Banish Bumpy Thighs :: Beauty

Banish Bumpy Thighs
by author Heather Apple

Around this time of year many women are pulling their bathing suits out of winter storage and standing in front of the mirror to examine their thighs for the dreaded cellulite. Cellulite or "orange peel skin" is the name given to dimpled, bumpy skin, usually on the outer thighs, hips and buttocks but also sometimes on the upper arms, upper back and abdomen. It even affects women who are thin.

Cellulite isn’t ordinary fat. It’s a combination of fat, toxic cellular wastes and fluids that form a gel-like mass trapped in the connective tissue beneath the skin’s surface. Most women are concerned only with its appearance, but cellulite is a warning of an unhealthy accumulation of toxic cellular wastes. Factors such as poor diet, digestion, constipation, inadequate water intake, smoking, poor posture, lack of exercise, poor liver function, shallow breathing, allergies, sluggish blood and lymphatic circulation, stress and hormonal imbalances can cause cellular wastes to accumulate.

Whole Food Diet

A healthy diet of nutritious, whole foods is central in preventing or eliminating cellulite. Eat lots of fresh vegetables, whole grains, beans, fruit, salads, sprouts and some organically raised poultry and fish if desired. Several servings a week of sea vegetables, such as kelp, kombu, dulse or nori, can be added to soups, stews, grain and bean dishes. One tablespoon per day of flax seed oil improves cell membranes and helps eliminate toxins and excess fluid. Raw cabbage helps eliminate toxins.

Avoid alcohol, coffee, black tea, soft drinks, pasteurized dairy products (except a moderate amount of natural yogurt if wished), fatty and fried foods, red meat, additives and preservatives, processed foods, sugar and salt (other than a small amount of sea salt).

Inadequate water intake contributes to sluggish circulation and inhibits the elimination of wastes. Drink six to eight glasses of distilled or spring water a day as well as herbal tea and fresh fruit and vegetable juices.

Those suffering from constipation may find it helpful to take two tablespoons of flax seed meal a day. This can be mixed with warm water in the morning or added to grain or bean dishes after they have been cooked. Include one or more of the following in your diet every day: spinach, carrots, beets, okra, peas, asparagus, sweet potato, bananas, pears, apples, peaches, apricots or dried prunes or figs soaked in water overnight.

A healthy liver is essential in the prevention and elimination of cellulite. Check your local health food store for a herbal tea blend for liver detoxification.

Exercise and Skin Brushing

Exercise helps increase blood circulation and lymphatic drainage and eliminates cellular wastes. Do an aerobic exercise at least three times per week for 30 minutes. Rebounding, swimming, bicycling and dancing are all great. Walking is an excellent exercise if you walk briskly, swing your arms and breathe deeply. If you’re not used to exercising, start slowly. If you are elderly or have any health problems, take it easy!

Skin brushing improves blood and lymphatic circulation and sloughs off dead skin cells. About one third of bodily wastes are eliminated through the skin--this can add up to more than one pound of waste disposal per day. Use a natural bristle brush and with sweeping upward strokes, brush your entire body starting with the soles of your feet and ending with your chest and arms.

Follow skin brushing with a contrast shower to improve blood and lymphatic circulation, enhance immunity and flush cellular toxins into the blood. Follow this sequence: one to three minutes hot water, 30 seconds cold. Repeat three times, ending with cold water. Rub yourself down briskly with a towel–and enjoy the afterglow!

Heather Apple is a certified natural health practitioner and certified aromatherapist.

Source: alive #223, May 2001

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