Fat facts: how to reduce cellulite

You can add another two or three workout sessions a week doing 30 minutes of cardio, on an exercise bike, or try running or walking. Alternatively, have a go at interval training, where you vary your intensity during the workout. Salzmann insists that you never need to work out more than five times a week, and he stresses the importance of recuperation to allow the body to work and burn fat more efficiently.

Following a healthy diet can help you lose weight and, as a result, reduce cellulite. Salzmann recommends eating five or six small meals a day rather than three large ones, as this helps to regulate the metabolism. Meals should include a wide variety of wholesome foods, with a small amount of low-fat protein and non-starchy complex carbohydrates like green vegetables and wholewheat bread and pasta. These kinds of foods are digested more slowly by the body, providing a constant supply of energy. Keeping the body well hydrated is also important. According to Salzmann, drinking two to three litres of water a day helps flush out the toxins produced by your body as it burns fat.

Another way to reduce the appearance of cellulite is through stretching classes like the Method Putkisto. This involves deep-stretching and breathing techniques aimed at realigning the body and improving circulation and lymph drainage. This in turn helps to eliminate toxins and fat from the body.

Marja Putkisto, the London-based creator of the Putkisto method, explains, 'When muscles get tight (from sitting or not stretching after exercise) they contract and become shorter, which forces your bones closer together and pushes the body out of alignment.' She explains that the rib cage gets pulled closer to the pelvis, resulting in a constricted use of the diaphragm and reduced circulation to your legs. By creating space between the pelvis and diaphragm, she suggests you are able to use your diaphragm properly. This improves lymph drainage, which is often blocked due to the rib cage pressing down on certain organs.

Putkisto claims that if you follow even the most basic deep stretching programme you'll see results. The advantage of her method is that while you need an initial understanding of the technique to get started, you can eventually do it on your own. For more information, visit the Method Putkisto website.

Ultimately, reducing cellulite involves a healthy lifestyle change and not just a one-off attempt at a diet. But while everyone wants to reach their aesthetic best, the most important thing to focus on is good health and accepting your body the way it is. As Salzmann wisely says, at the end of the day, life's too short - don't fret about that chocolate biscuit!