Did you know that about 90% of women have cellulite? And not all men are spared; cellulite also affects 2 to 4% of them. Although it isn’t a disease, cellulite can have a major impact on your self-consciousness and be a real aesthetic challenge. Your FizzUp trainer tells you what you need to know about cellulite to get rid of it more easily.
First, we need to clarify that we’re only talking about the skin condition called “cellulite,” and not the bacterial infection called “cellulitis”. Cellulitis occurs after bacteria enter your body through a lesion in the skin, which then infect the fat tissue and can become highly aggressive. It’s a serious infection that requires immediate medical attention.[quote align=’right’]The lymphatic system is a network that functions parallel to the circulatory system. These systems create and circulate lymph in the body. This fluid carries certain nutrients such as lipids (fat) and plays a key role in the immune system because it’s also made of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. [/quote]
Simply put, cellulite is a fat deposit created by hypertrophy (enlarged development) of fat cells, also known as “adipocytes”. These fat cells in particular swell and develop in certain areas of the body, which gives off the “orange peel syndrome” effect.
It’s worth noting that the apparition and aggravation of cellulite are vicious circle. In fact, when adipocytes grow irregularly, they start to compress the blood vessels and prevent lymphatic circulation, which keeps them from functioning correctly. Your body stops eliminating toxins and waste properly and retains more water, meaning that you enter a vicious circle that causes fat cells to increase in size.
There are three types of cellulite. Each type of cellulite can affect one sex more than the other and can result from various factors or causes. An unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, inadequate hydration or a hormone imbalance can all cause poor venous and lymphatic circulation and water retention.
Also known as cellulite with water retention, this type is the result of poor blood circulation and mainly affects women. Poor blood and lymphatic circulation interferes with the draining of filtered water from the fat cells, which causes several symptoms to appear: legs that are easily bruised or feel heavy, veiny skin due to cellulite, varicose veins, tingling in the legs and water retention.
This type of cellulite is the result of eating too much fat in your diet and a lack of physical activity. That’s why this type of cellulite is usually linked to and associated with being overweight. In men, it’s mainly found in the upper body: around the hips, abdomen and in the arms, especially. In women, it can be found all over the body, but is mainly located in the hips and on the outsides of the thighs (saddlebags).
This type of cellulite is deep and compact. It’s hard to the touch and painful when pinched. It clearly shows the “orange peel syndrome” because the collagen fibers have hardened and have started to develop around the long-standing fat cells. This is the most difficult type of cellulite to treat and eliminate. Only a significant change in your everyday lifestyle will enable you to get rid of it over the long term.
Although there are several types of cellulite, there’s only one effective way to get rid of it. To effectively eliminate cellulite for the long term, you need to attack all the causes of the problem at the same time. To do that, you need to take better care of your body, especially through massage. We won’t cover anti-cellulite treatments because according to recent studies, no treatment tested has yet been proven to significantly reduce cellulite. To learn more, you can read this article published in 2015 by the American Journal of Clinical Dermatology.
Generally speaking, regular physical activity is vital to prevent cellulite and eliminate the cellulite you already have. FizzUp, your personalized workout program to get in shape, helps you target the areas of your body that you want to work and sculpt. The exercises in your program will tone your muscles and eliminate excess fat.
It adapts to suit your physical fitness, uses several different fitness training methods (circuit training, HIIT, strength training or challenges) and bodyweight exercises and gives you three Add-ons*, like the Cal Burner, for example. Having a variety of exercises and working your entire body makes this the ideal workout program to eliminate excess body fat. You’ll also build a coordinated musculature at the same time, which is useful in everyday life.
[quote cite=’Julien from FizzUp’ align=’right’]To enjoy eating healthy, you can get a complete nutrition guide, full of tips, tricks and original recipes, when you join the FizzUp community.[/quote]
Eating a varied and balanced diet is important for avoiding having excess fat in your body and the creation of cellulite. Opt for a diet that’s low in saturated fat, salt and sugar and focus on eating more protein and fiber. This means that red meat, charcuterie, butter, cakes, cookies and crackers should be eaten in moderation.
[quote cite=’Julien from FizzUp’ align=’right’]Contrary to popular belief, drinking water doesn’t cause water retention. Drinking enough water eliminates excess fluids and cleanses your body.[/quote]
Drinking enough fluids is important for healthy venous and lymphatic circulation and as a result, it fights against orange peel syndrome, caused by aqueous cellulite. Water is obviously what you should drink the most of because it’s the only drink your body needs. Preferably, you should eliminate sodas and fruit juices with added sugar. Some teas and herbal teas are known to help drainage and limit water retention. Try green tea, lemon tea and other plant-based herbal teas like fennel, thyme, artichoke or nettle. Avoid adding sugar to your tea so that you don’t cause more fat to deposit.
[quote cite=’Julien from FizzUp’ align=’right’]A smart thing to do is to go to a physiotherapist for your first massage. You’ll see how it’s done and be able to ask them what the best way to treat your cellulite is.[/quote]
After you treat all the aggravating causes and factors of cellulite by getting into healthy fitness and eating habits, the next step is to attack the cellulite itself. You can expect to get even better results by frequently massaging areas of your body that have been affected by cellulite.
The “palpate and roll massage” technique is the most commonly used; it involves a slow kneading of the skin and the tissue beneath its surface. When done correctly, this pressure aids in lipolysis (the elimination of fat stored in the body’s cells). Applying various anti-cellulite creams and essential oils can also help eliminate cellulite more effectively. Remember that the massage needs to be gentle, because if there’s too much pressure, this can reduce drainage, which can then become imbedded in the cellulite.
You’ll see that there’s no magic method to effectively fight against cellulite. That’s why the best solution is to continue being physically active on a regular basis, get into healthy eating habits and stay hydrated while frequently massaging areas of your body that are affected by cellulite.
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