Cellulite be GONE!
Ever notice how even your fittest friends still have some cellulite?
Do you ever wonder how in the heck that is possible?
Well, it is because it is not all about how much you work out or even what you eat; obviously having extra weight on your body is going to impact the amount and appearance but losing fat alone will not get rid of your cellulite.
So, what is the main culprit behind cellulite?
The lumpy, clumpy, cottage-cheese textured appearance on your thighs is primarily due to dehydrated connective tissue (the collagen-based tissue that supports everything from your skin to your bones and everything in between).
In between your skin and muscles, there’s a layer of connective tissue. Think of it like a sponge around your muscles. If the sponge is hydrated, it stays supple and juicy and moves well with changes in your body. However, if it becomes dehydrated, the fat cells in your body can expand and multiply. When this happens, your fat cells start to put pressure on your connective tissue and bulge through the openings rather than force the tissue to stretch and flex. This damages the collagen fibers in your thighs and stretches them out like an old pair of pants that have lost their shape and never quite fit right again, creating the appearance of cellulite on your skin. That’s why, even when you lose weight and work to reduce body fat, you can still see cellulite—the collagen-based tissue is still damaged. Losing weight can certainly help, but the real way to reduce the appearance of cellulite is to get to the root of the problem and rehydrate the tissue.
Your first call to action: MOVE MORE!
Sitting all day chronically compresses the backs of your legs so simply standing up for five minutes every hour can help keep the connective tissue hydrated and your lymphatic system flowing so that toxins and internal debris don’t accumulate.
Here are some of my other great Daily Tips to start doing now!
- Dry Brush – use a gentle dry brush that you can purchase from any natural health store beauty section. Each day before you shower, use long sweeping stories or circular motions from your extremities back towards your horse and up towards your heart. For stubborn cellulite spend some extra time in those areas. Consistency is key!
- Ditch your EXPENSIVE anti-cellulite cream and choose natural Carrier Oils such as Coconut oil, Almond oil, Jojoba oil, Apricot Kernal oil, Shea Butter and Sesame oil and use these Essential Oils: Juniper, Fennel, Grapefruit, Lemon, Rosemary, Sage and Cypress are known as the best oils for increasing circulation to areas plagued with cellulite.
- Hydrate – Aim to drink 2-4 litres daily to help flush toxins and stimulate proper flow of nutrients throughout your body. Try adding fresh lemon juice, organic frozen berries, cucumber slices or fresh herbs. Do NOT add any products that are advertised as sugar-free, diet or light/lite, they are full of artificial sweeteners and chemicals that are GIVING YOU CELLULITE!
- Move – Exercise, especially as a female, is a MUST for smooth, cellulite-free skin. Strength Training, Pilates and Yoga triumph cardio any day of the week when it comes to adding more élan muscle tissue to your body and decreasing your body fat. These 3 forms of exercise also help to manage your hormones (read more below under hormones).
- Cut the CRAP! Sugar, artificial sweeteners, chemicals, sodium, trans fats and any white, processed garbage. All of these are clogging your arteries, elevating your blood sugar, decreasing your energy, affecting your sleep, giving you headaches, joint pain, inflammation and jamming your fat cells full of cellulite forming garbage that is chronically pressing against your connective tissue and squeezing through as a cottage cheese appearance. STOP SQUEEZING THE BACK OF YOUR THIGHS and instead squeeze out the garbage from your fridge, cupboards and grocery cart.
- Manage Your Hormones – This one is huge! If your cortisol is out of whack, your pancreas under stress and blood sugar out of balance, plus elevated estrogen levels and decreased progesterone you will be more prone to have cravings, store fat and hold onto this unhealthy fat in your abdomen and thighs. Work with a qualified practitioner who specializes in holistic hormone management to help you determine the areas of your endocrine system that need the most attention. https://jennpike.com//2014/06/17/i-created-this-program-just-for-you/
- Manually Break Up Your Cellulite – Use incredible tools like these: Foam Rollers – my FAVOURITE tool for breaking up the deep fascial adhesions that build up in our bodies and when combined with cellulite forming beneath the skin, pushing through to the top can result in cellulite areas that are also quite painful when pressure is applied to them. The foam roller helps to break up this network and create a more supple, smoother looking body. I recommend doing this 4-6 weekly along with the other 6 tips above. There are some great youtube videos on foam rolling techniques you can download.
These Yoga Tune Up Massage Balls are a creation from heaven I swear! They travel with me everywhere and I use them every single day. I also teach with them and use them all over the body from your feet to back, neck and jaw BUT one of the best spots to work with them is your hips, gluteus and thighs to break up the fascia and smooth out your cellulite.
Jill Miller, the creator of these wonder balls has a fabulous book to go along with them and countless videos on how to use them.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Roll-Model-Step-Step/dp/1628600225
Join me for my full hour spree cast on July 3oth at 1pm EST all about Cellulite and ditching it for GOOD!
http://www.spreecast.com/events/cellulite-be-gone
Have a super smooth day
Jenn xo