Cellulite, now that’s a dirty word.

Shall we all bow our heads and say a prayer that we are never cursed with it. I just read a post on one of sites I visit daily and saw this woman with the worst case of cellulite that started from her her knees to her hips. Or the other way around. This is a woman’s worst nightmare, I think. One of those other nasty things that just pops up and makes us self-conscious of our bodies not being perfect. As if we need something else. Why does it happen? Well, it happens when the fat cells under your skin separate from the connective tissue.

Men, of course, are hardly ever inflicted with it. They have a different fat cell structure which supports the fat layers under their skin; especially on the thighs and butt area. The first layer of fat cells is thinner than ours and is intertwined with the connective tissue, so the likeliness of detachment is rare. The difference in the skin makeup between men and women is simply the variations of the hormones.

Explaining The Skin Itself

We have the outside layer which is called the epidermis. Underneath that is the dermis, which is where your hair follicles, blood vessels, sweat glands, nerve receptors and connective tissues are located. Under the dermis are three layers of fat. The first layer of fat cells, called subcutaneous fat, is considered the standing fat cell chambers. Inside, these chambers have smaller projections of fat cells. When these cells protrude to the dermis after they have separated from the connective tissue, the skin will have that uneven dimpling effect.

It is my opinion that if you keep your BMI (Body Mass Index) normal, you have lesser chance of getting cellulite, since it is the fat cells that separate from your body. The lesser fat, the better the chance of little to no cellulite!

Women athletes aren’t bothered much with it. So if you work out three to five times a week for 20 minutes to an hour and watch your calorie intake, you’re going in the right direction. Aerobic exercise, running, stair stepping or working an elliptical training. A resistance training program is the best way to go because the fat cells rest up on the muscles; and if the muscles are weak and flaccid, that cellulite is going to poke its way through.

Obesity isn’t why we have it and dieting to lose weight isn’t going to refuse the fat cells. So make a plan now to take action before it starts.

Exercise For Cellulite

The trick is exercise and you can always change your routine with the resistance training. Last summer I kickboxed once a week, ran daily and went to the gym to workout on Saturdays. The best exercise for your butt and thighs is curling and leg extensions or leg presses. Then lunges and squats. Hip abduction exercise for inner and outer thighs.

Studies have shown that eating lots of fats, starches and salt should be avoided to decrease cellulite. Eating lots of fibers like - just a suggestion - vegetables and healthy fruits is the only preventative medicine along with exercise.

Face it ladies we may be doomed to having to work more at keeping our bodies in shape but we all need to know how to avoid it as much as we can, and it isn’t listening to your significant other when he tells you “but you can afford to eat more potato salad”.

That alarm goes off in your head saying “he thinks I’m too skinny”, immediately turning to “what to hell do you know your butt is going to stay firm and tight until you are 60 and you expect me to appease you and eat more to make mine sag and dimple?!”

There are just some things men don’t take into consideration. They are fast to point out things to us, either positive or negative, but it is important to be self disciplined and eat in moderation. I developed my diet and exercise routines years ago. I became interested in learning about my own body and nutrition at the early stages of high school.

So when he reads this hopefully he will remember to appreciate my decision ten to twenty years down the road.

And here’s an interesting article for you to read In the Daily Mail.

Photo above by David Bunting