Improve appearance of cellulite naturally

Almost every woman has cellulite. Even the skinny ones!

Cellulite is a term used to describe pockets of fat, fluid and toxins, which are trapped and cause dimpling in the skin. This dimpling is irregular and patchy (not to mention unattractive!) and has a similar look to orange peel.
90% of post adolescent women go on to develop cellulite at some time during their life. Your thighs, bum and tummy are the most common areas for a woman to develop cellulite.

Cellulite is largely determined by your diet, genes and level of activity. The good news is that there is something you can do. A cleanse can be one effective way to remedy cellulite. In a recent trial, 75% of participants reported a reduction in the appearance of cellulite following their cleanse.

In addition to cleansing, below is a checklist of dietary and lifestyle recommendations that will help to reduce appearance of cellulite.

Anti-cellulite checklist
·         Eat fresh fruit and vegetables everyday
·         Eat rice, beans and/or pulses everyday
·         Eat oily fish regularly
·         Where possible eat organic foods
·         Minimise processed and pre-packaged foods
·         Avoid ready-made meals
·         Drink at least 1.5L of water a day (6 glasses)
·         Drink herbal teas or hot water with honey and lemon
·         Limit your intake of dairy (low-fat yoghurt with live cultures is ok)
·         Reduce fat intake
·         Reduce sugar intake
·         Exercise more – incorporate cardio into your routine
·         Adjust your posture – don’t cross your legs often
·         Dry skin brush morning and night before showering
·         Self massage for 5 minutes morning and night
·         Finish your shower with 30 seconds of cold water
·         Moisturise your skin everyday – use an anti-cellulite cream, a skin firming cream or an essential oil blend for cellulite reduction

Dry skin brushing
Dry skin brushing is excellent for improving circulation (which is one of the main contributors to cellulite). It is very easy and especially beneficial if you do it everyday. It only takes about 5 minutes.

You can buy a dry skin brush from most health food and vitamin stores. Make sure you buy a natural one with a long handle.

BEFORE showering, brush with long, firm strokes TOWARDS the heart, except on your tummy when you should make anti-clockwise circular movements. Aim to brush each of your feet, ankles, calves, thighs, tummy, breasts, bum and arms for 20 strokes each. After you have brushed all of those areas, take a warm shower followed by a cool rinse at the end. This will invigorate your skin and stimulate your circulation.

Aromatherapy and self-massage
Certain essential oils can be very helpful in reducing cellulite causing toxins and improving circulation (two major contributors to cellulite). The best anti-cellulite oils are:
Juniper
Citrus
Rosemary
Lemon
Lemongrass
Grapefruit
Geranium
You can either self massage or bath in these oils.

In the bath: Add 5-10 drops of one of the essential oils above to your bath and stay in the bath for 15 or more minutes once a week.

Self massage: Mix 5-10 drops of one of the essential oils above with 2 tablespoons of carrier oil (sweet almond, avocado, olive, jojoba and apricot are good carrier oils) and massage your tummy, thighs and bum for 8-10 minutes everyday.

Emotional links to cellulite
Louise Hay, author of pivotal alternative medicine books, Heal Your Body and You Can Heal Your Life, asserts that all physical ailments have an emotional root. She suggests that the emotion cause of cellulite is stored anger and self punishment and prescribes this healing affirmation - "I forgive others, I forgive myself. I give myself permission to be free to love and enjoy life."

Now this may sound a little too "give up all of my worldly possessions, move to Byron and live like a hippy" to you, and that's fine; you'll get lots out of the anti-cellulite checklist on its own if you follow it.