So Why Do We Get Cellulite?

Cellulite is the "fat" you just cannot shed. While ordinary fat can be lost through diet or exercise, cellulite can not. Cellulite is not like ordinary fat; it is a compound comprised of fat, water and wastes, trapped in irregular, immovable pockets beneath your skin. These pockets behave like sponges that can absorb considerable amounts of water and bulge out, creating the flabbiness and ripples you see. Visually, fat and cellulite are very distinct. The best way to figure out whether a pocket of fat is actually cellulite is to press or squeeze the area between your index finger and thumb or between your palms. Typical fat, when squeezed, is smooth and doesn't show any lumps or ripples. If cellulite is present, your skin ripples and looks like an orange peel and may be sensitive to touch.

Because cellulite does not form like other types of fat, regular dieting is just not enough to reduce it. When the normal diet plan is reduced, the body automatically burns its stores of excess fat. On a reduced calorie diet, fat will come off in several areas, but the cellulite bumps will remain. They don't burn off like regular fat. While common fat is found anywhere on our bodies, cellulite appears around the stomach, thighs, hips, buttocks, lower back, and upper arms. This is due to the way that cellulite forms.

Basically, all of the muscles of the body are wrapped in a layer of connective tissue. These rounded cells are held in place by way of a network of fibers and are supplied by circulating lymph, blood, and water. These liquids carry nutrients and oxygen throughout the tissues and also eliminate wastes. If the waste removal process in these areas slows down, the connective tissue--saturated with wastes and water--hardens and thickens to form immovable pockets. These puff up to form the "orange peel" texture associated with cellulite.

One of the primary reasons a growing number of women are plagued by cellulite is an inactive lifestyle. Not enough exercise, especially when coupled with insufficient water intake and poor eating habits, decreases the body's ability to eliminate waste and excess water, allowing the connective tissue to create the lumpy pockets of cellulite. Other bad habits that play a role in the formation of cellulite are smoking, drinking, excess caffeine, and some medications.

There are numerous schools of thought concerning just how to get rid of cellulite. Some people think that deep breathing or a 'cleanse' to get rid of the waste is the best course of action, while others choose to emphasize diet and targeted workout routines. Other people choose laser therapy and even cosmetic surgery. In the long run, all of these cellulite treatments require a lifestyle change so that you can see results