Cellulite. Ripples. Dents. Cottage Cheese. Lumps. Sagging skin. The most loathed thing by all women! The common misconceptions are:
- Cellulite is genetic.
- Cellulite is just something that you have to accept having.
- Cellulite means you’re fat.
I’m here to tell you that you that it’s not FAT, it’s FASCIA!
Hello Everyone! Let me preface this by saying, none of the information that I am writing about in this post is my own. This is all from Ashley Black, the author of book “The Cellulite Myth.” I am in no way taking credit for the information, I am merely passing along the knowledge, that SO many people need to read!
What is Fascia?
Fascia is your head to toe, fingertip to fingertip, surface to deep, connective tissue that attaches underneath the skin. It both separates and connects muscles, organs, bones, veins and arteries. It runs around and penetrates your brain.
According to Ashley Black, the author of The Cellulite Myth and creator of the FasciaBlaster, “Fascia is a highly sophisticated system of cells that is spread throughout your entire body. It interplays with every system of the body – cardiovascular system, nervous system, circulatory system, muscular system, etc. Fascia is under, in between, and throughout everything.”
Women tend to have less supportive connective tissue than men in certain areas, such as the butt and thighs. When the tightly packed Collagen protein fibers of the fascia become distorted, fat deposits protrude through, and the weakened connective tissue fibers underneath the skin create a dimpled look in the skin. Thus, cellulite is born.
The Four Types Of Fascia
Each type of fascia will affect the appearance of your cellulite differently.
- Structural – This is the fascia that you see directly under the skin. It runs in long strips throughout the body.
- Interstructural – This layer runs throughout the structures of the body. It weaves through every structure, muscle, organ, and attaches to the bone.
- Visceral – This layer is housed in the abdominal cavity, protecting internal organs.
- Spinal – These layers of fascia surround the spinal column and can tighten just like fascia anywhere else. Traditionally broken down into dura mater, arachnoid mater, and pia mater. This one is basically a layer of fascia attached to a layer of fascia that’s attached to a layer of fascia.
If you pull on the bottom of the sheet, its going to affect the placement of the top edge of the sheet. Likewise, your cellulite and your back pain can be related.
Unhealthy Fascia vs. Healthy Fascia
When fascia is unhealthy, it forms Restrictions, Adhesions and Distortions (R.A.D).
- Restriction – is a place in the body where the fascia is tight and restricting blood flow, nerve activity, joint mobility, muscle access, or even organ function.
- Adhesion – is a place where fascia is stuck together and balled up, commonly referred to as a “knot.” Adhesions can cause restrictions.
- Distortion – is where the tissue is pulled out of shape or the body’s structure is distorted, such as with the appearance of cellulite. Or when a person has a knee that is turned in. The tight fascia is pulling and distorting the anatomy.
Consequences of Unhealthy Fascia:
The blood runs through the fascia. Therefore, if you have healthy fascia, you have proper blood flow and circulation. If you have unhealthy, distorted fascia, you have poor circulation and blood flow. You may have cold extremities often, in addition to the obvious cellulite or chronic pain.
Nerves also run through fascia, so if you have unhealthy fascia, the nerve signals can be impeded and the messages to and from the brain can be negatively affected.
The muscles and tendons are both covered and penetrated by fascia, so unhealthy fascia can inhibit the ability to contract, relax and stretch.
The spine and joints have fascia running all through and around them. The spine has all 4 types of fascia affecting it. So if the fascia is unhealthy, the joints and spine can be compressed, twisted or contorted (scoliosis).
The brain is COVERED in fascia. Unhealthy fascia can clamp down on our brains, causing headaches, brain fog and other symptoms.
Things That Can Impact Fascia:
- Poor Structure & Poor Biomechanics – your “structure” is the condition of your physical body. If you have a problem with your hip, you have a structural deficiency in your hip. If you have carpal tunnel, you have a structural deficiency in your forearms. If you have poor posture or discs out of place, you have structural malignancies. This will all cause you to move your body in a poor way. (To address this I would suggest finding a personal trainer who specializes in functional movements, proper posture, someone who is really going to go in to depth with you about posture and spend time with you. Not just some LA Fitness trainer.) I recommend Alexander Vergara who owns and operates a gym/center where he does just that. You can reach him at MovementMasterMiami@gmail.com – he also has an instagram account where you can check out his programs “MovementMasters_ “
- Dehydration – According to Ashley Black, the second greatest impact on the health of fascia is tissue hydration. Electrolyte balance is crucial. Hydration keeps the fascia functioning properly and is crucial to help you move without pain. (My personal rule is, you should drink half your body weight in ounces of water.)
- Blood Flow – Cardiovascular exercises are at the top of the list for healthy blood flow. Ideally, elevating the heart to 135 – 170 bpm. Inactivity is a major killer and depresses all systems of the body as well as over all quality of life.
Okay, now that you have an understanding of the fascia system and what impacts the health or distortion of it, lets move on to the good stuff!
I Had Unhealthy Fascia So I Bought A FasciaBlaster!
Atleast 5 days per week I either get in a hot shower or go into the sauna at the gym and make sure my muscles are all warmed up. Warming your muscles up makes the fascia more pliable to manipulate with your FasciaBlaster, Ashley even sells her own oil that has Arnica in it to help with healing. I use coconut oil and rub the FasciaBlaster over the areas that I have cellulite or I feel pain or tightness. I do this for about 5 minutes. A word of caution, you will bruise when you do this. Crappy fascia will bruise more easily than not-so crappy fascia, but it still depends on how much pressure you apply. Just because you bruised in an area the 1st time you did it doesn’t mean you will bruise the 2nd time. My experience was, the 1st time I blasted my legs, holy mother of god, it looked like someone held me down and beat my legs LOL. But after 10 days the bruises faded and I continued blasting. (Side note: If you take vitamin C it will prevent you from bruising as easily as well.) And it was only my legs that bruised! Never anywhere else! That is my problem area, and where I have the most distorted or weak fascia. (Makes total sense).
Sometimes its difficult for me to find consistent exercise, so that’s why I was so surprised to see such a difference in my body from simply using the FasciaBlaster. Here is my own experience with Fascia blasting:
- Significant reduction in cellulite on back of my legs, hips
- Lower abdominal “pooch” seriously flattened
- More muscle definition in my quads and abs, triceps, calves.
- Using it on my scalp every night, more hair growth – stimulation of blood flow to scalp = increased hair growth
- Less pain in my neck and traps, and still decreasing!
- My feet feel less cold, due to the increase in circulation.
- My indented scar in my forearm is completely flat
This is just what i’ve noticed in 1 month of using a FasciaBlaster!
I can certainly empathize with the person who exercises and eats well and just can’t get rid of that pesky cellulite in the same area that it’s been for years. It’s like WHAT MORE DO I HAVE TO DOOOOOO?!?! Well, here’s your answer: Buy a FasciaBlaster, buy the book “The Cellulite Myth.” It’s seriously life changing. <<<<<www.fasciablaster.com>>>>>
Word of Caution: Ashley Black lists these contraindications on her website
“Can I use the FasciaBlaster® if I’m on blood thinners or have blood clots?
If someone is on blood thinners or has a history of blood clots we tell them it’s usually NOT safe for them – so please consult your doctor and be sure to get CLEARED with an ultrasound by a doctor before you try anything that enhances circulation like this! Even with the clearance from blood clots, our official position is that it’s not safe for you if you’ve had a history of blood clots, so it’s an “at your own risk” situation that you need to get approved by your doctor.
FasciaBlasting can be contraindicated for anyone who is taking blood thinners or has a history of blood clots because blood clots can be caught up in the fascia, so when you break up the fascial adhesions the blood clot can be released, which can be fatal. However, the FasciaBlaster® is perfectly safe for everyone else and does not CAUSE blood clots.”
If you check out Ashley Black’s website www.fasciablaster.com, you will find tutorials on how to blast properly, and how to flex, and answers to a lot more questions. She also has a facebook page where real people post their results and testimonials. She has a public instagram page as well. I hope you enjoyed this blog post as much as i’ve enjoyed writing it!!
To Order your own fascia blaster click here: Healthy Fascia Here I Come! use the code HEALTHYMEL for a discount!
Lisa Grey says
Oh my gosh, Melissa! I need to get one of these!
mbmullin says
YES! Definitely! Almost everyone has unhealthy fascia, and women who have cellulite DEFINITELY have unhealthy fascia – it’s a no brainer to get one. She now has them available on amazon. xox
Daily Health Tips (@BrahimEL7) says
Good sharing
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