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Question Yikes! All of a sudden I see that my thighs are getting kind of bumpy. What can I do to smooth them out again? I'm in my late 30's and never thought I'd get cellulite so young!
Cellulite doesn't discriminate. It can show up on girls in their teens—or younger. That's because, despite what you've heard about cellulite being some mysterious condition linked to "trapped toxins" or poor circulation, cellulite is simply old-fashioned fat. It just looks different because of how it's arranged. (Looking for effective ways to tone up fast? Prevention has smart answers—get a FREE trial + 12 FREE gifts.)
Question
Everyone has strands of connective tissue that separate fat cells into compartments and connect fat to skin. In women, these fibers form a honeycomb-shaped pattern, so any increase of fat tends to bulge out like stuffing in a mattress. You see less cellulite in men because their fibers run horizontally, forming a criss-cross pattern that prevents bulging or dimpling.
Though cellulite can pop up any time, it is true that cellulite does seem to appear out of nowhere and get worse with age. That's because our tissues change. Those strands of connective tissue thicken with age, and our skin gets thinner, making cellulite more noticeable. More importantly, we gain fat with age. The average woman loses 5 lb of muscle and replaces it with about 15 lb of fat every decade of her adult life, says Prevention advisor Wayne Westcott, PhD.
"Because fat is exceptionally soft, it doesn't keep our skin taut like muscle does. It also takes up more space, so it bulges out," he explains.
With the right leg workout plan, you can reduce your cellulite and make your lower body look smoother and firmer, says Westcott. "When we put 16 women ages 26 to 66 on our program for 8 weeks, all of them reported less cellulite in their lower bodies. Seventy percent reported a lot less."
The trick is working all your lower body muscles from every angle, reducing the underlying fat stores and replacing lost muscle tissue to give the area a taut, toned appearance throughout.
Perform 1 set of 10 to 15 repetitions of the following exercises 3 days a week. Lift slowly, counting 2 seconds to lift and 4 seconds to lower. Before starting, warm up thoroughly with walking, stationary cycling, or light calisthenics.
Side to Side
Muscles worked: Quadriceps, abductors, adductors, hamstrings, and glutes
Equipment: Dumbbells You can make this basic exercise easier by doing it without any weights. Just keep your hands on your hips. To make it more difficult, hold the dumbbells up at your shoulders while performing the exercise.
1. Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed out about 45 degrees and your back flat and straight. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest them at your hips.
2. Take a giant step to the left and bend your left knee until your thigh is parallel to the floor, keeping your right leg extended. Do not allow your left knee to jut over your toes or your butt to dip below your knee. Pause, then return to the starting position and repeat the motion to the right side without resting.
All-Fours Kickback
Muscles worked: Gluteal muscles
Equipment: Ankle weights When doing this exercise, remember not to arch or hunch your back. This will prevent you from putting stress on your back. You can make the exercise easier by doing it without ankle weights. If you don't have ankle weights, do the exercise with a light dumbbell held behind the knee in the crook of your working leg.
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6 Moves That Target Stubborn Cellulite
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Question Yikes! All of a sudden I see that my thighs are getting kind of bumpy. What can I do to smooth them out again? I'm in my late 30's and never thought I'd get cellulite so young!
Cellulite doesn't discriminate. It can show up on girls in their teens—or younger. That's because, despite what you've heard about cellulite being some mysterious condition linked to "trapped toxins" or poor circulation, cellulite is simply old-fashioned fat. It just looks different because of how it's arranged. (Looking for effective ways to tone up fast? Prevention has smart answers—get a FREE trial + 12 FREE gifts.)
Question
Everyone has strands of connective tissue that separate fat cells into compartments and connect fat to skin. In women, these fibers form a honeycomb-shaped pattern, so any increase of fat tends to bulge out like stuffing in a mattress. You see less cellulite in men because their fibers run horizontally, forming a criss-cross pattern that prevents bulging or dimpling.
Though cellulite can pop up any time, it is true that cellulite does seem to appear out of nowhere and get worse with age. That's because our tissues change. Those strands of connective tissue thicken with age, and our skin gets thinner, making cellulite more noticeable. More importantly, we gain fat with age. The average woman loses 5 lb of muscle and replaces it with about 15 lb of fat every decade of her adult life, says Prevention advisor Wayne Westcott, PhD.
"Because fat is exceptionally soft, it doesn't keep our skin taut like muscle does. It also takes up more space, so it bulges out," he explains.
With the right leg workout plan, you can reduce your cellulite and make your lower body look smoother and firmer, says Westcott. "When we put 16 women ages 26 to 66 on our program for 8 weeks, all of them reported less cellulite in their lower bodies. Seventy percent reported a lot less."
The trick is working all your lower body muscles from every angle, reducing the underlying fat stores and replacing lost muscle tissue to give the area a taut, toned appearance throughout.
Perform 1 set of 10 to 15 repetitions of the following exercises 3 days a week. Lift slowly, counting 2 seconds to lift and 4 seconds to lower. Before starting, warm up thoroughly with walking, stationary cycling, or light calisthenics.
Side to Side
Muscles worked: Quadriceps, abductors, adductors, hamstrings, and glutes
Equipment: Dumbbells You can make this basic exercise easier by doing it without any weights. Just keep your hands on your hips. To make it more difficult, hold the dumbbells up at your shoulders while performing the exercise.
1. Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart with your toes pointed out about 45 degrees and your back flat and straight. Hold a dumbbell in each hand and rest them at your hips.
2. Take a giant step to the left and bend your left knee until your thigh is parallel to the floor, keeping your right leg extended. Do not allow your left knee to jut over your toes or your butt to dip below your knee. Pause, then return to the starting position and repeat the motion to the right side without resting.
All-Fours Kickback
Muscles worked: Gluteal muscles
Equipment: Ankle weights When doing this exercise, remember not to arch or hunch your back. This will prevent you from putting stress on your back. You can make the exercise easier by doing it without ankle weights. If you don't have ankle weights, do the exercise with a light dumbbell held behind the knee in the crook of your working leg.
See more at,,,,,
6 Moves That Target Stubborn Cellulite
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6 Moves That Target Stubborn Cellulite
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