Banish Cellulite in 20 Minutes
Experts Weigh in on quick solutions for firmer and smoother legs.
May 16, 2008 -- Cottage cheese thighs. Seems that no matter how much you diet or how much money you spend on products and potions those ugly, orange-peel bumps are still there, stuck to your bottom half and impossible to conquer.
Well, get ready to win! We're going to show you how to shed cellulite without expensive wraps, creams or supplements.
The best part: It takes only 20 minutes, three days a week. "With the right exercise plan, you can reduce cellulite and make your lower body look smoother and firmer," says Prevention magazine adviser Wayne L. Westcott, who recently developed the Cellulite Solution Exercise Plan.
"When we put 16 women ages 26 to 66 on our program for eight weeks, all of them reported less cellulite in their lower body. And 70 percent of them reported a lot less."
It wasn't just wishful thinking. On average, the women lost just over 3 pounds of fat, added 2½ pounds of muscle and shed almost 1½ inches from their hips. What's more, ultrasound tests confirmed it.
Overall, the women shrank the lumpy fat layer on their thighs by 1.3 millimeters and increased smooth muscle tissue in the same area by 1.8 mm. It doesn't sound like much, but it definitely made their legs look smoother and firmer.
The Truth About Cellulite
The best part of this program is that it puts to rest the mistaken notion that cellulite is some mysterious condition. Despite what you've heard about trapped toxins or poor circulation being to blame, cellulite is one thing -- fat.
It just looks different because of how it's arranged. Everyone has strands of connective tissue that separate fat cells into compartments and connect fat tissue to skin. In women, these fibers form a honeycomblike pattern, so any increase of fat in a given area tends to bulge. You don't see cellulite in men because their fibers run in a horizontal, criss-cross pattern that prevents bulging or dimpling.
So why does cellulite seem to appear out of nowhere and get worse as we get older?
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There are two reasons. First, it's because tissue changes. Those strands of connective tissue thicken with age, and our skin gets thinner, says Katie Rodan, a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Stanford University. "The combined effect is more pronounced cellulite," she explains.
Second, and more important, the average woman loses 5 pounds of muscle and replaces it with about 15 pounds of fat every decade of her adult life, Westcott says. "Because fat is exceptionally soft, it doesn't keep our skin taut like muscle does. It also takes up more space, so it bulges out."
To get rid of cellulite, you have to reduce the underlying fat stores and replace lost muscle tissue. "You won't find a cellulite cure in cosmetic products or procedures," says Jeffrey Sklar, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Columbia University. "But the more muscle tone you have, the less of a problem it will be."
The Cellulite Solution Exercise Plan
Follow this three-step, 20-minute program, three days a week, and watch those ripples disappear.
Step 1: Cardio -- Warm up with two minutes of moderate walking, cycling or stairclimbing. (You can use indoor stationary machines.) Increase intensity for eight minutes. Work vigorously enough to be breathing hard but still able to talk in short sentences. Lower the intensity, and cool down for two minutes.
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Step 2: Strength -- Do one set of 10 to 15 repetitions of each of the following exercises, using a heavy enough weight to fatigue the muscles. (This is essential for optimum muscle building in these areas.) Your muscles are fatigued when you feel as though you can't do even one more repetition. When you can easily complete 15 reps, increase the weight slightly. Work slowly, counting two seconds to lift and four seconds to lower.
Step 3: Flexibility -- After each strength training exercise, you need to stretch the muscle you just worked. Do each stretch once, holding for 20 seconds. Westcott has found that adopting this stretching strategy can boost strength training results by 20 percent.
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