If you're hoping to eliminate your cellulite through diet and exercise, read this post for tips on how to reduce it.
What Is Cellulite
Cellulite is fat tissue that presses against a weaved connective tissue beneath your skin. The connective tissue prevents some of that fat tissue from sticking out, but not completely. The end result on the surface of your skin is the dimpling we call cellulite. Some 90% of women have cellulite, and whether or not you will develop cellulite as an adult is heavily based on your genetics. Typically if other women in your family have cellulite, you will too.
The internet is littered with companies selling remedies, and cures for cellulite. Yet when you understand that cellulite is simply body fat, you understand you can't rub a cream on it to make it permanently go away. You can certainly diminish the appearance of it, and I personally have over time. However, like with body fat anywhere else on your body, the only way to reduce it is with a high protein diet and strength training.
Fit Women Have Cellulite Too
Having or not having cellulite is in no way any indication of how fit you are. I have cellulite. I have it on my thighs, hips and butt. I've even had cellulite at my leanest of 18% body fat for my last photo shoot. It was certainly much less than when I was at 26% body fat, but still apparent. Top female athletes in the world, with training regimens that would kill most of us have cellulite. Serena Williams has cellulite, and Maria Sharapova has been interviewed exclaiming that she wishes she didn't. I'm certain I could get lean enough to no longer have cellulite, but it would be tort not be maintainable, and I would never want to. If I have to exchange my health and lifestyle for smooth legs, then sign me up for dimples baby.
Now as I stated earlier, I did greatly reduce my cellulite over time in both permanent and temporary ways. Here's how I did it.
How to Permanently Reduce Cellulite
1. Reduce Your Overall Body Fat
Cellulite is simply body fat, therefore if you reduce your body fat you will also reduce your cellulite. In order to reduce your body fat you will need to reduce your calorie intake, consume a high protein diet and strength train. The high protein diet will help you to preserve muscle while you're burning body fat through the reduced calorie consumption. Use my macronutrient calculator to figure out exactly how many calories you need to eat to burn fat.
2. Grow Your Glute, Hamstring, and Quad Muscles
Growing your leg muscles forces the connective and fat tissue beneath your skin, responsible for the appearance of cellulite, to be spread more thinly. The end result is a visual reduction of your cellulite.
How to Temporarily Reduce Cellulite
3. Preparation H and Cellulite
This is sort of a well known trick of the trade in the fitness and modeling industry. However, preparation H isn't just for hemorrhoids ladies. It does work to temporarily reduce the appearance of cellulite, because it tightens and constricts the skin where applied. Expect the results to last for about 24 hrs. I've used this quick fix for photo shoots and it definitely helped.
Having cellulite is more normal than not having it. Moreover, if you have cellulite you likely carry it in the same places as most other women. Having cellulite is almost as normal as having skin at all. What I want you to take from this post is there are certainly ways to reduce cellulite. Adopting a fit lifestyle will naturally reduce it over time. You can rub topical creams on it to reduce it temporarily, but there is no magic cure to eliminate it. On your fitness journey you owe yourself realistic expectations so you can celebrate your progress and hard work uninhibited.
So let me know what you think. Do you have anxiety over your cellulite? Has reducing cellulite through exercise been your goal?