One Thing Every Woman Needs To Know About Cellulite
So, cellulite. The bumpy dimples that like to hang out on our thighs, bottoms and legs. Despised by most women and constantly being targeted for extermination.
Does this sound about right?
Well, before we get into some ways that you can reduce the appearance of cellulite, there’s something you need to know.
One Thing Every Woman Needs To Know About Cellulite
Over 90% of women have visible cellulite, it’s completely normal, it’s part of our anatomy, it’s not a disorder, it’s not a ‘condition’ and it certainly should not be hated nor obsessed over! Read that again.
Now, hopefully, that has sunken in and you accept your cellulite and your wonderful body that does so much for you. Let’s have a look at why we have it and some of the ways we can reduce its appearance.
What is cellulite and why is it normal for women to have it?
Firstly, cellulite is NOT trapped toxins. Cellulite formation is a natural, physiological process in women that affects the thighs, bottom and sometimes lower legs and tummy. Skinny women and healthy women can still have cellulite.
Our skin is made up of different layers that contain fat, blood vessels and connective fibres that hold it all together. Women actually have less connective fibres and larger fat globules in the deep layer of their skin than men do. Men have a higher amount of connective fibres that keep their smaller fat globules nice and compact. This means that their skin is tight and does not have that dimply appearance.
Seems unfair right ladies? Well, we need our larger fat globules to protect the babies we grow inside of us. Plus, our soft curves are what make us women, let’s be proud of it.
It is also normal for the appearance of cellulite to increase as we get older due to our skin thinning and becoming less elastic. Younger people still have cellulite, it’s just masked by a more elastic and thicker skin.
How to reduce the appearance of cellulite
1. Maintain a healthy weight
Less fat on your body will generally mean less cellulite. This is because the more weight (or fat) you put on, the larger the fat globules are. Weight loss is not going to completely eliminate cellulite, but it will help reduce its appearance. However, cellulite should not be the main driver for you to maintain a healthy weight. A healthy weight will reduce your risk of heart issues, improve your mental health and give you a longer better quality of life.
Reducing cellulite is just a bonus to weight loss. If you are a healthy weight and have cellulite, that is totally NORMAL. Remember you can’t target specific areas for weight loss. When you lose weight it comes off where it wants to. We all naturally hold more fat in different areas of our bodies.
2. Exercise
Exercise will help with weight loss. It will also help you build muscle mass which can reduce the appearance of cellulite. Again, you could be the fittest, most muscley woman in the world and still have cellulite. However, by building and toning your muscles, you can start to notice some improvement in the appearance of cellulite, especially alongside weight loss.
3. Reduce salt consumption and processed carbs.
Processed carbohydrates, sugar and salt, if eaten in high quantities, can result in fluid retention in the body which may slightly increase the appearance of cellulite. Reducing processed foods like takeaways, chippies, biscuits, doughnuts and pastries etc will help to alleviate water retention and help you to lose body fat – both of which can reduce the appearance of cellulite.
Let’s Celebrate Cellulite!
The main message we want to get across is that, if you are mainly eating a balanced diet full of veggies, fruit, lean protein, high fibre carbohydrates and healthy fats, plus exercising regularly then you are HEALTHY. If you have cellulite, don’t worry about it, you are an amazing woman and your body does amazing things, so make sure you give it lots of love and be proud of it!
Need to make some healthy eating changes?
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Sources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8129470/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30730492/
