Natural Techniques for Cellulite Reduction

Cellulite is nothing more than ordinary subcutaneous body fat which, due to collagen fibers that have either broken down, grown too taut or too lax and fails to contain fatty deposits uniformly. The collagen fibers connect the skin to the underlying muscle, and are sandwiched in between are layers of fat. The accumulation of these fat cells pushing up against the skin as the fibers work to pull the skin down can cause the fat to bulge in some areas making the skin look dimpled.

Types of Cellulite

• There are four grades of cellulite. When cellulite is not visible, it's considered grade 0. When cellulite only becomes visible when the skin is pinched, it's considered grade 1. If cellulite is visible in the thigh area when a person stands up, it's called grade 2. Grade 3 is cellulite which is simply visible under all conditions.

Why Women Have It Worse

• In women, collagen fibers are configured vertically. In men, these fibers have a crisscross pattern which is an effectively stronger structure, able to contain fat more securely. Men also have thicker skin than women which makes it less prone to puckering. In addition, the female body is simply genetically disposed to produce more fat. For every nine, fat producing, alpha receptors in the female thighs there's only one, fat burning, beta receptor; whereas men have a 1:1 ratio throughout their entire body.

  Plus the estrogen hormone, which is dominant in women, works to produce fat cells, while the testosterone hormone, which is dominant in men, works to break fat down. Women are on an uneven playing field.

Reduce Body Fat

• While cellulite is hardly dangerous, it is often considered unsightly. The best method of reducing the appearance of cellulite is to reduce body fat and tone muscles. Since targeted fat reduction is not possible; you simply have to bring down your overall body fat percentage. The only way to do this is to create a modest, but steady calorie deficit through diet and exercise so that your body has to resort to burning its fat stores to compensate for the incoming calorie shortfall. A deficit of 500 calories daily is generally recommended for fat loss. Starving your body of too many calories only induces the body to burn fat slower, and break down muscle to help meet its energy needs. This is absolutely the opposite of what you want. Dominate your diet with foods rich in whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables which offer a wealth of fiber allowing to you feel full on fewer calories. The Mediterranean food model is a good reference to follow to balance healthy caloric intake with high satiety. Drink plenty of water. And combine daily aerobic exercise with resistance training every other day to build and tone your muscles.

Increase Circulation

• Impaired circulation to cellulite prone areas contributes to the weakening of collagen. By increasing circulation, toxins are flushed out removing excess fluids, and revitalizing oxygen and nutrients are delivered to the cells. Improving circulation can be accomplished through massage, gentle exercises such as yoga which also works to stretch your muscles and improve elasticity, and avoid wearing constrictive clothing on cellulite prone areas. Also refrain from smoking as this promotes poor circulation and premature skin aging.