Cellulite refers to the appearance of dimpled skin on the thighs, hips, buttocks and abdomen, more commonly appearing on women than men. Cellulite is most common in areas of fat deposits, according to MayoClinic.com, and is the result of unevenness created by this fatty tissue beneath the surface of the skin. While there is no quick fix for cellulite, despite the claims of many exercise equipment and topical treatment manufacturers, you can do exercises to help reduce the appearance of cellulite on your body.
Cardiovascular Exercises
Cardiovascular exercises such as running, swimming, jogging and using a stationary bicycle or treadmill can help to get rid of cellulite on the surface of the skin by helping you to lose extra pounds and burn fat. Losing weight not only can help get rid of body fat, but it can decrease the overall appearance of cellulite in the process by gently toning and strengthening the muscles in your body. If you don't like repetitive, rote exercises such as running on a treadmill, get outside and play tennis, basketball or a competitive game that can help keep your mind off the exercise and focused on the activity.
Targeted Strength-Training Exercises
Targeted strength-training exercises can help to reduce the appearance of cellulite by building muscle and burning fat. For example, cellulite on your thighs may be helped by performing leg presses on a leg press machine; cellulite around the abdominal area may be reduced by doing abdominal crunches and reverse abdominal crunches; cellulite on the buttocks may be helped by doing squats or weighted squats, and cellulite around the hips may be helped by doing side twists and bends.
Personal Training
Seeking help from a personal trainer can be beneficial if you are working to tone certain parts of your body and get rid of cellulite. A qualified personal trainer will be able to show you exercises that target specific parts of your body as well as the proper technique to do the exercises to prevent physical injury. Even one or two personal training sessions may be enough to put you on the right track.
Considerations
While cardiovascular exercises that help you lose weight and targeted strength-training exercises can help reduce the appearance of cellulite, they may not be able to fully get rid of cellulite. However, sticking with your exercise routine can eventually help you get rid of cellulite as skin cells regenerate. Of course, a healthy diet and maintaining a healthy weight are also extremely important in the fight against cellulite.
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