A strange rumour has been doing the rounds: physical activity might have a downside — making cellulite more visible. Yes, you read that right! Exercise is supposedly responsible for more noticeable cellulite. Fact or fiction? We tell you everything!
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What effect does exercise have on cellulite?
It has been clearly established that regular physical activity helps maintain good health. The benefits of exercise are numerous and undeniable. It helps to:
- Reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure
- Prevent osteoporosis, back pain and chronic inflammatory rheumatism
- Boost your basal metabolism and immune system
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Reduce stress and play a protective role against neurodegenerative diseases
- Improve sleep quality
- Ease anxiety and depressive states
- Slow down skin ageing
And what about its effects on cellulite? Exercise is one of the key solutions against dimpled skin — let’s be clear about that!
1- Exercise boosts blood circulation
When you engage in physical activity, your muscles and organs work at full capacity. To keep them functioning properly, they need energy, oxygen and water. It is the blood that carries and delivers essential nutrients to every muscle and organ.
2- Exercise supports healthy veno-lymphatic return
Waste, toxins and excess water in our bodies need to be carried to the filtering organs. To do this, the veno-lymphatic network “collects” waste and transports it through the body. But sometimes this return flow is impaired — this is known as venous insufficiency. Exercise addresses this insufficiency by reactivating the venous pump.
3- Exercise requires energy
To supply the energy the body needs during physical activity, it draws on its fat reserves. It starts with the most accessible ones and then, as the effort continues, taps into its deeper reserves — namely the fat cells found in the lower layers of the skin. These are the very same cells, the adipocytes, that are implicated in cellulite. Their role is to store fat so the body never runs short. Cellulite appears when adipocytes become “overloaded” with fat and swell. Exercise therefore helps drain fat cells of their contents, providing the energy the body needs during exertion. This is known as lipolysis.
4- Exercise reduces the factors that contribute to cellulite
Stress, poor sleep, loss of skin firmness — all of these factors contribute to cellulite and orange-peel skin. Yet it has been shown that exercise:
- lowers cortisol, the stress hormone responsible for weight gain and deteriorating skin quality
- improves sleep quality, allowing the body to function well
- tones the skin from within, making cellulite less visible
Why do some people think exercise makes cellulite worse?
Some dedicated sportswomen notice that their cellulite remains just as visible — or even more so. The association is immediate: Exercise = Cellulite. Disheartened, they lose not only the pleasure of being active, but also their self-confidence, feeling powerless against their dimples.
But what actually causes exercise to make cellulite more visible? Two reasons explain this phenomenon.
1- Insufficient hydration
Some people believe that to get rid of their cellulite, they need to “dry out” their body. This is especially true for those who suffer from water retention, the primary cause of aqueous cellulite, which is often associated with other types of cellulite. So they push themselves to exercise without drinking enough, thinking this will help flush out the water stored in their tissues. A critical mistake! Water retention is mainly caused by a lack of water intake. The body, always ready to store, will “hold on” to the water it absorbs because it senses a shortage. This is all it takes to make orange-peel skin more visible. When the body is properly hydrated, it functions normally and eliminates excess water through natural channels (urine, sweat). Muscles and organs perform far better when well hydrated. And cellulite will tend to fade naturally.
2- The wrong type of exercise
The choice of sport plays a role in how visible cellulite appears, especially when it is aqueous. Cellulite is partly caused by poor vascular and lymphatic tone. Certain high-impact sports are best avoided when you suffer from veno-lymphatic insufficiency: tennis, boxing, running, alpine skiing and basketball, for example. Why? Because they are abrupt, involve repeated stomping, jumping, impacts, and frequent starts and stops. As a result, they can damage the quality of the venous and lymphatic network and slow down microcirculation rather than stimulating it. The outcome: the visible appearance of cellulite is worsened, especially when it is strongly linked to circulatory factors.
Exercise: an essential weapon against cellulite
As you will have gathered, the idea that exercise makes cellulite worse is a myth! In specific cases mentioned above, it can accentuate the orange-peel effect. But the vast majority of the time, it is an essential anti-cellulite solution!
A few tips for making the most of exercise:
- To reduce cellulite, opt for endurance sports. The body starts drawing on its fat reserves after 45 minutes of physical activity. You have plenty of options: cycling, swimming, Nordic walking, cross-country skiing, rollerblading, elliptical trainer.
- For those with veno-lymphatic insufficiency: choose gentle sports, with a special mention for water sports. You have the choice: swimming, aqua aerobics, aqua cycling.
- Remember to hydrate before, during and after your workout. Keep in mind that your body is made up of around 65% water. If you deprive it of fluids, it will not function optimally — and you will feel the consequences! One golden rule: drink up!
- Don’t overlook gentler activities, such as Pilates or yoga. They tone the deep muscles, engage muscle groups that are rarely worked and thereby increase your basal metabolism.
- Mix up your activities and sports. Ideally, aim for 3 workout sessions per week, complemented by daily walking and fun activities (games, dancing). We promise you — your cellulite won’t know what hit it!