Cellulite--that dimpled, "cottage-cheese" appearance of the butt and thighs--is caused by the buildup of fat cells in between the fibrous cords that connect muscle to skin. Most women, especially older women, have cellulite to varying degrees. The amount of body fat you have is one contributing factor; even very thin women can have cellulite if they are predisposed to it. A healthy diet and regular cardiovascular exercise can help, but it is important to build muscle in the thighs and buttocks, which will help make cellulite in those areas less noticeable.
Squats
Squats are a go-to exercise for strengthening and toning the butt and thighs. They can be done with just your body weight, or you can add free weights to make them more challenging. To perform a squat, stand with your feet about hip-distance apart and just slightly turned out. Bend your knees and sit your hips back, as if you are sitting down into a chair. Keeping your torso up, continue to bend into the knees until the thighs are parallel with the floor and then rise back up to standing. You can keep your arms at your sides, if you are holding free weights, or bring them up to shoulder height as you lower down. Perform as many repetitions as you can, rest, and then perform two more sets. Do these daily for best results.
Lunges
Lunges are another "bang for your buck" exercise that build muscle and bust cellulite in the thighs and buttocks. Just like squats, they can be done with body weight alone. You can also use free weights in both hands, or a medicine ball straight out in front of you or overhead. Lunges can also be done standing in one place, or they can be done as walking lunges.
To perform a lunge, take a split stance with one foot forward and one foot about two to three feet behind the other one. Come up on just the toes of the back foot and begin to bend both your knees so that your back knee comes down almost touching the floor and your front knee comes to a 90-degree angle. Make sure that your torso is centered over your hips, and neither leaning forward nor back. Rise up again so that both your legs are straight and repeat, doing as many as you can in a row and then switch sides. Do three sets of maximum repetitions on each side, three to four days a week.
Bridge
If your cellulite is most noticeable on the backs of your thighs and your butt, bridge pose will help you build muscle in those areas. It also helps to tone the fronts of the thighs, abs, and lower back. To perform bridge, lie on your back on the floor and bend your knees, placing your feet on the floor just behind your hips. Keep your knees and feet hip-distance apart and press into your fit as you lift your hips off the floor and up toward the ceiling. Lift your hips up as high as you can, hold for two to five seconds, and then lower them back down to the floor. Repeat for three sets of 15 repetitions each. You can do bridge as many days a week as you like to strengthen and tone the butt.
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