Cellulite, its that nasty thing that we all dread as women. That thing, lurking under the skin just waiting to show itself once we have eaten enough ho-hos and ice cream (or whatever junk food weakness you may have). We blame it on our mothers, they had cellulite, and so will we. We blame it on our age, Well looks like the good old days are gone you might say, or Oh my gosh, Im turning thirty! Do my thighs look giggly? Is my but getting cottage cheesy? Well, I am here to tell you that it is possible to get rid of cellulite and even prevent it. It comes down to two things, diet and exercise. Thats right you hear me, diet and exercise.

There are three key ingredients to getting a body you can be proud of (one with no cellulite): diet, strength training, and aerobic exercise. I know youve heard this before and you think there has got to be more to it than that. Well theres not. It strictly comes down to what you consume versus what you burn, and what you do with the muscles that you have. It is sad to say that you can not rub, or shake that cellulite away, but you can get rid of fat and build muscle which will smooth it out and make it invisible. I am going to show you easy ways to make the three components necessary for getting rid of cellulite a part of your everyday life.

First Step: Diet

I know that there are a lot of good things out there to eat. The problem is that they are not good for you. I know what youre thinking; Im some kind of food Nazi. Well you are partly correct, I am a registered dietician. Dont get me wrong, I have a sweet tooth to rival all sweet tooths! (My husband, the personal trainer, also likes to indulge in mass quantities of dessert!) So believe me when I say I can relate! I am not going to tell you to cut everything that tastes good out of your diet. I am however going to tell you to practice moderation! One or two cookies are okay, seven are not and it is possible to eat only one piece of pizza!

The key to a good diet, one that will melt fat, is moderation and counting those calories. Your diet should have about 60% carbohydrates, 35% protein, and no more than 15% fat. Easy ways to do this are to make sure that you are eating foods that have these proportions naturally. Start replacing any white foods (white bread, plain pasta, white rice) with brown foods (whole wheat bread, pasta, and brown rice). Also make sure you are getting plenty of vegetables.

At meals fill your plate 2/3 with vegetables and 1/3 with lean protein (white meat chicken or turkey, and fish). Throw out those impressive 12 plates when casually eating and replace them with an 8 or 9 plate. Remember moderation. An 8 or 9 plate is a lot more diet appropriate. Also, it can take your body 15 minutes to tell your mind youre full, so wait before you have that second helping.

Second Step: Strength Training

Strength training is important when it comes to getting rid of the appearance of cellulite. It is necessary to get rid of the fat, but cellulite will still show if you do not have muscles built up underneath the skin. By having muscle you achieve two things, first of all you smooth out the appearance of cellulite and second, you burn more fat. Muscle is the best fat burner you can have. A pound of muscle burns 10 more calories than a pound of fat without you doing any extra work! The more muscle you have the more fat you can burn!

Strength training doesnt have to be done in a gym; it can be done at home. There are many different magazines and books that offer ways to do resistance training at home. You can use resistance bands or purchase weights from a local sports equipment store. If you are unsure of what to do, there are a lot of great fitness books out there that will guide through exercises and diet. Another alternative would be purchasing some personal training sessions (can be costly however).

Step Three: Aerobic Exercise

The first and second steps are very important, but you are never going to be able to lose the appearance of cellulite without aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise burns fat; there is no way to get around it. Again, it does not have to be done in a gym. Find an activity that you like, that elevates your heart rate, and do it for about an hour, five days a week. Walk, run, play tennis, bike, shoot hoops, whatever it takes to get you moving and your heart rate elevated. Another plus to aerobic exercise is, it raises you caloric limit for the day. If you cheated during lunch, and youre counting the calories, you can make it up during your cardio session.