Cellulite

Do You Need Exercises To Reduce Cellulite??

  At some point in your life, you have probably gone through the trouble of having to deal with cellulite.  That bit of extra fat on your legs, thighs or buttocks can be very annoying and cause you much grief.  The good news is that if you are willing to put in the effort, there are exercises available to reduce cellulite and tone your body to the level you desire.  The best part about finding these exercises is not having to necessarily resort to surgical procedures to get rid of cellulite.  In some cases, people turn to liposuction as one of the most popular reduction methods out there.  Liposuction, however, can be dangerous if not performed just right.  For some, it can be dangerous regardless – so any method that can keep you off the operating table is the best way to go.

Two methods of exercise that are considered the best are cardiovascular and anaerobic.  Cardio exercise involves getting the circulation stirred and will get the blood pumping.  By doing this, cardio can help purify the body by sweating, which will remove toxins from the skin.  Also, it allows fat to travel from the skin through your blood and eventually outside your body.  Exercises such as swimming, jogging, bicycling, running a treadmill, and simple walking (or perhaps “power walking”) can be effective methods of getting a good, robust cardio workout.

While cardiovascular exercises are seen as the most effective reduction method, anaerobic methods are also considered to be a fine way to lose the cellulite.  These exercises manage to metabolize lots of fat in certain areas of your body – areas which can be targeted through weight exercises and the like.  Being able to build muscle can be great for finishing off your cellulite issues.  Some activities to try out include leg curls and various squatting methods.  A gym should have proper equipment on which to perform all these kinds of exercise; they should have good leg curling equipment, and should have what you’ll need to try ball squats or some bench squats.

It isn’t only about exercises to reduce cellulite, however:  Remember that any exercise program will be only so effective without a sensible diet plan to go along with it.  Eating right is always important in the fight against cellulite.  Good foods like beans and brown rice are helpful, and always drink water and eat veggies and fruits.  You can balance a good diet with strong exercise to create the perfect system to best help you shed that cellulite.

The cottage cheesy appearance is caused when the fibrous tissue just below the skin forms pockets. These pockets fill up with fat deposits that bulge and produce the bumpy appearance that we refer to as cellulite. The more excess fat a woman has, the more severe the problem. Sad but true though, even women of ideal body weight can still have cellulite. Cellulite is alleged to be a special type of "fat gone wrong," a combination of fat, water, and "toxic wastes" that the body has failed to eliminate.

What Can You Do?

So what's the best defense? There are several different so called fixes out there including creams and even surgery. But by far, the most practical, safest and long lasting way to reduce cellulite is by combining a low-fat diet with an appropriate exercise program that tones the underlying muscle. Therefore, an aerobic only exercise program aimed at burning fat is not enough.

Strength training is an important element in reducing the unsightly appearance of cellulite since it increases muscle tone and decreases total body fat. But the way you strength train is even more important. A program that targets fat loss in the lower body, specifically hips, thighs, abdomen and buttocks is ideal for most women.

Freestyle Fitness, A women's only program is a great way to train with these goals in mind. The very nature of a women's only program geared at training the lower body fatigues the muscle groups helping to promote a reduction in actual size of the area, while decreasing the percentage of body fat. The routines that I recommend for women with these goals in mind involve a 15-25-repetition concept, which also keeps the heart rate up. I also encourage that when training for shape, not size, that the exercises are performed with no rest between sets, only for a drink of water. This type of training will create more fat-burning muscle while still giving you a longer, leaner and shapely, not bulky body and can also be considered as a two in one system. Resistance training and cardio in one.

First, let's discuss some of the physical issues that plague many women regarding body shape and body composition. Most women have the same issues. They want to become more firm and leaner, they want delicate feminine cuts, and they want to defeat the battle with the hips, thighs and back of the upper arms. In many cases, women want to not only firm up these problem areas, but they want to reduce the size of these areas. Although nothing can replace the benefits of aerobic training for the heart, aerobic training does not tone muscle, and muscle tone is the only answer to the battle. Women need to incorporate lightweight training into their fitness routines in order to have the best body that they as an individual can possibly have.

Let's explore some basic principals of how women should resistance train. First, as a general rule, women should perform exercises at a weight that allows them to complete 15 to 25 repetitions; with the last few repetitions feeling a bit challenging. Secondly, problem areas should be trained four to six times a week, following the 15 to 25 repetition rule. Lastly, exercises should be done in a fairly fast paced cycle. This means for example, in a given workout if there are five different lower body exercises being performed in that particular workout session, exercises 1-5 should be performed once (15 - 25 times each), then exercise 1-5 should be performed again and when endurance permits, even a third or fourth time.

In addition to the visible physical changes that will result from consistent resistance training, there are numerous health benefits that only resistance training can provide for women such as:

* Slowing down the aging of the skeleton and increasing bone mass.

* Improve the strength and function of tendons and ligaments.

* Rev-up metabolism by building lean muscle. For every pound of lean muscle built, an additional 50 calories a day will be used.

* Replaces the 1/2 pound of muscle that we lose each year as we age, beginning at around the age of 30.

There are many other benefits of resistance training, but those are several important ones. If properly done, your workout can not only give you that swimsuit model physique that you want, but it also can provide you with results that can reverse some of the inevitable results of aging. If done properly, resistance training will not make you bigger. It will in fact reduce and firm the areas that you battle with that won't go away, no many how many aerobic classes you take.

Slim Your Hips and Thighs

4 exercises to reduce cellulite and build strong smooth legs:

Many women tell me that every stray calorie seems to migrate to their hips and thighs. This is not a figment of their imaginations. Before menopause, many women's bodies store excess fat predominantly in this area, creating what's come to be known as the "pear-shaped" body. For thousands of years, fat storage in these areas greatly helped cave-dwelling women survive during times of drought and famine. And women who could easily store fat in their hips and thighs tended to be able to give birth and feed a baby during a drought--during pregnancy and breastfeeding, the body needs as many as 1,000 extra calories a day--thus passing on their thigh-fat-storing genetics to future generations. This is one reason why thigh fat is so difficult to get rid of. Genes left over from your cave-dwelling ancestors cause hormones and enzymes in your body to direct every extra calorie into waiting fat cells in your hips and thighs. For example, your levels of the female sex hormone estrogen may be a tad higher than other women whose bodies don't store excess fat in these areas (or as much of it). But there are ways to coax these fat cells in your thighs to release their contents, and to coax your muscle cells into burning it up! So don't despair.

What Causes Cellulite?

Besides excess fat in their thighs, many women complain to me about a certain type of fat known as cellulite. They tell me that no matter how much weight they lose, they can't seem to smooth out the tiny lumps of fat on their thighs. Indeed, some of the most slender women have cellulite.

Cellulite is created when fat manages to push its way through tiny holes in your connective tissue, the thick web of interwoven fibers just underneath your skin. Strong and healthy connective tissue forms a tighter web of interwoven fibers, preventing fat from pressing its way through. Weak, unhealthy connective tissue, on the other hand, more easily stretches apart, allowing tiny fat pockets to poke through. Many factors can weaken your connective tissue, setting the stage for cellulite. They include: High Hormone Levels Women with higher-than-normal levels of the female hormone estrogen tend to suffer more often from cellulite. Other than directing extra calories to fat cells in your thighs, estrogen also weakens connective tissue. When estrogen softens connective tissue around the womb, it makes childbirth possible. Unfortunately, estrogen softens all of the connective tissue in your body, not just that around your womb. Poor Blood Circulation Usually, high estrogen levels alone won't trigger cellulite to form. Many experts believe that you must also have poor blood circulation to your connective tissue, which tends to cause swelling. The swelling stretches the connective tissue apart, allowing the fat to bulge through. Fluid RetentionMany people think that fluid retention takes place only in the abdomen. That's not true. It actually occurs all over your body, including your thighs. If you've ever pulled on a favorite pair of pants and found them tight in the thighs one day and loose the next, you've experienced the ebb and flow of fluid retention. Any type of swelling in your thighs--particularly on a chronic basis--will stretch out and weaken connective tissue. A Frenzied Lifestyle Emotional stress has also been shown to weaken connective tissue.

What You Can Do

First, daily exercise will help to normalize your hormonal levels. This not only helps prevent cellulite, it will also help to prevent mood swings. Second, exercising will increase blood circulation to your thighs, helping to keep the connective tissue healthy. Better blood circulation will, in turn, help to remove excess fluid. Finally, as you shed fat in your hips and thighs, you'll have less of it to press against your connective tissue.

Good News/Bad News

Genetically speaking, there are two predominant body types. Some people gain fat in their lower bodies, creating the pear shape mentioned earlier. Others tend to gain fat in their abdomens, creating what's known as an apple shape. Though you may have come to despise the fat on your hips and thighs, you should know that you have a major advantage over people who tend to gain it elsewhere. Research has shown over and over again that abdominal fat--and not hip and thigh fat--is particularly dangerous to your health. Abdominal fat more easily makes its way into your bloodstream, clogging your arteries. Thigh fat is much less likely to do so. Now for the bad news. Thigh fat is a little harder to burn off than belly fat. You probably know this already. If you and a boyfriend, guy friend, or husband have ever resolved to lose weight at the same time, you probably noticed that he had a much easier time dropping the weight in his belly than you did in your thighs. Regardless, that doesn't mean you can't burn it off. I know that women who have excess thigh fat are generally the most motivated to get rid of it. So I probably don't have to give you much of a pep talk to help motivate you toward your goal.

Abdominal fat is easy to hide with a big sweater. Thigh fat, on the other hand, is almost impossible to hide. And summer can be a very difficult time for women. My female friends and online clients tell me that they hate wearing shorts and swimsuits because they hate revealing their legs. And they tell me that their pants tend to hug too tightly in the thighs. But you can change all of that! Not only can you slim down your thighs and hips and smooth away that cellulite, but you can also build the muscles in your legs, which are some of the largest and strongest muscles in your body. Stronger leg muscles make your overall life feel so much more effortless. You'll walk with more confidence and with a spring in your step. You'll be able to climb stairs without getting tired. And you'll be able to go on strenuous hikes--all because of your strong legs! You will feel better about yourself from the inside out.

Move 1: Seated Pillow Squeeze (works on inner thighs)

Sit on a sturdy chair (one without wheels). Rest your feet on the floor with your knees bent at 90-degree angles. Place a pillow between your thighs. Exhale as you squeeze the pillow between your thighs, as if you were trying to squeeze the stuffing out of the pillow. Hold for 1 minute as you breathe normally. Release and proceed to Move 2.

Move 2: Seated Hand Push (works outer thighs and hips)

Sit on a sturdy chair. Rest your feet on the floor with your knees bent at 90-degree angles. Place your palms on the outsides of your knees. While keeping your palms and arms stationary, push your knees outward against your palms, as if you were trying to push your palms away. At the same time, press inward with your hands, preventing your thighs from pushing them outward. Hold this isometric contraction for 1 minute, breathing normally. Release and proceed to Move 3.

Move 3: Seated Leg Raise (works fronts of the thighs)

Sit on a sturdy chair. Rest your feet on the floor with your knees bent at 90-degree angles. Rest your hands on the chair at your sides. Exhale as you lift and extend your right leg. Hold for 30 seconds as you breathe normally. Then inhale as you lower your right leg and exhale as you repeat with your left leg. Hold for 30 seconds while breathing normally. Release and proceed to Move 4.

Move 4: Seated Bridge (works the backs of the thigh and rear end)

Sit on the edge of a sturdy chair. Rest your feet on the floor with your knees bent at 90-degree angles. Rest your palms on the chair at your sides. Exhale as you lift your hips, allowing your palms and feet to support your body weight. Continue to lift your hips until your body resembles the shape of a bridge. Hold for 20 to 60 seconds while breathing normally. Release and return to Move 1. Repeat Moves 1-4 once more, and you're done.