14 DAY TRIAL // Fretting over having cellulite or poking fun at pictures of celebrities who are “exposed” by the paparazzi with the dreaded orange peel skin is useless. Not only do 80 to 95 percent of all women have it at least on one part of their body, but there is really nothing that can be done about it, no matter how hard we try, FitSugar says.
Following recent research showing that most women “suffer” from the dreaded and much-ridiculed condition, FitSugar set out to establish five things about cellulite we might not be aware of. The first of it would be, of course, that cellulite is not really a condition from a medical point of view, since it’s nothing more than fat stored under the skin that becomes more prominent in women than in men because of the way it is structurally stored.
In men, for instance, fat is stored differently than in women. “We lucky ladies store our fat in a large vertical honeycomb like structure. This structural form enhances the appearance of the dimples.” FitSugar says. Saggy muscles only come to accentuate more the appearance of cellulite, which is why they say working out and leading an active life can efficiently combat it.
As it happens, the same fitness-oriented publication adds, there is nothing to be done to eliminate it altogether from all over our body: creams and lotions don’t work, as neither do scrubs and massages. Understandably, the anti-cellulite solutions now available on the market have no effect because they can’t efficiently penetrate the skin to get to where the fat is stored.
The only thing we can do to improve the appearance of cellulite and dimples, experts point out, is to work out more and thus decrease our overall body fat. Cardio exercises are ideal in this sense, because they not only lower the body fat we store but also strengthen muscles, while also building lean muscle mass. Experts recommend 20 to 60 minutes of cardio at least three times a week to attain this goal.
“Flaccid muscle can increase the appearance of cellulite, meaning that strength training is highly recommended. You should work the muscles in the areas where the dimpling is occurring two to three times a week. This means doing lunges in all directions and squats for the thighs and glutes. Work your adductors to tone your inner thighs, and your abductors to tone the outer thigh. Just don’t skip your strength training.” FitSugar further recommends.