Rid Yourself of Cellulite Before Bathing Suit Season

By: Lydia Nicoll

Cellulite is the unattractive dimpled look most women get on their thighs or behind - if you have it, you probably want it gone. There are ways of getting rid of it by understanding what it is and making healthier life choices.

What Is Cellulite?
Cellulite is created by fat cells that have pushed themselves through other cell walls, pulling on connective tissue to make that "cottage cheese" effect. More women than men have cellulite, but that's not to say men don't also find themselves trying to eliminate cellulite's effects. Even women with low or healthy amounts of fat cells can have cellulite, which can lead to self consciousness and low self esteem.

How to Get Rid of It
The first step to making dimply legs a thing of the past is to make new lifestyle choices. The only true way to be cellulite-free is to lose weight or tone up.

The fat that creates cellulite mostly comes from processed foods, saturated fats and trans-fatty acids. Avoid fast food, junk food and anything fried or overly processed. Instead try to seek out healthy fats, such as lean meats and nuts, and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially leafy greens. Watch how many calories you consume per day - cut back if your caloric intake is too high. Making conscious decisions about what you eat will help you to see results more quickly.

Dieting doesn't always do anything for you unless you combine healthy eating with a good amount of exercise. Even just increasing your daily activity by 30 minutes is going to help you out. If you aren't used to intense workouts yet, try taking a 2-mile walk after work each day and build up to doing real cardio or strength training. Once you are at a place where you are comfortable exercising routinely, combine cardio with free-weights. Mixing up your workouts will help you to see results more quickly jog or use an elliptical machine to burn calories, then do squats and leg presses to tone your thighs.

Avoid things such as smoking or consuming excessive amounts of alcohol. Toxins such as these contribute to cellulite hanging around.

Don't Buy Into the Hype
There are tons of products and services out there claiming to be the best solution for cellulite. The truth is some of them may work, but only in combination with diet and exercise. Most creams marketed for cellulite reduction simply help stimulate circulation in the skin which can create a toned look, however to maximize the effectiveness of these creams, you should actually tone your muscles in the first place.

Massages tailored for cellulite reduction also have limited success. Many of these only temporarily reduce the look of dimpled skin because they increase circulation in your skin, making it puff out. Skin brushes may also work for a short period of time by increasing circulation, but will only continue to be effective when combined with diet and exercise.

Liposuction to lessen fat deposits can actually increase the look of cellulite. This invasive procedure doesn't always leave skin smooth and even. If you are considering getting any type of plastic surgery for cellulite correction, consider other options and talk to a professional first.

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Reduce cellulite appearance with these tips that ask you to take a hard look at your lifestyle as well as your thighs. You may not be able to rid yourself of cellulite but you can reduce cellulite's appearance and improve your overall skin texture.

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