CELLULITE?!

There is a huge myth about Cellulite that I'd like to clear up first: 90% of women have it, and bad news but nothing will 100% "cure" it.
 
Cellulite refers to the layer of fat underneath the skin that can take on a dimpled appearance because of criss-crossing bits of fibre and connective tissue that go through the fat layer. We all need this layer of fat to stay alive and keep our temperature regulated.
Women are more likely than men to have Cellulite because of the way fat is stored in their bodies (more near the butt, thighs and hips).
People's skin type and thickness will also influence the appearance of cellulite, most women have it, it's just not so visible for some. So, even slim people have cellulite, because yes, even slim people need a layer of fat in order to survive.  
 
If you ask me, creams/lotions/pills that are advertised to reduce Cellulite - the majority won't work. Like fitness and health - there is no quick fix... And to be honest you could rub anything on your legs several times a day and improve the skin - it's called improving blood circulation! Most creams can only treat one component of cellulite –- usually the fat component. Very few are designed to affect the circulation and connective tissues that contribute to cellulite development. To the best of my knowledge, only one cream treats all three aspects of cellulite. And NO cream can treat dimples
HOWEVER, if you absolutely must try one, please opt for a cream with the following ingredients:

• Retinyl Palmitate - to firm and tone the skin
• Caffeine - a natural diuretic which flushes away excess water
• l-Carnitine - an amino acid that metabolizes fat
• Coenzyme-A - to release trapped fat cells
• Bupleurum Falcatum Extract - which creates a natural lipolysis to eradicate fat.

Tips to reduce the appearance of cellulite...

Eat lots of fruits and leafy greens. Opt for Organic food wherever possible because it contains no toxins like pesticides.

Avoid junk food, soft drinks, processed foods, artificial colors and flavors, and saturated fats such as butter and animal fats.

Avoid toxins like alcohol and cigarettes.

Drink a lot of water to hydrate your body and flush out toxins. Eight to ten glasses a day are recommended.

Brush your skin daily, preferably before bathing. The best is a Tampico Skin Brush made with natural agave plant fiber. This simple technique stimulates blood and lymph flow, removes dead skin cells and encourages new cell growth. (Skin brushing is also inexpensive. You can get a good quality body brush for $6-$8)

Maintain your healthiest weight through healthy eating and regular excercise.

Finish your daily shower with a cold rinse to tone your skin and keep hydrated.

The best excercises for improving cellulite are walking, swimming and weight training.

The Most Effective Ab Excercises

It's important to remember that, while ab exercises won't get rid of fat from the belly, a strong core is important for keeping your body healthy and protecting your spine.

Bicycle
 
Lie on the floor and lace your fingers behind your head, knees into the chest. Lift the shoulder blades off the floor and straighten the left leg out while simultaneously turning the upper body, taking the left elbow towards the right knee. Switch sides, bringing the right elbow towards the left knee. Continue alternating sides in a 'pedaling' motion for 16 reps (1 rep is to the right and left).

Captain's Chair or Chair Lifts

If you have access to a Captain's Chair (found at many gyms), stand on the chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body. Press your back against the pad and contract the abs to raise the legs and lift knees towards your chest. Lower and repeat for 16 reps. Alternative: Chair Lift (Not Pictured): Sit in a chair and put all the weight in your hands as you lift your hips off the seat, feet on the floor. For a very advanced exercise, lift one or both feet off the ground, balancing on your hands. Lower and repeat for 16 reps.

Ball Crunch

Lie with the ball resting under the mid/lower back and place hands behind the head or across the chest.  Contract your abs to lift your the torso off the ball, pulling the bottom of your ribcage down toward your hips. Lower and repeat for 16 reps.

Vertical Leg Crunch

Lie on the floor and extend the legs straight up with knees crossed. Place your hands behind the head for support and contract the abs to lift the shoulder blades off the floor, as though reaching your chest towards your feet. Lower and repeat for 16 reps.

Ab Roll
 
Kneel in front of the ball and place your hands on the ball parallel to one another. Roll the ball out keeping the hips straight and back straight.  Roll out until you feel the abs engage (don't arch or strain the back) and push into the ball to roll back in. Repeat for 16 reps. 

Long Arm Crunch

Lie on a mat and extend the arms straight out behind the head with hands clasped, keeping the arms next to the ears. Contract the abs and lift the shoulder blades off the floor, keeping the arms straight. Lower and repeat for 16 reps.

Reverse Crunch

Lie on the floor and place hands on the floor or behind the head. Lift the knees, bending them to 90-degrees and contract the abs to curl the hips off the floor, reaching the legs up towards the ceiling. Lower and repeat for 16 reps.

Crunch With Heel Push

Lie on your back with the knees bent and the hands gently cradling the head. Flex your feet and keep them flexed as your contract the abs, lifting the shoulder blades off the floor. At the top of the crunch, press your heels into the floor while pressing your back against the mat and slightly raising the glutes off the floor. Lower and repeat for 16 reps.

Plank

Place forearms on the floor and press up into a flat-back position on the toes, keeping the hips down so that the body is in a straight line from head to heels. Hold for 30-60 seconds, lower and repeat for 3-5 reps.

Grilled Caribbean Chicken Breasts

• 4 chicken breasts halves
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon crushed fresh ginger
• 60ml orange juice
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon of hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

Place the chicken breasts in a folded piece of clingfilm; slightly flatten the upper portion of each breast with a rolling pin.
Place the breasts in a shallow glass dish.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the chicken.
Cover with glad wrap and marinate in the fridge for 2 - 3 hours.
Remove the breasts from the marinade and place them under a preheated grill and cook for about 6-8 minutes on each side.

Serves 4.

Super Salad

• 4 handfuls of baby spinach
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 red capsicum, diced
• 2 handfuls of mung bean sprouts
• 2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
• 4 tablespoons pumpkin and sunflower seeds
• A sprinkling of pine nuts
• 1 avocado
• A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Stir, mix and enjoy. Serves 4.

The 4 Wheels of Fitness

One of the most valuable things I have come to learn, is that you should look at Fitness & Health as if it were a car with 4 wheels:

1. Aerobic Training
2. Resistance/Strength Training

3. Nutrition

4. Rest & Recovery

Imagine a car with one wheel, it won‘t drive - in fact it won't go anywhere. Even a car with three wheels, it might move - but your direction is unknown and it will be unreliable and very slow. If you look at Fitness training in the same respect - it works EXACTLY the same. Of those four wheels above, you need to make sure ALL are in good condition for you to be able to drive smoothly. 
 Aerobic Training
You need stamina to push your muscles beyond what they're capable of doing so they will become stronger and shape up faster. regular aerobic exercise improves your level of fitness by making your heart stronger so it can work more efficiently. The end results: more oxygen in your system to facilitate physical activity. Choose an activity that will keep your heart beating around 65%-85% of your maximum heart rate for at least 20 minutes or more. Maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age, in my case, it's 200. Therefore, in order get the most from aerobic exercise, I need to keep my pulse between 130 - 170. Please note that for the first 20 minutes, the body uses the it's glycogen (carbohydrate) stores, then uses the stored body fat beyond the 20 minutes. Go longer and you'll burn more fat!
 Resistance training will help you build more lean muscle. More lean muscle means higher basal metabolic rate (BMR), which accounts for almost 75% of all calories we burn daily. Building more lean muscle means you'll have extra muscle fibers consuming more energy and your body has to use extra calories throughout the day just to sustain the new, leaner body you've built for yourself. Every kilogram of muscle burns an additional 60-100 calories per day. You'll be burning calories without even realising!
 NutritionEating right really isn't all that complicated. It's a choice, a CONSCIOUS, DAILY choice. Eating a low-fat, high-fiber diet along with doing aerobic exercise to burn calories and resistance training to maintain lean mass and to naturally boost your metabolism, is the most effective way to lose fat without holding you back from building muscle tissue.
Using the Harris-Benedict formula, the estimated basal metabolic rate expenditure is:
Men: 66 + (6.3 x weight in pounds) + (12.9 x height in inches) - (6.8 x age in years) = BMR
Women: 655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years) = BMR
The BMR is the minimum number of calories your body needs to keep you functioning.
Most nutritionists recommend dividing up your daily carbs, protein, and fat using the ratio of 5:3:2 respectively.
You can add about 20 % for your daily activity (or multiply the result with 120%). Then you have, very roughly, the amount of calories your body needs every day. Consume less, or do more sport, to reduce bodyfat – the deciding factor is the caloric deficit which you produce, meaning intake must be lower than your output!
Giving your muscles time to rest and recover in between each workout can make a huge difference in the kind of results you end up seeing for all of your hard work. If you don't, your muscles will be in a state of exhaustion, which not only prevents them from getting stronger and shaping any further, but leaves them weaker than usual. Continuous intense exercise exhausts the adrenal glands, resulting in blood sugar imbalances that cause energy levels to flow in unpredictable ways. Keeping blood sugar out of whack can also cause your body to step into a "survival mode" that tells it store more fat.
Rest & Recovery
Resistance/Strength Training