Friday, December 11, 2009

Cellulite

I always want to post on my blog but never know what to talk about. I learnt something about cellulite from good old foxtel the other day so I thought I’d share that. Do you know what cellulite actually is and why most women have it and most men don’t?

Its not a special kind of fat that you have to buy expensive creams for, its just normal body fat that gets a dimply appearance when it pushes against the connective tissue in our skin.

Because women’s bodies are designed to be able to be able to transform shape to carry babies, our connective tissue is a lot less dense than men’s, meaning there are far more ‘gaps’ in it. A typical healthy woman’s body fat percentage is also higher than a man’s. Basically when there’s enough fat under the skin pushing against this connective tissue, it will ‘spill through’ the gaps causing the outside to be bumpy rather than smooth. We all know that even very small women who appear slim in clothes can have high percentages of body fat, so they are not immune to cellulite. Don’t hate me, but I seem to be one of the lucky ones who doesn’t tend to get it (unless I squeeze my fat to make it appear… haha) BUT I am prone to stretch marks if I lose/gain weight rapidly so I guess that supports the theory about stronger connective tissue being less flexible.

The internet is and isn’t a good place to find out about things health wise. Using cellulite as an example, try to find out anything factual, all you get is sales pitches for remedies from creams to pills to vibrating treatments. Just like anything I guess, playing on body image issues and overcomplicating stuff sells products and makes money. Once more the simple answer we don’t want to hear is that all eat well and exercise. With good circulation, healthy skin and body fat levels you might still have some cellulite but only then can you start blaming mum for your genes!

7 comments:

Chelle said...

Regular deep tissue massage is one of the best ways to help break it down (along with healthy diet and exercise), allowing any toxins that have been stored in the fat cells to be drained by the lymphatic system! My massage therapist has changed the legs of so many of my friends!

Anonymous said...

If you want facts, then head over to http://scholar.google.com.au/ and search "cellulite" Steph. :o) xxx

Anonymous said...

I do thank my mom for the calves but NOT the cellulite :)

Unknown said...

I'm pretty susceptible to cellulite and still had some right up to just before comp. I would hate to get down to the body fat required for me to have none.

Jaime-lee said...

eewww cellulite yes something that has covered my body since giving birth! interesting facts Steph, one topic I havent really studied, but one thing I know it CAN be ridden of! I proved that when competing last time.

Need to get there again!

Lauren said...

Hi Steph,
I just wanted to pop by and say a big thankyou for documenting everything you went through during comp prep. Being a newbie at this I have tried to soak up everything possible about what I might be in for. I have gone back through your blogs and read them all (a couple of times). I especially feel your journey will be close to mine as we have the same trainer! So thanks again for doing what you do and writing what you have. And thanks so much for your encouraging and supportive comments on my blog!
Have a great day!

P.S. And yes I have the dreaded old cellulite too, but it is diminishing as this journey goes on! Hooray!!

Anonymous said...

It was really interesting for me to discover that during pregnancy my cellulite was out of control Steph!

I have never had much, and I assume that that is because I have quite muscular legs but during pregnancy that was the only thing I was quite self conscious about.

It is an intersting subject though, often the most unlikely fit and fabulous body will have heaps of it and people like my MIL who NEVER exercises have none!


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