BEATING BAD HABITS

We have talked about what causes cellulite and how to integrate them safely back into your life, but here we are going to cover indulgences: things like caffeine, alcohol and cigarettes.

CAFFEINE
While coffee was not banned in your diet, you should have cut down your intake to the recommended 2-3 cups a day. Once your cellulite is beaten, you can increase this 3-4 cups a day. No health problems have been found from this amount. Do not go over this, though not only is it bad for your cellulite, but high doses of caffeine have been linked to raised blood pressure and reduced fertility, among other health problems.

ALCOHOL
One alcoholic drink per day was allowed in your diet, and now you have finished you could even double this and still be within the limit for women. But again, keep this as your upper limit, alcohol increases the appetite and could lead you to eat more high-fat, high-sugar foods. Too much alcohol also decreases circulation and may overload the lymph.

CIGARETTES
Up until now we have not really talked about quitting smoking to fight cellulite, it is probably too daunting a task to add to the programme. However, once you have got all those other healthy habits in place and you are fighting free radical damage in every other area, perhaps now is the time. There is a very good chance that smoking significantly contributes to cellulite formation, so quitting will therefore help stop its return.

The best way to give up smoking for most people is to use nicotine, replacement therapy, success rates on this are double as the lack of withdrawal symptoms (because small doses of nicotine are still provided, usually via patches worn on the skin) makes it easier to break the physical addiction.

Often, however, the habit is harder to break than the nicotine addiction (which actually only lasts 48 hours). You can help yourself by looking at situations when you smoke and have safety tactics in place to counteract the feelings triggering you to light up. These are some good ones to try.

If you smoke when you are stressed inhaling oil of lavender is the fastest way to calm your system. Other tactics include drinking camomile tea.

If you smoke to help you think, try sniffing peppermint oil or drinking peppermint tea instead. Studies done found this helps people to think more clearly, in fact, those tested scored 28 per cent more highly in accuracy tests than the control group, who did not sniff any peppermint oil or drink peppermint tea.

If you smoke to boost energy, preventing blood sugar dips that can trigger cravings will help here. Try eating little and often or snack on fruit, which gives your energy a rapid lift without a subsequent fall.

If you smoke out of habit, if you find yourself wanting to smoke when you sit in a particular chair or when you watch a particular television programme, try inhaling some oil. This is used to help break ties with the past.

CONTROLLING STRESS
Stress can actually cause cellulite by encouraging direct fat storage. Learning to control stress, therefore, can help to control cellulite. Many of us think controlling stress is impossible, but it only takes four steps.

Find your triggers
Do you get stressed because you are always waiting for someone else to finish part of a project before you can get your part done? Are you stressed because you can never find your car keys and it makes you late? Think of as many triggers as possible and try to find ways to reduce their effects.

Just say no
Plan your day so you do not take on too much in too short a time, and say no to anything you cannot realistically manage.

Don't be a worrier
Many of us create stress in our heads by worrying about what might happen. Don't. If smomething is stressing you, ask yourself what is the worse that could happen, now ask how likely that is. If it is likely, ask how bad it really is. If it is really bad, ask what you can do about it, and take first step. There are not many things that really are as bad as we think they could be.

Keep your arousal level low
Stress is like a pile of playing cards, you are fine for a while, then something makes everything topple. If you can reduce little stressors (like the noise level in the office or the dripping tap that drives you mad when you work from home), you will reduce the effect that the big stresses can have on you.

THE ROLE OF EXERCISE

Hopefully , the six weeks you have spent on the exercises have convinced you how good exercise makes you feel. If so, keep it up and the cellulite fighting will continue. You may not feel that way, however.

If you were not quite so sure about all the exercise,at least aim to integrate three 30 minute sessions of activity such as waliking, stair climbing, gardening or dancing and two toning exercises a week to keep up circulation, muscle mass and calorie burning. Also keep reminding yourself of your correct posture to keep your abductor muscles firm and the lymph flowing freely.

RINGING THE CHANGES

However, whatever level of exercise you decide do do, you will get better results if you shake your exercises a bit. Our bodies get used to six weeks of the same exercises, so while up until now results will have been steady, you could find they start to slow if you do not change things. Add some different activities to your calorie burning plans, or if you enjoy what you are doing already, change things about by adding intervals. This means that every 2-3 minutes of your exercise, you spend 30-90 seconds working faster or harder.

You will also need to switch things about on the toning plan. To do this, increase the weights you are using or, instead of doing sets of 12 repetitions, get a stopwatch and do as many as you can in 1 minute, and each session try to beat this. Every six weeks, switch things around again and remember that the more you challenge your body, the longer it will keep responding.

LOOKING AFTER YOUR SKIN

When it comes to the skin's role in preventing more cellulite, the most important thing you can do is step up your sun care regime. Sun damage causes massive destruction of the collagen and elastin fibres that support the skin and makes the septa shorten and tighten further, making even the limited fat stores you have left more prone to bulging and dimpling.

However, 80 per cent of the sun damage we expose our skins to is done by the time we are 18, it takes 15-20 years to show up. But this does not mean that all is lost; if you start applying sun sreen today, and wear it everytime you put your skin in the sun. You can actually reverse some of the damage. According to research, when sun screen is applied to the skin everyday, it actually begins to grow new collagen within ust ten weeks.

USING SUN SCREEN EFFECTIVELY

Research has shown that the majority of us do not use sun screen properly. If you want to live a cellulite free life, follow these five rules.

• Choose a sun screen with an SPF (sun protection factor) of at least 15 and make sure it protects against both UVB and UVA rays.
• Use enough of it or the protection will be reduced. You need a shot of glass of sun screen per limb and a teaspoonful for your face.
• Apply it before you leave home. Sun screens take 20-30 minutes to absorb into the skin.
• Reapply every 60-90 minutes or after towelling down your body if you are swimming. Waterproof sunscreens will stand up to swimming, but not the action of rubbing yourself dry after your dip.
• Do not stay out longer than your SPF allows. If you normally burn in 10 minutes, using an SPF 15 means you can stay out for 150 minutes. Reapplying at this point would not protect you any further.

THE PSYCHOLOGICAL SOLUTION

So far we have concentrated on the physical elements of cellulite; the point of the Psychological Solution is to give yourself a big mental makeover. Eventhough cellulite is a purely physical problem, a positive mental attitude will maximize the chances of the whole process succeeding. According to research, those who had successfully managed to lose weight after failing said they were really motivated and committed to their behaviour. The same goes for execises, every fitness trainer will tell you the one way to succeed with a new exercise programme is by committing yourself to it. Sticking to diet and exercise programme will be easy and that guarantee results.

But there is more to the Psychological Solution than just a pep talk. It has been conclusively proven that the way we think and the way our bodies act are intrinsically linked. The reason we are more likely to get sick when we are feeling stressed is because long-term stress actually suppresses the immune system. Conversely, the chemicals produced when we are excited actually block the cold virus from entering the cells, making it less likely that any bugs will make you sick. Taking this mind-body connection one step further, many diet experts believe that the way we think also changes the way our bodies respond in the presence of food. Awareness of this can help maximize weight loss and help beat cravings and lapses.

And last but not least, as part of the mental makeover, we will tackle the problem of bad body image. It does not matter how much weight you lose or how much your cellulite improves. If you have a bad body image, you will still would not feel happy with yourself. To truly succeed on the plan, you therefore need to turn this around.

POSITIVE THINKING

The first step in the Psychological Solution is to get your brain thinking positively about what you can achieve and how you can do it. Many psychologists believe that your brain will strive for what it thinks you want in life, so you need to send out the right messages.

How many times have you looked in the mirror and thought 'I am too fat', 'I look terrible' or even 'I am never going to get rid of this cellulite'? Many psychologists believe that if you tell yourself these things, your brain will see them as commands and think 'No, you would not'. They also believe that the brain cannot differentiate between yourself 'I am not going to fail . I will not give up', your brain hears 'I am GOING to fail and I WILL give up.' It, therefore does not encourage you to make healthy choices and would not keep you motivated to carry on after the first week.

What is more, negative feelings are stressful, and long-term stress can be a trigger for cellulite, as it incsreases levels of cortisol (a fat-storage hormone). However, short-term stressors may also cause problems. If you are miserable because yu have just broken your diet, the more you dwell on this, the more stress you are putting yourself under. This causes the release of a whole host of chemicals in the body (including , potentially, cosrtisol), increasing the chance that the calories in the food you are eating are more likely to turn to fat.

Negative emotions also put our brains out of balance as they are linked to lowered levels of the happy hormone serotonin. One of the fastest ways to get serotonin back into your system is through sweet or starchy food. Perhaps, then negative thinking actually triggers food cravings that make it less likely you will stick sto your diet plan.

BEATING NEGATIVE THOUGHTS

So, how do you get out of the negative thinking trap and into the positive? The simplest way is to use affirmations - every day repeat to yourself what you wand to achieve and how you are going to do it. Do this in a positive way; for example think 'I am going to exercise today'. Then you should spell out how; for example, 'I am going to do my 30 minute walk faster than yesterday. I am going to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables and I am going to treat myself to a proper aromatherapy massage.' Tell yourself that three times, then take the first step to achieve one of those things - grab an apple or make that massage appointment. Remember not to use negative phrasings as they would not inspire your brain to help you.

However, your positive thinking does not stop here. You need to affirm what you have achieved at the end of each day. Look at what you wanted to do that day and tick off everything you achieved. If you find something you did not do, do not beat yourself up; instead look at why and come up with a solution to succeed next time it happens. The more you come up with solutions, the more successful you will be.

CULTURAL EFFECTS

Many of us have been trained to think negatively - in many cultures it is more acceptable than thinking well of yourself, which is seen as bragging or unattractive. It has been estimataed that by the age of 18, most of us will have been praisedf 25,000 times (most of these before we were three) , but that we will have received 225,000 negative comments!!!

BODY IMAGE

It will be much harder to achieve positive thinking if, every time you look in the mirror, negative feelings creep ito your mind because you think you are fat or that you will never succeed because you are a hopeless case. What makes the difference between thinking you are fat (whether you are or not) and knowing you have a few pounds to lose. Do not beat yourself up about it, is extremely important when it comes to the success of this plan or any other.

ADAPT YOUR THINKING

• Think of your trigger factor. Most people with a poor body image did not develop it themselves. It may have been something said at school or the way your parents nicknamed you as 'chubby' as a child. Look back and try to identify your trigger, then see if it is truly relevant today. Nine times out of ten, it is not.
• Stop the voice. If a colleague critized you every time they saw you, you would probably tell them to shut up or stop listening to them. So, why do you listen to yourself? Next time you tell yourself that you are fat, start humming, get on the phone or do a few sit-ups to take your mind off your thoughts.
• Spend two minutes a day standing in front of the mirror looking at yourself, most people who hate their body do not look at it. You will become more neutral about it, and less likely to judge whenever you do catch a glimpse.
• Get rid of your 'skinny wardrobe'. Sell or give to charity any clothes that do not fit any more. Everytime you see them it just reinforces the fact that you are not as slim as you were, and this makes you feel a failure, when in fact you are just normal.
• Push yourself on the Exercise Solution. You will find that just six weeks of exercise , it will boosted your body image. This is not because the bodies improved, but because the women started to judge their bodies on what they could achieve, not how they looked.
• Actually look at other women . Many of us only see other women's bodies in magazines or on tv, and they are not normal. Look at other women at the gym, on the beach, anywhere and everywhere, you will soon realize that we are supposed to come in sizes both big and small, and that nobody is perfect.

The reason is that if you do not have a healthy body image before you start losing weight, whatever success you have with your cellulite you would not thinki is good enough. You will still think you have failed, when in fact you have lost 80 per cent of your dimples and look slimmer and trimmer all over. Or while you will be happy with your thighs, you would not be happy with your saggy tummy, which will take the joy out of what you have achieved. Both of these reactions make it less likely you will maintain the results after the six weeks are up.

CHANGING YOUR IMAGE

Once you are into this success-failure cycle, changing your body can be very hard. Everytime you start a diet and exercises, you assume (even subconsciously) that it will fail and this makes it harder to start with the positive attitude you need.

Beating a poor body image is therefore vital to success, but it would not be changed overnight. You will probably have felt like this for some time, so it will take a while to adapt your thinking. There are, however, many techniques you can use over the next six weeks to start you on the road. The final part of the Psychological Solution is to carry out one (or more) of the above exercises everyday or whenever you feel you need it.

STIMULATING SOLUTION

As we are all aware, poor circulation and lymph flow play a major part in the formation of cellulite. Just to remind you why, poor circulation deprives the body of oxygen - when this happens, the fibroblast cells that mend damaged collagen act abnormally, creating thick fibres that make fat stores more likely to bulge from the tops of their 'boxes'. On top of this, a sluggish lymph system increases the risk of water retention and also adds to the thicker collagen fibres with fibres of its own.

Boost lymph and circulation is therefore a vital part of fighting cellulite and, by following the tips in the Stimulating Solution, you aim to do just this. By stimulating the circulation, you could even improve the chance of taking the weight from your hips and thighs rather than focusing solely on your upper body. This is because when the body does not have enough sugar in the blood or muscles to use as energy, it reaches into the fat stores for fuel- and the stores it reaches first are those with the best circulation. By stimulating circulation and blood flow in your hips and thighs, you increase the chance that fat will be taken from there.

There are a number of ways you can stimulate circulation, but the Stimulating Solution focuses on skin brushing, massage, heat and water treatments. These treatments commonly used in health spas and beauty centres to help clients fight cellulite. These techniques are safe and simple enough to be carried out at home and take a matter of minutes to carry out.

In many cases it will take just 10 minutes a day to get results.


SKIN BRUSHING

Skin brushing is the most commonly prescribed treatment for cellulite and one of the easiest to use. It uses gentle upwards movements to help boost circulation and lymph flow.

Skin brushing is best carried out in the morning before you bath or shower (while the skin is dry). As well as improving circulation, it also helps to get rid of dead skin cells that can lead to dry, dehydrated skin, under which cellulite is far more noticeable.

Although you may be tempted to concentrate on cellulite areas alone, a complete body brush will ensure that your overall circulation is improved and will stimulate major lymph areas, including those under the arms and in the neck.

Choose a natural bristle brush with medium-hard bristles. Synthetic bristles or those that are too hard can scratch the skin. The head of the brush should be about the size of your hand, with a short or medium handle to reach hard places. Wash your brush once a week with a little shampoo and hang it up to dry. Mould can easily grow on dirty or damp brush and it will infalme your skin as you brush.

• Take the brush and begin with the sole of your left foot. Use rhythmic strokes to cover the sole several times.
• Next, brush the top of your foot, brushing upwards towards your ankle.
• Move on to your lower leg, brushing the entire surface in a series of upwards strokes.

• Stand up straight and brush the area from your knee to the top of your thigh. Brush your buttock area as far up as your waist.
• Repeat the procedure on the other leg.

• Moving in an upward direction, brush your back several times from your buttocks all the way up to your shoulders.

• Next brush your right arm. Start with the palm of your hand, move up the back and then brush from your wrist up to your elbow, again in an upward direction.
• Brush your upper arm from your elbow up to the shoulder, covering the whole surface several times in a series of strokes.
• Repeat the procedure on the left arm.
  

• The neck and chest are sensitive areas so brush lightly here, again always moving in the direction of the heart.
• Once you have finished brushing, shower or at least rinse the skin.

MASSAGE

When many of us think of massage for cellulite, we think of intense, pummelling massage. Recent research suggests this probably is not a good idea. While a professional massage therapist may be able to use the right amount of force to massage in this way, most of us pinch and pummel too forcefully or use wrong motions. This actually damages the septa, which need to be repaired. Harsh movements can also damage the flow of lymph, causing further stagnation.

The right type of massage, however, can be incredibly powerful. When the body is massaged, the temperature of the skin increases. This widens the gaps between the cells of the body, allowing lymph to flow more easily.

So what is the right type of massage for cellulite? The most beneficial is called manual lymph drainage and uses a mixture of long gentle strokes with pulsing techniques to focus on stimulating the flow of lymph.

Full manual lymph drainage must always be carried out by a specialist or the lymphatic system can be damaged, so ask at your nearest health centre for recommendations. However, you can carry out a very gently form of lymph massage yourself.

Make sure that you keep you strokes long and gentle, so that you do not cause any damage to your septa or lymph.

• Start on your legs, with long gentle strokes from the ankles, moving upwards towards the knees. Work both the front and back of the leg.
• Then move up the thighs, with long strokes front and back towards the groin.
  

• Work around the arms upwards from wrists to elbows.
• Now, move past the elbows, massaging the upper arms towards the armpits.

• Next massage your upper torso with the same long strokes.
• Massage outwards and either upwards or downwards towards your armpits, depending on which area you are massaging.
• If someone is massaging your back, they should direct the strokes on the upper back and shoulder blades towards your armpits; the neck strokes should go towards the ears.

• Lastly work the lower abdomen. The area under your navel should be massaged towards the groin.
• If someone is massaging your back, then the strokes should go upwards and around the hips.
  

HEAT AND WATER TREATMENTS

Heat and water treatments include saunas, steams and hydrotherapy, which can dramatically boost circulation. In fact, during a sauna, blood flow from the heart increases by up to 75 per cent of that blood reaches the skin. Any toxins carried in the blood are therefore closer to the surface of the body, and therefore, it will more likely to be excreted in the sweat, relieving some of the pressure from your lymph system.

STEAM AND SAUNAS

While devotees claim that saunas of 2-3 hours can break down fat stores and help eliminate cellulite entirely, it should not be done without medical supervision. You will get just as positive result by spending 10-20 minutes at a time at a temperature you can bear. Do not eat a heavy meal or drink alcohol before the treatment, but do drink plenty of water before, during and after your session. you can lose 25g (1oz) of water or more in a sauna, which is enough to make you dehydrated.

If you are pregnant or have any medical problems that involve your heart, blood pressure, respiratory system or skin, see your doctor before having saunas or steams to check if they are safe.

HYDROTHERAPY

Hydrotherapy is the therapeutic use of water, and can include baths, showers and water-based massage treatment. Like massage and skin brushing, most hydrotherapy treatments aim to boost the circulation and lymph flow, by using either the force of the water or changes in temperature. However, new research shows that hydrotherapy may even encourage weight loss.

There are many ways you can harness the power of hydrotherapy , the easiest of which is a hydrotherapy bath, which uses the pressure of water from a showerhead for massage. For this you will need a bath with a shower hose that can reach under the water. If your showerhead is attached to the wall, buy a shower hose that will hook temporarily on to a tap.

Remember, always to work towards the heart as you move the showerhead up your legs. If you have heart problems, reduce the temperature of the water very gradually from warm to cold. If you are prone to broken veins, keep the water pressure low and the water just on warm.

If you do not have a bath, it does not mean you cannot use hydrotheray. Just finish each shower with a 2-3 minute warm water massage with the showerhead on the highest pressure you can bear, then follow up with a 1-2 minute blast of cold.

WHAT TO DO WHEN

Treatment + When To Do It
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skin brushing - everyday before a bath or shower

manual lymph massage - once a week

steams/saunas - once a week

hydrotherapy bath - at least three times a week

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HOME HYDROTHERAPY

• Half-fill a bath with warm water and add an anti-cellulite aromatherapy oil blend.
• Soak in the bath for 5 minutes, then start to run warm water through your shower attachment at the highest pressure you can.
• Always working upwards, use low fluid strokes to massage your feet, calves, thighs and hips with the water. Continue this for 3-4 minutes.
• Now, put the water on to cold and continue for another 2-3 minutes. If the bath starts to get overfull, pull out the plug. Get out of the bath and towel yourself down as normal.
  

AROMATHERAPY TIPS

• Essential oils can be very potent, so do not exceed the recommended dose.
• Patch-test all oils before you use them by applying a tiny amount to the skin on the inside of your arm. If you get any stinging, irritation or reddening, then do not use that oil.
• Some oils can interfere with medical conditions including epilepsy and diabetes. If you have a medical condition, seek advice from a registered aromatherapist before treating yourself.
• Many oils are not suitable for pregnant women. Ask professional advice.

Essential oils should never be taken internally.

POSTURE EXERCISES

Having poor posture is like putting bends in a straight road. Lymph and other fluids that used to flow smoothly get slowed up in certain areas. The result is congested muscles and tissues in the back and surrounding areas that can then reduce lymph flow throughout the whole system

Poor posture also reduces the efficacy of breathing, reducing circulation and decreasing the elimination of natural toxins like carbon dioxide, which puts pressure on the lymph system. If you do suffer from any of the above problems, the following exercises can help by straightening posture, release tension and strengthening the core muscles that support the back.

• The easiest way to ensure you are standing in the best position is to focus on lengthening your torso and tightening your tummy muscles. As you do this, everything else adjusts.
• Stand up, then focus on pulling and lengthening your body up, starting at your neck and pulling up through your chest to your waist and hips.
• Once you have done this, focus on pulling your tummy muscles back towards your navel-this does not mean holding your breath or squishing in your tummy. Instead, just contract the area around your navel so it feels as if your belly button is pushing towards your back. This supports your body. It may feel hard at first, but try to keep it up. A good way to remember is to place sticky red dots on your computer or around your home. Every time you see the dots, focus on putting your body in the right position and eventually it will come naturally.
  

• Poor posture can be aggravated by holding your body in the same position for hours each day, as you do when you are working at a computer. Once every hour, try this set of desk exercises.
• Sitting straight, shrug your shoulders up towards your ears. As you go up, tense all the muscles, then release on the way down. Repeat 4-5 times.
• Interlock your fingers and, turning your palms to face outwards, straighten your arms out in front of you. Push gently forwards so you feel the stretch along your shoulder blades. Hold for 10 seconds.
• Finally, tip your head gently to one side so you feel a stretch on the side of your neck. Hold for 10 seconds. Bring your head back to the centre, then tip to the other side and hold.
  

• Core muscles are those within the abdomen that stabilize the back and help improve posture. These exercises work alongside the upper body exercises in the toning plan to create a strong and healthy support for your whole body. Do them every two days throughout the exercises, perhaps at the end of your toning exercises.

• Get down on all fours. Now try to raise your right arm and your left leg and hold for 30 seconds. As you do this, focus on using your core muscles to keep you stable. That is what is important, not the leg or arm movement. Hold for 15 seconds, then repeat five times. Switch so that you raise your right arm and left leg and repeat.

• Lie on the floor, elbows and forearms resting on the ground, palms just ahead of your ears. Slowly and gently raise up on to your forearms, arching your back from the waist. Hold for 2-3 seconds and slowly lower. Repeat ten times.

LYMPH-BOOSTING EXERCISES

These are important exercises for anyone for whom fluid storage causes cellulite. They aim to stimulate the lymph and get it flowing, reducing the amount of fluid the cellulite cells retain. While all exercise will help to do this, these exercises tailored specifically towards stimulting lymph flow. It uses yoga moves that aim directly to stimulate the lymph and move its flow towards tha main excretion points- the armpits and groin. When you do these exervcises, you help cleanse faster, thus preventing toxic overload.

Everyone should made an effort to carry out the lymph-boosting at least three times a week. However, if you really do have problems with fluid retention, aim for 5-7 times a week. It takes only about 10 minutes as it is energizing, is also a great thing to do just before breakfast.

This exercises starts by filling the lungs with clean air and energizing your system ready for what follows.

• Lie on your back with your legs straight, and press your lower back into the floor. If you find this hard, bend your knees instead.
• Put your fingers on your naval, and breathe in and out a few times.
• Now, this time when you inhale, aim to fill your lungs from the bottom so that your tummy balloons out, then fill the middle of the lungs and finally the chest. Aim to breathe in for a coount of five.
• Now, exhale for a count of ten, letting the air out of the belly first, then the middle and finally the top of the lungs.
• Repeat five times.
  

This exercise helps stimulate the blood flow in the legs.

• Lie on your back and put your legs in the air. Open them and very slowly rotate your ankles to the left five tmes, then the right.
• Now stretch your toes to the ceiling and hold them for a count of five.
• Bend your feet halfway back fo their normal position and hold for five.
• Now, push the feet towards your shins and hold for five.
• Put your feet back into their natural position, then tense your legs and try to find a point at which they naturally start to vibrate. This may sounds strange, but it will happen. This gentle vibration stimulates blood flow to the groin. Let yourself 'wobble' for up to two minutes.
  

This pose stimulates the blood flow around the hips.

• Sit on the floor with legs apart, but with knees bent and the sides of your feet together, back straight.
• Rest hands on ankles with arms by your sides.
• Exhale and, as you do this, bring your knees upwards so they press against your arms.
• Inhale and press them back down.
• Repeat ten times.
  

These poses stimulate the kidneys and colon, helping to remove toxins from the system.

• Kneel on all fours. Keep your elbows locked and your neck straight.
• Now, inhale and as you do, push your body down and forwards to gently arch your back and straighten your arms. Lead with your chin as if you are trying to dip under a rope.
• Exhale and as you do this, round your back so your head drops between your hands. Keep your tummy and buttocks tight.
• Repeat the whole sequence four times.
  

This stimulates lymph throughout the upper body.

• Stand up straight with feet together, your buttocks and tummy tucked in and tight. Place your arms by your sides.
• Inhale and, as you do, turn your palms outward, then raise your arms slowly out to shoulder height, then above your head.
• Clench your palms together, pointing your index fingers to the sky, and stretch upwards throughout your whole bdoy. Hold for 5 seconds.
• Exhale and go back to the start. Repeat five times.
  

This stimulates the blood flow and lymph in the armpits, a major point of elimination for the body.

• Stand with your legs apart and your feet pointing straight ahead.
• Breathe in, stretch out your arms and raise them to shoulder height.
• Exhale slowly and, as you do, drop your right arm to your side.
• Inhale and lift your left arm up alongside your head (close to your ear), twisting it so your palm faces the sky. Keep your hips facing forwards and bend gently sideways.
• Hold for 5-10 seconds, exhale slowly, then return to the start point.
• Repeat on the other side.

• This final exercise is the ultimate move and aims to move any unprocessed toxins to the kidney, liver and bowel.
• Lie on your front with your head on the floor and your hands under your shoulders. your heels should be together and your buttocks clenched.
• Exhale and lift your head, shoulders and chest off the floor. For a further stretch, continue this move by straightening your arms, otherwise keep them bent.
• Exhale and lower back down. When you reach your start position, gently push your buttocks and end up sitting on your heels. Relax in this position for a few seconds.
• Repeat the exercise three times. The last time, relax for a little longer and slowly rise up on to your heels, progressing to a standing position. Your head should remain bowed as you do this and only be brought when you are completely straight.
• Spend one minute carrying out the yoga breathing from step 1 and you are done.
  

TONING EXERCISES

Eventhough you are slim, you have to tone up your muscles. Apart from storing excess fluid, the main reason slim women develop cellulite is that they have poor muscle tone. The less you have in your hips and thighs, the more the septa pull down against the skin and the more lumps are revealed. In addition to hiding the cellulite, muscle burns calories even while you are sitting still, so by toning up you will increase your metabolic rate and boost your weight-loss efforts as well as creating tighter, tauter skin.

WARM-UP
Spend 10 minutes walking, jogging, skipping,dancing or bouncing on a mini trampoline to warm up your body. You do not need to do this if you have completed your stretches work-out.

SQUATS & LUNGES

SQUATS

• Stand up straight with feet hip-width apart. With arms straight, hold a 4-7 kg (9-15 lb) dumb-bell down between your legs.
• Keeping your arms as they are (they move with you), squat down as if you were going to sit in a chair. Make sure that you do this with your bottom muscles, not by widening your legs; your knees must not go further forwards than your ankles.
• Now, use your thigh and buttock muscles to push yourself back up to a standing position. When you reach the top, clench your bottom and hold for one second; repeat 12 times. Then repeat the whole sequence four times.

WIDE SQUATS

• Stand in the same position as before.
• This time, take your legs wider apart and turn your feet out at 45 degrees. Perform exactly the same movement as before, watching your knees again.
• Again, do four sets of 12 repetitions.
  

• Hold a dunb-bell in each hand, resting your arms by your sides.
• Now take a step forwards with your left leg and dip down, so your right knee bends towards the floor and your body goes with it. Make sure your knee does not go further forwards than your ankle and that your feet do not turn.
• Push up from your right foot (you should feel it in your bottom and inner thigh) and come back to a standing postion. Do 12 movements, t hen repeat on the other leg.
• Now, repeat the whole thing four times.

• Stand up straight with your feet flat on the floor, but turned in so your toes are pointing slightly towards each other.
• Raise up on to your toes, tensing your calf muscle. Slowly lower back down. Repeat four sets of 12 repetitions.

• Lie on your side with hips straight, legs one on top of the other.
• Slowly raise the top leg up and, when you reach as far as you can go, slowly pulse the muscle 30 times by pushing out that little bit further.
• Relax. Switch legs and repeat. Work both legs three times each.
  

• Lie on your side with hips straight and legs outstretched. Bend the knee of the top leg and place your foot in front of the lower leg, so your foot is at 90 degrees to your lower leg.
• Now slowly lift the lower leg 5-5.7 cm (2-3 inches) off the floor. Repeat three sets of 20 repetitions.

• Sitting on a sturdy chair, place your hands either side of your hips and grasp the edges of it. Keeping your body straight, lower yourself off the chair. Use your arms to raise and lower your body up and down by about 15cm (6 inches), keeping your hips close to the chair.
• Work up to four sets of 12 repetitions.
  

• Stand up straight with a 2-5kg (41/2-11lb) dumb-bell in each hand.
• Raise your arms up to shoulder height, then bend at the elbows so your palms are in the air. Raising from the shoulders, straighten your arms to just before your elbows lock and bring the dumb-bells together.
• You should feel this across your back and shoulders. Repeat four sets of 12 repetitions.

• Stand up straight, arms by your sides, elbows bent and holding a dumb-bell in each hand. Lifting from your shoulders, raise your arms so your upper arms are parallel with your shoulders.
• Slowly lower and repeat four sets of 12 repetitions.

• Carry out the stretch routine which was mentioned in the last posting.

STRETCHES

At the end of any execises, be it aerobic or toning exercises, you should stretch your muscles to reduce the risk of sorenesss or injury the next day. Here is a simple stretch routine

• Stand up straight, then lift your right ankle up behind you, bending your knee. Grasp your foot and gently pull it towards your bottom. You will feel this stretch in your thigh.
• Hold for 30 seconds, putting out your other arm for balance if you need to.
• Lower the foot, then repeat with the other leg.

• Stand up straight, then straighten your right leg out, toe on the floor.
• Keeping this straight (but without locking your knees), gently bend the left leg and push the buttocks back as if you were going to sit down. You should feel this pull along the back of your thigh. Hold for 20-30 seconds, release and swap legs.
• Avoid this stretch if you have back problems.

• Step forwards with your left leg and bend your knee. As you do this, your right leg will straighten and your right heel will come off the floor.
• Keeping your right leg straight, gently try to push your right heel back down. Hold for 30 seconds when you feel the stretch. Release gently and swap legs.

• Reach your right hand up and over your shoulder so that your arm is bent with the elbow pointing upwards and the palm of your hand flat on your back.
• Using the other arm, gently press the upper arm backwards. Hold for 30 seconds, then swap sides.

• Stand up straight and reach your right arm across your body at roughly shoulder height. Use your left arm placed just above the elbow to gently push our right arm closer to your body.
• Hold for 30 seconds, release, then swap arms.

• Link your fingers and, turning your palms outwards, push your hands forward so you feel a stretch across your back and shoulder. Hold for 30 seconds, then release.
• Now push your arms up above your head so you feel the stretch up your torso and back. Hold for 30 seconds.
• Release, reach behind you and, again, link fingers. Gently pull your linked arms up until you feel the pull across your chest. Hold for 30 seconds, then release.

THE EXERCISE SOLUTION

Exercise is the most effective ways to help reduce the look of lumpy thighs. Study has been done and at the end of the study for eight weeks, 70% said their cellulite had improved and on average they had lost 3.5cm(11/2inches) from their hips.

Exercise works on a number of levels. When you work out, you burn up to 15 times more calories than you do when you are sitting still. And even when you stop, your metabolic rate is increased, so you continue burning calories 6-10 per cent for up to 12 hours. This increases your ability to lose weight. You also lose weight because you gain muscle mass, and 0.5kg (1lb) of muscle burns 147 kj (35 kcal) an hour, while fat burns none. Muscles will definitely makes cellulite less noticeable as it stops the septa pulling down on the skin.

Exercise also stimulates the circulation. It boosts the lymph flow as well. Put all these together and it is easy why exercise works effective to reduce cellulite.