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Cellulite
Do you dream to have that perfect 10 "bikini body?"- but are miles away from it. The culprit is cellulite or cottage cheese or fat - whatever you name it. Cellulite refers to the lumpy deposits of fat or dimply skin located in embarrassing places on your body ie. thighs, buttocks, hips breasts and abdomen. Cellulite occurs predominantly in women at some stage in their life, but it does affect men also.
Symptoms-
Symptoms include feeling of tightness and heaviness in legs and other body parts. It can also feel spongy. Cellulite affected areas tend to be damaged and dry with stretch marks very common.
Causes and who are prone to getting cellulite:
- It may be genetic and girls often start getting cellulite layers from a very early age of maybe 12-13yrs.
- Lifestyle ie an inactive sedentary lifestyle where we tend to eat more fatty foods and work out less. Exercise strengthens the heart and improves blood circulation, which is very important for cellulite prevention.
- With age, the layer of fat tissue beneath our skin thickens and gives the impression of cellulite.
- Birth control pills promote cellulite because the body is unable to flush out the enormous amount of estrogen produced.
- Insufficient water intake- because of which toxins remain in the body and are trapped in the fatty tissues leading to formation of cellulite.
- Tension, stress- blocks up our body tissues leading to trapped toxins.
- Improper diet-fatty foods, junk foods, alcohol, caffeine- all promote cellulite.
So now, you know what causes those sagging bags on your body.
Men are the fortunate ones when it comes to cellulite deposits. Women are more prone to it. Postnatal women and those who take birth control pills are also vulnerable to develop cellulite deposits. Even thin women can be a victim to this embarrassing condition- you just have to be genetically programmed to welcome this unwanted guest.
How do you get rid of cellulite?
The sure shot way of reducing cellulite is a regular exercise regime, healthy diet, and plenty of water intake to flush out toxins from your body.
- Exercise has to include some strength involving workouts to not only tone up sagging body parts but also decrease body fat.
- Take care of diet but do not go in for "crash dieting." It might make your body look worse and all you would end up is losing water content from your body and not fat. Aim for a healthy lifestyle with low fat and high protein.
Lot of cosmetic procedures are easily available in beauty salons nowadays which claim to take care of cellulite, but most of these techniques offer temporary solutions. They are also expensive options. A few of the most popular ones are-
- Body wraps -they work by increasing sweat and have a diuretic effect.
- Deep tissue massage- provides relaxation, stimulates the blood vessels and can reduce stiffness caused by cellulite.
- Liposuction-
- Vibrating machines, hormone injections-but please be aware of side effects before you go in for them.
- Anti-cellulite creams ,gels, body massagers and toners have flooded the market, but their efficiency is questionable. You have to combine all these with exercise and healthy diet.
Cellulite is not a disease. It is an indication that you are not following a healthy lifestyle and are inviting lot of other health related problems in the years to come. So, take care before it gets too late.