Cellulite is a common, harmless skin condition. Yet, its lumpy texture and dimpled appearance does cause many people concern as it is often perceived as an 'imperfection'. Cellulite can affect anyone, not just women or people with larger bodies.
As a result, many have sought to find ways to get rid of cellulite and one of the most popular is exercise. But does exercise really help you get rid of cellulite? And if so, are there particular exercises that are best? Let's take a look.
Can you get rid of cellulite with exercise?
The short answer is no. Unfortunately, there is no single method, including exercise, that can get rid of cellulite. However, a healthy and varied fitness programme which strengthens muscles, reduces fat and boosts circulation will firm the skin and can greatly reduce the appearance of cellulite.
How long does it take to reduce cellulite with exercise?
How long it takes to reduce the appearance of cellulite with exercise will depend on your body and the grade of cellulite you are dealing with.
There are 4 grades of cellulite ranging from grade 0 that isn't visible to the naked eye to grade 4 that is visible all the time, not just when in seated or lying positions. The higher the grade of cellulite, and the more visible it is, the harder it is to reduce its appearance.
Reducing the appearance of cellulite will also be harder and take longer the more fat you have. This is because the fat will prevent the muscles from pushing against the skin and tightening its appearance, which is what helps to smooth the appearance of cellulite lumps.
Exercises to reduce cellulite
You can't use exercise to get rid of cellulite, but some types of exercise will affect your body in ways that help to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Here are some suggested exercises to get you started:
High Intensity: HIIT
To help reduce your cellulite, look for workouts that burn calories long after class has finished. It is proven that high intensity exercise is the most efficient way to speed up your metabolism and burn calories both during your workout and throughout the day.
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is an increasingly popular type of workout, since it packs a lot of effort into a short amount of time so slots nicely into busy schedules. These classes are sometimes called circuit training, which is an older name for it, but the mechanics are the same. Essentially, it's short and intense bursts of exercise, doing a circuit of different exercises to engage all the muscles in your body.
Circulation Boosting: Squats & Push-Ups
Exercises that boost circulation help with blood flow, making your exercise more effective, and allowing your muscles to strengthen and skin to tighten – thus reducing the appearance of cellulite.
Yoga is a good exercise for circulation but lacks the intensity to really reduce cellulite's appearance. Instead, try squats, optionally with a resistance band rowing technique, or classic push-ups. These shouldn’t be the only exercises you do but including them in your routine will help.
Lymphatic Drainage: Aerobic Classes
Workouts that mechanically stimulate lymphatic drainage and improve circulation in the legs can gradually help to improve the appearance of your skin. Aerobics are a great way to exercise all parts of your body, while boosting circulation.
Always make sure to rest between sets and training days if taking aerobic classes as the intensity if overdone won't get rid of cellulite as quickly as you might want. Your body needs rest time to recover. Trying mixing these classes with other types of exercise.
Intense Calorie Burners: Fast Or Interval Runnings
Running is one of the most intense calories burners around – it can potentially burn up to 1,500 calories an hour, depending on your weight – and if you speed up with sprinting intervals then you also get intense mechanical stimulation.
Like HIIT, interval running done in bursts can give you all the benefits, for muscles, circulation, etc, in a short space of time, so it’s easier to fit into a busy schedule.
Avoid exercises that claim to target common cellulite areas
Avoid focusing only on leg and bum exercises when you work out. Many cellulite-busting workouts claim that if you just complete these five, seven or ten targeted exercises you can eradicate cellulite. This just won’t work – however many squats, lunges or planks you do, it’s not possible to spot reduce fat or cellulite in a specific area.
The best exercise is one that you enjoy and want to do regularly
If running or circuits aren't for you, try taking the plunge! Running isn’t for everyone, particularly if your joints are feeling the effects of wear and tear. Fast swimming will burn a lot of calories and provide some mechanical stimulation, alongside the massaging effect of the water on the skin, so it is a moderate cellulite-appearance reduction workout.
Hate the gym? Sports such as netball, football, hockey and handball provide excellent interval training and can be a much more fun way to exercise than slogging away at the gym.
Ultimately, doing exercise to reduce fat, grow muscles and reduce the appearance of cellulite is going to be a lot easier if you are enjoying the exercise you are doing.
Maximise your workouts and combat the appearance of cellulite with compression leggings
One of the best ways to maximise the benefits of your workout on your body is to use compression leggings. Specifically, CRYSTALSMOOTH® leggings.
These leggings are composed of patented materials that return body heat to your skin and muscles via infrared rays while you workout. This improves your cellular metabolism, assists with lymphatic drainage and stimulates circulation, boosting the benefits of the exercise you are doing. Wearing CRYSTALSMOOTH® leggings for one hour of exercise is considered to be the equivalent to six hours of regular activity in terms of body impact.
Get your compression shorts or leggings today and start working on reducing the appearance of your cellulite!
