The Fight Against Cellulite... or The Thong Wars!

Ok, I realize I am 55 years old and should not be talking about "thongs," unless of course referring to footwear... and honestly, I have tried, but thongs are just uncomfortable, anyway you do it! I think the women who have told me they are sooo much more comfortable, are fooling themselves in an effort to be fashionably 'in' or feel sexy or whatever...they are cetainly not fooling me!

So back to the real subject here. Cellulite. Anyone but me have this ugly stuff? Right. So I did some reading about it recently in a book I am reading called, "Your Skin and You" by Bea Kinnear. First of all--I thought it was just too much fat. Wrong. It is actually the breakdown of the collagen fibers that form the separation between the fat compartments. And when does the start? When we get our first period girls. And it continues on each and every month after that! So as these compartments breakdown, fat escapes and moves through and around the area of the thighs and buttocks. This causes that ugly "cottage cheese" look we all hate. Ugh!

What can we do about it? Ok, the first thing Kinnear recommends--and she really stresses the importance of this... is to wear support hose--or at the very least, sheer-energy panty hose. The reason behind this is to provide additional support for weakened tissues. When was the last time you wore panty hose??? I did once this winter when I was inclined to wear a skirt.... and I hated it! (How did I ever do that every single day???) Kinnear states that it will reduce your chances of getting spider veins --and varicose veins as well. Also--it will shunt more blood up to your skin and head--you will look better and think better!

Second: cut out all sugar (ahhh! Really???) Yup. It is not a cure, but will help. She recommends a diet high in proteins, complex carbs, some fat and lots of veggies and fruits.

Third: Walk. Every day.

Fourth: There are some topical products that you can apply that will help--but you need to read the labels carefully. These are the ingredients she recommends: genistein, proanthocyanidins, asiatic acid, resveratrol, coleus forskolii extract, theophylline, carnitine, and strong antioxidants.

If you would like the straight scoop--with all of the details, you can read it in her book. She goes back and forth between scientific jargon that I have to slow down and concentrate to understand and explaining what she means in a very readable and understandable form. (The parts that I like!)

All in all--I have figured out that all of my running... walking... gym workouts, were not going to reverse this by themselves! So I will do what I can without beating myself up over something I can't totally control!