How to Get Rid Of Cellulite Naturally – Tips From A Certified PT and Nutritionist

Cellulite affects lots of women. So if you have it, just know that you are not alone! It doesn’t matter if you are overweight or not – many women who are slim have cellulite too.

Just because someone is slim, doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t get cellulite. It’s actually a fact that 90% of women will get cellulite in their lifetime.

In this blog post, I’ll share all my best tips on reducing cellulite’s appearance. But before I do that, I just want to let you know that I don’t think cellulite is something inherently bad. Cellulite is not a disease, and in general, it’s not a health concern. So if you have it and you don’t mind it, that’s more than OK! :)

But since I often get questions on Instagram on cellulite – Is it possible to get rid of cellulite?, Can you get rid of cellulite with exercises?, What are the best workouts for cellulite?, Does cellulite go away when you lose weight?, etc. I wanted to respond to all of these questions in one blog. :)

WHAT IS CELLULITE?

OK, first things first. If we want to figure out how to avoid or remove cellulite, we first need to understand what cellulite is and what causes it.

Cellulite is very common and usually harmless skin condition that mostly affects women. It’s usually visible on legs, butt, hips and abdomen but can appear on other areas as well. It looks like dimpled or bumpy skin. Becasue of the way it looks, people often compare it to orange peel.

Cellulite is basically fat, located in the dermis layer (just underneath your actual skin). This layer contains connective tissue made from collagen, and the connective tissue is formed in a honeycomb shape. When fat cells increase in size, they push up against the connective tissue, making the fat cells bulge out through a honeycomb, giving it that dimpled, lumpy appearance.

RELATED POST: 7 MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT CELLULITE

WHAT CAUSES CELLULITE?

There are a few things that can affect whether or not you have cellulite. I’ll list the most common ones.

BODY FAT

One of the key factors is the amount of body fat. The more fat someone has, the larger the fat cells will be and the more dimpled their legs or other areas affected by cellulite will look. The main cause of cellulite is the enlarged fat cells that you can see at the top of the image below.

GENETICS

As I mentioned earlier, slim people can get cellulite too. Slim people who get cellulite are usually people that have the so called skinny fat body type (i.e. they appear slim but actually have a high percentage of body fat) or they can be genuinely lean with a low body fat percentage and still have cellulite. This is much rarer, but it’s not impossible

It seems like cellulite is at least partly genetic. Cellulite being genetic may explain why slim women with a low body fat percentage can have cellulite.

GENDER AND AGE

Our gender and age also affect the appearance of cellulite. This study from 2019 indicates that older women with a higher body mass are more likely to have cellulite than men and younger women.

RELATED POST: SKINNY FAT LOOK – HOW TO AVOID IT?

OTHER FACTORS

Other factors such as skin thickness, the strength of your connective fibers and blood circulation can also affect cellulite. Blood circulation is another one that may be influenced by your genes.

So now we know what cellulite is and what causes it but how do we get rid of cellulite or at least reduce it’s appreance?

There are many ways to get rid of cellulite but in this blog I’ll focus on two main approaches: naturally and cosmetic procedures, creams, and scrubs.

CAN YOU GET RID OF CELLULITE NATURALLY?

CAN YOU GET RID OF CELLULITE WITH EXERCISE?

When it comes to reducing the appearance of cellulite, I always recommend resistance training.

You know I love cardio and especially low-intensity cardio like walking. If you’ve read my blog before, you may already know that walking works great for slimming down legs. But, unfortunately, cellulite doesn’t respond that great to just walking. At least, that’s what I saw while working with my clients. Whenever women skip resistance training and stick just to walking, they notice their cellulite getting worse.

To reduce cellulite from your thighs, butt, hips and belly, you NEED to do resistance training. This will build muscle that will smooth out cellulite and give you a more toned look.

If you are someone who prefers a lean and toned look, then just make sure that you do the correct type of resistance training that will tone your body without adding unwanted muscle bulk. Don’t get me wrong, if you are someone who prefers a more muscular look, that’s great! You can don any type of workouts that makes you feel the best and gives you the look you want.

But if you are someone who feels like lifting heavy, makes them look bulky, I recommend focusing on mostly bodyweight workouts.

All of the workouts on the Femme Nativa app and in our programs follow this method of training so if your goal is to reduce the appreance of cellulite and be lean and toned, I’d highly recommend checking out our app and programs. :)

WHAT ARE THE BEST WORKOUTS FOR CELLULITE?

I often get questions what are the best workouts for cellulite and my answer is always – resistance training. Any type of resistance training that will help you build muscle tone will help you get rid of cellulite but personally I prefer low-impact, mostly bodyweight workouts.

In the video below, I’ve shared with you my favourite cellulite-busting workouts. Plus I also have a 5 day Cellulite Busting Challenge that’s only $14.99 and once you buy it, you’ll have access to it forever on my app so make sure to check it out. :)

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WHICH IS BETTER FOR CELLULITE – CARDIO OR RESISTANCE TRAINING?

My cardio loving clients who don’t like resistance training usually ask whether they can just skip resistance training and do walking instead, especially if they want to get rid of cellulite on their legs. And it’s a valid question, because I have said that walking is the best exercise for slimming down your legs. But if you avoid resistance training:

1. You will never get rid of cellulite.
2. You won’t look toned – you need muscle definition to look toned.
3. You may look skinny fat, which is where you look lean when you’re wearing clothes, but you have a higher percentage of body fat and look flabby underneath.
4. You will have a harder time losing weight overall, because muscle increases your metabolism, and this makes a huge difference for weight loss.

Resistance training may also help prevent cellulite. Connective tissue gets weakened by excess fat and lack of muscle tone, and this can be prevented by exercising and improving your muscle tone.

GET YOUR HORMONES TESTED AND BALANCED

Everywhere I read seems to mention the fact that hormones play a role in causing cellulite. Hormone imbalances may affect the way your body stores fat and can also affect your circulation.

Improving both your hormones and circulation is thought to improve the appearance of cellulite.

I have had many issues with hormones imbalances so I have written a blog post on how a hormone imbalance can cause weight gain if you want to have a read to find out more.

You may be more susceptible to a hormone imbalance if you are taking the contraceptive pill or if you are going through menopause.

If you think you have a hormone imbalance, it would be a good idea to see a doctor or naturopath to get your hormones tested and get the appropriate treatment.

EAT A HEALTHY DIET

Eating a healthy diet will not completely cure cellulite. But it may help prevent it, and improve the appearance.

Eating lots of fruit and vegetables and natural, high-fiber foods will help you lose weight (or maintain a healthy weight), reduce inflammation and keep your connective tissues strong.

Also make sure to drink lots of water!

QUIT SMOKING

For anyone out there who smokes! Smoking causes premature ageing and affects your skin in numerous ways. As you get older, your body’s collagen naturally decreases.

Smoking speeds up this process. It will cause the skin to lose it’s elasticity and cellulite will appear worse.

I don’t know if smoking actually causes cellulite but it will definitely make it look worse. Stopping smoking may not make the cellulite look better, but it will hopefully stop it from getting worse over time.

DRY BRUSHING

It is thought the dry brushing increases blood and lymph flow to an area, which can help with cellulite.

There’s no scientific evidence to prove it, but it could be worth a try! All you need is a dry brush, so it’s cheap. Plus improving your circulation wouldn’t be a bad thing :)

MASSAGE OR FOAM ROLLING

The idea behind massage and foam rolling is the same – improves circulation which can help with cellulite. I’m not 100% sure if it would work, but again, it’s worth a try. Plus who doesn’t love a massage!

If you don’t like massages, you could always get a foam roller and do it at home in front of the TV :)

Fitness wise I love having a foam roller for when my body is really sore.

I know I should use it after every workout, but I don’t. But anyway, it’s a great piece of equipment to have and you should try to use it everyday if you can!

WEAR LOOSE UNDERWEAR

I actually didn’t know this, but apparently underwear with tight elastic limits blood flow and can contribute to the formation of cellulite! So try to avoid really tight underwear and clothing in general.

DOES CELLULITE GO AWAY IF YOU LOSE WEIGHT?

OK, another question I get often is whether cellulite goes away if you lose weight. As I explained, cellulite is basically fat and it usually appears when our fat cells increase. So going by this, it’s natural to assume that cellulite will go away when we lose weight, right?

Well, that’s not always the case. High body fat is not the only thing that affects how much cellulite and where we’re going to have. Some people are naturally more prone to cellulite.

Our age is also a factor, the older we get, the more likely it is we’ll have cellulite. As we age, our skin loses elasticity and we lose muscle tone which makes the cellulite worse. This is one of the reasons why it’s important to stay active as we age.

And of course, our gender has a big impact on whether we’ll have cellulite. Women are far more likely to have cellulite than men.

So even though fat loss should help you reduce the appearance of cellulite, I cannot tell you that your cellulite will 100% disappear, especially if you have a genetic predisposition, if you don’t exercise and if you smoke.

CAN YOU GET RID OF CELLULITE THROUGH COSMETIC PROCEDURES, CREAMS AND SCRUBS?

Personally, I’ve never tried any of these treatments so I cannot speak with absolute certainty but here’s what I’ve heard from people who tried it and read online.

CELLULAZE LASER TREATMENT

This laser treatment involves putting a small laser tube underneath your skin. The laser is supposed to melt fat and break up the connective tissue, which then makes your collagen grow and thicken and reduces the cellulite.

From reviews I’ve read, it doesn’t seem to make it go away 100% and it might only last 1-2 years. But everyone is raving about it and says the results are amazing. I think it could definitely be worth a try if your cellulite really bothers you. Although I think it is quite expensive!

There are lots of other laser treatments available such as TriActiv, Velasmooth and Accent XL but you need lots of treatments. Cellulaze seems to be the best.

Z WAVE RADIO-FREQUENCY TREATMENT

This treatment uses high-energy radial shockwaves, which are supposed to work in a similar way to the laser by breaking up connective tissue, increasing collagen production and increasing blood flow to the area.

From the reviews I have read, it seems about 50% of people were happy with the treatment, while the other 50% said it didn’t do much for them. You may also need several treatments.

ULTRASOUND TREATMENT

This treatment releases pulses of acoustic waves, which break up your fat cells and promotes circulation. I should mention that Kim Kardashian‘s surgeon (Dr. Ourian) does this type of treatment. It says you need 3 treatments.

Reading reviews online it seems like it’s effective in about 70% of people – the other 30% weren’t too happy.

DERMAL FILLERS

Injecting fillers into the area can make it look less bumpy and smooth it out. This treatment might work best for slimmer people who have cellulite.

CELLULITE CREAMS

There’s no real evidence to show that cellulite creams work. Some people might notice some improvement if they use it religiously, but the results are most likely temporary.

Creams that contain retinoids (retinol) have been found to provide some temporary results. At least that’s what I’ve heard.

COFFEE SCRUBS

Again, there is no real evidence to show that these coffee scrubs actually work. But caffeine may help to improve circulation and also dehydrate the skin. So using a coffee scrub might give you a temporary affect that lasts a few hours or a day, but it’s not long lasting.

If you have a special event coming up or are even just going to the beach, you could try using a cream and / or scrub that morning for a temporary improvement!

WRAPPING UP

I’ve done a lot of research on cellulite and it is clear that there is no “cure” or treatment that is 100% effective. None of these things that I’ve mentioned are really cures, but are things that can help prevent cellulite or improve the appearance of it.

Overall, I don’t think any of these solutions get rid of cellulite completely, but they can make significant improvements. The natural remedies to get rid of cellulite are cheaper and also better for your overall health (eating healthy, exercising and drinking lots of water can only do good things right?!) so are definitely worth trying.

I’m sure they will develop some type of amazing procedure in the future to get rid of cellulite. But at the moment, it seems like the best thing to do is take care of your body – eat well, exercise, don’t smoke, massage or foam roll, and make sure your hormones are all balanced!

LEAN LEGS PROGRAM 1

I have developed my own well-balanced workout program that incorporates resistance training designed to give women the lean and toned look that they are after, and understand how to do resistance training without getting unwanted bulk.

Find out more about my program here.

Love Rachael xx

SOURCES:

• Percentage of Women Who Get Cellulite – https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-cellulite-forever/
• What Is Cellulite? – https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cellulite/symptoms-causes/syc-20354945, https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/149465
• Cellulite and Genetics – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20059631/
• Cellulite – Gender and Age – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30730492/