Ugh. Cellulite. Yes, that unsightly, dimply-looking skin that everyone hates, yet so many of us deal with. To make matters worse, it is often on our thighs and buttocks. You work out hard, real hard. But is your cellulite getting worse with exercise? Many think so. In this article, I will share what causes cellulite and ways to reduce it with leading experts.
** I may earn a commission when you purchase through a link on this page. **
Let’s get started.
From the Mayo Clinic, “Cellulite is a very common, harmless skin condition that causes lumpy, dimpled flesh on the thighs, hips, buttocks, and abdomen. The condition is most prevalent in women.
Many people try, with variable success, to improve the appearance of their skin through weight loss, exercise, massage, and creams marketed as a solution to cellulite.”[1]
From Healthline.com, “Cellulite is caused by a buildup of fat underneath the skin. Some women are more predisposed to it than others. The amount of cellulite you have and how noticeable it is can be based on your genes, body fat percentage, and age. The thickness of your skin also affects the appearance of cellulite.”[2]
Cellulite is just normal fat. It looks lumpy because it presses against connective tissue, resulting in the skin above it to pucker.
Whether you’re heavy or thin, you can get cellulite. Muscle tone can affect it, and very fit people sometimes have it. Hormonal factors and genetics both play a role. It might also be related to the thickness of your skin. Women are more likely to get it than men. It tends to form more as you get older.
Lifestyle factors may play a role. For example, cellulite may be related to:
- Unhealthy diet
- Fad dieting
- Slow metabolism
- Lack of physical activity
- Dehydration
- Total body fat (But at least one study showed that losing weight doesn’t change cellulite.)[3]
So, why is your cellulite getting worse with exercise?
As we talked about before, several factors impact why some people have cellulite and others don’t.
Genetics certainly plays a role. However, there is not much you can do about this so let’s focus our energy on the causes of cellulite which you can do something about.
➥Read also… Best products to remove stretch marks
Poor Diet. You’ve probably heard the expression, “you can’t out-exercise a bad diet.” Yes, great bodies are made in the kitchen. This is especially true if you are no longer a teenager with a raging metabolism.
Regardless of how intense you work out, it is extremely easy to overeat and thus, eat more calories than you burn. Even marathon runners, who you would think could eat anything they wanted due to the nature of their activity, still have to carefully monitor what they eat to avoid excess weight gain.
➥Read also… Best Products to Treat Stretch Marks on the Buttocks
Exercise fires up your metabolism, as well as your post-workout appetite. Not only do athletic people still have to watch how much they eat, but also the quality of the food they consume.
Too much sugar. From Lipotherapeia, …“sugar is the number one cause of cellulite today and the increase of the appearance of cellulite in women in the mid-twentieth century has coincided with the increase in the consumption of various types of sugars, including sucrose (plain sugar), fructose, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), etc.”[4]
➥Read also… Best Swimsuits for Cellulite Thighs
Doing the wrong type of exercise. There’s no way to prevent cellulite, according to the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, and it’s a very common condition. The risk increases with age and certain lifestyle factors.
While you can’t control your age, you can make some changes to your lifestyle that may help reduce the amount of cellulite on your thighs and buttocks, as well as other parts of your body. These changes can include things like starting a regular exercise program and a nutritious diet.
➥Read also… Best Cellulite Treatments
When it comes to exercise, the most efficient or quickest way to reduce the appearance of cellulite is through strength training.
The use of free weights is a great way to build muscle strength and tighten the skin up around the thigh and buttocks areas. Free weights are easy to use and quite inexpensive for those who like to work out at home.
➥See Best Exfoliators for Dry Skin
Other products that can reduce the appearance of cellulite
Self-tanning lotions. Tanning gives you a darker hue, which reduces the appearance of cellulite. The reason for this phenomenon is darker skin conceals the skin’s texture more than lighter complexions.
➥Read also… Best Leggings To Hide Cellulite
Here are some of our favorite self-tanning lotions:
- SELF TANNER BODY LOTION - Create a flawless light bronze tan with gradual, natural-looking color while nourishing and hydrating dry and extra dry skin.
- GRADUAL SUNLESS TANNING - Our Jergens Natural Glow & FIRMING moisturizer will gradually enhance and deepen your natural skin tone to provide hassle-free, streak-free color. Cruelty free
- CELLULITE REMOVER - Infused with collagen, elastin, and green tea infusions, our fast-acting, anti cellulite formula will help reduce cellulite appearance within 7 days.
- SELF TANNER BODY LOTION - Create a flawless deep bronze tan with gradual, natural-looking color while nourishing and hydrating dry and extra dry skin
- GRADUAL SUNLESS TANNING - Our Jergens Natural Glow & FIRMING moisturizer will gradually enhance and deepen your natural skin tone to provide hassle-free, streak-free color
- FIRMING TAN LOTION - Infused with antioxidants and Coconut Water, Jergens & FIRMING Moisturizer’s hydrating blend of nutrients boosts moisturization for healthier looking skin and daily skin hydration
- NATURAL LOOKING, SUN KISSED SKIN WITHOUT SUN DAMAGE OR CHEMICALS. The world's first 100% Natural DHA self-tan body treatment with full skin care benefits. Transforms your skin without any of those nasty streaks or blotches for a beautiful natural looking, golden glow with no orangey tones.
- ANTI-AGING WITH ZERO NASTIES. This lightweight mousse delivers an instant bronze glow that is fast drying and develops in just 2 hours to a long-lasting tan. Infused with raw virgin coconuts, botanicals and amino acids to hydrate, blurs pigmentation and cover blemishes to perfect your skin. Created using our unique Cellushape technology enriched with powerful natural antioxidants like fig, banana, papaya and cocoa to improve signs of aging.
- SMELL SO GOOD, YOU’LL WANT MORE. Our Sunny Honey self tan has a tropical mango and guava fragrance that gives you the feel of an island escape. No more biscuit smells! Get ready to rock that tan glow! A little goes a long way as each bottle has roughly 260 pumps and can last approx 10-20 full body tanning sessions.
Cellulite creams. There are many anti-cellulite creams on the market, which reduce the appearance of cellulite by firming the skin as well as moisturizing it.
Here are some of our favorite anti-cellulite creams:
- Stimulates faster burning of subcutaneous fat tissue
- Eliminates cellulite swelling and heavy legs feeling. Gradual release mechanism through the night, ensures spectacular firming and smoothing skin surface effect
- NIGHT LIPO SHOCK THERAPY is an advanced product for intensive slimming and firming therapy. It's recommended for use during dieting, increased physical activity, and as supplementation of daily anti-cellulite treatment
- Invigorate Your Skin – Bring the life back into your body with your Green Coffee Bean Oil slimming cream from Advanced Clinicals! Moisturize and tone your tummy, legs, and body.
- Tighten and Tone – Give your thighs and butt a boost with your anti-cellulite cream. This thick, caramel-and-coffee-scented body lotion absorbs effortlessly to create smoother skin.
- Youth-Enhancing Antioxidants – Give your skin the detox it craves. Your total-body tightening cream enriches your skin while encouraging the breakdown of body fats with high levels of antioxidants.
- GET HEALTHY SLIM - Enjoy perfectly smooth skin and vital shapes with VIOFAIRY Naturals Anti-Cellulite cream! Made with unique slimming formula, this product works like skin tightening cream quickly firming body in problem areas. Get the shape of your dream with ease and restore your confidence!
- BEAUTIFUL FORMS WITH LESS EFFORTS -Supports and promotes motivation and sweat. Make every visit to gym worth it! VIOFAIRY Naturals ultimate formula eliminates cellulite completely by breaking down fat cells in hips, thighs, buttocks, and abdomen. Kick early and stubborn cellulite.
- Caffeine Cellulite Cream - VIOFAIRY hot cream is developed to firm and improve the overall quality of problem skin areas, contributing to the disappearance of visible signs of cellulite. Our skin tightening cream with caffeine stimulates blood circulation and lymphatic drainage, smoothing skin.
Anti-cellulite massagers. These massagers work by naturally drawing the toxins from your deep tissue using utility and eliminating the fluid retention and creating the sculpting, contouring effect.
- This is a manual massager designed for reducing cellulite, with clinically tested effectiveness. The device has been evaluated on women with cellulite in stages 1 to 3 on the Nürnberger and Müller scale and with a BMI < 30. This massager, with a registered patent, treats the entire thigh. After 2 weeks, it is possible to achieve a reduction in thigh circumference and an increase in smoothness. After 4 weeks, 87% of users notice improved circulation, 70% see firming effectiveness, and 67% observe a reduction in cellulite imperfections.
- For sensitive skin prone to bruising and/or with fragile capillaries, the use of Tesmed Cellulite, especially at the beginning of treatment, may cause slight bruising, redness, and flaking. Bruises appear due to skin sensitivity or excessive pressure. Normally, bruises disappear within a few days. However, it is recommended not to press on the skin and, in the case of very sensitive or bruise-prone skin, or at your discretion, to apply a body or anti-cellulite cream beforehand to mitigate the pinching effect.
- Tesmed Cellulite is the massager against cellulite imperfections. The invention features pairs of converging rollers that lift and squeeze the area with a "pinching" and "kneading" effect while simultaneously, pairs of diverging rollers work to stretch the skin. The action of the converging rollers promotes the expulsion of excess fluids and provides a toning effect, while the diverging rollers then relax the skin, giving it a smoothing effect.
- Perfect Gift: Our beauty sculpt massager is a thoughtful choice for women and girls of all ages. Delight your friends and families with the gift of comfort and relaxation.
- Lightweight & Cordless: 5 vibration modes, 6 massage strengths and lightweight, cordless design for easy handling on all areas of your body. Long handle makes it easier to operate on various parts of the body. You can bring it to home, office and anywhere.
- Use with Gel: To achieve even better results, use the body sculpting machine with body gel or cream. Apply the gel or cream on your target areas and start massaging. Just 15 minutes a day is all you need.(Gel or cream are not included in the packaging.
- Anti Cellulite Massage Machine: With 15 minutes of regular use, our deep tissue massager is the perfect way to reduce swelling in areas like abdomen, legs and buttocks while breaking down fatty deposits.
- Collage Activation: SLIM TECH Phototherapy system can help treat common skin imperfections such as wrinkles and uneven tan. It uses light therapy that helps re-generate collagen in your body.
- 4 Heads Included: Specialized for specific areas; for cellulite removal, detox draining, soft bristled brush for exfoliation and soft massage sponge.
References
[1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cellulite/symptoms-causes/syc-20354945
[2] https://www.healthline.com/health/cellulite
[3] https://www.webmd.com/beauty/get-rid-of-cellulite#1
[4] https://www.lipotherapeia.com/the-peach-factor-blog/sugar-and-cellulite
Claudia Faucher is a full-time fitness training expert and lifestyle blogger. She is also been a certified Les Mills BodyPump instructor for the past 5 years and a fitness instructor for over 20 years. Claudia is a personal trainer and creates fitness training programs for seniors and people of all ages. She likes to use her skills and experiences to help others on their fitness journeys.
Last update on 2024-07-24 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API