The Skinny on Cellulite

We all get it! And its not about being fit or fat- cellulite is a condition that effects a large percentage of women. You can be fit or skinny and still be plagued with uneven, bumpy skin. Similarly, you can be overweight and never suffer from the condition.

What is cellulite? Who gets it?

We all get it – the fittest of the fit, the out of shape and everyone in between! Often the smallest mistakes like extreme diets, high soy intake and tanning can leave the fittest girl in the gym to complain about her backside! Between 80-90% of women are estimated to be victims of some form of cellulite in their lifetime! This is why this is an all female newsletter – the facts is that the majority of men will never have to worry about this type of skin deformation.

What are the causes of cellulite?

Believe it or not, after examining the research out there and cornering both the beauty and fitness facts on the topic we came up with several cellulite slippery slopes: Constant and severe dieting WILL lead to cellulite.

Dasha: Women think they will loose weight by taking on a new diet a month, or just restricting their eating, but all they are doing is getting weak, unhealthy and ‘skinny-fat’

Bella: Whatever we do in the beauty room with lasers and machines can ONLY be kept up with consistent clean eating and ‘smart’ exercise.’

Genetics is also a cause, and while we can’t do anything about that- we can work on all the other factors to decrease the appearance and prohibit further skin issues. Fried and unhealthy foods, stress, poor sleep, over indulgence, high caloric intake, a lack of activity (exercise), tanning and poor circulation due to dehydration are all common additives.

Once I have it, can I get rid of it?
Bella: I’ve seen women find best results with a combination of healthy eating, avoiding the sun, exercise and several skin ‘re-activation’ beauty tactics. We have women that come in for treatment to battle the condition and I always tell them that I can fix a lot of this, but you MUST also commit to exercise. I have seen the best results from women that train total body and combine cardio and strength training into single sessions. The body seems to respond best when women burn fat and tighten muscles in one sitting! I believe that they are able to train hard and maximize their time in the gym, while still leaving days to rest and be human. Recovery, hard work and balance are all key.

Bella’s Anti-Cellulite TO DO and NOT DO List:
1. NO Tanning!  (If you must, do a spay tan or Jergens tinted lotion) Sun damages the collagen cells and that directly effects the strength of your skin. As the cells weaken they no longer stand up well, causing uneven appearances on the skin. Its just like a wrinkle.
2. Hydrate! Drink water and stop being bloated, allowing your skin to take it’s most beautiful, tight and natural form.
3. NO Severe Diets! Find a healthy way to LIVE, not a short term way to lose weight! Or else, pound or no pounds your skin will keep the bumpy appearance.
4. Exercise: Find what you love and make it a way of life! Making sure you can stick by the regiment of at least two to three days a week.

Dasha’ Anti-Cellulite TO DO and NOT DO List:
1. LOVE YOURSELF! Genetics is something none of us can battle with. Chances are the things you see in the mirror are NOT the same things others see, so please fixate on what you love about your body. View everything else as a goal; if you don’t like it, you WILL work to change it! Then you make the plan and you just do it, hour by hour, day by day.
2. One day means NOTHING! If you fall off the wagon one day who cares?! In fitness and in health, one day NEVER sealed the faith for anyone’s goals.
3. Strength Training! Call it weights, call it resistance training, conditioning- WHATEVER! You MUST lift ladies! and you must lift real weight- in my 12 years in this game of fitness I have never met a women who has gotten rid of cellulite by doing only cardio. Its impossible!  I designed Kettlebell Kickboxing™ to make sure that you girls get a female based program that is 1 hour of FAT burning, 1 Hour of resistance training, 1 Hour of High Intensity Intervals and 1 Hour or elongating strong muscles in – ONE HOUR flat! In KB we cover cardio and strength training in 1 hour flat! The truth is,we are too busy to spend 6 hours in the gym- its not necessary to see great results in health and in fitness!

4. Foam Rolling may help promote circulation in the body. Buy a foam roll and use it to massage the body and work out the tension in your muscles. It will not only aid performance, but also help with circulation.

Bella’s Summer Cellulite Tips:

1. Sun screen, ladies – lots of it.
2. Carry a big bottle of water everywhere!
3. Make sure your fitness routine makes you sore in the right places!
4. Limit soy intake.
5. Don’t be scared to sweat, sweat, sweat ! Train HARD & SMART!
6. Sleep well (7-9 hours a night).
7. Kick soda out, forever (even the sugar free kind!).
8. Use Apple Cider Vinegar in salad (Studies show it helps to battle the big “C”)
9. Stick to fitness and document results!
10. Skip fried food! Skip them ALL!!!

11. Use tinted moisturizer darker skin minimizes the look of cellulite