Facial dimples may be darling, but some people take issue with their appearance on the hips, thighs and buttocks. These fatty deposits, which resemble cottage cheese, are called cellulite. The Mayo Clinic staff doesn't believe cellulite is a serious medical condition. The most stubborn member of the fat family, cellulite has inspired the creation of numerous so-called miracle treatments. Their efficiency is questionable, but exercise might offer a viable solution.
Considerations
Although cellulite is a type of fat, it has distinctive characteristics. The American Council on Exercise website features an explanation of how cellulite is formed. Apparently, everyone has connective tissues, which separate fat into compartments. These compartments form a horizontal or crisscross pattern on the male body. Women are at a disadvantage. Their compartments form a honeycomb, which gives the fat more opportunities to protrude. Furthermore, Len Kravitz, Ph.D. and exercise physiology professor at the University of New Mexico, says men have thicker epidermis and dermis tissue in their lower body. Their thick skin prevents the appearance of cellulite.
Types
There are three types of cellulite. Grade 1 is only visible when examined by a microscope, but Dr. Len Kravitz says it might be seen when a woman crosses her legs. Grade 2 cellulite is characterized by pallor and a decreased elasticity of the skin, and Grade 3 is characterized by rough skin and orange peel appearance.
Expert Insight
Wayne Westcott, Ph.D., director of research programs at the South Shore YMCA in Quincy, Massachusetts, is the author of the book "No More Cellulite." Westcott disagrees with the Mayo Clinic's theory that cellulite is simply a cosmetic issue. In an interview featured on the Shape Magazine website, he alleges that cellulite is caused by having too much fat and too little muscle. Westcott illustrated his point in an eight-week study. He put 72 men and 72 women through three weekly workouts. One group only performed aerobic exercise. The other combined aerobics with strength training. The aerobic group lost 4 lbs. fat but did not increase its muscle tone. The combined activity group dropped 10 lbs. and added 2 lbs. muscle, decreasing the appearance of cellulite.
Prevention/Solution
Westcott's anti-cellulite program consists of 20 minutes' strength training and a 20-minute treadmill workout at about 70 percent to 80 percent of maximal heart rate. You can perform the program three times weekly but increase the number of aerobic workouts if desired. Do five lower body and five upper body exercises for one to two sets of 10 to 15 repetitions.
Theories/Speculation
Women who exercised in the 1970s may recall the vibrating belts featured at "figure salons." The good vibrations have returned in the form of the power plate, an exercise device that produces whole body vibrations, which elicit 30 to 50 muscle contractions per second. Unlike the belts, which were a passive exercise, the power plate is used for exercises such as squats and lunges. Studies performed by Dr. Horst Frank, M.D., at the Sanaderm clinic in Bad Mergentheim, Germany, found that participants who performed 11 hours of power plate training over six months showed a significant reduction in cellulite.
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