Sun glorious sun, what an amazing weekend and what an amazing country Ireland is in the good weather, I hope you were out in it, getting some vitamin d into your system ,feeling all the health benefits that come with the sun on your body. It also gave the women of Ireland their first conundrum of the summer, what bikini to wear and how to hide the cellulite from view. Unfortunately, the irish diet and lack of movement is a recipe for plenty of lumpy skin on the arms and the legs, far more so that the mediteranean countries. Short of moving to the med, what can you do to change the appearance of your cellulite? Firstly people look to the local chemist or department store for the latest fad product that promises to change your legs in a matter of days or some similar statement,
there are so many products on sale to help you with weight and health problems that it is so easy to become confused or even to be misled, purchasing the expensive product, using the product and not getting any results at all. One of the most popular gimics on the market are creams that will help to rid you of the bane of all women, cellulite. Some claim they break down cellulite to release the toxins it contains and others claim to increase circulation to carry away the toxins that 'are the main cause of cellulite', or to release water trapped in unsightly ripples under the skin. Some go as far as to claim that their creams will remove cellulite altogether.They are simply marketed to lull you into purchasing more and more of the product, supported by fantastic trials that will have very little basis at all. The bad news , ladies , is that they will actually make very little difference at all to your cellulite, bar the difference that you tell yourself that you see. The good news is that there are several other ways that you can make such a huge difference to your legs, preparing yourself to show them off in the bikini this summer!!
Dr. Peter Fodder, president of the Lipoplastry Society emphasises, there are no toxins, and there is no trapped water and cellulite is just ordinary body fat sitting under the skin in tiny pockets separated by connective tissue. Creams or lotions cannot remove a molecule unless they contain a drug that can penetrate the skin and enter the fat underneath, when that drug finally hits the market that can do that ,it will be by prescription from your gp only. This leaves only one way to change the appearance of your thighs, hard work!Like many things in life, you need to knuckle down, make some simple changes and you will see dramatic changes in your legs and I mean dramatic. You will see a huge difference in just 4 weeks, getting you ready for that bikini that you are so worried about ,I can see the stress on your face as you are reading the column now, picturing how you can avoid getting those legs in public, well this year you won’t have to avoid it, you are going to show them off with pride.And here’s how:
Exercise: time to get moving ladies, you need to get the legs working to tone the muscle and reduce the fat , through tough resistance based training ,using exercises like ,squats, lunges, step ups and side leg raises. Combine this with cardiovascular work such as running, walking ,cycling, hillwalking or even swimming. The cardio workouts help to get the heart rate up and burn lots of nice calories. The trick with any type of cardio work is to use intervals . Intervals are simply using 2 different speeds , one fast and one slow. As you get fitter, increase the fast interval and reduce the slow interval. A combination of these 2 workouts will get you the best results for your legs and body in general, leaving you leaner, fitter and more toned, start off doing 1 set of the resistance work and build up to 3 sets over time or you will be extremely sore for upto a week, which is never good! As you get fitter you will recover quicker and have less pain too.
Nutrition: Seeing as cellulite is a build up of fat in the body ,guess what, you need to change your diet. Reducing the sugars ,white carbs, tea, coffee and desserts! For quick results you need to streamline your diet with lots of healthy protein( meat,fish,eggs), lots of healthy carbohydrates( brown rice, brown pasta ,brown bread) and reduce the evil of all evils ,sugar, from your diet. Sugar is in almost everything we eat, so check the labels and go for the low sugar options all the time. As well as the food changes, you need to increase your water intake ,ideally adding some lemon to the water, as the lemon will help to naturally cleanse the body too, inducing a natural detox . These simply diet tips will see great changes in your legs, without being too drastic!
Massage: The third and most enjoyable way to rid your self of the dreaded cellulite is some deep tissue massage. Ideally the best way to get this done, is by a good ,strong and firm masseuse, but alternatively you can get your partner to work on your legs, using a rolling pin, literally rolling the skin affected, with some oils on the skin first to take some of the pain away, scream your heart out as the rolling pin helps to get the fat moving. Combine this with plenty of water in your diet , add a little lemon, and you will help to flush the fat out of your system.
Off you go ladies, so this summer you will have no excuse!
