Ever wondered if diet and exercise can help you get rid of those pesky dimples on your thighs and legs?
Also known as orange-peel or cottage-cheese skin, cellulite is a very common skin condition that affects between 80% and 90% of women.
Even though cellulite is totally harmless and there’s nothing to feel uncomfortable about, it has become one of the aesthetic problems that worry women the most.
This occurs due to the intense publicity campaigns in the media that promote anti-cellulite creams, medical equipment, and pills.
These campaigns often show pictures of women with smooth, flawless skin, which has led many of us to believe that cellulite is an aesthetically unacceptable problem.
If you, too, feel insecure about the lumpy skin on your thighs, legs, buttocks, or abdomen, read on.
We’ll debunk some common myths about cellulite and reveal what you can (and can’t do) to get rid of it.
What is Cellulite Anyway?
So, what exactly is cellulite?
It’s caused by fat deposits that push against the connective tissue under your skin.
As fat builds up, the fibres that connect your muscle tissue to your skin pull downwards, making the surface of your skin appear dimpled and uneven.
Women are more prone to cellulite compared to men due to the different distribution of fat and muscle. Specifically, they tend to store more fat on their thighs and buttocks, which are common areas for cellulite.
With age, as the skin loses elasticity, cellulite can become increasingly noticeable.
Cellulite can be classified into four grades:
- Grade 0: No visible cellulite is present on your body.
- Grade 1: When standing, your skin appears smooth, but when you pinch it, it looks like an orange peel.
- Grade 2: Both standing and sitting reveal moderate dimples on your skin.
- Grade 3: The dimples caused by cellulite are highly visible both when standing and lying down.
Even though certain factors contributing to cellulite remain unknown or not fully comprehended, we can identify some primary causes of cellulite.
These include the accumulation of toxic substances, water retention, the enlargement of fat cells, less oxygen in the area (which results in lower collagen production), and unhealthy connective tissue.
While genetics play a key role in the appearance of cellulite, it’s important to know that your lifestyle can make it worse.
Specifically, an unhealthy or imbalanced diet, inactivity, smoking, the contraceptive pill, and alcohol consumption, can all contribute to the development of cellulite.
For example, yo-yo dieting (the repeated loss and gain of weight due to fad diets) often plays a key role in forming cellulite because it causes fluctuations in fat cell size and distribution.
The use of tight elastic underwear around the buttocks can also restrict blood flow, which can potentially contribute to cellulite production.
One common myth about cellulite is that it only affects people who are overweight. While being overweight can definitely make cellulite more noticeable, slim and fit people can have it too.
Can Diet & Exercise Help Get Rid of Cellulite?
If you’re wondering whether it’s possible to eliminate cellulite, I have good news and bad news.
I’ll tell you the bad news first: it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to completely eliminate cellulite with any method of any kind, including diet and exercise.
While the Internet abounds with videos and articles of “cellulite-blasting” exercises and diets, none of these methods will completely erase the appearance of cellulite.
Not to mention that it is physiologically impossible to target fat loss and reduce fat (including cellulite fat) from a specific area of your body through exercise.
So what’s the good news?
Even though you may not be able to completely eliminate cellulite, a customised diet and workout plan can definitely lessen the appearance of cellulite.
Let’s break this down.
As I mentioned in the first part of this article, poor eating habits can contribute to the development of cellulite.
These habits include:
- Sugar – Eating too much refined sugar triggers insulin release. This, in turn, can contribute to cellulite by promoting the storage of fat in fat cells, especially when combined with a sedentary lifestyle.
- Hydrogenated fat – Hydrogenated fats that can be found in foods such as frozen pizza, processed baked goods, packaged snacks, and fried foods can induce vascular inflammation (as highlighted by this study), a key factor associated with the development of cellulite.
- Protein deficiency – Protein is essential for the production of collagen, which contributes to skin firmness and elasticity. Eating too little protein can result in skin looseness and therefore cellulite.
- Refined carbs – While you need healthy carbs in your diet to fuel your body, a diet rich in refined carbs (such as white bread, white rice, pizza dough, and many breakfast cereals) can trigger fat accumulation in fat cells, including cellulite fat cells.
- Polyphenol deficiency – Polyphenols are micronutrients that are found in a wide array of fruits, vegetables, cereals, and legumes. They play a key role in maintaining collagen tissue integrity and possess antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. A lack of polyphenols in your diet may compromise your body’s natural defence mechanisms against oxidative stress and inflammation, which in turn can worsen the appearance of cellulite.
Now, let’s see how exercise can help you reduce cellulite.
While there are no specific exercises that target cellulite, an effective workout program tailored to your body can help.
The right combination of cardio and weight training can help you reduce body fat and strengthen your muscles, which helps smooth your skin’s appearance.
My recommendation for you is to speak to an experienced trainer to develop an exercise program that works for you.
This is because you have to choose those exercises that have the ability to stimulate fibroblasts (a type of cells that secrete collagen proteins) which helps you tone not only your muscles but also your skin.
Especially heavy lifting can stimulate your fibroblast cells, resulting in collagen production and a reduction of the appearance of cellulite.
However, you must remember that reducing cellulite through diet and exercise requires a lifestyle commitment rather than just ditching unhealthy snacks and doing a few exercises with light weights.
You must also remember that cellulite is normal and does not need to be treated.
Instead, you can use exercise and a balanced diet as a tool to maintain a healthy lifestyle and weight as well as feel comfortable in your own skin.
However, if you’re really bothered by the appearance of cellulite, you can also focus on a customised diet and workout plan that can help minimise the dimples.
Here at Bring on Life, we can help you take the guesswork out of training by creating a tailored exercise plan that is specific to your unique goals. We will take into account all the factors that are essential to help you lose weight healthily, build lean muscle, and minimise the appearance of cellulite. Reach out to us for further details, and don’t forget to join our Facebook and Instagram community. of like-minded people who share your interest in living a healthy lifestyle.
Sources:
Lawrence S. Bass and Michael S. Kaminer – Insights Into the Pathophysiology of Cellulite: A Review
Stefanie Luebberding, Nils Krueger, Neil S Sadick – Cellulite: an evidence-based review