Remember how I went to Montreal earlier this month? (It almost feels like 3 months ago, so much has happened in the weeks since!) I was invited by Daniele Henkel, a Canadian wellness company who’s primarily known for being one of the primary distributors of LPG Endermology machines in North America.
Obviously, we ate tons of amazing food, explored Montreal, and had a blast while there, particularly while hanging out with the extraordinary Daniele herself…but we also spent 2 jam-packed days learning all about that dreaded monster that afflicts women young and old, skinny and chub, rich and poor: cellulite. (Da-da-DAAA!)
In a nutshell, this: cellulite is treatable (sort of), but it takes a crazy amount of effort to (partially) get rid of it. Cellulite is basically too deep for creams to penetrate and do their business, yet too superficial for diet and exercise to make any difference. We’ve all seen super-thin girls whose thighs are drowning in cottage cheese; unfortunately, it’s simply hereditary and has nothing to do with weight loss.
So what does treat cellulite? You need a reduction in the volume of fat cells (adipocytes), increased blood circulation, and increased lymphatic drainage. This is where endermology comes in.
An endermology before and after
Endermology, we learned, was the first FDA-approved treatment for the reduction of cellulite. It’s a non-invasive, half-hour connective-tissue treatment with a variety of amazing results…however you must maintain treatments to see said results–and it’s not cheap. Endermology gets rid of excess fat deposits, eliminates toxins, temporarily improves blood circulation up to 400%, relieves muscle soreness and significantly speeds burn and wound healing (yes! really!).
I had two treatments myself, and while the device sort of pummels your legs, thighs, back and stomach as it’s kneading and sucking the fat, it’s also surprisingly enjoyable and I found myself so relaxed that I literally almost fell asleep on the table. While I didn’t see any noticable results after two treatments, my blogging colleague Kari Solyntjes of Fab Over Forty marveled at the fact that her endermology treatment significantly reduced her chronic knee pain after just one session. (It usually takes about 6-8 treatments before you’ll see anything drastic, and clients are encouraged to treat their endermology sessions the same as you would gym memberships: if you go often, at least 2-3 times a month, you will see results. Once you stop, the benefits will eventually stop, too.)
Side note! While cellulite creams themselves don’t actually work, the at-home massaging and kneading does help increase both circulation and lymphatic drainage…which leads to the temporary reduction of cellulite! So, you don’t need to spend $50 on a pricey cream. What’s really important is simply beating the crap out of your thighs. (I kid, I kid! But only a little bit.) Since returning from the trip, I’ve been dry-brushing and massaging my thighs in an upward motion daily–that sounds strangely dirty–and I’ve noticed a slimming, although I thought it was just in my head. When my boyfriend commented on my svelte, lycra-clad legs as we were hiking, however, that’s when I knew said thigh-pummeling really worked.
In all seriousness, I was very impressed by endermology and wish I had money in my budget to make it a part of my regular fitness/diet/health regimen. Sadly, I do not. But maybe someday! The promise of thin thighs hovers, just over the horizon…
