If you’re reading this, then you probably have cellulite…but it’s not too late. Most women will encounter those pesky dimples at some point in their lives. It can be a major source of insecurity for many, and the reason we cover up with a sarong or sometimes avoid the pool all together. We all secretly love to catch a glimpse of an unedited paparazzi shot exposing our favorite celeb caught off-guard sporting the tell-tale dimples that make them human, and we’ve probably tried every overpriced cream, wrap, or sonic treatment on the market.

Image Source: Dion Dillard via Flickr

The good news is, there is hope. Cellulite is not the be-all-end-all of your beach bod – with a little patience and persistence, it can be harnessed.

According to Wikipedia, “Cellulite is the herniation of subcutaneous fat within fibrous connective tissue that manifests topographically as skin dimpling and nodularity… It can result from a complex combination of factors ranging from hormones to heredity”. Or in layman’s terms; fat deposits below the skin are being pushed up in-between the connective tissues, making the surface appear dimply.

Cellulite affects 80-90{0d9774446e5c1c486b14bfd00f317fb53ff44ec6f4ca4ad04b1a0b82436e9f13} of post-adolescent women, so take comfort in knowing that you are not alone. With a vast set of potential causes, it can be hard to pinpoint a specific culprit. More likely, your cellulite is the result of a combination of lifestyle elements, including stress.

So take a deep breath, and consider the following. Here’s the cellulite 411…

A Healthy Diet
This one should seem obvious… reducing those fat deposits will reduce the appearance of dimples. So eat a healthy diet, and try to cut down your calorie intake. We recommend a Mediterranean diet complete with fruits, veggies and whole grains. Bone broth, which is rich in collagen (the main protein in our connective tissue), can help improve your skin’s elasticity.

Detox
Drink more water. A major cause of cellulite can simply be, dehydration. Cut down on sugary drinks, like sodas and sweetened juices, and replace them with water and herbal tea. Flushing toxins out of your body will not only improve your dimples, you will gradually notice improvements in your skin from head to toe.

Exercise
Aside from burning away unwanted fat, toning the muscles below the skin will help to smooth out your cellulite. You can look for exercises that target the specific muscles underlying your effected areas, or try a full body workout to achieve lean muscle mass throughout, such as yoga or pilates – and don’t forget cardio. Cardiovascular workouts help to increase your metabolism, and leads to our next point…

Improving Circulation with Brushing
One of the keys to eliminating cellulite is to increase blood flow to the skin’s surface, helping your lymphatic system to do it’s job and excrete those extra toxins that have been building up. In addition to cardio, a process called dry brushing, has been shown to achieve results. Dry brushing involves using a natural bristle brush, and massaging the effected areas in long sweeping motions, always towards your heart. This routine can be done on a daily basis, and has other skincare benefits such as unclogging your pores, and removing dry skin.

Hormones
Surprisingly, one of the major players in recent cellulite research is estrogen. Have you ever noticed that even the biggest (overweight) men don’t seem to get dimples like we do? That’s because cellulite is largely a gender specific plague. High levels of estrogen can increase water retention, weight gain, and bloating.

That’s why cellulite generally begins to show itself after puberty and seems to heighten during pregnancy. If you are taking an oral contraceptive (birth control pill), it’s possible that the extra (synthetic) hormones in your system could be enhancing or aggravating your cellulite. But don’t make any drastic changes without talking to your doctor.

Another key hormone implicated in cellulite is cortisol, aka. “the stress hormone”. High levels of cortisol can lead to blood sugar imbalances and increases in abdominal fat. So keep calm… and cellulite be gone!

xoxoxo

Alpha Beta Pie

This post was originally posted on Alpha Beta Pie.

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