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.
