Every year around this time we take up a time trial war against cellulite. It doesn’t matter how hard we fought it the year before. Twelve months go by and you have there again. This year, with almost two months of confinement at home, little physical activity, and many hours of sofa and home baking, the return is devastating. A sedentary lifestyle is not the only cause of cellulite. But yes, one of the factors that make it worse. Fortunately, it is, we can act on. For it to appear there have to be several factors. Approximately 20% of cellulite is determined by genetics. And it worsens at certain hormonal moments, such as menarche, coinciding with certain alterations of the menstrual cycle or menopause. We can do little about these inevitable causes. The second group are external circumstances that we can positively influence; inadequate diet, lack of physical exercise, poor muscle tone, and even certain postural habits.
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Sitting a lot of influences, but does not limit.
Spending too much time sitting is the posture that cellulite likes best to grow and multiply. Working while sitting, whether in the office or teleworking, comes to be like buying many tickets to develop cellulite. If you didn’t have it, it might come out. If you already had, it will almost certainly get worse. But many tickets do not mean the entire checkbook. Cellulite is something you have, or have had, or will almost certainly have if you work sitting down. That posture hinders circulation and drainage. But we must not lose sight of other factors, such as genetic predisposition or a diet low in fiber, high in fat and sugar, and full of processed products with a lot of salt. With the hereditary component there is nothing to do; with food, yes. The body only knows how to store fat. If you eat fat, it saves it. If you eat sugars, it transforms them into fats and also saves them. Salt favors fluid retention, another element that helps the appearance of cellulite. Finally, constipation due to lack of fiber makes circulation difficult and the waste drainage does not work properly.
The delivery, with marathons of Netflix, HBO, and Zoom with friends, always with the rear well settled on the sofa, has been the perfect storm for orange peel. An inactive lifestyle is one of the main causes of the appearance or worsening of cellulite. Also, rapid weight changes that worsen the appearance of the skin. During confinement, we have been able to take a few kilograms, we may have drunk less water because we did not notice thirst, or we have pecked too much. The result is fats that don’t burn and liquids that don’t drain well. From there to cellulite, there are two steps.
Now, you shouldn’t throw in the towel either. If it’s going to come out, it will come out, but we can make it less flashy. Many women find it inevitable to spend many hours sitting down if their work requires it. In that case, you have to compensate with a routine that combines aerobic exercise to oxygenate the tissues, and some strength work to tone the muscles of the area, reduce localized fat, activate the lymphatic system and improve circulation. Now that we can start dating, I suggest walking at an intense pace, running, or cycling to reverse the break in recent weeks. All the better if we complement at home with exercises to develop the muscles of the legs, hips, and buttocks, which are the most sensitive areas to their appearance. All this will help, but, I insist when there is cellulite, only sport is not enough. You have to accompany it with diet, and even with specific treatments to mobilize those small accumulations of fat that deform giving rise to the dreaded orange peel. Tight clothing and heels are good allies of cellulite, since they also hinder return circulation. Unless they are strictly essential, avoid them too.