your selection of the poses that you hold. Proper breathing is also key to burning more energy as you assume the poses, and that, in turn, helps to remove fats from your body.

Other Yoga for Weight Loss Benefits Include:

• Activating the internal heat in the nervous system
  Cleansing the colon
• Creating the right amount of pH levels
• Maintaining the right balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
• Activating the thyroid gland

In the next article we’ll cover doing “Yoga Stretches” to get your blood flowing. If you have not done so already, be sure to subscribe to the MyFitnessNut.com Newsletter so that you can get access to the Hatha Yoga Video demonstrations and get started doing yoga for weight loss right away.

The more important question we should be asking is if you want to spend your time dry brushing your skin daily for months and seeing minimal results. Dry brushing has barely any effects on cellulite. Any visible change is very minimal and lasts for a day, if even that.

Before we go into the theory behind dry brushing, we must understand what cellulite is. It is fat. Nothing more than normal, plain ‘ol fat! This is the same fat that is found on any other part of your body. Cellulite is NOT a unique type of fat.

The only reason it appears different is due to the fact that the fat appears in clumps and in parts of your body where the skin is thinner and less porous. This is usually the skin on your thighs and butt. The difference is only in appearance. The fat is still the same.

Most women experience having cellulite. That’s because most women do not do resistance training on their legs, thighs and butt for the most part. These areas are not toned, low on lean muscle and store fat easily. Even slim women store fat in these areas and the only way to remove that fat is with a healthy diet and exercise.

Can You Remove Cellulite by Dry Brushing?

No! It’s ridiculous that people make claims that brushing your skin will remove cellulite.

The theory behind dry brushing is that brushing your skin will aid the lymph system to remove toxins from the body. A better way to do this will be a hard 20 minute cardio workout that leaves you gasping.

There is no evidence to show that removing toxins will remove cellulite. It is true that fat cells contain toxins but the best way to clear these toxins will be to adopt a clean, healthy diet and use exercise to burn off the excess fat stores. You cannot brush them away.

Even the websites or sources promoting dry brushing will advise you to adopt a healthy diet and exercise and brush your body daily for 6 days a week. You have to follow up this brushing habit for at least a month before you see any visible change.

Even then, most people report no change at all.

A few women have reported minor changes but the cellulite returned within a day. The fact is the cellulite never left. It was there all along. Maybe the constant brushing made the skin swell up with blood and caused the skin to tighten. When the skin tightens, the fat is pushed below. Miraculously the cellulite seems to have ‘disappeared’. Once the swelling subsides, the cellulite returns to its rippled dimply glory.

Dry Brushing Does Have a Place in Your Routine

Yes, but it should be something you do if you have the time. The most effective way to get rid of cellulite is to eat right and exercise hard. Dry brushing can complement this by energizing the skin and improving the skin moisture. And even the minimal toxin removing benefits will improve your health too.

Dry brushing is not a solution to cellulite. It’s just one of those extras you do to make you feel better psychologically. Once your diet and exercise regimen is in place, then you may go ahead and do the dry brushing if it makes you feel happy

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.