You’re really not sure how it happened, but one day you looked in the mirror and there it was—cellulite, creeping up on your legs and butt just in time for swimsuit season. Happily, there’s an excellent and relaxing way to smooth those bumps and lumps: Yoga.
Yoga can be a great cellulite-busting routine that targets the butt and thighs, the areas most prone to dimpling. It also is a great way to end a workout by relaxing the muscles you have worked out prior.
What causes Cellulite ? Genetics / Heredity, skin thickness, gender, the amount and distribution of body fat, and age can all influence the extent to which cellulite is present or visible. While cellulite is more common in women than men, men can also be affected; much the same way men can also get stretch marks. Cellulite occurs in people of all races living all around the globe. Although female hormones may play a role in contributing to this pattern of fat distribution, cellulite is not treatable by hormone therapy and is not always due to the "change of life."
Thanks to all those days spent sitting, fat pushes through weakened spots in the connective tissue beneath skin. But rebuilding muscle tone in those trouble spots and burning excess fat can help smooth out cellulite and prevent future dimpling, so YES - you need to exercise ! (If you are reading this blog then you already know that !) =)
Do this 20-minute sequence three days a week—plus 30 minutes of vigorous cardio, four times a week—and you’ll see smoother skin in just six weeks.
1. Standing forward bend
Stand with feet hip-distance apart. Hinge forward at the hips, keeping a slight bend in your knees. Lay your chest on your upper thighs as you let your head fall toward the ground. Engage quadriceps muscles and slowly straighten legs, making sure your knees don’t lock and your hips stay over the center of your feet. Hold for 5–8 slow, deep breaths.2. Chair pose
Stand with feet together, big toes touching, and ankles slightly apart. Bend at the knees, sitting hips back (as if into a chair) and lifting your chest up to the sky. At the same time, reach your arms up by your ears and lengthen through the fingertips, keeping shoulders relaxed and ab muscles held in.Sit back as far as you can; aim to make up to a 90-degree angle with your legs (a shallower angle is fine—go as far as is comfortable) while keeping your back from rounding and knees from going past your toes. Hold for 5–8 breaths before standing up; repeat 3 more times
3. Eagle pose
Bend your knees slightly and cross your right leg over your left leg high at the thigh, then try to double cross it behind the left calf or ankle. Wrap your right arm under your left and back over top; press your palms together.Squeeze thighs tight and pull your belly to your spine while you sink lower, bending slightly at the knee and a bit forward at the waist. Hold for 5 breaths, then repeat with arms and legs reversed.
Make it easier: If double-crossing your legs is too challenging, cross just once at the thigh and rest your top foot’s toes on the ground for balance. If your shoulders are too tight to double-cross your arms, wrap under only and press the backs of your hands together. Make it easier: If balancing on one leg is a challenge, reach your arms out to the side like airplane wings to help you keep your balance. Or, hang on to the back of a chair or reach out and touch a wall. The important thing is to keep your back flat and your body in a straight line.
4. Warrior III
Standing with your feet together, point left toe behind you, tipping weight forward onto right leg. Continue to lift your left leg and drop head and torso until you are in a straight horizontal line from head to toe; keep hands at sides. Make sure your left thigh, hip, and toes (pointed or flexed) stay facing downward; imagine balancing a tea cup on your lower back. Keep right kneecap lifted (not locked) and balance centered midfoot. Hold for 5 breaths, slowly return to standing, then switch legs and repeat.5. Cow face pose (my personal favorite!)
Start on your hands and knees, and slide your right leg back to cross over your left leg, squeezing high at the inner thighs. Open your feet out to the sides of your hips, and sit back between your heels. You will feel a great release in your hips and butt and a gentle stretching of the thighs. Hold this posture for as long as you like, at least 8–10 breaths, then switch legs and repeat.Make it easier: Place some padding or a yoga block under your butt if you’re very tight in the hips or have knee problems. You can also come into this pose from a seated position with legs out in front; just be sure to cross your legs high enough at the upper thighs.
7. Bridge pose
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on a mat, hip-distance apart. Press down into your feet, and lift your hips and butt off the ground. Push your shoulders down away from your ears and interlace hands under your hips, pressing fists into mat. Tighten hamstring, butt, and core muscles, and hold for 5–8 breaths. Lower slowly to the ground, then repeat. This also strengthens the "pelvic floor" and us gals know why THAT is important ! (you boyfriend will thank you !) =)In general, aim for aerobic exercise 3-5 times per week for 30-40 minutes, resistance exercise 2-3 times per week, and work the muscles extra hard where cellulite tends to accumulate, even though it isn't possible to "spot reduce." Exercises like side leg raises, low cable pulley work (hips and glutes), squats, lunges, and stair climbing or bench stepping all work the troublesome areas. And even if this prescription doesn't get rid of all your cellulite, it will help some, and it sure will make you strong and fit.
Remember - incorporating any type of Exercise Routine is a "Lifestyle Change" - make room in your schedule and don't compromise your self !
"Peace, Love and Fitness"
