Dreading the summer and putting your cellulite on show? Here's how to get rid of it - for good!

We all know what cellulite is, it's fat that collects on buttocks, thighs and upper arms, and for many it means covering up in the summer and a dreaded fear of wearing a swimming costume.  There are many commercial remedies, but these tend to be temporary and expensive and once you stop whichever treatment you have chosen to spend your money on, the dreaded cellulite creeps back on.  In my experience, creams may help to a degree but are never definitive and the people I know who have undergone liposuction, win the battle initially but tend to end up larger than they were before in a high number of cases.

The dimpled skin effect of cellulite known generally as "orange peel", occurs when fat cells push against the surrounding subcutaneous connective tissue.  If your lymph circulation becomes slow, toxins accumulate in these fat cells, making it even more difficult to get rid of.

Body brushing with a dry brush before taking a shower and then applying a good moisturizer afterwards can do wonders for your lymph circulation and will help towards cellulite elimination and will improve overall circulation.  However, there are effective ways of eliminating cellulite:

1. Diet - especially intermittent fasting.
2. Acceleration Training and/ or rebound exercise.

Diet - Intermittent Fasting

This technique makes your body burn fat rather than sugar.  Intermittent fasting simply means restricting the hours per day in which you eat.  For example you could simply restrict your eating to 12pm - 7pm - skipping breakfast and making lunch the first meal of the day.  When you do eat, you should be having healthy protein and healthy fats such as avocado, eggs, olive oil and nuts.  Keep refined carbohydrates such as white bread and pasta to a minimum - potatoes too.

Refined carbohydrates and foods high in sugars and processed salt all contribute to the development of cellulite, so you need to keep these out of your diet as much as possible.  Dietary carbohydrates are the primary source of glycerol-3-phosphate (g-3-p), which causes fat to become fixed in fat tissue.  Eating a lot of carbohydrate also raises your insulin levels, in this kind of environment the body cannot burn fat, the body first has to use the sugar stored in the body for energy before it gets round to burning the fat - so, if you eliminate refined carbohydrates and sugar from your diet, the body can get straight down to burning the fat.  Whole grains, legumes, low fructose fruits and nuts are a good healthy alternative for refined carbohydrates and sugar.

The reason why this technique is so effective is that it promotes the release of Human Growth Hormone (HGH), which is a fat burning hormone.  Fasting also increases catecholamines, which increase resting energy expenditure while decreasing insulin levels, all of which allows stored fat to be burned for fuel.

HGH levels start to decline rapidly after the age of 21, so by the time you are in your 40s, your levels can be quite low, which leads to those stubborn fat deposits.  We all tend to gain weight as we age, especially if you have a sedentary lifestyle.  Being non-active physically means that you not only put on weight, but that you lose muscle mass too.  You start burning fewer calories with age as your body adjusts from building muscle to storing fat.  This is why it is so vital to remain physically active throughout your life.

If you decide to try intermittent fasting, it may take a while for your body to adjust to this new fat burning environment and you must do it gradually, but once you achieve this you will be able to fast for 18 hours and not feel hungry.  The added bonus is that your sugar cravings will disappear and weight loss will be much easier.

I would not recommend this for diabetics or hypoglycemics .  This technique is also similar to the "2 Day Diet", where you eat a limited number of calories 2 days a week and then a more relaxed diet for the remaining 5.

Acceleration Training and Rebound Exercise.

I have written before about how exercising before breakfast burns 20% more fat than exercising

afterwards, put this together with fasting and you can't go wrong.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a great way to boost the effects of fasting on your weight loss program. (See: The Tabata Protocol )

Also acceleration training on a vibrating platform such as a Power Plate, has been shown to be very useful for fighting the cellulite wars in particular.

Acceleration training improves lymph circulation which helps you to breakdown cellulite from the inside out.  The vibrations provide thousands of muscle contractions that remove your lymphatic fluid from problem areas, reducing fluid congestion in your tissues.  This relieves the immune system by flushing out the toxins.  This has been scientifically proven to help rid your body of excess weight and cellulite (See: Cellulite Power Plate Study )

Rebounding is another form of exercise that, to a lesser degree, has the same effect as acceleration training.  On a mini trampoline your body is subjected to gravitational pulls.  The benefits of rebounding include increased circulating oxygen and nutrients to tissues and organs and increased muscle strength and is a great cardio workout.  The benefits of acceleration training will always be seen quicker than with rebounding but if this is too costly then rebounding does do wonders and is a lot cheaper!

Once you know all this you can take definite steps towards a cellulite free, happy and healthy body at the weight you want it to be at, just two steps:

1. Sort out your diet and introduce intermittent fasting.  Drink lots of water to flush out your system.
2. Get with a fitness program you enjoy that includes HIIT and/ or bounce your way to cellulite free body.

Social Nutrition:
You can make an appointment to improve your health with Social Nutrition either in person (Madrid) or online (Skype).  Just send an email to lucycarr@socialnutrition.com