Cellulite and Exercise

1. What is the connection between Cellulite and Exercise?

According to research, a large portion of the weight lost by dieting alone is active tissue, such as muscle and connective tissue, while a smaller fraction is excess fat. On a fad diet it is even worse as a large

Exercise has the opposite effect. It increases the lean body mass and decreases the excess fat. So to lose fat, and cellulite, you have to diet and exercise. Most people tend to think that cellulite is only present in obese or "fat" people. That is how the association of cellulite with fats and obesity came about.

Cellulite refers to the chain of wrinkled "fat cells" and "subcutaneous connective tissues" beneath the layer of the skin; cellulite should never be associated with obesity. There are many people who have cellulite but are not fat or overweight at all.

So, not all people who have cellulite needs to ask the question: "how can I lose fat?" But if you have fat to lose, your cellulite will be worse.

Nobody really knows why some people accumulate cellulite and others not. I mean, I had cellulite as a little girl of five that people described as the tall "thin" girl! At that time people thought it quite, not any more I can promise you.

There are some factors, however, that health experts are doing research on, such as the structure of the fat cells or the poisons that enters the body. Some experts think it may be caused by hormonal changes in the body. But no theory has been proven "right" yet, so be are a little in the dark here.

The only main reason why most of the cellulite cases are in women is that the connective tissues of women are more rigid and firm than men. This is why whenever a woman gets fat, the fatty cells tend to swell and get bigger. This creates the protruding appearance of the skin producing the dreaded "orange peel" appearance.

This is the only reason why women are more prone to cellulite than men. That is why it is important for women to be more careful about caring for their body and to avoid getting overweight. As we have seen, women have a higher chance of accumulating cellulite.

2. Fats and Cellulite

With the many cases of obese people with cellulite, most believe that their cellulite is caused by being too fat.

Even though not all those who are obese develop cellulite, being overweight can really trigger the development of cellulite. This is caused by too much fat under the skin pushing the connective tissue creating a strain on the skin. Thus, cellulite forms.

However, this is still dependent on the structure of the cells. If an individual’s cell structure does not inhibit the tendency to bulge or expand, even if fat deposits accumulate, then there will be no cellulite.

So, now we know what the most important thing is in preventing and reducing cellulite. I say reducing because it is most often not possible to get rid completely of cellulite once you have it. Sorry! Keep those connective tissues firm and strong and avoid accumulating excess fats so as to avoid the development of cellulite.

3. Cellulite and Exercise:

How do you do that? Well, exercise!

Transforming food into fat is all too easy for most of us. Losing fat is far more difficult, and to accomplish this, we have only three alternatives:

1. Decrease food intake and keep activity constant
2. Increase activity and keep food intake constant
3. Combine both approaches: diet and exercise

Physical activity can help reverse the results of inactivity. An hour of vigorous exercise burns up 300 to 600 calories. If you also cut 300 to 500 calories from your daily menu, you can lose weight at the rate of one to two pounds a week.

Without exercise, you would have to eat 500 to 1,000 fewer calories a day to lose the same number of pounds in a week. Exercise is not for everyone, however. A severely obese person should only exercise under medical supervision to prevent over straining the cardiovascular system and connective tissue. And no one should restrict food intake drastically without consulting doctor.

This can make you very tired and even ill and as soon as you start eating normal again, the weight, and cellulite, will all come back.

For people who are prone to cellulite, this will be an even bigger problem. Losing connective tissues instead of fat, by strict dieting, can only make the skin more prone to problems and the fat cells will still be there. This means that the cellulite problem cannot be solved in this way.

So, if you wish to loose your cellulite, it is far better to loose the fats first. The idea here is to burn that fat by increasing your metabolism by 7.5% to 28%. You really have to do some vigorous cardio! Personally I think a gym would be your best bet, get on the treadmill and on the stationary bike and on the rowing machine and on the …………? You get the idea!

This is the important connection between Cellulite and Exercise. You will not be able to get rid of your cellulite unless you get active and burn that fat; diet alone is not going to do it.