Cellulite and fascia. I know that you are more than familiar with the first word. But what about the second? Do you know that those two words are linked? The good thing about knowing the second word is that this can be your key to solving your problems with cellulite. Want to know more? Read on.
Cellulite is the thing that women love to hate. It takes the form of ripples, dents, lumps, and sagging skin. Looking at it makes you go “ugh!” Yeah, we all despise it as it rears its ugly head.
There are three things that we already know about it. One, is that it can be passed from one generation to another. Two, is that you need to just accept it because it does not easily go away. And last is that fat is a HUGE contributing factor.
But let me tell you another truth that I found out from Ashley Black. We cannot just blame everything on fat. We also need to look at fascia.
Fascia Defined
What is fascia? Based on Ashley Black’s book called “The Cellulite Myth”, Fascia is a wide-reaching connective tissue that links your body parts, muscles, organs, bones, veins, and arteries together. It even extends its reach to your brain. It is underneath, in the middle of, all over you, and it meshes with your systems.
We, women, have less supportive fascia or connective tissue compared to men in some areas of our bodies. This is especially true in our common problem areas which are the thighs and butt.
As soon as our taut fascia filled with collagen fibers is deformed, fats bulge out through the damaged connective tissue fibers under the skin. This creates the dimpling and the dents on the skin’s surface. Voila, that right there is how cellulite is formed. And this is how cellulite and fascia are connected.
Types of Fascia
There are four types, namely:
- Superficial fascia – this governs the skin and runs in long, thin sections
- Deep fascia – entwines through your muscles, organs, bones, and every structure of the body
- Visceral or subserous fascia – is responsible for protecting the internal organs
- Spinal – envelopes your spinal column. This is primarily a layer of fascia affixed to another layer which is also affixed to a different layer.
Each type of fascia will differently affect the manifestation of your cellulite. Let us use Miss Black’s bed sheet analogy to understand this topic better.
Think of the bed sheet as your fascia. If you pull the bottom part of the bed sheet, for instance, it will affect the way the top part of the sheet looks. If you drag, rip, or stretch one part of the sheet, you will start to see wrinkles as a result of that change.
Simply put, the overall look of your body will be affected if there are “distortions” in another part plainly because everything is connected. Thus, it is safe to say that your cellulite might be connected to your upper body pain.
Unhealthy Fascia
Healthy fascia is usually flexible and malleable. So what can you possibly do to cause its decline in health?
- Poor hydration
- Bad posture
- Unhealthy lifestyle (habits and meals)
- No exercise or physical activities
- Lack of sleep and rest
- Stress
- Overused and injured muscles
What happens when you have an unhealthy and distorted fascia? Since everything is connected by and through it, you might experience the following:
- Poor blood flow and circulation – you will have cold arms, hands, legs and feet, see cellulite appear, and feel constant pain
- Affected nerves – this means that messages sent to and from the brain are obstructed. This results in improper functioning of body organs since the communication between the body and brain is affected.
- Muscle pain – your muscles and tendons might not be able to properly stretch, relax, or contract. You will most likely experience pain in your muscles and tendons.
- Twisted and compressed spine – you might suffer from scoliosis or other illnesses related to the spine and joints.
- Headaches – fascia might crush your brain, thereby causing headaches, and brain fog in the process.
Imagine all that? This is more than just cellulite and fascia. Other scary things can happen to you if you don’t learn to love your fascia. So what can you do to take care of it?
How To Keep Your Fascia Healthy?
Restoring your fascia’s health will and can take time. But if you try to do something now, you will see and feel satisfying results not only on your cellulite, but on other health problems that you are dealing with.
Stretch daily. Stretching your muscles for as long as 10 minutes per day helps relieve tension. Just remember not to overstretch or force yourself into a position that can hurt you.
Go to the sauna. It does not matter if you like the traditional steam or infrared sauna. According to a study, both can alleviate muscle pain and help your muscle recover faster from injuries
In another study, it was found that staying in the sauna for at least 30 minutes can break down fat and develop muscles in women by increasing the level of human growth hormones.
Do cardio exercises. Some examples include swimming, running, brisk walking, aerobics, or simply cleaning your yard to help with the blood flow. Doing so can reduce blood pressure level, avoid chronic pain, boost immune system, and improve mood and sleep quality.
Drink lots of water. We already mentioned that poor hydration is one of the many causes of unhealthy fascia. Take note that muscles and tissues are comprised of 75% water so you need to keep them hydrated or they will be damaged.
Drink at least 50% of your body weight in ounces of water per day. Don’t forget to drink about 16 ounces of water 30 minutes prior to your workout to help you recover faster.
Embrace the cold. Putting ice on inflamed area can lessen pain and swelling, especially for workout-related pain and injuries. Just don’t use frozen items on your skin. Take 15-minute breaks too to avoid skin, tissue, and nerve damage.
De-stress. You can dance, paint, do yoga, or anything that keeps your stress and anxiety levels low.
Seek professional help. If you have persistent pain from an injury that just won’t go away, it is time to get help from a specialist. Ask about the right treatment for what is ailing you. Since fascia connects everything in your body, one part might affect other sections of your body.
Fascia Blaster
Earlier mentioned Ashley Black, who wrote the book about fascia, also invented Fascia Blaster. You can see how it looks and what it does below.
In the video below you can see how to use it safely and effectively.
You can buy the original Ashley Black’s Fascia Blaster on Amazon.com
Click here to read my Fascia Blaster Review.
Conclusion
As what we have reiterated over and over, the issue here is more than just cellulite and fascia. We have stressed enough that fascia is linked to everything in the body so you should take care of your fascia’s health as this can affect your overall well-being.
If you have been feeling a shoulder pain, for instance, that travels after massaging it, this means that you need to pay attention to your fascia.
Again, this is more than just looks, cellulite, and fascia. There is so much more that you can do to help your fascia go back to its healthy state. Good luck and let us know if you have other techniques for taking care of your fascia.
Click here to learn how to get rid of cellulite fast at home
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