Friday, January 30, 2009

A Cellulite Treatment That Suits You

By Jessica J Kavanaugh

Cellulite occurs when the fat underneath the skin becomes lumpy and is often seen on the thighs, buttocks and stomach. The condition occurs mostly in women and the risk of being affected increases as a woman becomes older. Most women will have cellulite in their 30's but it can occur earlier or later. Getting rid of cellulite is difficult but there are various methods available that can help you to reduce its appearance.

The number one cause of cellulite is too much fat. The condition occurs at the level below the skin where there exists a thin layer of fat. When a person is overweight the fat here becomes lumpy and uneven which causes the skin above to become dimpled. Research has shown that women will add around 15 pounds of fat every decade and this is one of the major contributors to cellulite. The first step in losing cellulite is to start eating more healthy foods and increase your intake of water.

But a diet change is only half the battle if you don't incorporate exercise in to your lifestyle. To do this you should focus on cardiovascular exercise and weight training to ensure that you build muscle to replace the fat that you burn.

When choosing a cardiovascular exercise you can do any type that is able to get your heart rate elevated quickly and for an extended period of time, and that will burn fat. This could include walking, cycling or stair climbing.

If you do decide to do muscle building program then you should make sure you do a few intense sets of exercises that will work the muscles that exist around the cellulite affected area. For those women who have problem with their thighs then the strength exercise of choice would be leg press, squats or lunges. Make sure the weight is appropriate for your level and strength.

To prevent injuries and muscle soreness, you should warm up and down properly and do some stretching at the end of the workout. This is important but not necessarily done by many people at the gym.

A quick and simple way to reduce the appearance of cellulite is to get a spray on tan. Making the skin dark will reduce the appearance of the dimples. However, don't get a tan from the sun or tanning bed as the UV rays can do harmful things to skin that will actually increase the cellulite. - 16650

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